Christmas Special Poker Q and A -- Arnaud Mattern

As the new year approaches, Card Player caught up with some of the big names on the international poker circuit to find out how their 2010 went and what they hope for in 2011.

It has been a big year for Team PokerStars Pro Arnaud Mattern as he has come so close to achieving his main goal – being the first to take down two European Poker Tour titles. As Christmas and New Year fast approach, Mattern spoke to Card Player about this, and also his hopes for the future.

Rebecca McAdam: How was your 2010?

Arnaud Mattern: 2010 was great so far. I changed a lot of things in my way of seeing things outside of poker, and how not to be affected by the variance of the game. I enjoyed it to the max.

RM: Poker-wise, was it an up or down year?

AM: Pokerwise, this year has been a good one; I final tabled the WPT in Paris, final tabled EPT Tallinn, and built a stack to put me in the top 10 chip leaders of day 1 in seven out of the last nine tournaments I played, so I’m really doing good now.

RM: What was your best moment of the year?

AM: Making third in EPT Tallinn was a fantastic moment. It was good to keep the chip lead (or close to) during the last three days, then reach my third finale in an EPT. I was focused, won a couple of key pots, had some nice friends railing, got the best massage ever to keep me going physically, and we ended up with a cool party with great people there, what more can you ask for?

RM: What was your worst moment of the year?

AM: I can’t recall any bad moments.

RM: Can you remember your best hand of 2010?

AM: I made an all-in call for my whole stack with a bluff catcher against Phil Laak in WPT Festa al Lago, just at the end of day 1, and I was right. Basically, he raised UTG, and fired three bullets in a three-way pot on a 5-4-2-9-6 board with two diamonds. I had pocket tens, and called him down. His turn bet was an overbet. He mucked A-K. It felt really good. [Mattern explains his thought process in this hand in an upcoming Hand 2 Hand combat.]

RM: Was there anything major you learned about your game this year?

AM: I finally found the right balance between being really competitive, but still being able to find peace when I bust out. If you are too passionate, too intense about your concrete results, you will end up depressed playing the circuit because you cannot make first place every time, or win every 80/20. On the other hand, if you don’t care at all when you lose, and go right away to the beach or partying, you will never make it to the top. Finding this delicate balance took me three years.

RM: Have you any New Year’s resolutions, poker and otherwise?

AM: Keep going the same way, playing focused, and enjoy my life the best I can. Results will follow (hopefully)…

RM: Any goal or goals in 2011?

AM: See previous question… Oh well, winning the second EPT title is on my secret list too, if you really want to know…

Watch out for more special Q and As with some of the best poker players from around the world over the Christmas and New Year period.

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