You Reap What You Sow - The Road to Success for Kalidou Sow

Until 2016, barely anyone had heard of French poker player Kalidou Sow, but he has since made the headlines several times and recorded several six-figure scores to boost his live earnings to more than $1.6 million in cashes. Sow, who typically sports funky shades and a big smile on the face at the poker tables, is among the participants on Day 1A here in Marrakech.

“Just a few days ago I actually spoke about my run good with a friend. My first victory was actually in June 2016 in Toulouse. Even I didn’t realize it yet, I thought it was longer ago. And since then, I won seven tournaments. It’s absolutely incredible, I can’t even tell if it’s a run good or if I am understanding the game far better now.”

At the end of 2017, Sow had a rather unpleasant experience at the WPTDeepStacks Deauville Main Event as he ended up as the bubble boy.

“In fact, this was the first time I was the bubble boy. I actually had a decent stack to get through and made a mistake with ace-king against aces. One thing I remember for sure is that I was really disappointed, because I am very competitive. Things turned around for Prague and I was able to build a stack as usual. I wasn’t sure if I could win or not, but things were going really well. Everything just came together, step by step.”

The victory in Prague was followed by another trophy a few months later early in 2018 and Sow reaped the success he had sowed. However, the new bankroll didn’t quite see him jump out of the usual comfort zone and he still sticks to the usual buy-ins and events he feels comfortable at.

“Nothing special has really changed. I still play the same amount of tournaments, stick to the smaller tours and the usual places such as Prague, Barcelona and Las Vegas. I haven’t changed the buy-in limits yet and reached the cap yet to do so. It’s simply one step after the other,” the Frenchman added during one of the breaks on Day 1A of the Main Event in Marrakech.

Sow has also experienced success in the current WPTDeepStacks Europe Season 2018-2019, as he claimed the trophy in the WPTDeepStacks Vilamoura High Roller event after defeating Andy Hills in heads-up.

“That was great. I was missing a WPT title and I did that in Vilamoura, a city I really like a lot. That was fantastic.”

While the biggest score of Sow came in an event with a buy-in of more than €5,000, the Frenchman considers tournaments such as the WPTDeepStacks Marrakech Main Event to be the perfect fit for his playing style.

“I think this event is best for me, and where I have the strongest results. There are a lot of recreational players and I think I have an edge, it is slightly less difficult. It’s certainly not as difficult as an EPT Main Event.”

Sow has already been to Marrakech several times, however, hasn’t recorded any big score in Morocco just yet.

“I have been to Marrakech several times, but never did any good here. Maybe it will change this time, it’s incredible that I never really cashed big here and I have my fingers crossed.”

Compared to other stops on the European and international circuit, tournaments in Marrakech feel slightly different for Sow.

“I don’t think Marrakech (and the events here) are typical for Morocco in terms of the buy-in amount. The players here are more recreational and also want to enjoy the sun. They don’t want to spend ten hours every day at the tables like us crazy players. That’s the only real difference I can think of, it is really about the buy-in amount. It is a great chance for non-professional players to take a shot.”

Sow started very well into Day 1A with around 50,000 chips in the middle of level five.