John Eames: Live tournament secrets

Self-taught British pro John ‘johne147’ Eames started his poker career at the youthful age of 18, when he won an online satellite to the UB Aruba Poker Classic $5,000 Main Event. He proceeded to cash for $18k and hasn’t looked back since. Now in his early 20s, Eames can brag of over $1.2 million in live earnings, as well as deep runs in prestigious EPT and WSOP events, including third place at February’s EPT Copenhagen. After notching three cashes at this year’s WSOP, the young pro offers some expert tips on how to go deep in live tournaments.

Starting blocks

• I’ve always played card games with family, so I guess it was inevitable that when I turned 18 I was going to have a proper go! I used to play a small home game with one or two friends for a fiver.
• I started playing small online, and then when I turned 18 I went to the local casino. I was 19 when I first got seriously into it. I started playing ten to twelve hours a day. I didn’t have very good bankroll management back then, but I think I made about $20,000 by the end of the summer.
• I won a satellite to go to Aruba for a $5k tournament and got 18th in that. At that point I knew I was never going back, and I realised I could probably do this for a living.

Exploiting opponents

• Tournaments can be difficult if you’re on a tough table. However, it’s rare that you’ll get a table with no weak spots whatsoever. If there are some weaker players I tend to play pretty tight and hope they make a mistake.
• If everyone around you is good, sometimes you’re forced into playing higher level poker against people you don’t really want to tangle with. In that situation, everything becomes a lot more marginal, and you can be forced into spots you’d rather avoid. Basically, you’re just flipping coins a lot of the time. You might get called with wide ranges in spots where you don’t really want to be called, but you have no choice. You can’t let people run you over.
• I don’t think people realise how position-dependent tournaments are. Obviously it’s tough to have a really aggressive player on your left, but the type of players I like on my table are those who have a general notion of how to play, but make too many mistakes. They might only fire one barrel before shutting down, or three-bet you light but be taken aback if you four-bet them. They have a little bit of aggression, but don’t know how to adjust when you play back.

Go fish

• Early on, before the antes, I play tight. At this point you don’t see any good players getting out of line. There are quite a few EPT regulars who try to outplay each other all the time and do stupid things. I don’t recommend that at all.
• Stay alert for opportunities. If you spot someone paying off somebody when you know they shouldn’t, or you see them show down a weak hand, then target them. There are often quite a few fishy players in the early stages of tournaments, and if you have position, you should be isolating them with suited connectors and hands with good implied odds.

Be a chameleon

• England’s a country where you want to have a tight image so you can get away with stuff. In other places you want to have a loose image despite the fact that you’re actually playing tight. There are spots where you should splash chips around even if you know it’s not necessarily the right play as it’s a small price to pay to maintain a loose image.
• If someone starts playing back at you, you have to adjust. There was a hand I played with a guy in Vegas recently, where I called a three-bet preflop with A-J. I would never normally do that, but I was convinced he was going to fire more barrels postflop. I called the flop with Ace-high, then turned an Ace which made the hand easy. He double-barrelled and I took the pot when he shoved the river. If you know someone raises light quite often, you just have to go to war with more marginal hands.

Staying sharp

• Lately I’ve been improving by doing a lot more unusual, random things. I used to think certain plays were always no-nos, but sometimes I just do them anyway. It’s vital to stay unpredictable. If your play is always the same, you might as well go home.
• I think old dogs can learn new tricks. Erik Seidel has continually adapted his play. Negreanu admitted his failings, but he’s worked hard and is still beating the game. You have some other people who assume they’re good but just aren’t any more. Many British players fall into this category.
• I don’t get easily overawed when playing big names. If it’s someone who’s probably a little bit past it – like the old pros who are only well-known because they were around when poker first started on TV – then I’ll be quite comfortable. Obviously if you sit down and Ivey’s to your left you’ll be pissed off, and you know you’re in for a tough day! But if you see an old guy who looks wealthy it’s fair to think he’s a bit of a fish.

Tackling tilt

• I would never let tilt affect my game. I get most annoyed if I’m the one who’s played badly, rather than anyone else. Bad decisions hurt more, but they don’t tilt me because I know it’s purely my fault and I have control over improving it. In an EPT or WSOP with a few tables left, you will often get it in ahead preflop and still go on to lose the pot.
• One hand can cost you thousands of dollars, which is always upsetting. It hurts, but you just have to pick yourself up and keep on going.

Bluff with care

• Like most plays, bluffing is always player-dependent. There are certain people you don’t ever want to bluff, who you need cards with showdown value to square up to. Then there are people you know will give you credit for a hand because the board’s pretty dry, and they might make a reasonable laydown as they assume no one would bluff in that spot.
• I tend not to make too many bluffs, and certainly not without any pot equity. Position is also crucial as you don’t want to be barrelling off your chips out of position that often.