However, a win in the $5k Mixed Hold 'em event, just the fourth tournament of the series, changed that rather quickly.

The Full Tilt Pro then went on to make fourth at the $5k No-Limit 2-7 Draw w/Rebuys, 18th in the $10k Heads-Up World Championship, and third in the $50k H.O.R.S.E. World Championship to capture 2008 WSOP Player of the Year honors.

So with the monkey off E-Dog's back, he's not quite sure what kind of goals he's setting for this summer.

"I guess it depends on if I make some side bets," Lindgren told PokerListings.com. "That will be my goal again, to win my side bets. The rest will just take care of itself."

With very little action on the go right now, Lindgren said he's also not sure how motivated he'll be to repeat his stellar 2008 performance.

"It really depends on my frame of mind," he said. "Maybe I'll be playing really bad golf and I'll be in a really bad mood. If I'm losing all my money to Daniel [Negreanu] on the golf course, I've got to bet more on poker and that should motivate me."

Always the joker, Lindgren said he was happy to grab his first bracelet in 2008, but the chance to join the multiple bracelet club isn't really driving him these days.

"Obviously you want to win," he said. "But now it's just more fun to tease guys like Gavin [Smith] that don't have one."

All bets and jokes aside, Lindgren is looking forward to the pro-friendly structure changes at the WSOP this year, including deeper stacks.

"Daniel was bragging about them a little bit to me," he said. "He says they're good. I know there's no rebuys, which I don't care either way. I guess it'll be cheaper, so that's good.

"I think everybody felt they did a good job over the last couple of years listening to us and making things better, so I expect good things now."

Well rested from a little time off the felt, Lindgren said he's ready for the true grind the World Series of Poker can be.

"I've taken so much time off; I haven't played a lot of poker," he said. "When [the WSOP] comes I just like clocking in every day at noon and playing until three in the morning for like 40 days straight."

 

Visit PokerListings.com