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Marcel Luske
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Marcel Luske knew from the off that he could become a successful poker player. "I could pick out good players, but I was also amazed at people putting all their money in when the odds were against them – it didn't make sense. I learned to avoid similar situations. I also noticed people's body language. When they had a big hand, they were show-offs, but when they had no hand they looked like they were giving birth! I learned not to show your opponent when you're happy, because you give so much away."
The Dutchman has come a long way since those first forays into poker in the late 1990s. Nowadays, he's more than happy to pass his experience on. He has advised the likes of David Williams, and also established the Circle of Outlaws, a band of up-and-coming players. He also makes a point of helping out newcomers. "I like to compete and win, but I don't watch a dog get hit by a car and then walk over and kick it. I feel very bad as a professional player to see young people coming to a table and trying to compete with no chance of winning. OK, it's nice to win some money, but if I'm good enough to beat them when they know what they're doing, it's a different ball game. I don't want people to lose their money that way."
Marcel also feels that poker sites are a great tool for beginners. "Of course, they're there to make money, but they're helping people learn 10 times more quickly. You don't have to play for money to learn, but at a casino you may have to pay entry just to be there. This way you can stay in the house, where you're safe, where you feel at home.
"I do have to take longer to watch online players and adapt my game, though – they're going to call you down with weaker hands. They have to have a showdown! There was a hand where I raised, and a player behind me re-raised. When I asked him how much, he went white. Now, I have K♠ Q♠ in my hand, and normally I'll just muck the hand. But I know he doesn't have Aces. The chance he has Kings or Queens and hits another is very small, because I have one of each. He's still got 15,000 in front of him; if an Ace hits the flop, he can't call. I see the flop, which comes A-10-8. I put him all-in. After two minutes of hesitation he calls, turning over two Kings. The turn and river are blank and he wins the hand. I tell him later on that he had surprised me with the call – he said that he wanted to play the hand. How can I calculate something like that? He didn't believe he was going to win, but if he can go home and say that he had two Kings and lost to Marcel Luske, then he has a story to tell."
Marcel feels strongly about the confusion regarding the legality of poker. "In a world of 50 million poker players minimum competing, the same 500 players are always at the top. There's no judge in the world who can say that it's not a game of skill. I challenge anybody to stand there in court and say that this is a game of luck. Based on what? Because they work for a government who doesn't want it?"
Marcel is also working to raise the profile of poker with his business interests. "I opened a poker consultancy in Amsterdam. It's very rare in Holland to create business out of poker, but I don't want to be dependant on the river card, so about two and a half years ago I started setting up some projects. I've worked with Dutch TV, and I am close to a deal with a toy company to produce a family game, which will teach a simplified version of Hold 'Em to those who are interested in the game but are perhaps too shy to ask questions about the rules.
"I'm also involved with the International Poker Federation, where we have just drawn up a set of standardized poker rules which aim to promote fairness. I don't like the situation where a player announces that he has Aces at a showdown, so his opponent throws away his hand. Suddenly the original player says he has Aces because there are two Aces on the board, not in his hand. More inexperienced players can fall foul of this. It's the same with out of turn calling, or acting as if you're going to throw away your hand before it's your turn to act."
Marcel is instantly recognizable at the table; he's the one in the sharp suit and upside-down shades. "I found that if you go to a casino and dress well, people give you more respect."
Another area that Marcel has become famous for is his singing. "I wrote my poker song for the industry, and I was actually approached by a German producer a few days ago who wants to make an album. When I sing at the tables, that's for fun. Poker is like any sport – it's supposed to be entertainment. Don't let us lose sight of that." Exactly – and as long as there are characters such as Marcel at the table, poker will always be a game worth watching.
