Austria native Nikolaus Jedlicka, 20, has always chosen the road less traveled. At 18, the former Magic The Gathering competitor walked away from school one month prior to graduation. Poker was not to blame. He simply didn't believe in school, and a university degree was not part of his long-term plan: living a life of freedom.
During the summer of 2007, Jedlicka was the talk of the Net, taking on all comers at the highest stakes of pot-limit Omaha. Rumor has it that he crushed the game for more than $3 million. (Results are tracked on many sites, including highstakesdb.com.) Playing as Kaibuxxe on Full Tilt Poker, six-figure wins per day were not uncommon. The opponents at these levels are the best in the game: Ivey, Townsend, Benyamine, and Antonius. Jedlicka more than held his own.
Eventually, Jedlicka would find Phil Ivey too much to handle heads up, and kept his distance from the seasoned pro. "I think the toughest opponents are Benyamine, Antonius, and Ilari Sahamies (only on his good days)," said Jedlicka. "And Phil Ivey, whom I cannot beat when he is focused. I wish I could figure out why I'm losing to Ivey. He just senses what's going on really well, be it weakness or a strong hand, and he's very good at picking up on bluffs."
Jedlicka celebrates the freedom that poker offers - a lifestyle of traveling, great food, and the daily test of taking on the best in the world. He recently captured first place in the main event of the 2007 Austrian Masters in June and finished seventh for $205,000 at the
European Poker Tour Barcelona Open. With the taste of tournament success under his belt, Jedlicka plans to hit the road and play a full schedule of events over the next six months. The road could be a long one, but he's inspired and ready for any challenges ahead.
Craig Tapscott: Did you leave your Magic The Gathering competitions to play poker?
Nikolaus Jedlicka: Yes. After David Williams finished second at the
World Series of Poker, a lot of the Magic players turned to poker, since it's more profitable and a different challenge. I was introduced to poker during a Magic tournament in San Diego, California, and played a $20 sit-and-go.
CT: Was there anyone in particular who mentored you along the way?
NJ: I don't like the idea of mentoring, or even poker books. I think poker is really a "learning-by-doing" thing. I'm always
trying to constantly improve because I like to win. It's my ego; I don't want to lose to someone I think I could beat if I put more effort into it.
CT: What stakes and game did you first dive into?
NJ: I started out playing small sit-and-gos online. I went up to the highest stakes at that time on that site - $500 - and started to play a little limit hold'em after that.
CT: When did pot-limit Omaha become a passion?
NJ: I was watching my friend Markus Golser play pot-limit Omaha online. I went back to my hotel room and gave it a try myself. I started at $50-$100. I won $80,000 the first time I played it, and that kind of got me hooked.
CT: It sounds like you took a shot at some pretty high stakes compared to your experience.
NJ: Well, I went broke shortly after that, because of the huge skill difference between the $50-$100 regulars and myself, and also because of my inability to slow down.
CT: Share some of your thoughts about pot-limit Omaha.
NJ: My style is pretty loose, but not as aggressive as others. I usually win by getting someone to call big bets with marginal hands because of the very weird way that I often will play a hand. Heads-up play is usually the famous "game of chicken," in which the most aggressive guy who gets out of line the most wins it. I love the competition, the peaceful war of two players' minds.
CT: What's the biggest mistake that hold'em regulars make in their transition to pot-limit Omaha?
NJ: Hold'em players sometimes take a while to realize that it's not always a good play to put your money in with a hand that may be the best on the flop. Especially top two are overplayed a lot. Often, people have sets or draws that are stronger than their hands, and playing their hands cautiously might save them money. A lot of value comes from adapting to the new situation on the turn better than your opponent.
CT: Any parting advice?
NJ: Don't leave too much of your money online. Cash out what you don't need, or it might be gone in a bad day or a drunken night (laughing).
