An Interview With Sorel Mizzi

By Aaron Angerman

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Sorel Mizzi had gambling in his blood at an early age. The youngest of three boys, much of his childhood consisted of wagers on everything from Scrabble to Wheel of Fortune. That love for gambling lead Mizzi to the world of poker.

Mizzi soon became just another college student immersed in online poker. That is, until he began to run over the tables. The kid now known online as "Imper1um" was making deep runs in all of the big tournaments, including a couple of wins in the Full Tilt Online Poker Series . Soon Mizzi would build his bankroll deep into six-figures, taking $500,000 from the PokerStars cashier alone.

It wasn't until 2007 that Mizzi became 21 years of age. He didn't waste any time making a name for himself in the live arena. He would pocket $250,000 for a four-way chop at the Irish Poker Open. "Imper1um" backed up his run in Ireland with deep cashes in both the WPT and WSOP Main Events.

Late in 2007, "Imper1um" found himself in the middle of an account-buying scandal. Mizzi had purchased Chris "BluffMagCV" Vaughn's seat late in a Full Tilt $1 million guaranteed tournament, obtaining Vaughn's login information, signing in from home and eventually, winning the tournament. The two were busted by Full Tilt. Vaughn lost his job as Managing Editor of Bluff Magazine and both were forced to surrender the money and were each banned from Full Tilt.

In February of 2008, Mizzi signed a sponsorship deal with Betfair Poker. Still just 21-years-old, the man who for years ranked among the top online players is hoping that this new deal will open some new doors and help him move past the Full Tilt incident.

Aaron Angerman: First of all, congrats on signing with Betfair. What do you hope this will do for your poker career?

Sorel Mizzi: Thank you. I feel like being affiliated with Betfair is going to give me a lot more opportunities, especially with live events. They are encouraging my transition into live play. It's where I want my primary focus to be.

I'm only playing one or two days a week online, down from five to seven days at up to 15 hours a day. I'd slowly like to phase out of the online game, jumping right into the online arena.

AA: 2007 closed on a low note for you, with the Full Tilt stack-buying situation. Are you over the incident yet?

SM: I'm not over it yet. I'm really looking for closure. I am working on a blog for the Betfair site. It will be my response to the whole situation. It should be up in a week, or so. It will have some stuff in there that I haven't disclosed yet. Stuff that I wanted to post immediately after it happened, but I had PR people advising me not to post it. Most of the blog is already written. I feel it will be easier for me to say on paper. I want to give the people something honest.

AA: After the Full Tilt incident, did you think you'd have a chance at an online sponsor, like Betfair?

SM: Actually, I was talking with both Betfair and Full Tilt before the Full Tilt incident. I actually declined an offer from Full Tilt, before deciding to go with Betfair. When I spoke with Betfair after the incident, they assured me that the scandal would not affect my sponsorship.

AA: For the last few years, you've consistently been one of the top online players. Now you are going to miss out on Full Tilt tourneys, putting a damper on your online rankings. Is that something you will be able to overcome, or are you even worried about that?

SM: I'm not really worried about that right now. I don't want to give online poker up, but it's hard. It's hard to play while traveling. Like when I'm in Europe, all the tourneys I want to play are starting at 3 a.m. Also, it's easier for me to play on a big PC than a little laptop. I don't feel as comfortable on a laptop. It's hard to play a bunch of tables on a 15 inch screen. Besides, all the big money is in the live games.

AA: In an interview with Bluff last year, you said Josh "JJProdigy" Field was your biggest influence. Has that view changed since his multi-accounting scandal?

SM: I didn't meet Josh until after his scandal. I never accepted what he did. I didn't agree, but at the same time, he was a mentor to me. More than any other player, he put the time and faith in me. He taught me a lot of the basics of poker.

He knew what he was doing was wrong. He just brushed it off, deciding to take the chance. Where he really went wrong is when he continued to multi-account after getting busted. I feel for him. I know what it's like to be in love with poker. I know what it's like to not want to stop. It's the final table rush. Poker was his playground. I know how that feels.

AA: Do you know if JJProdigy is still multi-accounting?

SM: I know for a fact that he is done with multi-accounting. He tells me everything.

AA: How do you feel about him being banned from the PCA?

SM: I don't think it was fair. He wasn't the only one caught. Nothing would have happened had he not apologized and got pushed back in the spotlight. What about ZeeJustin? I guess they were just trying to prove a point.

AA: In that same interview, you also listed Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo as an influence. He has been able to make a smooth transition to live play after his scandal. Are you worried that your FT scandal will put you in the same light as JJProdigy and ZeeJustin?

SM: I was worried. Actually, I am still kind of worried. I just think that we're all in different situations. I wasn't multi-accounting. I didn't repeat any of my actions. I realized I was wrong and moved forward.

I'm just trying to forget the past, trying not to dwell. All I can do is continue to perform at the tables.

AA: How does it feel to be at the head of the Betfair team with your friend, Annette Obrestad?

SM: I respect Annette as a person and a poker player. She's a person I grew with as a player. We've known each other for quite a while. It feels nice to be on a team with integrity and a good reputation.

AA: You've been quiet on the live scene since the WSOP. How would you say you've been playing live?

SM: I haven't been running too well. I've also been experimenting with some of my play. I was the second player to bust at the EPT Copenhagen. The FullTilt incident has really been affecting me, emotionally. I have not seen great results since the incident. It's really hard going from the person everybody loves to the person that everybody hates. It takes its toll on you.

AA: Do you have any goals for 2008?

SM: A bracelet is my main goal. I think that my year of experience may be what I needed to get there. I'm definitely going to party less.

I'm also shooting for $1 million in tournament winnings this year. The Million Dollar March counter will be on display on the Betfair site. Having this $1 million goal is going to be a good thing for me. If I say I want to make a million this year, I have all that pressure from the online community to help me achieve my goal.

Overall, I just want to play my best. I want to play my A-game consistently. I haven't played my A-game lately, but when I do, I feel unstoppable.

AA: What does your upcoming schedule look like?

SM: I'm going to hit up the rest of the EPT. I'm going to Warsaw, San Remo and then to the Monte Carlo. I'll try to hit up all the big sit-and-gos while at the Monte Carlo. I'll play the WPT $25K Championship at the Bellagio. After that, I'll head home for a bit before the WSOP. I'm going to take something big down within the next six months. I can feel it.

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