» Jordan 'Scarface_79' Smith Interview

Jordan 'Scarface_79' Smith, 28, has been playing professional poker for the past 7 years. In 2009, he won his first WSOP bracelet in Event #36 for $586k and then followed that up with a 10th place finish in the Main Event for another $896k.  He has also posted great results online over the past few years, most notably winning the Full Tilt Sunday Mulligan, chopping the PokerStars Sunday Million and a 4th place finish in the WCOOP event #33 for another $84k.  He resides in College Station, Texas when he's not traveling for poker.

How is life and poker treating you these days? How have things changed for you since the WSOP?

Pretty good. I'm visiting my parents and family this week and get to eat some home cooked meals from my mom, so life is good. Poker has been pretty rough the last month or so, but i had a great 2009 so I'm definitely due for some run-bad. Things haven't changed a whole lot since the WSOP. I'm still the same person, I just have a little more financial security and can relax and take time off from poker whenever I get burned out. I don't play nearly as much as I did, and I've never been a big volume grinder anyways, so my volume is pretty low and I usually play (donate) some PLO cash when I do play to kill time. But, I'm probably done traveling until the WSOP so I'm gonna try and start playing MTT's 2 or 3 days a week especially for FTOPS and SCOOP.

Where do you come from and how to you describe yourself?

I'm from a small town in Texas, but have always had big ambitions. I have the best parents in the world who instilled in me good values and morals and gave me every opportunity and luxury they could. I am far from perfect, but I try and learn from my mistakes and just try to be the best person I can be.

You finished in 10th place in the 2009 WSOP Main Event for $896k. What was that experience like to go so deep?

It was kinda surreal. I had already won a bracelet, so I felt like I was completely freerolling in the main event and had no pressure really. I was really focused and just made up my mind to play as well as I could every day and take advantage of the really great structure and soft field. I had a pretty positive attitude all summer and just felt like i was gonna win every tourney I entered, when in other years it was the opposite and I had a negative attitude. I won a big race on either day 2 or 3 to give me a very healthy stack, and also was all in and won with K10 vs. JJ on day 7 when both my neighbors said they folded a king...lol. Most of my hands were holding and I never really got desperate or low til day 7. I was really sick the last 3 days of the main event and was losing my voice and didn't play my A+ game, but I'm satisfied at how I played. I did gave away a million chips on a bluff on day 7 I probably shouldn't have, and gave away some chips on day 6 possibly because I hadn't gotten a good night sleep because I was waiting at the hospital late the night before just so a doctor could give me some antibiotics cause I knew I was getting sick and it was terrible timing. But, pretty much no regrets other than the few minor missteps i mentioned.

You have numerous deep runs in WSOP events and come close on many occasions. How did it feel to finally win a bracelet this year in Event #36 for $586k? How did that experience compare to your deep run in the Main Event? After those highlights, where does your poker interests lie now?

The bracelet was just a huge relief. I hadn't really had a huge score in live tourneys yet and it was great to get the monkey off my back and accomplish one of my very few poker goals at the same time. There was definitely more pressure in my bracelet win because the series was more than half over and I had only one small cash and the pressure was mounting not to have another frustrating WSOP. I guess the main event might have been more exciting just because it's the main event and it's so long and there is time to think and let it sink in. But, like I said there was no pressure for me during the main event, and the last few days when I was around the cameras, I was too sick and drained to worry about their presence or the magnitude of what was happening, I was just focused on playing. Sadly, poker isn't super exciting or that stimulating to me anymore. I do look forward to the WSOP every year, and definitely got some blood flowing this past summer there, but I've been playing poker for a living for 7 years and it's taken a toll on me, particularly the live tourney deep runs that didn't work out. Maybe I'll fall back in love with poker one day, but honestly I was just hoping I won the main event so I could retire or at least semi-retire from poker and not have to play anymore.

What would you consider to be your greatest accomplishments in the poker world so far and what are your goals for the future? Also, what are the best things you have done with your poker winnings?

I guess winning a bracelet would have to be my best achievement in poker, and besides that goal, I want to have at least one 7 figure score, which I was one spot away in the main event from fulfilling, but I guess it's close enough for now. Well, I've of course invested in myself by playing more poker. I put some away for taxes, and of course splurged some. Nothing huge, but I've bought some new computers, a bunch of guns (we love our guns in Texas), done some traveling (mostly to poker tourneys), and a bunch of small stuff that adds up I guess. I eat out every single meal, and I like to eat good food, so I degen at restaurants a lot but I usually don't gamble on anything but poker. I'm planning on getting a house before the WSOP while the market is so cheap, but I might end up putting it off til after the WSOP (or live in my car if I keep playing PLO cash...lol).

What advice do you give to aspiring poker players nowadays?

I'd probably advise them to do something else at present time unless they are in Europe where poker is still growing and way behind the curve as far as live tourneys go. Poker is getting harder and harder everyday, and if online is legalized in the U.S., I think there will be a brief boom again but nothing like the scale of 2003-2006. It was like the wild west back then and so easy. I have nothing against people trying to make a buck, but I think that online training sites have destroyed poker from an EV standpoint. There are so many regulars now, and you have to outrun the rake and variance also, particularly in tourneys. If they insisted on going pro, it would all depend on where they lived and a number of things whether they spent their time online or live. Live is way softer, but you can only play one table at a time and live tourneys are so time consuming and have so much variance because it takes years to play a decent sample size. But, I'd definitely advise them to play both if they could afford it, because there are just venues that are too soft like the WSOP, and tourneys in the south to pass up. Although the fields are shrinking rapidly in the US (besides the WSOP) and the WPT is dying.

It's definitely a tough living and I'm sure it's taken away many years from my life. I played mostly limit Hold'em cash for a living during 2003-2005 and even though the games were soft and I was winning, the variance and swings were too much for me to deal with and I switched to almost exclusively tourneys in late 2005. I don't think I would choose poker honestly if I had it to do over again, and if I did I would have worked harder to set my self up for life when the games were easier and should have grinded way more. I just thought party poker and paradise poker would be around forever and have basically free monopoly money, but the govt. hurt the action real bad with the UIGEA in 2006 and taking away Neteller in 07. I just wish I would have stayed in school and not wasted my youth playing poker and pool. I was in school to become a teacher and coach, and I knew that profession wouldn't give me the lifestyle and comfort I wanted, but I could have stayed in school and found something to do other than poker for sure, I was just lured into poker by the easy money and competition of it.

What is your typical poker week like?

Well, since the WSOP, I haven't really played online a whole lot. I never played a super big volume before. Before the WSOP, I usually played 4 days a week, Sunday-weds, and only played nights (around 10 tourneys) Mon.-Weds. Saturdays have good tourneys, but I usually just cant wake up that early to play. Lately I've been playing PLO cash late at night in short spurts and like the fact I can quit whenever I want and have a more relaxed schedule. But, I'm definitely about to start grinding MTT's a few days a week again, I just try not to get burned out. I live in Texas and have no plans of ever leaving, so online is the majority of my play so it's really nice to be able to work from the comfort of my own home, but you have to be careful about being a recluse and not doing normal social stuff. It can be tough to balance poker and life if you put so much time and effort into poker. But, if you are having a bad week or month, you can't let it consume and affect other aspects of your life, and you should try and separate your personal life from poker which can be very hard sometimes.

What online tourney result are you most proud of so far?

I don't have a 6 figure online win, or an FTOPs or WCOOP win yet, so it's hard to think of one tourney that stands out. But I guess personally it would be a $50 rebuy win a few years ago. I had the chip lead the the final table and got 2 outed by the 2nd biggest stack for most of the chips in play like 6 handed and got down to like 2 big blinds, and fought back and didn't give up, and ended up coming back for the win. It was only for like 14k or so, but it was a great feeling to comeback like that and was proud I didn't just go into give up mode.

What tips would you give to players who aim to become a full time online pro?

I guess I would just tell them to work hard and try and stay up with the evolution of the game and to join at least one training site not only to learn and get different points of view on certain hands/situations, but to see what information their opponents are getting from the training sites and find ways to combat that knowledge.

What are your future goals in the poker world?

I don't see myself playing a whole lot longer, or definitely not full time. I'll go to the WSOP this year and see how that goes and might play a few other venues, but I doubt I'll still be traveling to events other than maybe the WSOP in a few years. I'm 28 now and would like to get married and have a family in the next few years. Poker is definitely a means to an end for me, I still enjoy it sometimes of course, but I don't wanna do it forever. It's really hard to get rich from poker nowadays, you can't really win a tourney and be set for life except maybe the WSOP main event. Without a piece of an online site or steady endorsement money coming in, it's hard to get truly wealthy from just playing. I don't know what I wanna do after poker, but I'm sure I'll find something. Hopefully our government stops trying to infringe on our personal liberties and go ahead and either legalize/regulate online poker or just legalize it. They simply want their cut, just like state lotto's, horse racing, and casinos. It's not about morality or anything else. Because if I'm still playing if and when I have a family, it would be nice to be able to still work from home and be around my family most of the time.

What are the best and worst things about being a poker professional?

Well, you get to be your own boss (usually), work on your own schedule and do something that you most likely enjoy for a living. You get to use your mind to compete for money vs. other players, and there is obviously a big element of luck involved especially in the short term, so it can be exciting. It can be very stressful and draining mentally, but at least you are in the air condition and not doing manual labor. Well, playing poker a lot isn't conducive to staying in great shape. It also makes you view money in a foolish manner sometimes and be way less frugal with it. Family members sometimes don't understand poker and some aren't very accepting of the idea of poker as a job. Most just see it as gambling. And it can be awkward when someone asks you what you do for a living, and then you get asked the same frustrating questions over and over.

If you could list the three biggest pitfalls you see players making live and online in their quest to be a pro what would they be?

I'd say using bad bankroll management (which I've been guilty of myself) is the biggest one. Playing too many tables online and not working hard to stay up with the current state of the game causes some players to get left behind. A lot of players have great poker minds but can't stay out of the pits at the casinos, or sports betting, or some other form of degeneracy that causes big problems when it comes to keeping the money in your pocket that you've earned from poker.

How do you deal with the inherent variance and downswings associated with poker? How do you maintain balance in your mind and also passion to continue playing your A-game?

I'll admit I haven't always dealt with poker downswings and pitfalls smoothly. Especially earlier in my career. I think exercise if very important to be able to reach your potential. All the guys that I know that play nosebleed cash games and crush, usually are in good shape and workout and have decent diets. That is the final thing I need do if I wanna be a complete player and play my A+ game. When I first started in poker, I played a lot of live cash games and I was still somewhat in shape. Obviously I still had a lot to learn and leaks to fix and am infinitely better than I was back then, but I had way better instincts then and just was much more quick witted and just sharper overall. I broke my shoulder and I guess tore something in 2005 and it never healed, so I've gotten really out of shape. I just saw a doctor yesterday and have an another appointment this week so they can figure out exactly what is torn and hopefully fix it soon, so I'll have plenty of time to rehab and get in shape before the WSOP this year, because I plan on putting everything I have into this year's WSOP. And mental and physical stamina are big key factors for success. You definitely need balance in your life, and it's something I'm still trying to work on and perfect.

Have you considered playing cash games, instead of tournaments as a new challenge?

Yeah, I'm starting to play cash again, Hold'em action is pretty tough these days and it kinda bores me anyways. So, I've been playing a lot of PLO cash, the swings and variance of PLO can be brutal though, I'm trying to work my way out of a downswing lately. I finally got Hold'em/Omaha manager and it showed me roughly how below EV I am lately, which I guess is supposed to make me feel better, but it doesn't put the money back in my account I should have. I'm not sure how high of stakes I can stomach, but I like I said earlier, exercise is important, and I need to get in better shape before I move up any higher to be able to deal with the swings better mentally.

How do you mentally approach a long and grueling series like the WSOP located in a city with many distractions?

Well, this year I definitely worked hard and focused on playing the events, getting decent rest, and not playing much online. I always stay at the Rio mainly out of convenience, so sometimes I won't leave the hotel for a few days. But I do try and get out and go watch a movie or go out to eat at a nice restaurant to escape my mind from poker and relax. Staying in a hotel for 6 weeks can make you lose your mind. I've driven to Vegas the last 3 summers, so I like having my car there so I don't have to be couped up in my hotel the whole time, but as far as going out and partying like a rock star, that generally isn't me.

What are your New Year's resolutions for 2010?

Well, I'm trying my best never to go broke again...lol, but lately it might seem like I am trying the opposite as fast as I've spent and lost this last month between Christmas, online PLO, the Bahamas, and Biloxi. Hopefully this year, I can have a big tourney score and of course I'm gonna be trying very hard for bracelet #2. I just wanna have fun and spend a lot of time with family/friends because life is short, and I try not to lose sight of what is really important.

If you could offer just once piece of advice to the aspiring poker players at Poker Curious what would it be?

Poker can be a brutal game, things don't always turn out like they do in Rounders for Mike McDermott. He went broke in the first place by being foolish, so always try and play within your means and don't overextend yourself. But, anything is possible, and as long as it doesn't hurt others in your life, if you have a goal or dream, go for it. Everyone is gonna get knocked down, it's just a matter of getting up and how you deal with adversity. Not just for poker, but for all aspects of life.

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Before you go we have several fun questions inspired by Bravo's Inside The Actors Studio...

What is your favourite fun poker phrase/slang/acronym?

All-in

If the poker industry disappeared completely what other career would you most likely attempt?

I would make a fantastic movie or food critic.

If you were on death row what would be your last meal?

My mom's spaghetti and garlic bread

When your poker career is over, what would you most like to be remembered for?

I just hope that through my many faults and mistakes in the first part of my life, I can redeem myself and hopefully stay true to my principals and beliefs and be remembered as someone who has integrity and character and turned out to be a productive member of society.