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Christmas Poker Q & A -- David Vamplew

David Vamplew Discusses The Year, His New Year's Eve Plans, And His Busy Schedule For 2012

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As the Christmas tree wilts, and preparations are made for the New Year’s celebrations, Card Player asks some of the world’s familiar poker faces how their year was, who impressed them the most in 2011, what lies ahead in 2012, and their favourite way to spend Christmas and New Year’s eve, among other things.

David Vamplew is next to tell all about the year he has had following his massive score late 2010. To this date, the Scot has over $1.8 million in tournament winnings but is ready to accumulate some more in the New Year.

Rebecca McAdam: How was your 2011?

David Vamplew: 2011 has been a really fun year for me. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to spend most of it traveling to live tourneys which has given me some great experiences and some good success too!

RM: What were you most proud of?
After winning an EPT last year I was really pleased to be able to follow it up with some pretty strong results this year – final tables in both a WPT and a WSOP event. I am pleased that I have been able to follow up the big bink with a bit of consistency.

RM: What was your best memory of the year?

DV: It was a really great feeling to put up a big result at the start of the year when I came third in a WPT in Venice, also meeting Dominik Nitsche there who is now one of my best friends on the circuit.

RM: Did you learn anything this year?

DV: With respect to poker I feel that I have learned a massive amount in the past year, thinking back to how I would have played a year ago. Things have mostly been gradual, as a result of thinking about poker for more hours than I dare add up. I think I’ve definitely improved in almost all areas and a huge amount in some areas like live and short-stacked play.

RM: Where was the best place you’ve been in 2011?

DV: I think, despite all the travel I have been doing, I am going to have to pick Edinburgh as my favourite place. I really love it here and it’s a great place to come home to.

RM What is your ideal way to spend Christmas?

DV: Christmas has almost always been pretty chilled out and I’m happy for it to stay that way after a kind of hectic year! I don’t have a very big family so it’s all quite low key and I’ll just be heading back to my parents and doing the usual stuff like eating lots and watching TV.

RM: What would be an ideal present to give to you?

DV: I’m starting to think I definitely need a bigger suitcase, my clothes are spending more time in there than in my wardrobe!

RM: What are you doing for New Year’s eve/New Year’s day?

DV: Having spent almost every NYE since I moved away from home in Edinburgh, I’m going to be changing things up this year and heading down to London for a friend’s house party. Hopefully we can rival the street party going on back in Edinburgh!

RM: What are your poker plans for 2012?

DV: Right off the bat I am going to be away on a business trip to the Bahamas for PCA and on to Melbourne for the Aussie Millions, fitting in a little holidaying either side. After all that, my plans are going to be based around the Euro tourney schedule and of course the 2012 WSOP. I’m really looking forward to my Jan/Feb trip and no doubt lots of other exciting stuff coming up after that.

RM: What are your hopes for the New Year?

DV: The goal is always to win one of the year’s major tourneys… EPT number two? [smiles], but realistically I would be very happy to reproduce the same sort of results I’ve managed this year and of course, have fun doing it!

RM: Who most impressed you this year in poker?

DV: I think that Sam Holden was very impressive in the way he handled his main event run this year. Speaking to him in some of the later days and even on the direct bubble of the November Nine it was incredible how calm and relaxed yet also focused he was in by far the biggest and most prestigious tourney he’d ever played. I thought Sam did a great job.