“Relive The Moment’’ with Michel Molenaar: Calm and Calculated
In Episode #2 of Relive The Moment we are going back in time with our most recent winner of our Main Event from The Festival Series in Bratislava, Michel Molenaar from The Netherlands. Future is what keeps people’s hope alive, and if we have a young gun winning one of our grand Main Events, it is even more to say that, not only by a chunk of luck, but mainly raw talent is often so decisive in big tournament player fields, especially in the later stages of such kind of tournament. The young Dutchman is the next Champion in line after Eirik Kristiansen won the Main Event of Tallinn earlier in 2022. We managed to catch up with him, to give you an insight of what such a victory does with a true grinder.
Melvin TF: You won the Main Event in Bratislava in last October 2022. How would you describe your overall experience? And perhaps any great story of what a situation you experienced?
- Michel: I had a lot of fun throughout the series, obviously the big run helped a bunch but seeing a lot of friendly people and meeting new people that I can call friends along the way really made the week a party. Do have to say that the hospitality package I missed out on, so it would be cool to bink myself a package once.
Melvin TF: It was the biggest live cash for you in your entire career, which I honorably had witnessed from close by. How did the aftermath go for you? Minds tell us a bit what you have been up to since then?
Michel: The aftermath was pretty chill actually, there was, and still is, a bunch of positive reactions from the hometown which I didn’t really expect the scale to be that big. So that was really fun getting to be a bit more asked about and talking with some folks I haven’t spoken to for a long while. In the meantime, I haven’t been playing as much online given the unfortunate situation in the Netherlands regarding online poker and its availability, I've just been going to the usual live stops like EPT Prague where I caught up with a bunch of the Norwegians that I met at The Festival. And I just got back from a small series in Galway in Ireland, which I went to with two recreational poker friends and saw them experience their first real live series. I really haven’t changed much in the usual routines other than trying to play even more live stops.
Melvin TF: I know you as ‘Lord Barre’. But who is behind that Nick? If you would need to describe yourself as a poker player. How would that turn out?
- Michel: Well, I just turned 24 on the 11th of January. I've just been working on my game with the DTO poker trainer from former 888poker ambassador Dominik Nitsche ever since its inception around late 2019 and just been clicking away and talking hands with some of the sharper minds of the game about some parts of the game. It does help me a lot in finding edges where others might miss some stuff.
Melvin TF: We had talked a bit about if this would be life-changing money or not. Despite that, what kind of advice would you give to players who get in the same spot as you?
- Michel: I wouldn’t really change much overall. If a score would be life-changing money, you get more comfortable playing the same stakes and don’t need to start suddenly only playing High Rollers. If it isn’t life-changing, you just keep carrying on. Just try to keep winning your all-ins and you'll be fine.
Melvin TF: Are we going to see you during our next festival series in Nottingham (UK)? Or in sunny Malta in May?
- Michael: I hope to win a package for them some way or another, through one of the many satellites currently going on for events of The Festival Nottingham and Malta, but you might see me there regardless.
We hope to see you all in the house of Robin Hood, Nottingham. As well as in sunny Malta, during our grand event on the rock! In the meantime, if you want to get all important information in regards of these events, or want to meet our new crew members? Make sure to give us a follow on one of our social media pages:
