Lemon Poker: ‘Mixed Games are so Underrated!’
The Festival Series is an event for everyone, it does not matter if you are a seasoned pro or just like to play some cards now and then, and fun is what is peaking our agendas. The organisation of our live events require a lot of preparation before the events, but also during the events. The Festival Team consist out of a great group of young enthusiasts, all having their own personalities and responsibilities. Today, we will introduce you to our Social Media Guru, and absolute content-creating machine: Václav Dušek alias 'Lemon Poker'!
It's exactly one year ago when we met Lemon Poker for the first time face-to-face. He was invited by us to our debut event at the King's Casino in Rozvadov, and it turned out to be a commentary gig for the energetic, little crazy, Czech superhero. If you were watching the livestreams of the Main Event during that time, or even from our event in Bratislava, you surely agree with us there! Lemon Poker came as a true whirlwind to the poker scene, and it wasn't left unnoticed across the ocean as well, since he got nominated for an award during the Global Poker Awards in Las Vegas. #Proud!
What do we actually know about Lemon Poker? Let's get to the business!
Tell us a bit about your background. How did you end up in poker, and what influenced your career path?
I hated poker at first because it was stealing talent like Elky from what was a huge part of my life: competitive StarCraft: Brood War. Rewind a couple of years later, and I was paying for college by grinding NL50. I got an International Business Studies degree in Edinburgh, and my thesis was on behavioural finance, so my 10+ year-long cash game coaching, grinding, and podcasting career fit in nicely. Apart from a year-long job in the Risk and Control Department of Scottish Widows, I’ve only ever worked directly with people—direct sales, political campaigns, and government research—so when I started feeling depressed about my NL25 peers like Linus or Wiktor (Limitless) making millions in cash games while I peaked at NL400, transitioning to doing more of that in poker felt natural.
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The Festival Series has had nine stops, with the upcoming Rozvadov stop being the official 10th. What was your experience like there last year?
The Festival in Rozvadov changed my approach to poker—I was really influenced by Franke, who I only knew from a couple of joint streams before then. He was so open about poker being entertainment and gambling first for the vast majority of people, and a serious way to make a living second—even admitting to being a losing player despite about 20 OFC final table appearances. It was eye-opening coming from the online reg bubble where it’s always been about "us" and the "VIPs," "fun players," or, well—fish, donks, and whales. The fact is, after all the expenses and rake, and accounting for only occasional play, around 5%-10% of people actually make real money playing poker—and that’s generous. And in Rozvadov, it was about the whales having a great time and not giving a damn about the sharks taking their money—a whole new world for me!
Out of the past nine Festival stops, which one was your favourite, and why? Any standout memories?
For me, it was Malta 2024. It was really my first event where I posted purely for an external brand instead of as myself, where I shared a small room with Melvin and Karev (who worked with us back then), and where I learned so much from Mairo, Jonathan Raab, Alona, Pljuw, Nikita, and especially Melvin—who is my mentor to this day. That event will always be special to me, and I’ve met so many friends I still have to this day, from Antoine to Damian Nigro.
For anyone who hasn’t attended The Festival yet, what would you say to these poker players?
Let’s first talk to you pros: these are some of the highest ROI events you’ll ever play, with vast oceans of whales. Last year at the Main Event final table, there were 3 people I’d consider Holdem tournament players. The rest thought ICM stood for Ice Cream Machine. It was street poker to the max. To you recreational players—how come you don’t care that the sharks are fleecing you? It’s FUN! So many people come just for a holiday—to play mixed games, low buy-ins, do flips, get out of line in Roulette Tournaments, be the stars of small-stakes streams, and especially to enjoy hospitality packages that turn their stay into one big party with random off-the-felt activities every day.
Freestyle! Anything on your mind—poker, mixed games, Razz, or whatever you’re passionate about. Knout yourself out!
Mixed games, which are heavily featured at The Festival Series, are so underrated. Everyone whines about RTA, bots, headphone-and-hoodie regs, and poker being too tough—there’s none of that in mixed game tournaments. So even though you can lock in and smash the Hold'em tournaments and cash games, you should give the mixed games a shot. That goes for me as well—my sole goal in 2025 is to play a single mixed games tournament. I also want to point out how absurd The Hendon Mob Championship concept is—separate packages with 2 bullets, 300k guaranteed, and full media attention for a €150 buy-in. This might end up being the most prestigious €150 tournament in the history of live poker—I’ll see you there!
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During this years live events in Rozvadov, Malta, and Bratislava, Lemon Poker will make sure that all epic poker action on- and off the tables, will be documented for all of you to enjoy. If you are not following our social media channels just yet, make sure to start following. Not only to be the first one to find out what this Czechian Stallion is fabricating during the events, but also to not miss any important communication about our events, qualifiers, and so much more!
We hope you enjoyed this interview, and don't hesitate to give lemon a little squeeze when you see him around!
