George ��Jorj95�� Lind Reflects on PokerStars' Upcoming Tournament One Billion
PokerStars is closing in on their one billionth tournament. On Sunday, Nov. 30 at 13:00 ET, the world��s largest online poker site will hold ��Tournament One Billion,�� a $109 buy-in $2 million guaranteed tournament that will also award $200,000 in cash and prizes throughout the tournament.
That historic event is the capstone of PokerStars�� planned Billionth Tournament Carnival, which will run from Nov. 17-30 and include Golden Sit & Gos, featuring a $500,000 giveaway from Nov. 17-23; the Daily Bigs, which offers more than $2 million in increased guarantees and over $100,000 in added cash and prizes, from Nov. 24-30; and the Hot Turbos during the same period, which offers more than $1 million in increased guarantees and over $100,000 in added cash and prizes.
In the weeks leading up to Tournament One Billion, PokerNews sat down with some notable online players to take a look back at their poker careers and to gauge how excited they are for the historic tournament. First up is George ��Jorj95�� Lind of Team PokerStars Pro Online.
For more on Lind, check out the interview he did with PokerNews last year where he discusses challenges, a recent trip, and the WCOOP.
PokerNews: In late November, PokerStars will celebrate Tournament One Billion. Are you excited about it?
Lind: It's a pretty crazy number when you think about it. Wouldn't say I��m ��excited�� as I didn't even know about it until I was asked this question.
Will you be doing anything to celebrate?
Maybe I'll try to win the billionth tournament.
You��ve played the most sit-n-go tournaments on PokerStars. If you had to guess, how many sit-n-go tournaments would you say you��ve played on PokerStars?
According to SharkScope, I��ve played 481,214 games, of which all but maybe a few thousand were sit-n-gos.
This may be tough, but can you remember the first tournament you played on PokerStars? If not, what��s the earliest memory you have in that regard?
No, I have no idea what the first tourney was that I played on Stars. I do remember dabbling in sit-n-gos there in early 2007 to test whether I could become a Supernova Elite in the first year the program was announced. I know I played before that, but it was only a few games here and there.
What is it that inspired you to go the sit-n-go route as compared to something else like multi-table tournaments (MTTs)?
A lot of factors. The schedule is better because in MTTs you usually have to dedicate an entire day to playing when you want to play, whereas with sit-n-gos you can just play for a couple hours if you want to. Also, I'm just better at sit-n-gos than I am at MTTs, so for me there is more money to be made. The money in sit-n-gos is also more consistent than it is in variance-filled MTTs.
Is it fair to say PokerStars has changed your life? If so, can you talk a little bit about it?
Well yeah, considering I've made way more money playing a card game than I ever expected to make. I'm not really too much of a big spender, but it is definitely nice to just be able to buy what I want when I want it and not have to worry about whether I can afford it.
Can you take us through a normal day in your life? What��s it like to be George Lind?
I wouldn't say there is a "normal" day, but a normal poker day involves waking up, getting coffee, and playing sit-n-gos until the games stop going. My days off usually involve family stuff or just relaxing as much as you can with three kids.
You��ve accomplished so much on PokerStars. How do you keep yourself motivated?
I just know that eventually my earning power in poker will decline, so I have a strong desire to make as much money as I can before that happens. I never have too much trouble with motivation; I just enjoy playing the game and learning new things.
Likewise, do you have any new goals or challenges that you��ve set for yourself?
Not really. I had a goal last year to make 1 million VPPs in a month, and I ended up doing that in two separate months. This year I��ve been lazier and ��only�� have 1.5 mil VPPs this year.
Will we see you playing live poker anytime soon? What are your upcoming plans as far as poker is concerned?
I will be at PCA, but generally it's a lot harder for me to go to live tourneys living in Vancouver and having a family. Outside of the World Series of Poker, I��ve never really played that many live tournaments anyway.
For more information on the Billionth Tournament Carnival, visit PokerStars.com.
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