Live event organiser, allways-smiling man, poker enthusiast, model father, party man - who do you think Franke is?
"I'm originally Swedish, although I've lived in Finland and Estonia for most of my life. I'm middle-aged, neither fat nor skinny. I love life and enjoy every single day to the fullest. I like the idea "It's better to burn out than to fade away."
TheHendon Mob database has been keeping track of your name since 2008 - how do you remember your poker beginnings? How did you first get into poker and what appealed to you about it?
"I think the first time I played poker was with my family, my dad and my brother. Obviously at school we used to play a lot of different games, like Chicago, and from there we gradually got into cash games. When I was old enough, I tried going to the casinos, and I got into online poker as well. In general, I like games of all kinds, whether it's sports games, roleplaying games or puzzle games."
I picked up in one of your statements that you think partying is a very important aspect of gambling. Especially nowadays, when we are experiencing a poker boom and series are beating each other with guarantees, do you think that having fun and extra-poker activities can be what makes the difference between a good poker series and a great one? Is Social Gaming, your term by the way, the future?
"Poker is a social game, so I think today's trends like solvers are hurting it. Everyone wants to be the best at every single decision and doesn't want to make even the slightest mistake. Yes, it's important to play well if you want to win, but let's not forget that poker is a social game. You play it with people and against people. When you have a person next to you who is in the hoodie, wearing glasses, and wearing headphones, let's just drop it and go play online poker. Live poker should be social, we should be talking to each other, trying to get tells from our opponents. Of course, when there's a lot of money at stake, you should be serious and watch what you're doing, but even then you can be social.
A lot of poker tours are very serious, being careful about being quiet and calm at the tables and things like that. The Festival is a little bit the opposite in that, we want to have fun, we want to get to know each other and form a community. Well, the best way to get to know each other is a) to talk at the table, b) to go together outside the casino, to go for a drink, to a restaurant or to play some sport together. It's not just about poker, roulette or blackjack - it's about meeting new people.
Guarantees are an essential part of the marketing of many series, and I don't think they help the whole industry on their own. People come to The Festival for the fun, for the games on offer, for the atmosphere, for the people. That's what makes people come to us, so why bother with any guarantees at all. We already have over 200 online qualifiers for the upcoming Malta Festival, which is an incredible number! Yes, we could do guarantees and attract players to them, but I like the way we've gone."
What do you consider to be your biggest achievement in life so far? What is your unfulfilled poker dream (both as a player and as an organizer)?
"The biggest achievement of my personal life is of course my children, of whom I am very, very proud. I have my kids and I have bonus kids. I hope that one day, when I'm not here, they will remember me as a good person. Being a parent is a day-in, day-out job, and I am blessed to have always had great women by my side who have raised children wonderfully. I helped as much as I could and I'm proud of how we handled it.
As for The Festival, my dream is to have tournaments in chess, in backgammon. We need to add new elements to poker, roulette and blackjack tournaments. We're gradually getting there, but it's going to take some time. But let's not forget that The Festival is only 3 years old, so for now I think we're moving in the right direction. I want to make The Festival a long-lasting and respected brand in Europe, and maybe even go beyond that later on. Providing more and more Mixed Games events for players, exploring new destinations and pushing the bar of entertainment ever higher."
Let's go back to the recent WSOPC Tallinn, where you also managed to win your first WSOPC ring. How did you play?
"I had my son in Tallinn and a very good friend who lives in the Philippines, so I didn't have much time for poker. But I managed to play 3-4 different events, and one of them was an 8-Game event. I love the Mixed Games format, you have to concentrate the whole time in it, you have to play your A-game, and at the same time you're having fun the whole time. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, I had a lot of "tea breaks", both during day 1 and during the final day. All in all, there were about 19 hours of play, of which I was at the table for about 11-12 hours.
I think I'm my own worst enemy. When I'm playing, anything can happen. Somehow I managed to win this tournament and get a WSOPC ring, which is really cool. I celebrated the win in really big style, and then the next day I didn't have the ring anymore. That was sad. For three days, people came up to me and said how sorry they were, and I just shook my head, like how did I lose it. All of a sudden on Friday morning I got out of bed and stepped on something hard by my bed. Well, and wonder of wonders, there was my ring. I think I'd better put it safely away on the shelf."
What does this win mean to you? Are you happier about the ring or the prize money?
"Winning a ring or a trophy like that, which just proves that you've become the best among all of them, that's much more valuable to me than the money. Obviously the money was great as well, it was a great reward, but to be number one and to win a Mixed Game event when I'm the one who organises Mixed Game events around Europe, that's something amazing. When even a weak player like me can win something, it's great news for the whole community.
If you check my Hendon Mob, you will see a lot of first, second and third places. It's because I always play poker to the fullest, so I either get knocked out in the early stages or build up a stack so big that I can play for the overall win."
What's your favourite poker variant?
"My absolute favourite format is the Sviten Special, which I really enjoy, especially at the cash game tables. Well, if I had to pick something else to go with it, it would be 4 and 5-card Omaha, or Stud/Stud Hi-Lo, both of which are great."
If you haven't experienced the atmosphere of The Festival, introduce yourself now and invite them to Malta or Bratislava. What can players look forward to and why shouldn't they miss these events?
"If you've never been part of The Festival, whether in Bratislava, Malta, Rozvadov or Nottingham, and you're interested in what you'll find here, I'd describe it something like this:
- Players from all over Europe who share a love of the game, love Mixed Games or just like to play a roulette or blackjack tournament from time to time
- You can expect plenty of activities outside of the poker table, especially if you are an online qualifier and have won a hospitality package. There will be plenty of sporting activities, restaurant visits, beer tasting and much more. The social aspect of this package is very strong and fun. If you don't have your package yet, don't hesitate to qualify
- There are two Main Events to look forward to, one is in the H.O.R.S.E.S. format, which is the traditional H.O.R.S.E. supplemented with Sviten, and of course in addition to that, the traditional Hold'em ME is not to be missed. Most of our stops will produce prizepools of around 400-500k in the ME, which is great with a 550€ buy-in.
- The Hendon Mob Championship and other interesting tournaments are also part of event, so everyone can find something that suits them
In summary, come and see Malta for yourself, enjoy the weather, make new poker friends, try some new variants you haven't played in the past, and most important of all - come and have fun!
What activity are you most looking forward to in Malta and Bratislava?
I'm looking forward to meeting old and new friends, and I'd love to win H.O.R.S.E.S. Main Event, that would be really cool. And of course I'm looking forward to tasting the local tea. CISK forever! Cheers! Qualifiers are online every day, with 10-12 packages in play each week, which is a great number. See you in Malta, it'll be great if you come!
