As you revealed in our podcast, you've been working on a new project for over 2 months - what exactly is it?
I can't wait for it to launch and for everyone to see the months of preparation. We want to stream again, we want to play poker, we want to entertain the community, we want to be action packed again - there's really a lot of plans. It all started with PokerStars giving us the opportunity to give the community what we call the Emerald Pass to the Irish Open. It's worth $2,500 and includes buy-ins to the Irish Open Main Event, some side events, as well as travel and accommodation expenses. PokerStars wants to throw a big party at the Irish Open with us this year, where we'll also be playing the Shamrock Showdown together. In this event, all the ambassadors from Pokerstars and Grind on Tour will come together in different disciplines - it won't just be about poker, there will also be beer pong, karaoke, darts and dancing.
Many in the poker community agree that Dublin is a unique place to play poker. Do you agree with this statement?
Absolutely. I really recommend everyone to come to the Irish Open. It's a unique experience unlike any other poker event in the world. It's all about community first and foremost, it's about having fun, there's beer at the tables, everyone's talking. The Irish are particularly open and very entertaining. What I also like is the interaction with the dealers, for example, if one of the players orders a round of Guinness, he takes one to the dealer, who can have one as well. Even the dealers can play some events, and you can see in them how much they appreciate it.
It's great that the Irish Open came under the umbrella of PokerStars a couple of years ago, who are really passionate about it. If you can't make it down there, we'll be bringing streams and other content from there every day to show even beginners that they have nothing to worry about. For many people, the first visit to a casino is scary, but I want to show everyone why we love live festivals, what it's like to be there with those people and feel that atmosphere.
How did you get into poker in the first place?
My long journey started many years ago playing Magic the Gathering. This strategy-based game was a favourite of many poker players who moved to poker around the year 2000. I ignored it at first, but after Chris Moneymaker's success in 2003, things got going again. I was fortunate to know many of the players in the community through Magic, which made it easier for me to adapt. And that's my advice to aspiring players - the best thing you can do for your poker growth is to connect with other players, players who are successful and willing to share their knowledge and experience.
I've always wanted to be a professional Magic player, but this transition to poker has been pretty smooth given the circumstances. As a Magic player, you have to be the best in the world to make a living at it, you have to beat the world's elite. That's not the case in poker, you just have to be the best at the game you're playing. And sometimes you just need to be lucky.
Today, the community sees you not only as a player, but also as a streamer. How did this hobby come about?
I've enjoyed poker a lot from the beginning and have enjoyed sharing my experiences and experiences related to the game. I tutored math while I was in school and really enjoyed teaching. So, when I realized that I was learning something new in poker, I enjoyed sharing that information further. When you help people or teach them something, they are happy to share their successes with you, which creates positive feedback.
A big part of it was that as a professional poker player, I wasn't progressively getting as fulfilled as I would have expected. I felt stressed by the uncertainty that life as a poker pro brings, and I realized that this was not what I had dreamed of. But since I've always loved the game and the people in the poker community, I started thinking about how to combine my passion with my career. Well, that's how I got into creating poker content.
So you don't regret not focusing on a career as a poker pro?
With poker, it's like a top sport. You constantly have to keep an eye on the competition, you have to push yourself and you constantly have to have the mentality of wanting to be the best. You have to make this a priority, to keep improving and pushing yourself, and sooner or later the results will come. Well this can be a problem, many people think they have what it takes to become the best, but they are not willing to sacrifice their free time, work, family, they are not willing to give 100% to this goal. And so it was for me, it took a long time, but in the end I honestly admitted to myself that this is not the path for me. But poker continues to be the center of my professional life.
Tell us a little more about your PokerStars Online Pro membership. When was this collaboration born and what does it entail?
It's been almost 12 years that I've been working with PokerStars. They approached me in 2013 because they saw how I was building community and educating people in the Intellipoker project. That's when they came up with the idea that they didn't just want the best pros representing them, but also people playing at a casual level. Word got around and I became that gateway for new players. Yes, everyone admires Chris Moneymaker or Daniel Negreanu, but those guys are somewhere else. You just can't connect with them. But someone who is in charge of coaching and building a community will always be there for you.
Within the community, I was regularly making YouTube videos, and then in 2014, Twitch came along and made it possible to stream poker. I knew it was something that was right up my alley, so that's how I got started - first I streamed various cash games, then I moved on to tournaments. Streaming taught me to not just focus on the wins and losses, but on the road that leads to them. It always makes me happy when I meet someone live who tells me that they got into poker because of my Twitch.
And as far as working with PokerStars itself, our agreement has always been open, which I really appreciate. If you want to have a good ambassador, the worst thing you can do is to tie them down with various orders and targets. People love naturalness, so an ambassador who loves what they do is the best choice. And that's the way it is between us, they let me go where I want and create what I want, and in return I do the best I can. Of course, both parties occasionally come up with different ideas that we have to work through together, but it's never given as a condition that has to be met. We often talk, create, uncover ideas and develop together.
In the second part of this interview, we'll take a look at Felix's plans for 2025, discuss the topic of coaching together, and learn the 2 most common mistakes he thinks players make...
Felix has prepared a new website https://www.grndontour.com/ for his community and the general poker public, where you can find all the important information about his projects!
