Dario De Toffoli OUSC Exclusive Interview

Written by: Sadonna Price, OUSC Expert in Online Casinos and Poker
OUSC Interview with Dario de Toffoli


Dario De Toffoli is the founder of Studiogiochi, an Italian board game company of great renown across Europe. Dario himself is a game designer and gamebook author and has won over 60 games in the MSO (Mind Sports Olympiad) including the 2002 and 2012 Pentamind Championship.

Dario was also the first author to write a Texas Hold’em book in Italian and has co-written two other books with Max Pescatori. In 2008 he achieved the Amateur Poker World Champion, an event not played for money.

OUSC’s Chat with Dario De Toffoli, MSO Champion 2002 & 2012

Continuing the series of OUSC interviews we have published with some of the most popular Mind Sports Olympians, such as Etan Ilfeld, Ankush Khandelwal, and Andres Kuusk, the OnlineUnitedStatesCasinos team now brings you Dario De Toffoli.

The former Pentamind champion was kind enough to answer a few of our questions.

What is your relationship with the MSO? I see you are an active participant and host. How did that relationship begin?

Dario De Toffoli & Ji Woo Lee MSO 2015
De Toffoli and Ji Woo Li – MSO 2015

I took part in the very first edition in 1997 and since then I participated in most of the 22 editions that have been held so far.

It’s a unique event, the only occasion you have in the world to play so many different games and mental disciplines, unmissable!

Moreover, it’s a friendly environment and there’s no money involved: everybody plays cause they like playing, not to make a profit. Medals are far more important than money.

Along the years I became friends with the organizers and many players, so to me, it’s always a great pleasure to go back to London in late August and play and play and play…

Medals are far more important than money.

What is the greatest thing about board games for a person? Is it just a pastime, or can it really influence some skills that are crucial in life?

Very important questions!

Playing games it’s obviously one of the best ways to train your mind, and playing different games teaches you flexibility, which means being able to choose the most suitable approach to solve any problem.

This works in real life as well: sometimes you are facing serious problems and the flexibility you acquired playing games definitely helps in facing them up.

But it’s not only this. Life is not always fair, there is no such thing as justice, sometimes it’s a real mess. In games, you can find what is missing in life. You know the rules, you are aware of what could happen.

Life is not always fair, there is no such thing as justice, sometimes it’s a real mess.
In games, you can find what is missing in life.

What game do you recommend?

I recommend playing different games, a single game should never become the only purpose… otherwise, it would no longer be a game. It could become a job or, worse, an obsession.
Mind Sports Olympiad 1997 (studiogiochi)
The very first Mind Sports Olympiad (London – August 1997)
Sadonna Price

Sadonna Price OUSC Expert in Online Casinos and Poker

Sadonna is a former professional poker player. Passionate about writing and loves using her creativity to provide insight into the interesting gambling world.

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