Luis plays his part in Portuguese success

Second-place finisher Luis Rodrigues spoke to the PPT blog in the aftermath of his £17,500 win and was keen to celebrate the positives despite losing his heads-up duel.

The Portuguese (pictured) was an impressive performer under the glare of the final table, maintaining a steady upward trend despite the chips flying around him and was a little unfortunate in the hand that brought his rival victory.

Here are his post-game thoughts...

How was the experience of playing in the ParadisePoker Tour?
It was fantastic, I really enjoyed this tournament and while I'm disappointed not to have won, I think it's a great result for me.

You were second in chips when we went to final table, but Christos had a big lead, did that mean you were under less pressure?
I didn't feel any pressure going into the final table, despite being second in chips at the start of it. It didn't affect my game at any point, I just set out to play my best poker.

You were the only player who managed to avoid going up and down in chips throughout the final table, was this down to you strategy or was it just how the cards fell?
It was definitely part of my strategy, I had to make a lot of big calls along the way but I had to trust my instinct in those moments. I was pleased with the calls I made against Peter with 6s and earlier on with Jacks, but they were mainly possible because I had studied my opponents.

In the end the final call cost you the chance to win - was that the one decision you were disappointed with?
I was disappointed but by the time I had bet the turn, I was pot committed and I just couldn't fold. He played the hand well and so it's a deserved victory for him.

Portuguese poker players seem to be making a big impact on the ParadisePoker Tour. Does that make you proud?
Portuguese poker is doing really well right now and that's because we have a lot of high quality players. Antonio Lemos came third in Madrid, a number of players did well at the Vilamoura event and now two more were on the final table in London. This is also my third final table in a row, so hopefully I'm doing my part to keep up our good reputation!