We’re only halfway through 2019 and it’s already been a good year for Vicent Bosca.
Vicent Bosca plays at EPT Monte Carlo
He started January at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas, where he earned the largest cash of his career when he finished fifth for $396K in the Main Event. He followed that with a Turbo Series win for $45K, playing as “gordon0410.”
In May, he earned $276K for winning the Merit Poker Classic in Cyprus. Weeks later his run continued with another $287K win — one of the single largest prizes of this year’s series — in SCOOP Event #12-H, the $10,300 High Roller.
If you’re counting, just those four cashes alone add up to more than a million dollars. Amazingly enough, all this success comes on the heels of an 80th-place finish (out of 7,874 entrants) in the 2018 WSOP Main Event.
With so many strong showings in just the last year, it’s obvious that Bosca is doing something right. I caught up with him by email earlier this month to talk about how he got here, where he’s been, and what’s next on his horizon.
Start off by telling us a bit about yourself.
My name is Vicent Bosca. I’m 29 years old and I’m from Valencia, Spain, from a town called Xativa. I’ve been in a relationship for seven years and I lived in London for almost six years.
What’s the most interesting thing about you that’s non-poker related?
I’m a very big sports fan and when I was younger I was almost a professional golfer. I had a handicap of 1, but finally I quit to focus on poker.
Vicent Bosca playing in the 2019 PCA Main Event
When did you start playing poker, and how did you first get into it?
I heard about poker for the first time in the beginning of university when a friend of mine told me about it and showed me some statistics programs and the strategy behind it. I felt very attracted by the game and wished to learn more. I started playing professionally some months before I moved to London, so around seven or eight years.
Let’s talk a bit about the SCOOP High Roller event you won in May. How did that tournament go for you from start to finish?
I ran pretty good all of Day 1 and felt pretty comfortable with my game. It allowed me to start Day 2 in fourth place of 15 with a chance to reach the final table and fight for the title. The final was very disputed, most of us were short stacks for a while. I just tried to play my best and stay focused and if I was lucky I would be able to get the victory. The heads-up match was against pokerkluka, a very good player who had a good performance at the final table. I was able to beat him with a good run.
You had several close calls during SCOOP 2016, finishing fourth in two different High events. Given that history, how did it feel to win this one? How did you react in the moments right after you won?
I scored some good results in the past, but to get the victory this year in this tournament was really special. It was a very tough field with the best players and finally I was able to add a SCOOP title. I was really happy and I shared with my family and friends.
You have enjoyed a string of strong performances in Main Event tournaments around the world over the last year, and online you’ve had the Turbo Series win in January and this SCOOP victory. Can you attribute these successes to anything in particular?
I put in a lot of effort to improve my game and knowledge in tournaments and this has allowed me to achieve good results. Also I was very lucky because I have had the chance to talk about hands with some really good MTT players, which always makes it easier.
Bosca (third from the right) with his fellow 2019 PCA Main Event TV table finalists
It’s been a few months now since the PCA. In retrospect, how do you feel about your performance — would you have done anything differently? What stands out the most in your memory?
It is one of the best poker memories I have. It’s pretty beautiful to live that kind of experience and I tried to enjoy it the most [I could].
I feel pretty good about my performance. Everything was really tight in the final table and it was my first live final in a big tournament. Probably I would change some decisions but it always happens when you see your opponent’s hole cards and have more time to think about some spots. Of course, all those kinds of things always [help you to] become a better and more experienced player.
Vicent Bosca shakes hands with fellow finalist Scott Wellenbach at the 2019 PCA Main Event
Your first live tournament cash was at EPT Barcelona way back in 2010. What do you remember about that experience, and how have you grown since those early days?
I still remember the big opportunity I had in front of me and I promised myself to give 100 percent to get it.
Everything has changed a lot since then. I invested and studied many hundreds of hours and played even more. This study allowed me to improve a lot as player and get confidence in my game to climb levels as a cash player until I arrived at the high stakes. During this process I also worked a lot in my mental game to strengthen it and I matured a lot as a person because of everything I experienced with poker.
What’s next for you? Given all your recent success, do you have any goals for the rest of 2019?
I’ll keep playing online and I will be in Vegas this summer for the WSOP. It would be amazing if I can get a bracelet. My goal is to keep improving in my game and keep playing high.
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