By Josh Zach
Chip and a chair. Dollar and
a dream. Death and taxes. Okay, so only the last one is completely for sure and
predictable. And no one could have predicted the outcome of this yearıs World
Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, which played out over five days and two
casinos in July. The 2005 WSOP saw the largest field of players in the history
of the event (5,619), and itıs sure to get bigger every year from here on out.
In the end Joseph Hachem, an Aussie from Melbourne, won the $7.5 million dollar
top prize in his very first appearance at the main event. Greg Raymer silenced
his critics with another outstanding showing (25th overall) and has solidified
his place in the professional poker community. He took home $304,680. Thatıs
the exact same amount of prize money which the guy that finished in 26th place,
one position behind last years tournament champion. This newcomer to the game
qualified for the 2005 WSOP Main Event by winning a $200 buy-in satellite
tournament on PokerRoom.com. He is Buffaloıs own Tom Sartori.
For those unfamiliar with
Sartori (if at all possible), he is Buffaloıs mainstay singer/songwriter,
performing in bars and concert halls across western New York. Heıs toured five
countries, and performed at Disney World and four Super Bowls (just to name a
few highlights). His musical ability is well known, but his performance in the
2005 WSOP Main Event has shown the world that his range far exceeds his already
immense talent as a musical artist. I caught up with Tom in Buffalo, between
gigs, and just fresh off his WSOP whirlwind.
Josh Zach: How long have you
been playing hold em?
Tom Sartori: Ten months.
JZ: What kind of style do you
use at the table? Are you aggressive, or are you a wolf? When I say wolf (which
is a style that I usually employ), I trap people in to betting with checks and
moderate value bets (when I am confident Iım holding the nuts). What type of
player would you designate to yourself?
TS: I change up my style,
depending on who Iım playing against, my position at the table, and what my
³table image² is. By that I mean, what kind of player my opponents perceive me
to be. I never want to be predictable at the poker table. I also use different
strategies for cash games and tournament play.
JZ: You qualified for the
WSOP by winning a satellite tournament on the internet. When you entered the
$200 online tournament through PokerRoom.com, was it a spur of the moment
decision to do so, or had you planned on entering?
TS: I was planning on
entering the satellite. I didnıt want to dish out the $10,000 to enter the
WSOP. If I hadnıt won the satellite tournament, I probably would not have
entered. I donıt think I would have risked the ten Gıs to compete in a field of
5,600 great poker players I honestly never thought I would make it as far as I
did.
JZ: What were you feeling
when you first walked in to the Rio on day one?
TS: There was excitement in
the air! Lots of TV cameras, movie stars, poker pros David Sklansky (the book writer)
was at my first table. Mimi Rogers (actress) was at the table next to me. ALL
the poker stars Iıve watched on TV were scattered around the room. It was very
intimidating.
JZ: What did you feel when
the tournament consolidated and shifted to the legendary Binions Hoseshoe?
TS: When we moved to Binions
for the final three tables I came in short stacked. I knew I had to make an
³all-in² move soon to stay in it. I was very nervous, knowing I only had about
20-30 hands to make my move, before the blinds and anteıs wiped me out.
JZ: Professional players on
the circuit are vocal about their feelings toward amateur players. What kind of
treatment did you receive from the pros?
TS: They say never meet your
heroıs, youıll be disappointed. There were a few really nice guys, like Raymer,
Tim Phan, Juanda (he gave me his hat), but MOST of the others were walking
around like rock stars. I approached, and played against many of them, saying
hello and trying to make small talk. I was surprised at how cocky a lot of them
were. There were a couple [players] who were down right rude. It was fun
watching some of them who brushed me off, sitting on the sidelines, while I was
playing at the final three tables.
JZ: Over the years a great
many famous individuals (Tobey McGuire, Affleck, James Woods, Laura Prepon)
have played in the WSOP main event. Iım sure at some point your background as a
musical artist was discussed with someone. What was their impression of you, if
any, as a singer/songwriter/musician at the WSOP?
TS: ESPN did and extensive
interview with me (that will air over the next couple months) and asked me
numerous questions about my career and my upcoming CD. They also said they were
planning on playing a track or two of mine during their broadcast. The folks at
ESPN were really great to work with.
JZ: You mentioned that youıd
sat with Greg Raymer for a session. Who else on the professional circuit did
you interact with during the five-day event? Any points of interest?
TS: Mike ³the Grinder²
Misrachi, Phil Ivey, Tim Phan, Layne Flack, Mike ³the mouth² Madasow I went
head to head with a lot of them. It was a very surreal experience, playing
against these guys who I have been watching on TV over the past year. Raymer
was staring at me with those strange glasses as we tangled in over a dozen
hands I was laughing inside, thinking, ³what the hell am I doing here?² I came
over the top of Phil Ivey and made him fold. After he dumped his cards I turned
to him and said, ³I canıt believe Iım playing against you, uh. I watch you on
TV all the time.² I must have sounded like an idiot he let out an
uncharacteristic chuckle.
JZ: Earlier I had asked you
what type of player you were. Did you ever, in the presence of the pros, find
yourself getting away from your own game the game that got you as far as you
did?
TS: Not really. I stumbled a
few times, as youıll see on TV. It was a little unnerving with all the TV
cameras in your face. I made some miscalculations against Raymer and The
Grinder. But over all, I held my own.
JZ: You played at the ESPN
Feature Table. You knew, ahead of time, that you would be on TV (yet to be
broadcast). Does knowing something like that affect your game at all?
TS: Ha, yeah, I guess a
little. No one wants to look stupid, especially in front of the whole country!
I made couple huge bluff attempts that backfired. Iım hoping the announcers
donıt chop me up too much. One of the bluffs was against Raymer but he was
sitting on pocket Qs and I took a big hit. I also made a re-raise with absolutely
crap cards, but the other guy was sitting on 3 Kings bad timing on my part.
JZ: Aside from the final hand
where youıd been eliminated, can you remember any key hands that could be
described as ³make or break² that impacted your game?
TS: There was a big hand half
way through the tournament that crippled me I had A-10 of hearts; I raised on
the button (dealer button). The small and big blind called. The flop came, Jh
8h and I think a 4 of clubs. I had the nut flush draw, I bet into it and got
re-raised by the big blind. I pushed him all in, thinking that if he [paired
up], he would dump his hand. He called my pre flop raise, so I never put him on
J 8 (he flopped 2 pair). He quickly called my all in, and I ended up missing my
flush. That set me back quite a bit. Fortunately, I was able to crawl my way
back up, and ended up being the tournament chip leader for a few hours the
following day.
JZ: Youıve always been a
popular artist in the local community, and now youıve added ³seasoned poker
player² to your belt. How do you think this new status will affect your future,
both in Buffalo and on the road?
TS: Hard to say. Iım just
trying to enjoy the moment right now. My sister said to me the other day, ³do
you realize that when this airs, your going to be a huge poker star?² I havenıt
really thought about it like that. Iım not sure I want to be known as a
professional poker player. Poker is a fun hobby to me, thatıs it for now. Music
is, and always will be my main focus. There is really no comparison. If ESPN
airs some of my music and plugs my website, like they say they are going to,
hopefully that will draw some attention to my new CD and help our attendance
numbers on the road. The music business is such a tough way to make a living
any extra boost that my poker success brings to the CD will really help a lot.
JZ: Do you have any plans on
what youıre going to do with your prize money?
TS: Iım going to party my
butt off a little. Then Iım planning on using a chunk of it to promote my CD.
Iım also looking at getting some real estate in Florida and Vegas.
JZ: Texas Dolly. The
Professor. Men the Master. If you had a nickname at the table what would it be?
TS: They were calling me
³Musicboy,² for obvious reasons.
JZ: Are you going to go back
in 2006?
TS: Definitely! It was one of
the greatest weeks of my life and I would not miss it next year. Iım also
planning on hitting a few big tournaments a year, including the Bellagio
Classic this December.
JZ: What relationship, if
any, have you struck up with PokerRoom.com, seeing that you qualified for the
WSOP through their site and did so well in the Main Event?
TS: The folks at
PokerRoom.com are awesome. I got the chance to hang out with a few of there
marketing people (play black jack and kick back some cocktails) and we had a
blast. Very cool staff. We are actually working out an endorsement deal for the
fall. Iıve also added a PokerRoom.com link to my website, so people can join
them through my home page (www.tomsartori.com).
JZ: What kind of experience
do you get playing on PokerRoom.com?
TS: Iıve played on 4
different internet poker sites PokerRoom.com is by far the best, in my
opinion. The design is clean, the action is faster, and it is the easiest to
navigate through. I was initially nervous about gambling on the internet. In my
very first tournament on PokerRoom.com I won $13,000 dollars. I had it
transferred to my bank account the next day. I was like, holy ****, I canıt
believe this is for real!
JZ: Your website says youıre
in the process of producing a new album that yet needs a title. It was heard,
jokingly, that you might make a poker reference to the title of the record.
Still thinking about doing that?
TS: Yeah, we were thinking
about calling it. ³Iım All In.²
JZ: Tell me a little bit
about the new album, and when you expect it to be on sale.
TS: I just finished recording
it in Los Angeles and the CD should be on the shelves, and on my website, by
late October. It is acoustic guitar based rock John Mayer with an edge.
Singer/ Songwriter type stuff. Lots of story telling with great melodies. My
management team (Davenport-Licata Entertainment) will be shopping it for
national distribution in a couple weeks. They will also be looking to place my
songs in TV and Movie sound tracks. Hopefully, this unexpected ESPN coverage
will help that along. Iıve been working really hard at writing and recording
over the past seven years. This WSOP hype will hopefully get a few people to
check out our music and see what we are up to.
Tom Sartoriıs poker site of choice, PokerRoom.com, is an
advertiser in Sports and Leisure Magazine and offers bonuses to first time
users of the site through our publication. Simply access PokerRoom.com, sign
up, and enter the promotion code at the bottom of the ad page 14. Tom ³Musicboy²
Sartori will be performing at home and on the road for the next few months
promoting his new CD. To keep tabs on him, and catch his show while heıs in
town, log on to his website, www.tomsartori.com. Also watch for Tom on ESPNıs
upcoming coverage of the WSOP Main Event later this summer.