Poker Player - Marcel Luske
In the casual world of poker where you see many players in jeans and T-shirts, Marcel Luske certainly stands out. Tall, blonde, dressed in a tailored suit and tie and wearing what has now become his trademark, upside down sunglasses. This may sound strange to some but there is a certain amount of logic to it. Marcel has said that he wears his glasses like this to protect his eyes. Long hours spent under bright, florescent casino lights can hurt your eyes so by turning your glasses upside down you more effectively protect your eyes from this glare. Secondly, the view under the glasses to the table is un-obscured, so there is less chance of mistaking a spade for a club. Usually you would have to lift your head to see under the shades hence giving away vital information to others at the table and Marcel simply wants to keep this hidden from his opponent. The idea seems to have caught on as you can now buy 'poker glasses' made in a similar design on the internet.
Born in Amsterdam, Holland in 1953, Marcel started playing poker at a young age with his brothers. During the summer they could go out and play but as it was much colder in the winter they stayed inside and played cards. Marcel eventually started playing poker in clubs and later began playing in casinos. He burst on to the poker scene in 1999 and turned his attention exclusively to tournaments in 2001. He has gone on to accomplish over eighty significant finishes during his career and is considered to be one of the best tournament players in the world and one of the finest players in Europe - in fact he was ranked number 1 in Europe twice, once in 2001 and again in 2003. Marcel has one of the most impressive lists of any other player in the world (this decade) with cashes in many major tournaments in both America and Europe. He finished 1st in the Poker Classics 2003 £500 pot limit Omaha High-Low in London, October 11th 2003, 1st in the Five Star World Poker Classic $2,000 no limit Hold 'em in Las Vegas, April 6th 2005 and 2nd at the World Series Of Poker $5,000 7-card Stud event in Las Vegas, May 13th 2004 and has had many final table appearances in a variety of games. His lifestyle of jetting around the world to participate in poker tournaments has earned him the nickname 'The Flying Dutchman' by his fellow players.
At the table, Marcel is one of the games most likeable characters. He is well known for chatting to his fellow players and often singing at the table. Known for his great sportsmanlike attitude, pleasant personality and impeccable manners, he is one of the few players who set a great example of how a player should carry himself at the table. There is no doubt he is a true gentleman but he is also a very skilful and aggressive player and has an uncanny knack for reading his opponents and has, on countless occasions, appeared to know exactly what his opponents are holding. His main strengths, he claims, are putting his opponents on a hand, money management, having a feel for the game and for his opponent's strengths and weaknesses, not to mention his deadly knockout - he likes to strike when his opponents least expect it.
Away from the table Marcel owns his own marketing company and is the founder of the International Poker Federation (IPF). He also holds a black belt in karate. He currently resides in Almere, Holland with his wife and his two children from a previous marriage. He has gained enough knowledge of the game to be able to help new and experienced players and has recently made a DVD to teach people how to play tournaments although he is a firm believer that the best if not only way to truly understand the game is to play it.
Although he has had good results at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) he has not (yet) won a bracelet. He hopes one day to win the $10,000 main event of the WSOP in Las Vegas. No doubt until then, Marcel Luske can probably be found singing at a table near you.
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