Greg Mueller, affectionately known in the poker world as “FBT,” took down the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Limit Hold’em during the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for $460,000. The win marked the Canadian’s first career WSOP bracelet and the country’s second of the 2009 WSOP. On the same night as his big win, a charity poker tournament orchestrated by representatives of the National Hockey League (NHL) took place and featured an appearance by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the Stanley Cup.
Poker News Daily: You just took down the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Limit Hold’em. How does it feel to win a bracelet in such a prestigious event?
Mueller: I’m very happy to have won it in that field. It was the best of the best in there, which makes me cherish it that much more.
PND: Is it more or less impressive to you than a No Limit Hold’em bracelet?
Mueller: It’s different. It’s a different style of poker. The No Limit ones are really impressive because they’re such great fields and obviously it’s tough to navigate through a minefield. These smaller tournaments are more impressive because you get to the table and there are no soft spots. There are bracelet winners everywhere, champions everywhere, and old school studs everywhere. Every table you get to, there are no soft spots and that’s what makes it so much more impressive.
PND: Did you have stacked tables from Day 1 on, then?
Mueller: Yeah. Every table I got to, I was never really excited about it. I might be like, “There’s one guy who’s maybe not that impressive,” but every other table had the best of the best.
PND: Did you have a nemesis over the course of the tournament or someone you had a lot of trouble with?
Mueller: Maria Ho gave me some trouble sitting to my left. She played really well and made life difficult for me when she was to my left, but then the tides turned and three or four hours later, she sat to my right. It made it a lot easier for me to play with her.
PND: It was a long, grueling three day tournament and Limit Hold’em is a game of patience. Did fatigue ever set in?
Mueller: Not really. I was too full of adrenaline. I have to say that the structure was so good. There was never a short stack really in jeopardy. In a lot of tournaments, you think, “Now, I just have to go with a hand.” I didn’t have that feeling once throughout the entire final table because the structure really went up slowly. It took maybe three hours longer than people might have wanted it to take, but you’re playing for a lot of money and a lot of pride. I believe the structure should be like it was.
PND: Did the NHL charity hockey tournament going on one table over keep your energy flowing?
Mueller: Honestly, it was so weird. An organ played in the background every once in a while and, at the dinner break, they played the national anthem. I saw the Stanley Cup and literally had goose bumps. It was weird. I was like, “Wow. This is unbelievable.” It could have been [fate]. I don’t usually believe in that, but I guess it was my day.
