Some say that the story of Peter Vasiliou is a fairytale in the making, but the truth is that his journey has been the stuff of dreams whether he experiences that Cinderella ending or not. On Friday, Peter will participate in the Full Tilt Poker Million final and battle it out for the $500,000 million first prize. For the likes of his opponents - Luke Schwartz, James Akenhead and co. – this is just another day at the office, but from Peter’s perspective, it’s a dream that he doesn’t want to end.
Peter’s passage was both longer and cheaper than most: not only did he qualify via an online freeroll, but he also had to win a turbo heat after finishing second in his opening heat. Despite a severe experience disadvantage, he’s played more tournaments than anyone to secure his seat, and hasn’t paid a penny in the process. However, the truth is, Peter is a David amongst Goliaths, and to reach this goal is an incredible achievement in itself.
Now all he has to do is win it…
Snoopy: Obviously a lot of people will only know you from the Poker Million. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Peter Vasiliou: Sure. Both my parents are from Cyprus, but I was born in the UK, in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. I later moved down to London where I now live with my wife. I currently wors in the travel industry for Western & Oriental under the Key2Holidays umbrella.
Snoopy: What about your poker background?
PV: I first picked up poker at around the age of 9, 10 or 11, playing more traditional poker games like Stud with my dad. I only started playing No Limit three years ago, and since then I’ve been playing online with a monthly bankroll of $50, focusing on low stake MTTs and the occasional STT. Now and again I’ll play with friends, but until the Poker Million, I’d never played a single live tournament. Even now I’ve still only played the one, which was at the Vic recently. Poker's always been a bit of fun for me and never something I’ve taken too seriously.
Snoopy: How did you qualify for the Poker Million?
PV: I saw Full Tilt advertise a freeroll for the Poker Million that was open to anyone, so thought, "I'll have me some of that" and entered the comp. There were two satellites in total. The first must have had over 1,500 runners, and you had to get into the top 27 to qualify. The second had more like 2,000, and this time you had to get into, I think, the top seven or eight. I survived the first one, and somehow managed to finish in the top 10 in the second one. It wasn't until I got a phone call from some American geezer that I knew I was in. He told me that one of the other guys couldn't make it and so invited me to play instead. I was in Sainsbury's at the time and couldn't believe it; I was totally shocked.
Snoopy: How did you feel on the day of your heat?
PV: It feels like a long time ago now, but the first filming was in mid July. They asked me to come down to the Sky studio on the Tuesday and gave me 2k in spending money. An extra 2k! I was loving it. If I'm being honest, I was shitting myself on the day. When I got there, I saw Neil Channing sitting down, which was really weird because I'd seen him loads on TV. Although I would later get to know him quite well, I didn't say hello when I first saw him. I was still a bit overawed by it all.
Snoopy: What did you make of your initial heat? Did you even recognise your opponents?
PV: My heat was pretty tough and I think I knew all my opponents from watching them on TV. I definitely knew Ross Boatman having been a Late Night Poker fan, and I really like the Hendon Mob. I had no confidence going in and when I looked at players like Richard Ashby, I thought I had no chance. I knew they could outplay me so the idea was to just play tight and wait for good hands. I suppose on the other hand, they didn't know much about me, and I remember Mel Judah turning to me at one point and confessing, ‘I'm scared of you,’ which I thought was funny. In the end, I found myself heads-up against Tony Bloom, and although I didn't quite make it, I qualified for the turbo heat. I was just amazed to have got second out of such a strong line-up.
Snoopy: What were your thoughts heading into the turbo heat?
PV: The turbo heat is pretty much the same as the other heats except you only get 20 seconds to act. I'd played all my poker online, so was used to having a short amount of time to act. My opponents this time were equally tough. I think the player I was most worried about would have been Gavin Smith because I knew he was a good player and I'd watched him play lots of times on TV. Then, as well as him, you also had two EPT winners, and John Duthie who won the Poker Million several years ago. Again, I genuinely didn't think I could win.
Snoopy: Were you still “shitting it”?
PV: I was a bit more comfortable in the turbo after playing the initial heat. It's quite a lot to take in at first with all the lights and cameras and everything, but I felt more relaxed on this occasion. Like before, I just tried to remain patient.
Snoopy: Had your strategy changed at all?
PV: Again, I was just looking to play good cards but, at the same time, was prepared to move in with nothing if I dropped down to around 60,000. These guys are great players, but I know how to play poker, and have played long enough to know when to move my chips in, so thought that if I just remained patient, I could do OK. Still, I really didn't think I could actually win it. When I won, I didn't even realise I was guaranteed some money until the dealer told me. I had to go and check with Mad Marty Wilson because I couldn't believe it. I was so happy.
Snoopy: How did your session with Neil Channing come about?
PV: After the turbo heat there was a bit of a gap before the final, so I decided to email Neil to see if I could get some advice. I basically said, ‘Listen, man, I've somehow made it to the semi-final, and was wondering if you could help me at all.’ Neil was great about it and agreed to meet me at the Vic for a chat.
Snoopy: What was the most important piece of advice he gave you?
PV: He gave me loads of great advice and was really helpful. I played the cards, and didn't waste many chips, but I think there were times when I needed to be less hesitant and go for it, and Neil helped highlight those spots.
Snoopy: How did you like your semi-final line-up?
PV: I was sandwiched between Luke Schwartz and Annette Obrestad and couldn't believe it, I thought I was in big trouble now and that Annette would be raising all the time, which she did. I was also up against Tony Bloom again, who had beaten me heads-up in the first heat. He's another great player and very intimidating when he gives you the staredown. There are no easy tables in this tournament, and the semi-final was no different. Luke Schwartz was an interesting character.
Snoopy: What did you make of the infamous Luke Schwartz?
PV: I've seen him play on these kind of shows before and I've read so much about him on forums and magazines, but despite what some people say, I actually found him to be a pretty nice guy and even now I chat to him on Facebook. In fact, I chat to a load of famous players now on Facebook, it's totally surreal. All these guys I used to watch on TV, and now people like Gus Hansen are dropping me emails and offering me advice.
Snoopy: What was it like watching yourself back on TV?
PV: When I saw these episodes back on TV, I didn't like it, and hated watching myself during the interviews. I also found myself shouting at the TV, telling myself to raise at various points. Roy Brindley gave me a bit of a grilling in the commentary, which wasn't nice, but it hasn't knocked my confidence. I know I'm a beginner compared to all these guys, but I'm giving it my best shot, and although a lot of people might say I'm tight, I was actually prepared to start making moves with no cards, it's just that I managed to get good hands at the right time and managed to make my way into the final. I'm not bottom, Juha's got less than me, so I'm delighted with how it’s worked out and can’t wait to play the final.
Snoopy: Are you fully braced for the big live final?
PV: The final starts at 4pm on Friday, but I also have to go in the day before for interviews. The final’s live, but I'm feeling quite relaxed about it now and a lot more confident having spoken to Neil and Nik. I can't wait to play, and I'm really looking forward to sharing a table with James Akenhead. I don't know much about Cabe Taylor or Dag [Martin Mikkelsen], but I've seen Juha [Helppi] play on shows like the Pemier League, and obviously I was in the semi-final with Luke. I stopped playing any poker earlier in the week so I can go in fresh, hopefully I can get a double up and go on to win the event.
Snoopy: Will you be playing more poker now after your Poker Million success? What will you do if you win the $500,000 first prize?
PV: I've got the poker bug now, and I'm already planning to go to Vegas next summer for the World Series to play a few events. I'm guaranteed 50k already just for making the final, which is just amazing. I already feel like I've won, anything else is just a bonus, especially because I freerolled in. If I win the half a million first prize, then I'll give myself a 100k bankroll for poker and then use the rest to buy a house. I haven't decided whether or not I'd keep my job or not, that's a difficult one. I'd love to go and play the Aussie Millions in January, but work won't let me. Having said that, I have a good job, and I like working there.
Peter Vasiliou was the first victim of Black Belt Poker’s brand new feature called the Poker Pitstop.