On your Twitter (now X) account we can read that you are "unretired retired poker player". What do you mean by that?

“Well, I basically quit poker during covid, but as you can see, I'm playing now. At that time, I lost my passion for poker and did not enjoy the game. I focused on other things. And last year sometime in March, I started traveling and I was just in South America, in Uruguay, where there was a tournament. I played, and suddenly I really enjoyed it. So I decided to go back to work. You can't just play poker, you have to work on yourself and study to be better and know how to compete with the competition. From then until now, I've spent a lot of time studying and my Twitter account was 'retired poker player', so I changed it to 'unretired retired'.

When you say you lost your passion for poker during covid, does that mean you prefer to play live rather than online?

"Throughout my career, I've played live rather than online. In the beginning, when I didn't have much money and wanted to build my bankroll, I played more online. It helped me a lot with that, as well as a lot of other players. But once you have the money, players like me prefer live poker.”

What do you like best about live poker?

"That I can see how people don't have patience, they make a lot of mistakes, they give a lot of tells. This is not available online. And I can use that extra information to my advantage. I've been playing live poker since 2013, which is almost 10 years, and I've seen everything possible at the poker table. I have a lot of partial information, what the players do with the cards, with the chips, how they look, their movements... So I can use it and then I have better results than online, where I can't see it."

We noticed that you don't have a profile on hendon mob. Why?

"I have a simple reason for this. I also don't see the payroll of other people who are dedicated to other fields. Why should I reveal it to everyone? I see no reason for that. So I decided I didn't want to be there. I also asked Card Player to delete that information, and they also agreed."

OK, I understand. Let's move on to another topic, try to tell me about how you started playing poker professionally.

“One of my close friends was a very good poker player at the time. He mostly played online and is not very well known. He saw talent in me, so he started coaching me. Overall, he supported me and pushed me to be more professional."

I read that you are also currently engaged in coaching.

"I have been coaching for a long time. I want to pass on to other players the things I learned from the German poker players and from Doug Polk, who coached me from 2014 to 2016. Even then I realized that I had a lot of knowledge that I could pass on and gain at the same time money. So I started it around 2015-2016. I like the idea that I can learn along the way and that I can coach my students in the direction I want to improve myself. Whenever I start to study a part more, I teach it to others. I only teach what I understand well. I have several successful students, but I don't know if they would like me to publish their names.'

I get it. We meet in Liechtenstein, do you travel often for poker?

"Yes. The stop here in Liechtenstein is just one of many this year. It's good that there are a lot of amateur players here, so I'll try to make the most of it. I already have a flight booked for EPT Cyprus, WPT Miami, Vegas. I played the WSOP this summer. I try to do as much as possible. Maybe we'll see you in Bratislava too, if there's something there, a highroller or a multi-day tournament."

We have quite a "poker boom" in Bratislava now, how do you feel about it?

"It's amazing, and it's less than an hour's drive from Vienna, where I live. I have been there several times and will definitely go again. I like Card Casino. They have big poker rooms and therefore know how to make big tournaments. So I'm looking forward to it. I also met the CEO of Card Casino and he was very friendly so I think he deserves the success he's going to have."

Do you have a favorite place where you like to play?

“Yes, and I think the place was popular with a lot of other players as well. It was Melbourne and their Aussie Millions. Unfortunately, the casino where it was played is now closed. Melbourne is also great as a city and has always been my favorite stop.”
 

It's obvious that you still enjoy poker. Do you have any other interesting interests? 

"I have an awful lot of hobbies. In my free time, I meditate, read, do various sports, mainly ball sports - padel tennis, squash, but also football, just everything with a ball. Sometimes I also go to crossfit. And I harden in the winter."

Thank you for the interview Dietrich, and good luck in the tournament!