The Festival Online Qualifier: Nicky Roeg
The Festival Series organizes, on average, one satellite tournament every day throughout the year in one of our many partner poker rooms. This allows players to enjoy poker from home, competing to win a poker ticket or even a poker package trip to one of The Festival Series tournaments.
Yesterday, we launched a large-scale iPoker campaign, during which over the next five weeks, more than €75,000 worth of poker prizes will be up for grabs for The Festival Malta poker festival. We held a similar campaign on the iPoker network for the previous festival in Rozvadov. One of the players who won a package back then was Nicky Roeg, a well-known figure in the Dutch poker community, although perhaps less known elsewhere.
Despite his busy lifestyle, he had a moment to chat with us.
The Festival Team: Hello Nicky! We briefly met during The Festival Rozvadov 2024, where you won a package through a large-scale iPoker campaign. We announced a new similar poker campaign yesterday/last week. Will we see you again on the winners' list soon?
Nicky: Of course, you will see me again because I am the satellite king from Holland.
The Festival Team: Tell us about yourself! What do you do daily, and how did you discover poker?
Nicky: I worked with my father in the fashion industry for 18 years. When he turned 65, he wanted to retire, and I also wanted to explore other opportunities in life. This was in 2007. I had already been playing a bit of poker, but in the first week of my vacation after finishing work, I won a free satellite to the EPT London worth €7000. I finished 20th and was the best Dutch player. Two weeks later, I placed 6th in Amsterdam. Fortunately, both tournaments were broadcast on Dutch television for the first time.
After that, a poker site approached me with a sponsorship offer. I had to write a weekly article for their site and play with their logo. That marked the beginning of my first poker career. I participated in tournaments worldwide. In 2011, when I became a father, I stopped playing abroad and started a women's clothing shop with my wife. Now that my children are 14 and 12, I have the opportunity to begin my second poker career.
The Festival Team: According to The Hendon Mob, as of today (12.07.2024), you have accumulated $126,000 in prize money, placing you 320th among Dutch players. Your first official results date back to 2007. How do you think live poker or the organization of live poker festivals has changed over time?
Nicky: I believe they are paying much more attention to the needs of poker players now, especially in the last two years. We're seeing a resurgence similar to the "Moneymaker era," with record-breaking numbers of players attending tournaments.
What still bothers me is that poker is often seen as gambling rather than a game of skill.
The Festival Team: Speaking of your other hobbies besides playing poker, Nicky Roeg brings up a former tennis ace (ITF tournament-level player). Have you played against any well-known tennis players? Please tell us a bit more about your connections to tennis. Whose talent do you admire more: Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic?
Nicky: I used to be more of a soccer player and had the opportunity to play with names like Michael Reiziger and Edgar Davids. Back then, Davids didn't wear sunglasses, but he was already known for his tough tackles. I also played tennis, though not at a very high level, just participating in senior events and earning ITF points.
As I've grown older (and wiser), I've come to admire all players. I used to be more of a Federer and Messi fan, but now I see the greatness in everyone, including Djokovic and Ronaldo. We are all born with talent, some more than others, but what truly matters is what we do with it.
The Festival Team: At The Festival Malta 2024, we plan to organize an exhibition padel tournament for The Festival Malta 2024 prizes, where Team Karev and Team Franke will compete. Which team would you prefer to play for?
Nicky: The real question is, who wants to play with me? (laughing loudly)
I'm now a padel teacher in Holland. Four years ago, an old tennis partner introduced me to padel, a sport I had never heard of before. I quickly became addicted, playing 10 hours a week. My enthusiasm grew so much that I decided to get my teaching license so I could share my passion with others.
If you are interested in both poker and padel, and Malta in September sounds like a plan, feel free to contact us. You can also play in our various online qualifiers or The Festival Online series in August to win yourself a great experience.
