Tzimas talks

The PP blog caught up with Giorgos Tzimas in the immediate aftermath of his ParadisePoker Tour Main Event victory and he revealed a little more about the road to glory... including the fact he was down to just three big blinds on Day 3!

How does it feel to have won the ParadisePoker Tour Main Event?
It feels great. It's the first time that I've won a big tournament in my home town. It was my first ParadisePoker Tour and I've really enjoyed it, so maybe I'll play in future events too!

So what were the key moments in your tournament, starting with Day 1?
All the days I had a good stack. Day 1 ended with 63,000 and Day 2 around 290,000. I had a few problems today and was down to just three big blinds when I called with 55 vs 10-2 and lost. I had to grind my way back but by the time we were four-handed, I thought I was playing really well. I was being aggressive and using my experience.

Were there any big hands you remember that could have changed how the tournament developed?
I don't like to sound like I'm bragging about hands but the key one was when I six-bet - and now this sounds like a brag *laughs* - all-in with 6-10 against an aggressive Polish guy. I almost doubled up on that hand so I think that had to be the most important one. I didn't really have many times when I was all-in and it helped that I had some good hands at the final table.

So if you were six-betting with 10-6 you must have felt sharp? You must have been reading people well.
Not always! If I was always reading people that well maybe I'd be a bit more famous worldwide! Sometimes you have to follow your reads though and it means sometimes you fail, but it was a good read on that occasion.

Coming into the final table, what was the strategy?
I was about the sixth or seventh stack and I needed some big hands as I only had 15-16 big blinds. I don't remember the first important hand but I won some hands without showdowns, a couple of c-bets taking down big pots with the blinds so large. I managed to grind back up to 25+ big blinds and it was a lot easier from then on.

In terms of the win, the moment that swung things for you was with AK vs the 66 of Attila Kongz?
Yes I raised pre-fop and he three-bet from the button. We ended up all-in and a King hit the flop. That was undoubtedly the key hand and gave me the power to make a deal. When we were four-handed I was the short stack but I didn't want the deal then, unless we were going to chop it four ways.

So you were disappointed that deal didn't happen - but delighted by the time it was done then?!
*laughs* You know the cliche about the guy who doesn't want to do a deal always fails but not on this occasion. I'm obviously delighted!