Tuesday, 11 May 2010

Calleja happy to finish outside the limelight


Ricardo Calleja was graceful in defeat as he missed out on the PPT crown to local rival 'Miki' Rodriguez.

Just like his opponent, Calleja plays in the Casino Gran Madrid on a regular basis, and having split the top prize for a win of around €24,000, he was happy for Rodriguez to take the limelight.

"Miki and I play together here in Madrid quite a lot so it's a rivalry that has continued from the cash table into this event - and maybe it will continue into another tournament!" he grinned.

"I know he's looking to be a big name professional player; he wants the fame and glory whereas I'm just an amateur, so I think I played more relaxed in the heads-up match.

"I wouldn't go as far as to say we're friends (laughs), but I'm pleased for him."

The defining moment for Ricardo came not in the topsy turvy heads-up battle however, but with a moment of intuition that helped him build his enormous chip stack.

"For me the most important hand of the night was a big bluff for half my chips, when I won a huge pot from Wiktor Szuster," he outlined.

"I raised pre-flop and he called in position and by the turn I was looking at a board with an Ace, King and Queen there. A Jack then hit the river and when Wiktor bet small, I felt he was weak and raised big to push him off the pot.

"He eventually folded, so I was really proud of how I played that hand.

"I'm very happy because this was my best position in a tournament. I had won one other event but not anything like this."

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