| 15 Outs ... One Time! |
| Join LA Mike in finding out a little more about these players and what makes them do the things they do. |
| Featuring : Joe Sebok |
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| LA Mike was able to sit down with Joe Sebok for a few minutes in between Bellagio preliminary events. Sebok answered several open-ended, thought provoking questions regarding poker, sports, music, politics and life in general. He’s a thoughtful, opinionated poker player/businessman with roots from Chicago. (Well, I guess he’s from several places including San Francisco and LA too, just ask him.) Let’s get to the interview. |
LAMike: Joe, at this stage of your life, do you play poker for the love of the game or for the money?
JoeSebok: Well, when I first started I really felt like I was playing for the love of the game. I was really fired up and ready to go to war on the felt. Winning…after all is a huge rush. At this point, I think I play for both. The money has become a little more important to me, as I slowly accrue $hit that has to be paid for, but I still love the game. You just can’t beat winning, man. (LA: Can’t argue with that, its competition baby, mano y mano!). |
LA: How about the titles or is it just the feeling of winning, being the champ?
JS: Titles don’t mean much to me, honestly, they really don’t. |
LA: Do you envision yourself leaving the traveling circus of tournament poker to focus solely on the business world again?
JS: It definitely could happen. I have always been the type of dude who gets bored after awhile doing the same thing for too long. It could be something that I absolutely love and I eventually will still get bored of it if I focus too much of my time on it. (LA: Being receptive to change puts you miles ahead of most people in this world.) |
LA: You’re really happy where things currently are at though? How things are progressing?
JS: I still love playing poker. I like the way that I have been able to set things up in my life right now; I get to play cards, write, host a radio show and start a new business venture. I certainly can’t complain, at least for now. Truth be told, I will always listen if something cool comes along. I covet excitement and change more than I love any one particular thing anyway.
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LA: Moving on to your Cubbies, as a diehard fan, how tough was that sweep by the Diamondbacks in the initial round of the playoffs or is it just expected?
JS: I was sickening, but what’s the difference? It’s always sickening! We always find a new way to blow $hit every year. Sometimes it comes from the top, sometimes from the bottom, but regardless it always happens. I did really think we should have defeated the Diamondbacks though. They just weren’t very good of a club, but I thought the Cubs were too emotional this year. Whenever they lost, they seemed to go into a funk. You just can’t have that and expect to win consistently. (LA: Three words…The Tribune Company.) |
LA: Seriously, is next year really the year?
JS: Umm, yeah, definitely. Just like every other year. It’ll happen at some point, I just hope I’m still alive when it occurs! (LA: Bring back Tuffy Rhodes, god I loved that guy!) |
LA: You’re a Cal-Berkeley graduate, this goes to the priorities in your life. The Cal Bears playing for the BCS championship or the aforementioned Cubs in the World Series?
JS: This is so f’ing sick! How can I choose here?! Honestly?! Sweet mustard sauce, I guess I’ll have to say…the Cubbies, I guess. I really don’t know. Honestly, that question is really filthy, it’s not fair! (LA: Honestly, I’d simply choose to be a fan of the SouthSiders!) |
LA: Moving along to politics, do you think our country is heading toward a recession or at least a major correction in the stock market?
JS: This is an excellent question and one that I don’t feel qualified to answer. I think we have been on the verge of a recession for quite some time, but have somehow avoided it the last few times. I always think about the different levels of wealth in this country and how things like recessions affect these different groups. The rich seem to keep getting richer and aren’t as influenced. The poor keep getting hammered but the middle class are the people that go as the country seems to go. I grew up in that class and I always think of it when questions like this arise. (LA: More and more every day, LA is convinced it takes a special person to be able to handle financial success gracefully. Money sure seems to cause a lot of evil in society.) |
LA: Obviously the current President isn’t very well thought of throughout the country for a multitude of reasons; unfortunately we (as a whole) are slow to accept change. Are we ready for a woman to lead the free world?
JS: I definitely think we are ready for a woman to lead us. I couldn’t care less to be honest with you. I want the best LEADER to lead! Woman, black, white, gay, or green, none of that matters to me at all. It’s really a shame that people still, in 2007, aren’t capable of evaluating people solely on their merits. Rather than the bull$hit ideas that some people have cultivated in a multitude of ways. (LA: A-f**king men) |
LA: It has to be a huge positive for her with her husband’s past experience?
JS: I love that Hillary has some level of experience through Bill having already served as President. She has been there, she has seen it. She knows what it’s all about and understands what it takes to command the USA. I think it’s invaluable to be honest with you. I don’t really see how anyone could see that particular aspect any other way. (LA: Invaluable indeed and more importantly, Slick Willy as First Man in the White House would be great!)
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LA: Do you think Bill would be in the background pulling all the strings?
JS: I really don’t see Bill pulling the strings for Hillary. She is tough, man. She is no joke. We witnessed some of the sticky situations (no pun intended) that her husband got into and I was continually impressed with the way Hillary dealt with everything. I definitely respect her and think she’s a leader. She will do her own thing in my opinion. With all that said, I don’t know who I’m voting for. Hillary or Barack? Barack or Hillary? It’s very tough. (LA: This country is looking for change, whichever candidate shows the most change from the current system will likely get elected.) |
LA: Tonight was another big episode of “Heroes”, if you could possess any super power what would you select?
JS: For me, it’s always been a tie between flying and time travel. Flying would be so sick, because well, it’s flying! Imagine zipping along the ocean, about twenty feet above the water or shooting through the skyscrapers of NYC. It’s all deadly! Time travel would be pretty amazing too though. You could go back and check out every incredible time in history, as well as obviously shoot forward and check out all the changes that are sure to happen. It would be sick! I only wonder if I would ever get a chance to see either my Cubbies win the World Series or my Cal Bears win the Rose Bowl. Probably not… (LA: Hey you got your Illini in the Rose Bowl, what the F else can you ask for?) |
LA: Back in the day you were a drummer, the question I have is, were you a rock star with the ladies or more of a Backstreet Boy?
JS: Hahaha, I have always done just fine with the ladies. Everyone knows that the drummers in bands make the best lovers, despite the lead singers getting all the attention. I think that’s a well known fact, isn’t it? (LA: Well that Tommy Lee is one ugly dude; somehow he married Heather Locklear 20 years ago and Pam Anderson shortly thereafter. I mean wtf; both were unreal in their prime!) |
LA: What’s on your iPod, whether when playing poker or working out?
JS: Oh man, this is my kind of question! I grew up listening to music. It defines me and explains so much of who I am and why I am what I am. I listen to so much stuff. Silversun (Silversun Pickups), DMB (Dave Matthews Band), Sinatra, and Alice in Chains were the bands I listened to today while I played poker. I think it completely depends on who you are in terms of the music that you should listen to while playing the game. My favorite band to start off tournaments is “Iron & Wine”. They are a folksy acoustic group that always seems to get me in the right frame of mind to not get too involved in too many pots. They are emotional and reflective in their music and I focus on that a little bit instead of trying to steal with 93 off when I think someone is weak! When I run, it’s all high energy stuff for sure. Bands like Audioslave, Motion City Soundtrack and Jack’s Mannequin are favorites of mine. Basically, anything that rocks that I know the words to is great. (LA: For the love of god, Layne Staley another fabulous musician that left us way too early. So much talent…) |
LA: I know you’re the adventurous type, coolest place you’ve ever visited?
JS: Impossible to answer. It really depends what you want out of your trip. You can go camping in South Dakota, hit the city in NYC or hike in Brazil. It really all comes down to what you want to do. I love traveling alone sometimes, to really lose you in yourself. Of course, it’s inevitable that you will get lonely and want to hang with people. It’s all about how you feel at that moment baby! (LA: You hike in Brazil, eh? LA goes there for the scantily clad ladies on the beaches!) |
LA: Alright thanks for your time Joe, wrapping this up, what is your can’t miss concert tour?
JS: Once again, totally bruTAL! I really don’t know how to answer this. I love live music. It’s truly one of my favorite things in the world. I think that DMB and Spearhead put on incredible, positive shows these days. Live is a great band that I haven’t heard much from in quite awhile. They always rock out! You’re killing me with these tough questions! (LA: Live does really rock although I hate it when dolphins cry, another correct answer is of course Floyd!) |
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| LA: Thanks again, good luck in the Five Diamond 15k main event. End the year on a great note by final tabling that $hit! |
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