Earlier this month, the PokerStars-backed UKIPT made its way to the Irish city of Galway. There, a variety of side events were held and the series culminated in a €1,100 buy-in Main Event that attracted 860 entrants. Coming away with a second place score officially worth nearly $200,000 was PocketFiver Paul xxCelticFCxx Febers (pictured). He has $2.7 million in online tracked MTT cashes and has been a member of our site since late 2006.

PocketFives: How are you feeling abut the $199,000 score?

Paul Febers: I am pretty excited about my biggest score so far. It’s my best achievement in poker.

PocketFives: Talk about deciding to play in the tournament, what the atmosphere was like, and what the field was like. There were almost 900 people in the Main Event.

Paul Febers: We had talked about playing it for a while in our Scottish Skype group, but I wasn’t sure if it was actually going to happen. My friend made a bit of a mess of the flights, but we got there eventually. The field had tons of soft spots. I was actually annoyed I hadn’t been playing these types of events previously. There is so much value. When you get deeper, most of the fish bust and the play gets tougher, but I still fancied my chances. I would recommend that everyone play them. It had a $1 million guarantee, which meant like a $140,000 overlay, which was pretty sweet.

PocketFives: You’ve also done well online lately, with your biggest tracked win coming in January in a MiniFTOPS event for $80,000. How has it gone online since?

Paul Febers: This has been my best year so far. Last year was tough. I had to get backed by two of my good friends, rdcrsn(pictured) and improved, because I never quite recovered from Black Friday. I had a ton on UB, so last year was about getting myself back on my feet. I did pretty well for them, but I always said that as soon as Full Tilt opened back up, I’d take my cut, add it to my Full Tilt roll, and go on my own, which I did. Then, I chopped the MiniFTOPS Two-Day Event for $80,000.

PocketFives: Did you think about leaving poker entirely after Black Friday?

Paul Febers: I dreaded to even think about it, but it was so close to happening. It was a harsh lesson in a way, to never get that low again. I hated being backed and was happy to be on my own again. I’m sure I would have stayed backed until I got back on my feet, but it’s so tough trying to get out of a hole. I found that when I started playing on my own, my game improved a ton.

PocketFives: Some people would say that your stress increases when you play on your ownbecause you assume your entire financial risk.

Paul Febers: For me, it’s the opposite. I’d rather play low-stakes for a while and build my own roll than be backed at higher stakes. I sell pieces of my action quite a bit on Sundays to lower my buy-ins.

PocketFives: How did you get started in pokeroriginally?

Paul Febers: Playing on gaming sites. Then, I started playing free poker and discovered you could play on sites for real money, so I gave it a shot and instantly was fascinated by it. I was stone cold broke at the time and had nothing going for me. I said to myself, “I’m going to get good at this game” and just played it nonstop. Poker has had its ups and downs, but it’s definitely the best thing that has ever happened to me.

PocketFives: Why did poker fascinate you?

Paul Febers: Because you could outsmart other people for money rather than the house or a bookie. Plus, I’m pretty competitive. The first thing I did when I woke up was log in and play until bedtime. Nowadays, it’s different. That addiction is gone and it’s more like work, but I still love the game and still enjoy still learning.

PocketFives: What advice do you have for online players starting to play live poker?

Paul Febers: Patience is the most important aspect by a mile. I found myself playing hands I’d never play online. I don’t have a ton of live poker experience myself. That was probably only my 15th live MTT, so I am still learning.

PocketFives: Is there anyone you’d like to recognize?

Paul Febers: I’d just like to say thank you to the people who helped me when I was struggling: rdcrsn and improved. Also, I’d like to give a shout out to the boys who came to Galway with me: squire1888(pictured), Picasso 2, and firaldo. Also, thanks to all the lads from the Scottish poker Skype group.

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