Taking down the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Festa al Lago event was poker pro Tommy Vedes, who earned $1.2 million for his efforts. Vedes, who took 19th in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and made the final table of a $1,500 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha High-Low contest, sat down with Poker News Daily to recap his recent run.
Poker News Daily: Talk about the roller coaster of a final table at the WPT Festa al Lago.
Vedes: It was so electrifying. It was unbelievable because I’m always on the other end of every beat. The king on the turn against Shawn Cunix was lightning and I doubled up. My head was spinning and that flipped my brain upside down, but it was worth it. Everyone went nuts when I hit a queen on the river against Freddy Deeb [for a two-outer to double up].
PND: Did you ever think that winning the tournament was out of reach given the momentum shifts at a talented final table?
Vedes: No. My body was numb. My friends were there and they knew I was going to win when I hit the king against Shawn. In the hand with A-10 against [Jason Lavallee’s] A-J, I knew I was going to win. Even though I had three outs, I thought the 10 was coming. I am still buzzing after going to bed at 6:00am and waking up at 9:00am.
PND: You’ve been on a tear lately, making a deep run in the WSOP Main Event before winning the WPT Festa al Lago. Is everything coming together?
Vedes: I never really played much of a daily grind of tournaments until after that Pot Limit Omaha event at the WSOP. It’s impossible to keep up this pace, though. There is so much variance in tournaments, but I can keep going deep if I avoid getting unlucky late. In the WPT final table, I had to get lucky a few times to get there. That’s not going to happen again, though.
PND: Talk about the extended registration period for the Festa al Lago Main Event. Did you give any thought to registering late?
Vedes: Lots of people registered late. I was thinking of waiting until Day 2, Level 2, but figured if I bought in during Level 3 on Day 1, I’d end up with a little larger chip stack than the average. I just couldn’t wait to play, so I had to buy in. The results for the people who bought in on Day 2 didn’t work out well, either.
PBD: Have you critiqued any of your plays on ESPN’s WSOP Main Event coverage so far? What has it been like watching yourself on television each week?
Vedes: It’s exciting. It’s the first time I’ve been on a deep run like that and I love watching it on ESPN. If I miss it, I go to YouTube and wait for someone to post it. I have people text me and tell me they saw me.
PND: How did you get started in poker?
Vedes: I’ve always been into different card games. My father and uncle are Greek and play cards. Every Saturday, I had a game at my dad’s house and picked it up there. I didn’t get serious until 10 years ago, when I used to go to private clubs in New York City. Once every month, we’d go to Atlantic City and gradually got into tournaments.
PND: Who or what has been the biggest influence on your game and why?
Vedes: Phil Ivey. He is my idol. He is my friend and we talked a little bit during the Main Event. I actually told him before the WSOP started that he was going to win three bracelets. He’s the ultimate grinder in poker. He uses skill and fearsome tactics to his advantage. In addition, growing up in New York City has helped my reading abilities. It makes it fearsome to be looking into my eyes to try to call me.
