Marquis to do it his way

News / Dave Allan / 28 October 2008 / Leave a comment

The final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event is fast approaching and it is fair to say that not too many people would have heard of those making up the 'November Nine', writes Rob Eddy.

It was a surprise to most, in what was dubbed 'the year of the pro', that one of the more famous names in the poker world did not make it through for a shot at the gold bracelet, and Craig Marquis was probably as surprised as anyone he made it through at all.

The 23-year-old Marquis is the second youngest player at the final table, behind Peter Eastgate at 22, and is looking to break Phil Hellmuth's record of becoming the youngest WSOP Main Event champion.

The odds are against him at the moment as he is not in the best position to do that, holding the second smallest stack of 10,210,000 chips.

However, he had been tending to fire blanks in Las Vegas this year, failing to cash in 17 of the 18 events he played in, and will not be wanting to let this opportunity go.

Marquis is primarily known for his online play but he believes that may work in his favour despite his limited live experience.

"I think the sheer volume of hands I've played definitely helps my game a lot," the young Texan told Poker News.

"Playing multiple tables online just puts you in so many situations over and over again. I'm also fortunate enough to have friends who are among the top players online, so I'm not lacking in the advice department.

"I also feel that playing a lot online makes you pick up a bit better on patterns and frequencies."

Marquis has also decided to spurn the opportunity to employ a coach, although he will not be afraid to turn to his friends for some advice.

"I do have the good fortune to be friends with a bunch of amazing players, but I feel like there isn't a whole ton that one can do to improve their game by emulating someone else," he added.

"I think a lot more problems can be created than solved by trying to emulate someone else's style. That being said, I'll definitely be talking some strategy with them, but I haven't been doing any intensive coaching or anything.

"I have my own style of playing that I feel works well for me, and so I plan on just sticking to that."