What would you ask a WSOP Champion?

You have been given the opportunity to talk to a WSOP Main Event Champion and ask them any questions you want. But you only have 15 minutes to ask your questions.

What poker pro do you pick, and what questions would you ask them?

Phil Ivey
I'd ask him how to best compose yourself in high stakes games, when the BB are large, particularly when there are more than one aggressive player is on the table?

Jason Mercier

I would ask Jason since his extended break from poker to raise his family.

What does he think has changed most is the poker hemisphere.

Also what going on in poker these days excites him.

Also i was very happy to see him at the wsop this year and spent many hours railing him when he was a member team pro at pokerstars.

Tammy said:

But you only have 15 minutes to ask you questions.

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This would be a pretty big post.

Daniel Weinman
How it was to win the largest Main Event field in history (2023)?
How do you keep focused on all your hands that you've played during all days of the tournament?
What is the key to have your mind calm and focused in these situations?

Johnny Moss .
If I were still alive, I would like to ask you what it felt like to be the first winner of a WSOP Main Event !!?

Tammy said:

What poker pro do you pick, and what questions would you ask them?

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Of course, I would only ask the best of them all, the ever-talkative and charismatic Daniel Negreanu.

I would ask him what it was like in the beginning of his poker career, what obstacles he faced in the beginning and if he had the support of his family, since for many people poker is seen as a game of chance.

Tammy said:

You have been given the opportunity to talk to a WSOP Main Event Champion and ask them any questions you want. But you only have 15 minutes to ask you questions.

What poker pro do you pick, and what questions would you ask them?

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I talked to Daniel Negreanu and I would ask him two questions:

What's the best way to spot a bluff and how to keep your cool in the decisive moments of a big tournament?

lol. These comments are (unintentionally) hilarious.

Daniel Negreanu, Jason Mercier and Phil Ivey are great players but they haven't won a WSOP Main Event

I would ask Daniel Weinman if there was an unofficial deal 3-handed between the american players.

I Would ask John Cynn if he really thought about folding trips against Tony Miles

My not-so-original choice is the 1989 winner Phil Hellmuth. But I concentrate on just one "theme" that maybe can explain the almost unbelievable success Phil has had in WSOP almost exclusively. It almost looks like some kind of magic is involved.

Phil Hellmuth is known for his references to "White Magic," a term to describe his uncanny ability to make the right decision by reading players and not just relying on mathematics and fundamental poker strategy at critical moments in poker games.

Questions to ask Phil about this subject:

1. Phil, "White Magic" is a term you've often used to describe your unique ability to read players. Can you take us back to when you first coined the phrase and what it means to you?

2. Could you share a specific hand where your "White Magic" played a pivotal role in making a decision that might not have been strictly logical but turned out to be the right move?

3. You've said that "White Magic" has led to memorable wins, but have there been times when it backfired or led to decisions that you later regretted?

4. Can you share an anecdote where a fellow player was skeptical about your "White Magic" claims but was eventually convinced by your accurate reads?

5. Your use of "White Magic" has become a distinctive part of your poker persona. How do you think it shapes the image you present to opponents at the table?

6. In a world where poker can be quite serious, has "White Magic" ever lightened the mood at the table, leading to humorous interactions with opponents?

7. Some poker players take pride in strictly adhering to mathematical probabilities. How do you view this contrast between their approach and your reliance on "White Magic"?


Some more humorous questions that revolve around Phil Hellmuth's WSOP tournament successes and his failures in most televised cash games:


8. Is there a "Reserved for 'White Magic' Only" sign at the WSOP registration desk?

9. Does your "White Magic" consider cash games as practice sessions for the real magic at the WSOP?

10. Phil, is there a special dance you do to summon "White Magic," and if so, could you perform it for us?

11. If "White Magic" had a favorite song, would it be "I Will Survive" for tournaments and "Oops, I Did It Again" for cash games?

12. How come your "White Magic" is on vacation when you're at the cash game tables.

KUN_AGUERO_KROOS said:

lol. These comments are (unintentionally) hilarious.

Daniel Negreanu, Jason Mercier and Phil Ivey are great players but they haven't won a WSOP Main Event

I would ask Daniel Weinman if there was an unofficial deal 3-handed between the american players.

I Would ask John Cynn if he really thought about folding trips against Tony Miles

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Main event wasnt specified in the title of the thread and I missed it in the paragraph my bad.

I would probably ask Stu Unger a ? or two if i had the chance.

or even mr talk alot Jamie Gold

I would ask Jack Straus how the famous story with his last chip really happened and how many players were still in the tournament at that point. And if he was still confident that there is a realistic chance to win the Main. And I would like to ask him some general questions about that time and the atmosphere and the players back then.

Since this is totally hypothetical question I can also pick a pro that hasn't even won (yet). So at this point even the name doesn't matter.
Still, it would have to be someone who makes bold, sometimes crazy moves but has proven to deliver great results.

And I would ask that person only one (well, one ish) question...
Not that my question is long or hard to grasp but I would expect him/her to use 14 minutes to give me a satisfying answer.

I would ask the person what makes him tick? Meaning what goes through his brains while the decisions that lead to great results are made, and what makes him get up in the morning? What did you do to deserve this?

I would ask Joe Hachem what words of advice / poker wisdom he has passed on to his son since he is also a poker player. Also, I would ask what adjustments he has made to his game since his biggest win.

It is very difficult to choose a favorite from the list of world champions and ask him a single question, but I think I would ask the most recent WSOP main event world champion Daniel Weinman, what are your goals now that you've cemented your name and status with the most prestigious bracelet and title in poker: that of a WORLD Champ in the main event of WSOP, something that every poker player dreams of achieving one day ? Are there any other goals that you still feel hungry and motivated to achieve ? Some people thought your goal now would be to reach PERFECTIoN. Is this possible in poker ? Is this a goal, and what does it mean given that we can never actually achieve perfection, but only approach it ever closer ? What would getting "close enough to perfection" look like to you?

I'd ask Daniel Negreanu (WSOP Asia Pacific 'MAIN EVENT" Champion)

Is Pokerstars rigged? (asking for a friend)

Now that you're over at GGpoker, do you still believe that More Rake is Good? Or was that just something you said to keep your big paychecks coming in?

chris ferguson
At the moment that the All In arrives and the cards open once you realize that you are the champion of the world series of poker that you felt? that passed through your mind? as you would explain that feeling?

KUN_AGUERO_KROOS said:

Daniel Negreanu, Jason Mercier and Phil Ivey are great players but they haven't won a WSOP Main Event

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The thread title specifies simply a WSOP champion, not a WSOP ME champion...

The OP does state ME champion, but the thread title doesn't..

I'd expect that is where the confusion originates.

Not sure it's 'hilarious' but I guess everyone finds different things amusing...

Tammy said:

You have been given the opportunity to talk to a WSOP Main Event Champion and ask them any questions you want. But you only have 15 minutes to ask you questions.

What poker pro do you pick, and what questions would you ask them?

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Click to expand...

Daniel Negreanu is my favorite player, but I would like to ask Phil Hellmuth the question now:

I would like to ask Phil Hellmuth how long it takes to learn to read minds, because winning the 17th bracelet (amazing achievement) seems unthinkable without it?
(But it is likely that even this question of mine would put him on Tilt, and he would tell me "how stupid I am to dare to ask such a thing!" .)

My question is addressed to Damian Salas. So the question is: when you started playing poker as a beginner, how many people supported you and believed that you could achieve serious success in poker and who of them supported you the most?

Hi my question is for the last winner Daniel Weinman but i think it can be asked for any other!So the question is : After you won the tourney and celebrate with your family and friends and etc. how many days or weeks you need to prepare and come back to the poker???

I would ask Negreanu: the exercise of guessing the opponent's cards is very fun and effective from a marketing point of view, but thinking about results, do you think this is a really important tool for any player even if it is just for post game analysis or Is it just a natural ability of yours and not worth wasting time on?

I would ask them how much pressure they felt to follow up with another event to quell the naysayers about the one hit wonder talk. I actually had the chance to ask Joe Cada that question in 2014 a couple of months after he won his 2nd bracelet. We final tabled the Heartland Poker Tour in Nov. 2014. His response was it meant a lot to him because it silenced all the talk and being it was in PLO, gave him creds that he was not a one trick pony.

I will take the big picture here and include all the bracelet winners in the group I am asking. My 3 part question is: 1) "How has it affected your poker career, both in how people play you and how you play them and how they treat you, 2) and is there any negative effects that you wish were not there., 3) What has been the reception of those who you regularly played against before you big win?

What's the one person in his life that influenced him the most?