Serving as one of the primary ambassadors of the DeepStacks Poker Tour is longtime PocketFives member Tristan Cre8ive Wade (pictured). He has contributed over 200 blogs to the PocketFives community and racked up $1.4 million in tracked cashes. We caught up with Wade to break down the upcoming DeepStacks schedule and talk about poker around the globe.

PocketFives: We’re talking to you during the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open. Tell us about the atmosphere in Hollywood, Florida.

Tristan Wade: The atmosphere was awesome. The Hard Rock is a great property. They did a good job of accommodating that many people. Having that many people play all of the events they had was incredible. Hats off to them. They ran a ton of satellites to the Main Event up until the event started. They promoted the hell out of it and did their job.

PocketFives: Where is DeepStacksheaded?

Tristan Wade: The next stop we have is in Spain at Casino Barcelona. It’s where PokerStars holds the EPT, so it’s cool we’ll be there. We have a €1,500 Main Event on the 26th and 27th of September. We have other smaller events and a €3,000 High Roller on the 28th. I’ve played poker in Barcelona. It’s different over there.

After that is Oregon from October 27 to November 4. I haven’t been to that property yet, so I am excited to check it out. Immediately after that, we are going to Panama from November 6 to 11 for our next non-U.S. stop. There is a $1,250 Main Event on Friday and Saturday. We are also holding a $3,000 High Roller on the 10th of November. I got to visit Panama a couple of months ago and poker there seems to be exciting. Hopefully we get a decent number of satellite winners.

At the end of November, we have our big World Championship at Mohegan Sun, which is November 18 to 25 with a $2,500 Main Event that has two starting days. We are still trying to figure out what suits that market best, but I’m hoping we can get 400 or 500 players in the Main Event. We are filming it for television and I helped produce the television show, so I am excited about that. We are trying to help grow poker on television and make it more interesting. Television should help drive people to the events.

PocketFives: Tell us about the skill level of poker players around the world nowadays.

Tristan Wade: I still think Americans and Canadians are ahead of the curve in general. Without online poker being legal in the U.S., some people who haven’t kept playing have fallen off a bit. It’s also incredible because there are so many European guys who are awesome. Everyone is generally good now, but Americans have the upper hand, along with Canadians. There is definitely a drop-off with other countries and other nations that haven’t caught up. You see that when you travel and play.

PocketFives: Can you talk about poker in Panama and Brazil? The latter is a growing market for PocketFives.

Tristan Wade: I have been to Brazil to play poker twice. The poker there is incredible. Not only are the people of Brazil happy to be alive and very nice, but also they are very interested in poker. Poker is still developing there and people are still figuring it out. They think of the game differently and try to do things differently. I expect poker to continue to boom in South America. They are doing the right things in Brazil and Panama.

PocketFives: We have noticed that you continue to blog on PocketFives.

Tristan Wade: I love PocketFives. I’ve been on PocketFives forever. Even though I am not in tune with online poker as much, I love the site. I have been a supporter of the community for a while and used to be a moderator. I like to contribute and still post blogs. I just like trying to stay in touch with the community. PocketFives is more of a smaller, bridged-together community than a bigger forum. It’s nice to stay connected and stay up to date.

PocketFives: What did you learn from PocketFives originally and how did you find us?

Tristan Wade: I might have heard about it from someone when I was playing on PokerStars. Once I found it, I remember there being quality information and people discussing hands. You had a few guys who were good players and contributed to discussion. It got my mind working. It was nice to engage in conversations like that. The site is a one-stop shop for any poker information you need.

PocketFives: How does it feel to be the face of DeepStacks after being involved in the industry for so long?

Tristan Wade: That’s the thing with DeepStacks: not only am I a player, but I am also the Director of Poker Operations. I am involved with the company on the poker side and the decisions being made. I am always involved with everything going on. It’s pretty surreal. DeepStacks is still an infant and growing. It never really hit me that I am kind of that guy, but it’s really cool. It’s cool to be part of a poker company, have people listen to you, and have people respect your ideas.

Want the latest poker headlines and interviews? Follow PocketFives on Twitterand Like PocketFives on Facebook. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed.