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Sebastian Huber has set himself an impossible task today.Â
The PokerStars Team Pro, known as “peace&loove” online, is going to attempt to play the entire PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC)–his largest-ever tournament buy-in–while completely ignoring the enormity of the event he’s playing.
Yeah. Good luck with that.
“I’m trying not to think about the tournament, the brand, or the PSPC at all,” Huber tells us.
But when you’ve got hundreds of eager amateurs flooding the Baha Mar hallways with unbridled enthusiasm, all about the play a $25,000 buy-in tournament with millions on the line…
And all of the biggest names in poker alongside celebrities who have flown in just to play…
And UFC announcer Bruce Buffer hyping everyone up with a Shuffle Up and Deal for the ages…
Trying to ignore the fact you’re playing the PSPC is a fruitless endeavour.
“It’s so huge, you can’t really compare it with any other tournament,” Huber says. “It’s one of a kind.”
HE DARED, HE STREAMED, HE CONQUERED
It’s just over a year since Huber won the Dare2Stream competition, a contest for aspiring poker players and Twitch streamers, and nine months since he officially became a PokerStars Team Pro at EPT Prague.
It was none other than Ramon Colillas, winner of the inaugural PSPC back in 2019 and now Huber’s red-spade teammate, who handed him his Platinum Pass. So he knows exactly how many Platinum Pass winners felt last night at the PSPC Welcome Party, as they were officially handed their Passes by PokerStars Ambassadors.
“I’m just happy to be here and meet everyone,” he says. “Around here it feels like a holiday. Just have fun and try to play your best. A lot of it depends on your table draw. If you have a good table it’s way easier because a lot of Platinum Passes have been given out. Just battle and have fun.”
Huber’s not got it easy in that regard. His table–Table 62–features poker pros Seth Davies, Elio Fox, Andrew Moreno, and Gergely Kulcsar. Not what you’re looking for.
But he’s full of confidence thanks to a string of big recent results that have not only helped his “peace&loove” Twitch stream grow but also his bankroll.
GOING UP, UP, UP
Despite winning Dare2Stream and becoming a Team Pro, Huber says his 2022 got off to a slow start. “I was playing up to $109s, nothing crazy. But my stream numbers were going up, up, up.”
Then he took down his first World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) title, albeit in a $5 event, and that victory changed everything.
“I always wanted to win a PokerStars trophy,” he says. “I didn’t care if it was in a $3.30 tournament or a $55 or a $215. Just once in my life, I wanted to win a trophy. It was so cool I pulled that off.
“In poker, it’s so important to be confident in yourself,” he continues. “The WCOOP win gave me a confidence boost and from that moment on, things have just exploded.”
WE ARE A WCOOP CHAMPION!
Not %100 sure what`s going on, but you guys are insane. Thanks for the huge support over the last 2 years, I can`t be happier my community.
Much love as always ✌️❤️ @PokerStars #WCOOP pic.twitter.com/7HuJgGf2Nq
— Huber Sebastian (@peace_ndloove) September 16, 2022
Huber is now in a position where he can comfortably register any $530 buy-in tournaments running on PokerStars, plus he’s been satelliting into some $1K buy-ins and above. And he’s been having a lot of success.
Most recently, he finished runner-up in the $530 Bounty Builder, one of the toughest and most prestigious daily tournaments running on PokerStars, banking more than $24K.
“It’s a crazy tough tournament. I remember after the bubble I was 48th of 55 players, and then all of a sudden I spun up a stack and went from there.”
Unbelievable happy with my latest results and now this. $530 Bounty Builder on @PokerStars . Probably takes some time to realize that one!
Insane support as always, loved the stream. Now let’s go and make a run in the $25K PSPC pic.twitter.com/BDiqVGULh4— Huber Sebastian (@peace_ndloove) January 23, 2023
PERFECT PSPC TRAINING GROUND
“My goal at the beginning of the year was to make my stream bigger and try to play some bigger tournaments regularly,” he says. “And it has kind of happened. It’s crazy.
“Since I became a PokerStars Team Pro, it was so crucial for me to grow the stream and show that I can get bigger and become a big streamer. Playing under the PokerStars brand is just a huge motivator. “
Stepping up in stakes and battling regularly against the top regs sounds like the perfect training ground for the $25K PSPC.
“People underestimate how important it is to feel the pressure against the good guys,” Huber says. If you’re playing a $530, final three tables, it’s hard to get in that spot and you need to get lucky as well.
“But to feel the pressure when that much money is at stake–nothing compared with the $25K, of course–but you can really feel how those guys try to pressure you because they know you’re not a regular in those games.
“I think that will help me a lot playing the PSPC.”
Best of luck, Sebastian. Both in the game itself and in blocking out what a ridiculous tournament you’re playing.