Marvin Rettenmaier
Dear Poker Friends,
I decided to write a blog to tell you all about my tournaments, my travels, prop bets, bad beats, about my favorite YouTube videos, as well as about the sexual behavior of my acquaintances and everything else I consider entertaining.
I look forward to positive feedback 
To all of you, have a wonderful new year!!!
Best wishes, Marvin Rettenmaier, Team Titan
Dear all, 
A new year has started and it’s about time to think about the past one. 2010 was definitely a defining one for me.
At the beginning of last year I was only playing poker online. On Sundays, which I never ever missed, I was easily playing 30 tournaments. Today I almost solely play live poker, which I never thought of as among my possibilities.
Since I didn’t have much live experience I planned to change this by traveling to Las Vegas, where everything went very well. Although I do have to say that concentrating at the poker table for a full day was exhausting for me; after a few days at the casino I didn’t feel like it anymore and I took breaks in which I felt drawn to my laptop or the pool bar.
European Tournament Successes
After some time staying off casinos I received a phonecall from Titan Poker, inviting me to join the EuroCityPokerTour in Barcelona due to my online results. I was very surprised and very happy. At the same time a buddy from Las Vegas, whom I had met while playing poker there, visited me and we decided to travel around Europe and to combine our trip with a few live tournaments.
I came as far as the Final Table in the ECPT and received an offer by Titan Poker only a few minutes after my bust; this was a chance for which I am most thankful. A few hours later I was supposed to play my first EPT, the Snowfest. Here my team colleague Sorel Mizzi, Bluff Player of the Year, and I reached the Final Table of the 500€ Rebuy Event.
Three Cashes in the WSOP
Unfortunately my studies did not allow me to play more than a few tournaments until the summer. And then is was time for the WSOP – the poker event of the year. I had been to the WSOP just once before, in 2008, and back then I only played in the Main Event. This time I was able to arrive a bit earlier and although I had to finish writing my bachelor thesis, I managed to play in 8 events and to cash in 3. The highlight was surely my Final Table it the $1,500 Event with Tom Dwan, which remains my greatest poker experience until this day.
In retrospect I am not happy at all, because I was chipleader before durrr with 14 left, when one hand fell under average and I ran into flopped quads. I had to say goodbye in 7th place. Although this had been a great tournament for me and joy outweighed disappointment, I would have of course wanted to achieve so much more.
I am looking forward to next summer in Vegas. I will try to arrive one week before the opening and to party every day, in order to avoid conflicts with my tournament schedule. To prevent my parties from overlapping with my poker is definitely one of my most important New Year’s resolutions.
When I returned form Las Vegas again I had to mug up on my studies. My last tests were scheduled. Sadly I was sick during two of them; I will need to take them in April 2011 and then, finally, I will be able to finish my studies. I have decided to take my poker play even more seriously and to try to approach this as my profession.
The Sadistic Aspect of Tournament Play
After my Final Table in the Partouche Poker Million in Madrid, the Side Event at the PPT Cannes, the Marrakesh Open and winning the Side Event of the IPT, the biggest disappointment of my poker year definitely followed: the WPT Deauville.
After being chipleader with 40 left and losing a huge pot with AK vs KQ pre-flop, I was able to suck out Dominik Nitsche with 10s against his Kings and to get closer to average. It was easy for me to stack up, until I lost my poker life in one hand – so close to the final table – against the subsequent winner Sam El Sayed. In the battle of the blinds, I flopped a set of aces, he turned his gun shot and the river could not help anymore.
This is the sadistic aspect of tournament poker – one is never really satisfied, unless one wins a tournament and this doesn’t happen every day. And one receives so many Bad Beats and Coolers and they bring you down. I think, dealing with this sadistic side is what makes a good tournament player. One has to be ready to stand up again, to go into the ring and to get a few more punches until, one day, things work out.
Looking back at my really very good year even I can tell you numerous nasty Bad Beat stories – and like every poker player I love to do that, too. For example, by a fraction of an inch I would have won the Fort Knox Jackpot of Titan Poker and $170,000. The goal was to win 6 short-handed Sit n Gos in a row. I won 5 and during the 6th, I had a 2:1 chip lead in heads-up play. Two All-ins later, everything was over, of course with the wrong winner. At the moment the jackpot is at $250,000 and I will definitely continue to attack, whenever my time allows.
Highlights of the Year
Only two weeks after my biggest down, the highpoint of the year followed and I was able to win the Final of the Spanish Poker Tour in Lloret de Mar. I was very satisfied with my play, this time it had been sufficient. Finally.
Well, now we come to the end of the year and of this blog page – which has turned out a bit long, but after all it has been an eventful year; the next blogs will be more entertaining – I promise!!!
I was on the road a lot and therefore very happy to have my complete family around me. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my Grandmother for the best Sauerbraten with the best dumplings in this world.;)
On the last Sunday of the year I was finally able to reach a big Final Table online and to top my online winnings. Then I was awarded Newcomer of the Year by Pokerolymp, which is a great honor. A wonderful ending to this great year.
And finally, I would like to thank all the people who have been supporting me. It helps to know that there are people out there, who stand by me. Thanks to my family, my friends, Titan Poker for the chance to play and be as part of such a wonderful Team, all Railbirds, all Groupies and the Dealers, who let me hit 1 outer as if it were nothing
I hope to achieve real big-time in 2011 and I wish you all a Happy New Year!!
See you soon!
Yours, Marvin
Tags: Marvin Rettenmaier
