Mario Boos is the last Frenchman standing in the WSOP Main Event, a tournament that has never been won by a player from La République.
It would be the biggest thing to happen in French poker since Jean-Noel Thorel was born. And, at the very least, it means we will have the rowdy French rail supporting Boos at the WSOP Main Event final table for at least one day more.
"The French community is amazing. Everybody's sending me messages. I have had thousands of messages."
Boos also has ten people staying with him in a house in Las Vegas, and ten more on the way. That tally doesn't include the countless other friends who have stayed in town for the live final table on August 3.
'My only dream is playing poker'
It's been a whirlwind of attention for what is normally a somewhat solitary profession.
"Everybody texted me," Boos told Craig Tapscott. "They said I'm living the dream of every poker player who wants to be there and play this final table."
But it's not necessarily the dream of Boos, who still struggles to see this as different than any other tournament.
"I can see myself on the couch, maybe 16 or 17 years old, seeing poker on TV and watching the final table from the WSOP Main Event. It's amazing that I can play this table, but I never really dreamed about something like this. My only dream was playing poker."
The WSOP Main Event final table is a heavy experience. It's not uncommon for players to have a delayed reaction to it. They're hounded by the media with questions just a few seconds after bagging the biggest tournament of their lives, and before they know it, the cards are in the air again.
There's a time gap this year before the final nine return to play the final table live on ESPN, and more time for it to sink in, but it's still hard to wrap your brain around everything that is happening right now.
"I will probably realize the importance after the tournament."
Mario Boos Final Table Tale of the Tape
- Chips: 44,000,000 (6/9)
- Country: France
- Career earnings: $239,888
No more easy tables
You'll have to forgive Boos for taking it all in at his own pace. This is his first time playing the Main Event in Las Vegas, and it's been an intense ride after a rocky first day.
"I had a really tough table on Day 1. Everybody told me to play Day 1D because it is the softest Day 1 for the Main Event. I think it was like my most difficult table from the first six days."
Nothing went right on the first day. Boos would end the session with around 27,000, down from the 60,000 chip starting stack. Day 2 was a better draw, and he would spring back up to the average stack with around 165K. Boos learned fast and adjusted.
"I realized that there are many people like spewing their stacks after they lost 20 blinds, but they still have 40 blinds behind. I was never really short except after the beginning of Day 2."
Now, Boos is as deep as you can go in the tournament, and there are no more easy tables. He's also out of his element in an English-speaking event. While normally a prodigious trash talker, Boos says that's not the case in English. In fact, it made him a little bit jealous of Main Event standout Will Givens, who talked an awful lot.
"I like his game, I like his talking stuff. If I have to speak in German or French, I can trash talk like him. Here in the States, I try to not talk too much because my English is not the best. I don't feel very comfortable doing jokes or trying to tilt someone in English."
Mario Boos day-by-day chip counts
- Day 1D - 27,000
- Day 2D - 165,500
- Day 3 - 91,200
- Day 4 - 800,000
- Day 5 - 7,850,000
- Day 6 - 17,950,000
- Day 7 - 24,300,000
- Day 8 - 44,000,000
'I don't like cheese'
It's one of a few adjustments for Boos, who describes the WSOP Main Event as "eight days completely away from real life."
He had to break his normal routine of going to the gym every day. There's just not enough time. And he lost a few pounds on the seven-week trip, which is strange, considering the food options. "Maybe because I don't like cheese. In the States, there's cheese on every meal."
The break before the ESPN telecast provides a chance to reset that didn't exist in recent years, which allows Boos to get his mind right. He's prepping for the tournament, spending time with family, and leaning on a few old tricks.
"I had a mental coach two or three years ago, and she taught me many things to keep my mind clear and some exercises to focus on if I feel some pressure or something that can trouble my mind. I have a lot of things I can do to stay clear. I try to keep calm and just play my game and stay focused."
