News

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.