Jeff Trudeau: Circuit Grinder to the Big Stage in WSOP $3K Shootout
It’s strange to hear a player in the U.S. say he’s been a live poker pro since he was 20, but it makes sense if he hails from the great state of Florida. Jeff Trudeau is a name you may know if you follow the WSOP Circuit or local Florida tournament results, and in less than a day, he will be playing on one of the biggest stages in poker at the Rio in Las Vegas.
Trudeau is making the first Shootout he’s ever played count, already guaranteed at least $14,437 for his first World Series of Poker final table in Event #3: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em SHOOTOUT. The final ten will play it out for the bracelet under the lights in the Amazon Room and the action will be livestreamed with a delay on PokerGO.
Trudeau will be joined with some greats including two former WSOP Main Event winners in Joe McKeehen and Joe Cada, and will be playing for a top prize of $226,218. He admitted he’ll probably be a little nervous on the big stage, but he’s up for the challenge.
“I’ll just try to play my best,” Trudeau said after being the first to advance to the final table. “Hopefully the cards go my way.”
Finding the Heat
The 24-year-old from Orlando is a rising star on the Circuit, and he’s been having a good year. He won three rings in a two-month span between November and January, also landing Casino Champion at the November Choctaw stop to earn himself a seat in the Global Casino Championship in August.
After a breakout 2017 that saw him rack up $394,000 in cashes and already in the six-figures in earnings this year, Trudeau plans to play a full WSOP schedule and has already made his first final table of the series.
To get there, he had to win two tables and it helped that he’s been running pretty good and catching hands. He felt his Day 1 table was a bit tougher as he had fellow Florida pro and recent WPT Tournament of Champions winner Matt Waxman to his direct left. Trudeau was able to persevere, though, and defeat Waxman heads-up – “with lots of good cards.”
Wsop $3,000 shootout today. LFG let’s find the heat early this series!! pic.twitter.com/lo4l4bhCEM
— jeff trudeau (@Jeff_Trudeau) May 31, 2018
Here on Day 2, he got through Boris Kolev, Brandon Meyers, John Reading and Mao Qui. Showcasing some of that rungood he mentioned, in the final hand he played today against Qui, Trudeau was up against a full house, fives full of nines, holding pocket tens on 9♣5♣A♥5♠. He found one of his two outs in the deck with the 10♠ on the river and got the rest of the chips to secure his first WSOP final table appearance.
Already guaranteed to best his highest WSOP summer cash from last year, a top four finish would give Trudeau his best cash ever. Before the event kicked off on Thursday, Trudeau said on Twitter, "Let's find the heat early this series!" so we'll see if he can keep the heat going on Saturday.
You can follow the action has Trudeau takes on some giants live on PokerGO with coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. Pacific, and follow the live updates here.
