Guillaume Diaz Taking Selfies with Fans and Relaxing at the SISMIX
After two days spent by the pool, Guillaume Diaz has jumped into the Main Event of the largest Winamax SISMIX in history, and is getting to grips with the players who are enjoying the atmosphere at the tables.
"It was pretty exciting to come here," Diaz says. "To see all the new faces and guys who play on Winamax when we expanded to Spain. Everything is good — the pool and party are good!"
On Friday the weather is not so good, but Diaz is playing on Day 1c of the Main Event, so a little drizzle doesn't ruin his day.
"I'm happy with my choice of playing today," he says. "We're all happy to be here to have a lot of fun and not to think about poker that much. It's not like a festival where you're concentrating.
"You don't go to the bar at the end of the day at festivals like the WSOP, here you can just enjoy the pool or play beer pong."
The difference between the SISMIX and a "mainstream" festival is stark, but Diaz says the switch comes naturally to him when having to return to focusing on poker.
"I know that we are in one mood here, speaking to lots of players and knowing all the guys from Winamax spending a lot of time with them. We know here it's kind of a holiday, but we all have in our mind the WSOP where we know it'll be serious, but for now, we're just enjoying the moment."
Diaz has been taking perhaps a dozen selfies a day with poker fans, both at the poker table and at the pool. He called it "insane" and is enjoying himself greatly.
"Here, I prepare myself to speak a lot, be open and be really cool with everyone," he says. "That's the main focus, it's not on poker. Other places you're focused all on poker, so SISMIX is really different.
"Winamax is doing a really good job because there are lots of new faces coming from the clubs, from online qualification and things like this. Here you see that there are a lot of people who've come by car and got a house. Everyone is enjoying their holiday and there's the poker in the middle."
Lloret De Mar is a brand new poker destination for a major international tour like Winamax, and Diaz says he welcomes the chance to come to a new place and experience the poker players from around there.
"It's always good to experience new things and reach out to a new people," he says. "When you go seven times in, I don't know, Monaco, the people around there know that that is there. But maybe there are some guys in Croatia or I don't know who cannot come. It's good to change and have new faces who could come.
"I'd love to go to the south of Portugal with Winamax. Vilamoura or things like this. Faro is really nice too. I think there's room to grow."
Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.
