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by Phil Hellmuth |  Published: Aug 17, 2001

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First off, let me say that Vienna is one of my favorite cities in the world. I really love the layout of the city and the museums there. One of my favorite museums is the Secession Building, which houses Gustav Klimpt's Beethoven Fritz, which was created by Klimpt in 1902 to honor Beethoven's ninth symphony. Right across the street from the Secession Building is the First Street Market, which has about 40 restaurants, bakeries, fresh fruit stands, and cafes. My favorite restaurant in Vienna is the Stadtwirt (3 Unt. Viaduktg. 45) Restaurant, which is always full of locals of all sorts. My favorite drinking establishment is the famous Schweitzer Haus, which serves an incredible Budweiser Beer, that is nothing like the Bud that we drink over here in the states. When you're done at the Schweitzer Haus (they close at 11 p.m.), head on over to Nacht Sicht, where they have three different dancing rooms from which to choose. Of course, the Poker EM is held in Baden, which is about 20 minutes south of Vienna, in the palatial Casinos Austria.

With three qualifying events, and 24 people advancing to the main event from each, things work a little bit differently in the Poker EM. Each qualifying event starts with a sold-out 456 players. It costs $300 to enter, $300 to rebuy, and $300 to add on each day. You are handed your seat assignment ticket, one rebuy ticket, and one add-on ticket, but here's the catch: You can use your add-on ticket only if you still have chips left at the end of the rebuy period. So, if you go broke before the rebuy period ends, you are out of the qualifying event! Therefore, I believe that the best advice I can give anyone is to make it to the end of the rebuy period, even if you have to throw away rolled-up aces (A-A-A), which is the best possible starting hand in seven-card stud. After all, to win a pot with A-A-A right before the rebuy period ends is helpful, but to go broke right before the rebuy period ends is absolutely unacceptable! Therefore, muck the A-A-A if you're short on chips before the rebuy period ends. Last year, I actually "anted off" without even looking at my holecards, because I was short on chips right before the rebuy period ended, and I ended up qualifying for the championship event. Again, make sure at all costs that you make the end of the rebuy period, so that you can add on.

The second interesting thing about the Poker EM is that they play down to six tables, and then they play down to the final four players at each of those final six tables. That group of 24 players then qualifies for the championship event. Last year, two people from my table qualified with only a few chips! So, when you make the final six tables with a lot of chips, avoid playing big pots. Just make sure that you make the "final four" players at your table to qualify for the championship event. When you make it down to the final six tables with a short or medium stack, make sure that you keep a close eye on the amount of chips that the opponents at your table have. You may need to throw away a strong hand because you can see that some of your opponents are extremely short on chips. After all, it doesn't matter how many chips you end up with, it only matters that you make the final four at your table and move on (everyone starts with the same number of chips in the championship).

Throughout the tournament, I like to start with strong hands only, like big pairs or three big flush cards. I have noticed that a lot of people at the Poker EM are recreational players who play a lot of very weak hands. This means that you will take some bad beats on the one hand, but will win some very big pots on the other.

The antes tend to be bigger than we are used to in the United States (or anywhere in the world, for that matter), so winning the antes means something. If you have the opportunity to steal the antes, go for it! However, stealing too many antes is hazardous to your tournament health.

Here's one last tip: I had good luck playing my drawing hands very aggressively. If I knew that I had to call a bet from my opponent, I raised and put myself into the lead just in case the other guy was drawing as well. I always recommend aggressive play in poker tournaments.

The Poker EM is a very beautiful poker tournament with all of its pageantry and flair. The 72 finalists are introduced to the entire casino one at a time, and the flags of their different countries are held aloft proudly during those introductions. The final table is surrounded by hundreds of people and is broadcast live on the Internet in audio and video. The money is brought out on a silver platter in plastic packages - and the champagne flows freely after the event ends! The trophy is beautiful, and my sisters, my brother-in-law, and I drank a lot of champagne from it after the event ended last year. Winning the Poker EM was the highlight of my year in 2000 (especially after finishing ninth in it in 1999), and I look forward to defending my title this year. See you in Vienna, and don't forget to bring your best game with you - you'll need it to win the Poker EM!diamonds