Getting PearlJammed

You’ve been racking up live results for quite a while now, but you’re still mainly viewed as an online player. How does that sit with you?

It is what it is. I started off as a live player. I moved to Vegas to play live and I discovered online poker after I had some success in some WSOP events. I discovered how many there were and how many you could play.

Is it more enjoyable to you to play live than online?

Yeah, these days I have a really hard time enjoying myself playing online. Obviously just because you bust out of so many tournaments over and over again. Then you take one bad beat deep and that was the one out of thirty tournaments that you made a deep run in. It’s so frustrating day in and day out. You have that one score every six or nine months that makes you love it again. But even after that I still prefer live, even just the social aspect of playing live.

Which is more profitable for you?

Overall, to this point definitely online. But I hope to change that someday. I’m working towards it; I was very close to a bracelet recently. I feel like during WSOP it’s my best chance with the mixed games, which are my best games. You get the chance to play Single and Triple Draw Deuce to Seven, Eight game mixed and these kind of things. Unfortunately, a lot of tournaments don’t have those. It’s my bread and butter, it’s what I play cash games in. That’s what I would like to have success with in the near future.

How does writing strategy columns help your game?

It doesn’t. If it does then it helps by reminding me why you’re doing what your doing. By writing something it helps it set in more. Obviously it’s putting information out there you wish wasn’t out there. But it’s something that everybody is doing and there’s so much information out there. It’s not like we’re writing Super/System over again.

What’s the biggest adjustment you have to make to your game when transitioning from online to live?

There’s not too much. When playing live it’s much easier to spot the fish at the table. Online sometimes, especially when you’re playing a bunch of tables, you don’t notice when a guy sits down. You might have played with him before buy you weren’t sure enough to make a note. Often times when I sit down at a table I can pick out three or four players I know I want to play pots with.  Online I usually just know who I don’t want to play pots with.

Outside of poker, how do you keep your life in balance?

I have my girlfriend here in Vegas and she’s lived with me for two years. We try to spend as much time together outside of poker. I have a lot of good friends out here. I’m big into Rock Band, watching movie and we bowl a lot. Just anything that can take your mind off of poker is a good thing, especially after a long Sunday.

What’s the biggest leak in your game?

Honestly, some people may find this stupid, but playing too loose. A lot of people feel that I’m a tight player, although I don’t feel I have been for years. Maybe even going too far with reshoves  and things when I have 20-25 big blind stacks. Being too aggressive at times when I need to sit back and wait.

Do you envision yourself becoming more of a big event live player that travels the circuit more or do you like where your career is now?

I love having a home in Vegas and so many big tournaments are here, I’m not a big fan of travel. I’ve been to Europe about once a year the last few years, I’ll probably continue to do that. But I don’t go around to Tunica, Atlantic City or L.A. Even though I’ve been playing more big $10k events lately, I’m not going to be one that goes to every tour stop. I enjoy my life here at home and living here with friends in Vegas. I don’t want to spend too many nights in hotels.