The Round Table – Dario Minieri – Smashing Goals in Record Time
Currently living in Rome, Italy, 23 year old Dario Minieri is accomplishing every one of his goals in no time. He set out to win a Porsche on PokerStars and did just in under a year. Then, he wanted a WSOP bracelet and made that a reality at the 2008 WSOP in the $2,500 no limit, 6 handed event. He isn’t stopping there; Minieri has more plans for his future in poker. KL: How did you get started playing poker?
Dario: I started when I was 18 years old playing traditional Italian poker, 5 card draw, 32 card deck. Then when I was 19, thanks to the online world and thanks to PokerStars, I moved to American poker. I won a satellite and qualified for a European Poker Tour event in the Bahamas. Then I started to play big tournaments live.
KL: Do you think being young in poker is an advantage or a disadvantage?
Dario: People pay attention a lot to younger players because they know the internet created a lot of good young players. People are on the lookout for young players.
KL: Which do you like better, online or live?
Dario: Online is better for some things, like you can eat and drink while you play, live is a thousand times better because it is more prestigious. It is fun.
KL: Do you think it is tougher live?
Dario: It’s different. I feel more confident online because I have played much more online but live is just different. Maybe online there are better players, so live play may be easier.
KL: You won a Porsche by playing online, did you set out to do that or did it just happen?
Dario: They announced in September about the prize and I said to my friends that I was going to try to win it. In 9 months I made enough points to win it.
KL: How did you do it? How many tables were you playing?
Dario: I was playing a lot of tables at the same time, like sit-n-go’s, $200 buy-in’s up to $1000.
KL: Were you playing any cash games?
Dario: No, just sit-n-go’s and some tournaments. It’s easier with sit-n-go’s because you play more in less time and you make more rake.
KL: What is your favorite thing to play online?
Dario: Sit-n-go’s for sure.
KL: Do you play any other games?
Dario: Only no limit hold ‘em. Sometimes I will try to practice with other games like H.O.R.S.E.
KL: How did you end up playing the Main Event?
Dario: 2006 was my first year playing, I cashed that year. Last year, 2007, was very exciting. I finished 96th. There was a moment where I was really living a dream. It was really fun.
KL: What tournaments are you playing?
Dario: I am playing the European Poker Tour’s, the WSOP events, and maybe I will play some World Poker Tour events.
KL: What was the first US tournament you played?
Dario: A tournament in Las Vegas.
KL: How tough do you think the Main Event is?
Dario: I think it’s really different from all the other tournaments of the year because there are a lot of not very expert players like there are at the EPT’s. Maybe it isn’t tougher; maybe it’s easier for that reason. It is tough because 6,000 people tournaments are pretty different from other kinds of tournaments.
KL: How do you keep sharp and not get tired out?
Dario: I really have to play every day in a row because it gives me adrenaline and it pushes me to play my best poker. I don’t like breaks or days off.
KL: What do you think is tougher, the EPT’s or the WPT’s?
Dario: The European Poker Tour. It is very prestigious and there are a lot of good players. It’s even more fun because you can improve your game a lot. It has helped me a lot to play the EPT’s. It has improved my game.
KL: You won your first bracelet this year, what was that like?
Dario: It was just so sick. I reached my dream, because my dream was to win a bracelet. Now my dream is to win every single tournament once. I want to win 1 EPT, 1 WPT, and so on. But, the bracelet was the most exciting for sure.
KL: That was a big goal for you?
Dario: Yes, I wanted that bracelet so bad.
KL: What do you have coming up?
Dario: I will play the EPT season, probably WSOPE in London.
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