Mac Poker: In a Bluff Magazine article, there were photos of you playing a high-stakes cash game online using an Apple computer. What kind of Mac do you own and do you use it for your day-to-day computing?
Juanda: Nowadays, I only use a Mac and I love it. I have a Mac Pro, which is the one you saw in the magazine that I was using. I also have my Macbook Air, which I love so much. Especially for someone who travels as much as I do, it’s light, so in my computer bag I can fit my laptop, a book, my passport, and money. If I were to carry a Dell or something else that’s seven pounds or even just three pounds, it would be too heavy. They’re also really fast and you don’t have to restart it or shut it down. Do you use a Mac, by the way?
MP: Well yes I do. I actually called you with Skype and we’re talking right now on my Macbook Pro.
Juanda: Don’t you feel like when you’re done using a Mac, you can just close it and when you’re ready to use it again, you can just open it? It’s just so much better than using a PC.
MP: Exactly. You know, I’ve heard time and again that it’s just a more pleasurable experience computing with a Mac. Do you own any other Apple products?
Juanda: I have a regular iPod, an iPod Mini, and an iPhone. Because of that, it just made sense for me to get a Mac. For those people who haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it. At first, of course, I was afraid to. I was like, ‘Oh man, I have to learn all over again how to use a computer,’ but it didn’t take that long. After about a week, you get used to it.
MP: PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu recently wrote in his blog about getting a Mac and the two of you are good friends. Were you influential in his decision?
Juanda: We hung out quite a bit when we were in London. I might have told him about my Mac. I think I may have said a little bit about it, but I’m sure there were other people who mentioned to him that he should consider getting one. I didn’t tell him to go out and get a Mac; I’m sure he made his own decision. A lot of poker players use Macs. All of the largest online sites, like Full Tilt Poker, are Mac compatible.
MP: Full Tilt Poker has a lot of action in the highest-stakes online cash games and you’re a regular player. Many of the sponsored pros have their own tables, but I noticed you do not. If there were a table on Full Tilt named after John Juanda, what would the game and limits be?
Juanda: When they create a table, they create the name for you too. That’s why they name the tables “Ivey Challenge” or “Gus Gym” or whatever. Of course, you can ask them to name it a certain way, but I don’t because I don’t play as much as some of the regulars there like Gus Hansen, Patrik Antonius, and Phil Ivey do. If you go to some sites, you can track down how many hours we play a year. I probably play ten or fifteen percent of what they play. That’s why I didn’t bother to ask for my own table. But if I were to get my own table, I think it would be $500/$1,000 No Limit Hold’em.
MP: Why do you think a Mac poker enthusiast should play on Full Tilt?
Juanda: Full Tilt has really great game selection. We have everything from $0.01/$0.02 all the way up to the biggest games in the world. We also have a great selection of tournaments along with great software and graphics. A lot of the amateur players love that. The newbies like cartoon characters and avatars. The nice graphics that we have we attract a lot of recreational players. Because of this, we have a lot of good games.
Also, we have excellent customer service and I’ve never had a problem with them. Another thing I want to mention is the integrity. If you look at who is involved with Full Tilt, you’ll see some of the most respected pros in the industry. We put our names on the line as spokesmen for the site. If we didn’t think it would conduct business in a reputable way, we wouldn’t have done that. Look at the crazy things going on in the online world nowadays. Why do you want to put your money in a site where things like that might happen to you? We have a great reputation.
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