Poker News Daily: You’re second in chips to Darvin Moon heading into the final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Would you have rather played down to a winner in July instead of waiting until November?
Buchman: I would have rather had a short break, maybe a few days or a week, and then played it out. I don’t really worry about losing momentum. The only disadvantage is that it gives other players a chance to get better if there are any that don’t have a lot of experience. You can get a lot better in three or four months.
PND: Tell us about your preparation for November’s final table. Are you planning to receive any poker coaching or scout your opponents on television?
Buchman: I won’t get any coaching, but I might play a few more sit and gos online. Besides that, I’m not going to do too much differently. I’m still going to play cash games and if I stop playing cash, I’ll get bored. If I come in first place in the Main Event, I won’t need to play cash games at all. If I come in ninth, it doesn’t set me up for life where I can retire from cash games.
PND: We spotted you wearing a Full Tilt Poker logo during the WSOP Main Event. Are you going to wear that site’s logo during the final table?
Buchman: I had two one-day deals with Full Tilt. I didn’t actually talk to them; I talked to an agency that brought the deals to me. They didn’t handle themselves very professionally and did a lot of lying and manipulating. One of my questions was, “If I wear the logo now, can I wear another logo later in the tournament?” They said it doesn’t matter, but it really does. Other sites don’t want to approach you after you’ve worn a logo. There’s sort of a gentleman’s agreement among sites. It was hard to deal with all of that while I was trying to focus on the tournament.
PND: Are you going to wear Full Tilt’s logo, then, or did you sign with another site?
Buchman: I’m going with PokerStars. I’m very happy with them. They’re a company with high integrity.
PND: Talk about the tournament-changing pot against Jonathan Tamayo when you doubled up with A-10 suited against pocket jacks after flopping the nut flush.
Buchman: The hand happened with 28 people left and nobody wanted to come in 28th because the payout jumped. I was really not getting any cards and my stack dwindled from 4.5 million to 3 million. I was picking up nothing and when I looked down at A-10 of hearts, it was the best hand I had seen in a while. I made a big over-bet, but it was also a late position raise. I felt like if I got called, maybe I could double up, but I didn’t think I’d get called since it’d take a big hand. Tamayo, who was in the big blind, woke up with jacks. Making that move gives me a better chance to win the tournament. It wasn’t clear if doing it was a mistake, but it gave me a better chance to win the tournament. I took a chance and it paid off.
PND: Can you talk about the comments by Jeff Shulman that he’d consider throwing out the WSOP Main Event bracelet if he won?
Buchman: I don’t think he’ll actually throw it away. I saw that he took that comment back and instead said he would do something clever with it. The bracelet is worth a lot, so he won’t just throw it out. He’s entitled to do whatever he wants. I thought he was a cool guy and I liked him. He’s just pissed at Harrah’s for whatever reason.
PND: If you won the WSOP Main Event, what would be your plans for the money?
Buchman: I’d probably buy a house. It’s a lot of money. I feel like I should buy a piece of property and then probably save a portion of it. The Government will take a good chunk of it as well, but it’d still be a nice nest egg.
PND: How did you get started in poker?
Buchman: When I was a kid, I played with my uncle and my parents, but not seriously. Then, I played in a couple of clubs in New York and went to Atlantic City once in a while, but it was still just entertainment for me. When I was a senior in college, I took it more seriously and went to Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods on the weekends. I made a little bit of money and built a small bankroll. After I graduated, I’d go to Atlantic City to play and doubled my bankroll almost right away. I won a tournament for $14,000 at the Tropicana, which was its once-a-month big tournament. That was big for me.
PND: Talk about the whirlwind of interviews and other media coverage that you’ve gone through.
Buchman: So far, it hasn’t been that hectic. There have just been a few interviews here and there. I’ve haven’t been bombarded yet. I don’t mind the media, but at some point, enough is enough. I was told that the closer it gets to November, the more media I’ll receive.
PND: Is there anything you learned from last year’s WSOP Main Event final table that you can carry over into November?
Buchman: What they show on television is two hours out of a 14 or 16 hour long final table. Even though they show the key hands, you don’t get all of the information. You’re also playing against different people. You have to focus on the people you’re playing against since everyone plays differently. You really have to play the players.