Marvin Rettenmaier: Feeling at Home as GPI’s Number One

Marvin Rettenmaier has been a rising star in poker since his start in 2010, but he recently hit the pinnacle of his career thus far by becoming the top-ranked player in the entire world. He started 2013 in the number one spot of the GPI 300, ousting Dan Smith and standing several hundred points ahead of Jason Mercier and Bertrand Grospellier. He collected over $2.5 million in live tournament earnings in 2012 alone, putting his lifetime total over the $3.8 million mark. His successes have put him on the radar of poker fans and competitors around the world, and they now find him atop the Global Poker Index, the premier ranking of tournament poker players.

We chatted with Marvin on January 4 about his new and prestigious home at GPI #1, how he got there, and what his poker journey looks like going forward.

GPI: Tell me briefly about your start in poker.

Marvin: I did play online poker. I played my first hand of poker during my exchange year; I did a high school exchange in Wisconsin for the 11^th grade, about 10 years ago. I started playing online poker then but took it more seriously three or four years later. I consider myself a professional for only about two or three years now.

I decided that I wanted to try live poker in 2010. I went to Vegas that summer to play as much as I could, and I made my first WSOP final table there. I did pretty well in smallish tournaments, and I really liked it. My live play got better as I managed to focus for longer periods of time. I wasn’t too exhausted after playing for a day or two, so I kept going. I enjoyed it a lot more than playing online because I liked being around people.

GPI: You had a great 2010, really accumulating some big scores at the end of that year and into 2011. Was there a point when you felt you hit your stride and became a better player?

Marvin: Yes, but I had been playing live poker consistently for half a year at that point. I felt that my reads had gotten a lot better, and I was able to put players on better ranges. I felt I had enough experience to be one of the better players.

GPI: Some of your biggest wins came on the World Poker Tour. What drew you to the WPT and how did it feel to make history on the tour?

Marvin: That was crazy. The first one was just amazing because it was my first major title. Before that, I had better luck in the smaller tournaments. I was doing well for myself, but I struggled to win a larger tournament, and the WPT Championship was it. That was also the first tournament in which I was sponsored by PartyPoker, so that was an additional thrill. Then I won the back-to-back titles.

The first WPT win was better because I had a big rail and it was obviously a much bigger tournament with bigger prize money, but to make history in the second one was another great feeling. I felt like I played well in both, but the thought of making history in the second one kept me alive a couple of times when I had to grind a short stack. Both WPT tournaments were amazing, really.

GPI: Do you have a favorite final table or victory of your career so far?

Marvin: The WPT Championship, definitely.

GPI: You went from Player of the Year on the GPI Europe Top 100 to best in the world on the global list. How does that feel?

Marvin: The European GPI Player of the Year is awesome, and I’m very happy about that one. I hope I’ll make it to the awards! (laughs) It’s definitely something to be proud of. I hope I can win the whole thing next year. I won’t be playing just for that, but if it happens, I’ll be very happy.

GPI: This is the first time #1 has been someone other than Erik Seidel, Jason Mercier, Dan Smith, or Elky. What do you think of being in such an elite group of players?

Marvin: To be number one right now on GPI with those guys is awesome. I talked to Dan quite a lot about the rankings, especially toward the end of the last year. We needled each other a little bit when one of us made a big score. I think the GPI is going to sustain itself for a long time, and if you look at the players at the top of the rankings, it really makes sense. I’m not talking about myself! (laughs)

GPI: Any thoughts about making a 2013 Player of the Year bet with your friends and competitors?

Marvin: Probably not. I don’t want to be playing as much as I have the past half year. I’m still going to play a lot, but I don’t want to overdo it again because I have to have some balance in my life.

Before the WPT Championship, I did a two-week vacation in Majorca, and we went for another week just before WPT Cyprus. I feel like it helped to get to the tournaments with a free head. As far as the High Roller tournament that I won in Prague, I actually don’t know how I did it because I just got in from Vegas for that tournament. I was very jet-lagged, but I was very focused and really wanted to win.

GPI: What are your plans for 2013?

Marvin: I want to win more titles, really. I really want to win a WSOP bracelet, but that’s a big goal, and there are only so many events that I can play. I’m going to Australia in April for the WSOP events there, and I’d be more than happy to win another WPT during the year and make it three WPT titles.

GPI: Will you be at the PCA to start the year?

Marvin: I haven’t even decided about the PCA yet, though, because I have to see the doctor again on Sunday, and she’ll tell me if I can fly on Monday. (Marvin had laser eye surgery on January 3.) I do hope to go and be able to play Day 1B on Tuesday.

GPI: Thanks for your time, Marvin! Good luck in 2013.