Generation Next -- Albert Iversen

Albert Iversen is a 22-year-old Dane who started playing poker when he was 17. He is now a professional, and has been for three years. Despite the fact that at such a tender age he has played and partied with the best of the poker lovers all over the world, he comes across as wiser than his years with a good head on his shoulders. Not intending for poker to become his whole life from here on in, Iversen has hit the international circuit with attention-grabbing skill and intends on doing a lot of damage before he slows down. Catch him smiling and having a good time, usually with a large stack of chips, at the live tables, or find him online under the name “Mr. Aki”.

Rebecca McAdam: How did you get into poker?

Albert Iversen: I always loved games, especially strategic games and card games. I’d also play strategy games on the computer and usually beat my friends. So I quickly fell in love when my friend introduced me to poker; a strategic skill game where you could actually win money. We’d play micro stakes sit ‘n’ go’s after school. We were obviously all horrible, but I broke even with the guys. And I loved it. When I turned 18, I deposited $20 on a poker site and started playing the smallest fixed limit stakes. Turned it into $50, then lost it all playing too high. Next week; repeat. The third time I put in $20, I stayed at the micro stakes. And I never deposited again. One year after I had about $35k online and I was playing no-limit $400-$1,000. Another half a year and I had like $500,000 online and was playing no-limit $5,000. The games were so easy back then and I was totally killing them. Sweet times.

RM: Where does “Mr. Aki” come from?

AI: Online I have different nicknames on different sites. On my main network, Boss Media, my nickname is Mr.Aki — the initials from my full name — Albert Kirk Iversen. Quite simple. All my poker friends call me Aki now and I like it. I can’t get them to call me “Mr.” though. I also used to be called “Mr.Nutz” on one site. I like the triple meaning of that.

RM: Was there a defining moment when you thought you could go professional?

AI: I’d been playing loads of $1, $5, and $10 sit ‘n’ go tournaments online in the beginning, slowly grinding up my bankroll. I decided to experiment with MTTs just when I got my summer holidays. I was very passionate about poker at the time. I played so much and I ran so hot. Being a poor student, it was unreal to win $500-$1,000 in a tournament for a night’s work. And it wasn’t even work, it was just a game. A game that I loved. At this point I felt like the king of the world.

RM: How did you find the transition from online to live?

AI: I played my first big live tournament when I was 19. It was a $5,000 tournament and I was extremely nervous. I would literally shake all the time at the table, even though I was already playing NL$2,000 online at the time. I shook myself all the way to the final table and ended as a runner-up for $70,000. I’m better now and I feel very confident at the table. I’m still not that good with live tells, but I’m getting there.

RM: What do you prefer now — online or live?

AI: Live and online poker are two very different games. I like to play online for the money and the action. I play three to four tables online and I like to play heads up and short-handed. Live is nearly always full-ring. The dealer has to shuffle and deal the cards. That means I get 100 more decisions an hour when I play online, because I play so many more hands. Live tournaments give me a lot of variety to poker and I get to see a lot of places and people and parties. Also, there is nothing more interesting and intense than playing a final table at a live tournament with a big prize pool. I still don’t know how it feels to win one, but I heard it’s good!

RM: What kind of games interest you?

AI: Now I seldom play tournaments online. Maybe every second Sunday I’ll register for a bunch, but if I lose quickly in the first few, I’ll often just unregister from the others. Then I don’t want to play anymore. Don’t play if you aren’t motivated — that’s an extremely important lesson for a poker player. You won’t play good. I travel around a lot for big buy-in live tournaments. Live tournaments are a completely different game from online tournaments. People never fold online, but if they travelled 1,000 kilometres to be at a certain tournament, they don’t want to go out on something too marginal. I love being able to see the face of my opponents. My main game is definitely online cash games, no-limit $5,000 to $20,000. That’s where I’ve won all my money. I love that I can play and sit out whenever I want. It gives me a freedom that a tournament player can never have. Professional poker is all about freedom for me.

RM: What was your most satisfying result?

AI: I’ve had a couple of really good days in online cash games where I won a bunch. But it feels so much better to win live. The money doesn’t feel real online. I finished third last year in one of the smaller World Series of Poker events. I also took fourth place in European Poker Tour Budapest last year. None of them were really satisfying, though. I was extremely disappointed not to go all the way. But hey, I can’t blame no one but myself — and the cards, just a little bit. After a couple of days it felt quite satisfying.

RM: You played in the WSOP before the EPT, what made you want to play an EPT, and what do you think the biggest difference between the two is?

AI: The bigger buy-ins of the WSOP have a much better structure than the EPTs. That means a lot for me, because it gives me more time and space to outplay my opponents. The fields at the WSOP are really big, so the prize pools get quite juicy. The level of play is so low at the cheaper tournaments and the main event at the Series, which is obviously nice. Also, at the Series I can play a tournament the next day if I bust out. At the EPT I probably just have to get a ticket home. I love the WSOP and I love Vegas. But I live in Europe and the WSOP is just once a year. I do like the EPT also though.

RM: Since playing on the major live tournament circuit, what has changed most about your game?

AI: I’ve talked a lot of poker strategy with my poker friends from Denmark since I got on the circuit. I think the most valuable thing I’ve learned about tournament poker is the importance of my tournament life. Before I’d play tournaments more like cash games, where I tend to get into a lot of marginal and gamblish situations, but that’s not the way I play tournament poker anymore. I’ve learned to be more patient and wait for good spots. I still sometimes have a little too much gamble in me.

RM: How did you get on at the World Series?

AI: For me it was a bad WSOP. I only had two small cashes and blew a couple of big stacks in the end game. In the main event I busted in the second level. I had a juicy table full of amateurs. The deck just spat me in the face again and again. Sometimes, even though you play your very best, it just isn’t meant to be. It wasn’t for me. But I staked my friend Jonas Klausen, who got second in a $1,500 event. I’ve had a fantastic month in Vegas with a great hotel, loads of room service, fancy restaurants, shows, limos, nights out, gambling, concerts etcetera. And even though I wasn’t able to win anything myself, Jonas still made sure I took some money out with me.

RM: What is next on your agenda?

AI: I just moved to London with a couple of professional poker friends. I can save a lot on poker taxes and I can’t wait to get to know London better. It’s damn expensive to live here, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it.

RM: What are your poker ambitions?

AI: I’ll probably play poker for another year or two, but that’s it. I want to get on with my life and my education after that. I love poker and what it has brought to my life, especially the freedom, but I don’t want to be doing it for the rest of my life. I want to try new things and have new challenge.
I signed with an agent, and I’m hoping they can find me a sponsor for the live circuit. But I’ll probably be playing a dozen major tournaments a year no matter what. I really want to win a title in a major tournament.