Recently, the finale of the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” aired on FOX, with 9/11 first responder Mike Kosowski defeating Daniel Negreanu to pocket $1 million. Playing on the show’s fourth episode, but not appearing on air, was Martin Kendell, who sat down with Poker News Daily to recap his experience.
Poker News Daily: Tell us how you qualified for the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge.”
Martin Kendell: I actually got canned from the job I had a few days before and was on the computer looking for a job. I played one of the freerolls, got through, and made a video over Labor Day weekend. They liked it and gave me an audition over the phone. It was just one of those things that fell into my lap.
PND: Tell us about facing off against model Joanna Krupa in the first round.
Martin Kendell: I got unlucky. I had no hands against Krupa. She folded pre-flop three times and, each time, I had an ace. I had about three hands where I played with her with a draw to the river and nothing materialized.
PND: Was it disappointing not advancing to the second round to face off against a member of Team PokerStars Pro?
Martin Kendell: I understood from Day 1 that this isn’t a real poker game. It’s a turbo format and you’re going to have to take a risk or two. I think the format is a great one for playing against pros, though. If you play them even keel, the pro will win the vast majority of the time. A turbo gives you a shot at beating a pro.
PND: You went out to Los Angeles to appear on the show in October, but never made it to the table. Tell us what happened.
Martin Kendell: I was there when Sergeant Denny Luna played and Brian Barboza won $100,000. I was in the crowd for some parts and in the back for the rest. They said I was fifth in line to play. I was ready to go, but at the last second, they bumped me for someone else. They had three people leftover, two girls and a guy, and wanted to give the girl a shot in order to balance the show. I was upset at the time, but I have a broadcasting background, so I understood why they did it.
They told me when they bumped me that I was coming back for sure in December to tape. When you were brought there, you were told you’d be taped for the show for sure or you’d be an alternate. There were people flown out as alternates who didn’t get taped and were told they weren’t coming back.
PND: What celebrity were you hoping to play in the first round of the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge”?
Martin Kendell: I was hoping to get Jayde Nicole. She’s a Canadian girl and we would have had something to talk about since I am Canadian. I also didn’t think that she was a good player. I was also hoping for John Salley because I was a big Detroit Pistons fan.
PND: Can you give us some inside details about the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge” tapings?
Martin Kendell: The audience is brought in through casting companies. They bring in people for a certain amount of money to be in the audience and clap when told to. It’s interesting to see what goes into taping each broadcast. For every 15 minutes of screen time, there’s probably an hour and a half to two hours of taping. Everyone with PokerStars was very kind, courteous, and professional. We had a great time doing it. Even though it was high pressure, they were easy to work with.
PND: How did you get started in poker originally?
Martin Kendell: I played home games with friends back in the 1990s. In 2003, my mom had died and I was hanging out with my girlfriend. The World Series of Poker with Chris Moneymaker came on and I was hooked. I used to be a huge chess player, so the strategy really appealed to me. In chess, you have a player beat or you don’t. In poker, you don’t have to have the best cards to beat the other player.
