Like the other eight players who will win the main event bracelet in two weeks, Bayo has been doing his due diligence, studying opponents and keeping his game sharp.
Through his introduction through mutual friends, he has worked closely with Tom Marchez, a famous poker pro who earned $14 million in career income and ranked 14th at this year’s main event.
“I was looking for someone to guide me,” Bayo explains. “I had five or eight people in mind, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized Tom was the perfect fit and knew we would get along. He has a similar style and similar personality at the table. We have been in good teamwork so far. It has been really helpful.” 온라인카지노
Saving several trips to Vegas to be with Marchez, Bayo spent most of his time since July at home in San Francisco, where he lived with his fiancée, Kate, and attended high school there, but didn’t really know him at the time. His only brother, 30-year-old Becky, also lives nearby.
He played in a handful of games and remained hot in early September, winning the $2,400 River Series Main Event at the Winstar World Casino and Resort in Oklahoma on a salary worth $587,120.
“It was fun,” he said with a smile. “People are starting to recognize me at the table, and it’s cool. It was a big help for everyone when they met me.”
Bayo compared the time he spent preparing for the final to what an NFL coach would go through.
“It’s like a preseason where you prepare for an infinite amount of things that can happen at the start of a big tournament like the main event and try to make the best adjustments as you go,” he explains. “But now with the last table, we can prepare for three months and we know who the opponent is, so it’s like a Super Bowl.
“I want to know what everyone’s tendencies are, how they react, how they react. I understand that the dynamics at the last table are fluid, but in that I want to prepare for as many different situations as possible. My way of dealing with my concerns is to try and be as human as possible, without over-prepared.”
When the last table “kicks off,” Bayo likes to sit at the table because he will be located in a larger stack (Joseph and Michael Luane) with two more dangerous players.
“It’s definitely a good seat,” he admits. “A lot will depend on how things work out. Everything could change on day one and things will probably change dramatically when I have five or six players and I’m alive. But going in, I feel lucky to have one of the better seats.”