Coming out on top of the low-stakes version of Event #25 in the 2010 PokerStarsSpring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) was U.K. PocketFives.com member Jon EMSBasSpinks. The win came at the expense of Victory Pokerpro James Andy McLEODObst, whom Spinks defeated heads-up for $9,700. Nearly 3,000 players entered the $22 Stud High-Low tournament. Although not as large dollar-wise as other wins he’s had, the payday still marked a signature online poker finish. PocketFives.com caught up with Spinks to recap his run and heads-up showdown with Obst.
PocketFives.com: Congratulations on your win and thanks for joining us. Can you talk a little bit about your Stud experience?
Jon Spinks: I have very little. I've only really played it during big tournament series, but I'm really competitive and hate being bad at anything, so I've gone out of my way to learn pretty much every game of poker there is in case I ever need it.
PocketFives.com: Tell us about going up against Obst (pictured at left) with a SCOOP title on the line.
Jon Spinks: It was probably the toughest heads-up I've ever had to do. He's a really good player and had killed me the whole final table. I went into heads-up play with a 2.5:1 deficit, so I really didn't expect much, but I ran really good and took some interesting lines to try to throw him off his game. I kept catching up to him and then dropping back until I just won every pot. When I got up about 3:1 on him, I knew it was mine.
I am really happy to take down a SCOOP. I've had something like 15 SCOOP cashes and only got close once before. In a way, it’s kind of annoying that I did it in Stud High-Low, but it's given me a lot of confidence and motivation to keep playing and improving.
PocketFives.com: Do you see yourself playing more Stud in the future?
Jon Spinks: These days, I'm mainly a PLO player. The Hold’em games are too tough and I just don't enjoy them as much anymore. I'll definitely be improving my HORSE and Eight Game skills. Stud High-Low was probably my weakest game of the lot, so the 12 hours I spent playing it really helped. I am also going to be playing a lot more Triple Draw in the future. I really enjoy it.
PocketFives.com: Talk about the process of learning more games.
Just like anything, it has its challenges, but I definitely feel I'm better at picking up new games than most people. All it takes is a bit of studying and a lot of concentration and you soon get to a reasonable standard. I think my main challenge is to push from being just competent at the games to being at a higher level.
PocketFives.com: How did you get started in poker?
Jon Spinks: My dad has played it for a long time and I used to watch him a lot. When I turned 18, I deposited $150 and played $1 to $5 MTTs. I ran really good from the start and had some big scores in special tournaments that allowed me to have a big enough bankroll to go pro when I left college. It was a lot easier to do that three years ago than it is now though!
PocketFives.com: How did your friends and family take your decision to play poker professionally?
Jon Spinks: Everyone has been really supportive throughout. There were a few doubts because I was jumping into something that was unpredictable. I had no idea if it was going to last, but we all knew I'd struggle with a "normal" job. It also helps when you get third in a WCOOP event one month after the decision.
PocketFives.com: Will we be seeing you in Las Vegas for the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP)?
Jon Spinks: I don't think I will be there this year. I actually bubbled a Main Event seat a couple of days before the SCOOP win, which was probably the worst poker moment of my life! I'll definitely be going next year for a huge portion of the Series, but this year I want to relax a bit after the SCOOP. I'm sure I'll play some of the WSOP Europe events and I've played three EPTs. The EPTs are the best tournaments available and I want to play them regularly next season.
PocketFives.com: Can you tell us the story behind your lively profile picture (at the top of this article)?
Jon Spinks: I was at a final table of a £100 tournament and it was my first real final table. I got all-in with trips against top pair for half of the chips in play with nine left and pulled out the old fist pump celebration. Luckily, one of the photographers caught me in my moment of glory! Somehow, I ended up finishing fourth.
Visit PokerStarsto relive the 2010 SCOOP.