Enough giggling at the back like dirty schoolboys about how you’d ‘certainly like five minutes with Sandra Naujoks’. The Teutonic princess stormed onto the scene at the EPT Dortmund last month as she took down the EPT Dortmund; not bad for the former schoolteacher. But just how hot is she on her German industrial metal?
First things first, Sandra. How do you pronounce your name?
I guess like this: “Now-yox”.
Just how big is the game in Germany and how big can it get?
It’s nowhere near as big as in the US, mainly for the reason that we have only a few state casinos and no private cardrooms. There’s also a strict dress code in those casinos that poker players aren’t keen to follow! We’re a couple of years behind Italy and France, but we’re getting there.
Describe German poker players in 5 words.
We are all individual players.
What was the lollipop all about at the EPT Dortmund? Are you trying to give up smoking?
A friend of mine gave it to me during a break, like he’s always done when we play together. I don’t smoke, only a Cuban cigar a day.
When was the last time you cried?
My last occasion was in February. I was standing in the Cambodian killing fields thinking about all the lives that were taken there. I went to Cambodia because I support a schooling project there. This summer we are building a new school for 500 children.
Any other good up-and-coming German players we should be looking out for?
Sure, especially in my PokerStars.de team: Sebastian Ruthenberg, who won a WSOP bracelet last year and won the PokerStars EPT in Barcelona; Johannes Strassmann, who has made three EPT final tables and Florian Langmann, with a nearly unaccountable lot of big tourney cashes.
What are your personal targets for 2009?
I am very much looking forward to the WSOP this summer. I will be on the road for seven weeks to play a lot of events and I can feel there are more big things still to come for me this year. I have thought about staying in Las Vegas. I love the city; I’m looking for a house at the moment and can imagine living there for 2 years before moving back to Europe. In that case, I could play more WPTs and improve my English, which is not that good.
What’s the stupidest thing a man has said to you at the table?
"Women can’t bluff." My answer was: "How many times has your girlfriend has faked an orgasm for you? Believe me, women can bluff!"
You dress in black a lot. Are you really a bit of a Goth?
No. Black is beautiful, it’s my favourite colour and it matches perfectly with my nickname "Black Mamba".
Your dream poker table - you and 5 figures, alive or dead.
Barrack Obama, Tiger Woods, Lenny Kravitz, Nelson Mandela, and Phil Ivey. Oh wait, maybe we need at least one white guy...
What’s on your iPod?
During tournaments I’ll listen to opera or Chopin but I like stuff like Faithless too.
David Hasselhoff or Kraftwerk? You HAVE to choose one.
Rammstein [laughs].
You’re into your Cuban cigars. What’s the most you’ve ever spent on one?
I usually spend about $20-$30 on one cigar; on special occasions about $50. Here, cigars are a little cheaper than in the US. Before going on tour I will fill up my "travel-humidor".
Was mas du in deiner freizeit? (Sorry, it’s the only German phrase we know here at WPT Poker.)
I started playing golf about a year ago which is a lot of fun and I am quite keen to improve my game. Whenever I am in Berlin for a few days I love to visit the opera. Other than that, I love travelling. Next week I will be in the Austrian Alps skiing and for Easter I will be on a golfing-holiday on the Spanish island of Mallorca. |
