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GETTING TO KNOW THE NOVEMBER NINE: AMIR LEHAVOT
Twitter: @PokerWit
Age: 38
Birthplace: Israel
Hometown/Current place of residence: Weston, FL
Occupation: Poker Pro
Employer/Company Name: Self-employed
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas-Austin
Marital Status: Married
Children (names and ages): 1
Years entered Main Event: 6
WSOP Earnings: $818,414
WSOP Cashes: 12
WSOP Final Tables: 2, won bracelet in $10K Pot Limit Hold’em Event in 2011
Best Previous Main Event Finish: 226th in 2009
We caught up with Lehavot shortly after the final table was set:
WSOP: How does the makeup of this year's November Nine affect your chances of becoming the next World Champion?
Lehavot: I think it's a disadvantage that there are many good players, but that's okay. I'll just deal with the table and the players and make the best I can out of the situation.
WSOP: Do you think most of the players you encountered going through the huge field knew what they were doing, and were also good players?
Lehavot: No, I don't think so. There were a lot of weak spots in the field. I mean, poker is a very complicated game. It's tough to be very good. I don't think I'm the best. I know many players who are better than I am. That's okay.
WSOP: Do you think your previous gold bracelet victory a few years ago gives you some advantages over the competition who have not been in this situation?
Lehavot: The experience definitely helps. I do feel I have a good amount of experience.
WSOP: How many years have you played in the WSOP Main Event?
Lehavot: My first year was in 2007. I've been playing every year since then.
WSOP: What were your specific goals coming into the Main Event?
Lehavot: My goal was to be happy with the decisions I was making at the poker table. I've been playing these tournaments for a while and things can change very quickly. You can go from having no chips to all the chips super quick – and the opposite, as well. That can even happen when you're playing very well.
WSOP: What are your plans for the next few months leading up to the finale in November?
Lehavot: I'm going to relax, mostly.
WSOP: Are there any specific players who impressed you in this tournament, either in the November Nine, or who busted out earlier?
Lehavot: I played with a lot of players that I thought were very good. On Day Two, I played with Eric Baldwin, and I thought he played great. [There were] definitely, a lot of other tough players.
WSOP: Players always react differently to being on the ESPN stage in front of television cameras. How did you react to that different atmosphere?
Lehavot: I think I did pretty well just staying focused. I was just focusing on the game and how many big blinds there were, what the situation was, and I just shut everything else from the outside. I'm pretty good with shutting things out that I don't want to interfere with my thinking.
WSOP: Do you think you can focus as easily come November, with all that added pressure?
Lehavot: I think I can focus there, but one thing here was – I was very tired at the end of the day. That definitely made it a lot more difficult. Hopefully, I'll be fresh in November.
WSOP: You are the first Israeli citizen to make it to the November Nine. Do you take any added pride in that?
Lehavot: Yeah, definitely. I was very happy I was able to make it....I was born near Tel Aviv, but I have dual citizenship, both Israel and the U.S.
