Poker Tournament Trail Q and A -- Frank Kassela

Frank Kassela already had consistent results at the World Series of Poker before the summer of 2010. He had a handful of cashes and a pair of final-table appearances to his credit, but no gold bracelet. That changed this year when he became the only double bracelet winner of the summer, and the leading candidate for WSOP Player of the Year honors (only Michael Mizrachi can tie him if he wins the main event in November).

Both of Kassela’s bracelets were won at various seven-card stud tables, but he performed well in multiple forms of the game, making a final-table appearance (third place) at the $25,000 six-handed no-limit hold’em event, and also cashing in the $10,000 main event, a $2,500 mixed event, and $1,500 limit hold’em event.

Kassela is eighth place in the Card Player Player of the Year standings and he is currently in London attempting to add to his total and climb the leader board. If he does so Kassela could win two POY titles in 2010.

Card Player caught up with Kassela in Los Angeles and he spoke about the great year he is having and how his ability to play all forms of poker is his best asset.

Ryan Lucchesi: You had a very impressive run at the World Series this summer as the only player to win two bracelets. How did you feel about everything coming together for you this summer?

Frank Kassela: It’s nice, any time you can bring you’re A-game to the World Series of all places you can’t beat that. I had a moderately average poker resume before then. I knew I had the game to do it, it was nice that I brought my A-game and did it.

RL: Another thing that stands out about your performance is the variety of games you had success playing. Is that just a reflection of your approach of playing all of the games?

FK: Yeah, from the get go when I started playing a lot of regular poker in Tunica, we played a lot of triple draw lowball, we played a lot of pot-limit Omaha. You had to be willing to play whatever people wanted to play if you wanted the action.

I tell a lot of people when they’re coming into poker that if you want to play a lot you’ve got to get good at all of the games. Especially if you want to do something like win Player of the Year at the World Series. No one who is a hold’em specialist is going to pull that award in I don’t think.

RL: You are currently the leader of the WSOP Player of the Year race and Michael Mizrachi can only tie you if he wins the main event in November. How intently will you be watching to see if you’re the outright winner?

FK: I’m pulling for Michael. I think it makes a much better story. I think he would be the best one for poker overall to win the main event. I think it would also be a blast to share it [POY award].

RL: Your strong summer performance now has you in the top 10 of the Card Player Player of the Year race. Will that force your hand to play more tournaments during the last couple months of the year?

FK: I’m not really a professional poker player. I only play half the schedule that other players will play. For example, outside of the $25,000 event at the Bellagio this is the first World Poker Tour event I’ve played in probably two years. I’m really excited to spend some more time on the road this year. We’re heading to London for the WPT, WSOP Europe, and the EPT event.

My wife and I went out and bought a 42-foot bus. So we’ve got an RV and we’re bringing the kid and the dog to U.S. events, and we’re hitting a bunch of spots in the later part of this year. I would love to win multiple Player of the Year awards.

RL: How has the experience playing poker changed from before the boom until now in terms of the variety of games that will give you good action? How different was it before no-limit hold’em took over?

FK: When I started playing, for one, when you would go into casinos, whether they were in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or Tunica, nobody played no-limit Texas hold’em. People would play limit hold’em and $20-$40 would be your biggest limit game. If you wanted action it had to be something like a triple draw deuce-to-seven, and the action game in Tunica was pot-limit Omaha. You just couldn’t go into a casino and play no-limit hold’em.

Nowadays, the amount of education people can get so quickly off the internet and all of the other resources it’s amazing how good people can get quickly at some games, especially Texas hold’em.

RL: Is you decision to go to Europe this fall influenced in some part by the prevalence of mixed games like pot-limit Omaha among European players?

FK: I always liked games other than Texas hold’em, I always thought it was my weakest game. Any time I can play stuff other than that I like to. My wife and I have kicked around going to Europe for an extended period of time for about three years now, just because there is so much action over there.

Winning two bracelets and almost winning a third. If I can win a third bracelet and tie Lisandro’s three in one year it was kind of a no-brainer. I actually went to the WSOP Europe event last year but I just played in a couple of the lead-up events. I didn’t even play in the main.

RL: What was the main difference that stood out to you about European players, not necessarily in no-limit hold’em but the other games?

FK: They dress better [laughs]. The very first tournament that I played in over there was the WPT event in France at the Aviation Club. It was when Lance Armstrong won his last Tour de France.

I remember the very first time I went there I didn’t meet the dress code, and that’s just not something you hear in the United States. I’ve seen people come into tournaments in the U.S. and play in their pajamas.

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