2002 was a very busy year. I had so many business commitments that I almost had no time to play. Thus, just this once, the big poker events had to do without me. At least I found the time to occasionally drive to Wiesbaden and improve my bankroll at cash games.

 

This year I organized the 2^nd German Poker Championships at the SI Erlebniszentrum in Stuttgart/Möhringen. The number of participants was decidedly more than the first event, which confirmed the developing trend: poker was booming in Germany.

 

 

In addition the print, radio and TV media again approached me. Playboy had recognized the sign of the times and invited me to an in-depth interview on the state of poker in Germany and my position as organizer and player. As the GPPA was flourishing and I had founded the German Poker League this year I was able to report exclusively good news so I naturally accepted.

 

I met up with Günter Jauch again, who was moderating the IQ Show together with Birgit Schrowange. That is how I spent the evening being confronted by diverse IQ tests with well-known personalities like the pole-vaulter Tim Lobinger and the actress Katy Karrenbauer. Again a totally new experience for me. I was, to stick with poker slang, ‘unluckily knocked out’. In a manner of speaking.