With both the Main Event and High Roller down to the one or two tables, we caught up with the man of the week, Lex Veldhuis, to gauge his reaction on what’s been an incredible festival.
That’s almost it, folks. Sadly, the first ever Lex Live festival is almost over (although not quite, as we’re still yet to discover who will become our Main Event champion).
We’ve had a blast getting to meet everyone from Lex Veldhuis’s Twitch community, playing some poker (how fun was that FU Friday Flip event?), and giving you a sense of what this event has been like.
But how does Veldhuis feel about everything? Over one last beer (OK, that’s a lie!) we sat down for a chat. Here’s what he had to say.
PokerStars Blog: Hey Lex. With everything starting to wind down, what has the Lex Live experience been like for you?
Lex Veldhuis: The crazy thing is, tomorrow when it’s done, everybody is going to head home and think: ‘Whoa, what the fucking hell happened last week?’. It’s been such a storm. There are still so many people hanging out, there’s still so much social interaction going on. Right now, in my head, it’s still not even close to finishing.
It sounds like you’re happy with everything?
I couldn’t be happier with everything. All of the tournaments were massive, not just the Main Event. The High Roller had a lot of people. There were lines and lines of people for the bounty tournament. I believe there were 180 people on the waiting list. Absolutely incredible.
What do you think it’s going to be like on your streams from now on?
I’m really excited to see what it’s going to be like on the channel and in the Discord. How is this going to progress? The deep connection that people have made, how is this going to play out on the channel? I think it’s going to be even more awesome and interactive. I would have said intimate, but intimate makes it sound like a small group. But lots of people showed up and everyone has felt included. It’s been a wild ride. It hasn’t really set in yet.
Has anything surprised you?
The Main Event numbers, for sure. I thought that was pretty incredible. It’s weird because the community has been exactly the way I hoped it would be. Everyone has been so insanely social and open. I thought there would be much more ice-breaking going on, y’know? Everybody settling in, some people skirting on the edges then joining on the second day etc. But everyone showed up for a beer and a chat. I was actually surprised by how comfortable everyone was with each other immediately.
What’s the feedback been like from the community members who couldn’t be here?
I think the way PokerStars Blog has been covering the event, people have really been able to get a feel for the way Lex Live has been. I think a lot of people in the Discord who couldn’t come will definitely be there next time. It’s just a massive stepping stone. It’s crazy to think that this was the first one when you look at the stuff we’ve done and how many people were here.
Is it safe to assume that this is going to be the first of many Lex Live festivals?
Yeah, it’s always dangerous to say, but I think I can say it’s almost 100 per cent sure that we’re going to do it again.
As for destinations, I have no clue. I usually like long-lasting working relationships, and to me, it’s going to come down to the same things: what’s the infrastructure like in the casino? How easy is it for people to get to travel-wise? etc. I’m going to listen to a lot of feedback from community members over the next few weeks, put that all in a document, and see what kind of improvements we can make.
What I’ve really loved about hosting it at the Grand Casino de Namur is the hang-out area right next to the poker area. We have a bar, a lounge, and a big poker area. It’s pretty cheap too! Everybody is coming here on a budget and putting money aside to get here, so all of that stuff will be taken into account. I think this venue provides some really good stuff for us, and they’ve done a really great job.
Are you looking forward to getting back on stream?
Yeah for sure. Thursday and Friday I’ll be back on stream. I’ll be doing some commentary on a high stakes cash game also for the first time. And then after that, it’ll be Sunday streaming. I can’t wait for the Sunday stream. It’s going to be Sunday tournaments all day, I’ll get to catch up with everybody, and from there it’s going to be the road towards the Spring Championship of Online Poker.
Do you know anyone still in the Main Event or the High Roller?
I don’t think so. Spraggy just busted the High Roller in 10th, which is nice, y’know? He’s had a few big cashes lately and we don’t want him to…he’s just the most annoying winner ever! He always needs to let everyone know!
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