Jeff Kimber says...

Up close and personal with Jaffacake

Thursday 7 Aug 2008

1. How did you get started playing in poker? When did you know poker would become more than just a hobby?

I have always played cards with my grandparents and family, but poker only started for me when I watched the first series of Late Night Poker. I practised a bit with my sisters but really started playing properly when online poker first started around six or seven years ago. I played on some American sites to start with (they were the only ones about) and joined Ladbrokes the day the site launched and have played most of my poker there ever since.

As I became a more successful online player I wanted to try my hand at bigger offline tournaments, and saw online satellites as the way to do that. After many attempts I won a seat in the 2006 Ladbrokes Cruise, and also managed to win a seat to a WPT event in San Jose which was the following month. To cut a long story short I made the final of both events, won more than quarter of a million dollars and thought maybe I could make a living at this.

2. What is the highlight of your poker career?

We all play poker to win, so winning both the World Heads Up in 2007 and one of the legs of the 2008 UK Poker Tour are definite highlights. Away from that my run in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, where I finished 120th after a pretty horrible beat, and included a spell on day three as chip leader. Also taking out Dan Harrington in the 2006 WPT Shooting Stars event and facing Carlos Mortensen heads up in the 2006 Johnny Chan Invitational in Turks and Caicos was good fun.

3. How has playing poker changed your life?

When I started playing poker I was obviously working full time and had not travelled that much...now I own my own home have travelled all round the world and play poker all day....if I so choose! There's far harder jobs I know that much.

4. What is the worst part of being recognized?

There's nothing really bad about it, I guess some people sometimes want to have a go at you and accuse you of having an ego or whatever just because you play in a certain way and have a sponsor but being recognised really doesn't happen enough for it to be a problem. It has happened in some random spots though, abroad a couple of times which is pretty weird.

5. What do you like to do when you’re not playing poker?

Playing poker opens up all sorts of opportunities you don't get in other jobs, including being able to take off and see friends and family whenever you want, as long as there's no big tournaments of course. I spend lots of times with friends and try and spend time relaxing, so lots of time in the sun is the plan!

6. Whose game do you respect the most?

ActionJack, Paul Jackson, has always been one of my favourite players, and just talking through hands with him and the deep understanding and thinking he puts into every aspect of poker is a real eye opener. Further afield, Phil Ivey is my favourite player, the man is a class apart and has mastered so many games too.

7. Whose game do you respect the least?

I don't disrespect anyone.

8. What is your favorite childhood memory?

erm....

9. If you weren’t a poker player, how would you be earning a living?

I was a sports journalist for 10 years and am sure I'd still be doing that if I hadn't been offered the sponsorship by Ladbrokes that allowed me to give up a good wage to play full-time.

10. What has been your biggest extravagance since turning pro?

I'm not a particularly extravagant person but I guess the last minute decision to head off for three weeks in Rio after I won the GUKPT in Walsall was something I wouldn't have done if it wasn't for poker.

11. What advice do you have for an up and coming poker player?

Don't play out of your bankroll, try and satellite into big events, talk poker, watch poker, read poker, never stop learning, and if you want to turn pro give yourself at least a year of earning enough through poker before making any life changing decisions.

12. What tournament do you look forward to the most every year?

The World Series main event. I love Vegas, I love life there, and I love how bad the players are. It's a great tournament in a great city and the buzz of going as deep as I did, into day five, is second to none...so far. If and when I make the final take I'm sure that will be surpassed.

13. Describe your basic poker strategy.

I am very adaptable to circumstances but generally play pretty tight aggressive. I think I can play many styles and am always trying new things and trying to incorporate good bits of other people's games in my own. I like to tell people I'm a bit of a plodder but underneath that I can mix it with the best of them and I think that image lets me get away with a lot more than might meet the eye.