'It was never my thing': Antonius reveals why he skips WSOP bracelet grind

It's for lack of trying. 

'It's too much fun' 

While many of his contemporaries spend their summers firing bullet after bullet into tournaments, chasing the prestige of further wrist adornments, Antonius prefers to ply his trade in the cash games. 

Away from the thrashing hordes of bracelet hunters, in a private salon at the Aria, he plays for high stakes – and the games are good, too good to pass up on. 

"That's the thing," he tells Jean-Robert Bellande in the debut episode of the Broke Living With JRB podcast. "That's why I don't have a bracelet. Historically, the cash games have been the craziest thing in the summer." 

As any cash game regular will attest, you don't get up from a good game. And when the games are good throughout the series, why bother with the variance rollercoaster of the tournament grind? 

"I'm kind of addicted to the mixed games," Antonius continues. "It's too much fun and once I start to play I just can't get myself to the [tournament tables]." 

In comparison, playing tournaments day in and day out can be demoralizing. Most of the time, you're walking out of the room empty-handed. And that wears on even the most experienced players, like Antonius. 

Plus, he thinks, the added intensity of a deep run takes even more out of you – the pressure to win is stifling. 

"There's more pressure than in cash games," Antonius argues. "If you bust, you're out. You don't rebuy. In cash games, as long as you have the bankroll you can just keep playing. I personally feel more pressure, sometimes I get nervous, in tournaments. And I don't feel that in cash because it's rare that pots get so big. In tournaments, things are just more meaningful. 

"It's an empty feeling every time you bust." 

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Bellande: Play a full schedule

Bellande wants to see what would happen if Antonius committed an entire summer to chasing bracelets – no cash games, just a full schedule of tournaments. 

"I honestly would love to see your results if you went and played 70 tournaments like Daniel, or Shaun Deeb," he tells Antonius. "I would love to see if you just dedicated one summer, cash games are on hold and all I'm gonna do is [play tournaments]. It'd be kind of fun, like a challenge." 

Jean-Robert Bellande wants to unleash Patrik Antonius on the World Series of Poker – no cash games, just chasing bracelets.

Hayley Hochstetler

There's another factor that holds Antonius back from the tournament tables at the World Series. It's the experience. With much of his tournament volume now coming in the luxe environment of the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series, the Finn has grown accustomed to a more streamlined, almost bespoke tournament experience. And the exclusive arena of high stakes cash games at the Aria offers comparable levels of comfort. 

"I have to say, the way they treated us at the Aria this summer, in the private salon... it's like we have everything, all the restaurants and TVs," Antonius says. "You get so damn comfortable. And once you play these Tritons also, how the experience is so perfect. Then you go to the World Series and it's complicated because there's thousands of players."

Still, it's not out of the realm of possibility. 

"I wouldn't mind that experience one summer," Antonius tells Bellande. "Obviously I would vlog it and make some side bets to make it a little bit more interesting. I also like to play with new players and have different experiences. 

"I've kind of never tested myself at the World Series. It just was never my thing." 

^{Featured image courtesy of PokerGO}