Mr. Heads-Up: John Smith Looking for Bracelet After Deep Runs
He’s back. The high-stakes, heads-up, tour de force that is John Smith is ready to take a seat in the $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship – and this time looking to bring home a bracelet.
Many poker fans may remember Smith’s runs through the event over the last few years. In 2014, he made it to the round of 16 for $26,584. In 2016, he finished runner-up for $198,192. Then last summer, Smith finished runner-up again for $208,154. Beyond that, the 71-year-old has plenty of nice bullet points on his on his lifetime resumé:
- Purple Heart winner
- Successful businessman
- Self-made achiever
- Grandfather of six (and he’s teaching a few how to play)
The one thing he’s still hoping to add to that list – that coveted championship gold bracelet.
Poker Life
A native of the Los Angeles area, Smith has been playing poker for more than 50 years – more than most others in the Amazon room have been alive. In the past, he may have flown under the radar, but now feels players know what to expect and has planned to adjust his game accordingly.
“I gave away all my secrets, so I‘ve got to do my strategy a little different.”
“I've had a lot of people come up to me and they watch my play,” he says. “I gave away all my secrets, so I‘ve got to do my strategy a little different.”
Smith began playing in his garage with friends when he was 18, and he’s continued to play throughout his life. Back in his hometown of La Habra Heights, Calif., he owns an asphalt company and works as a road contractor throughout California.
At the WSOP, Smith favors the bigger buy-in events, $5,000 or $10,000 tournaments. He’s already registered for the Main Event in July, and says friends and family have embraced his poker life.
“They love it,” he says. “They're all excited. They think it's great.”
Adjusting His Game
In a room full of pros and experienced players, Smith may have just as much heads-up play experience as many in the room. He continues to work on his game and says he would be disappointed if he doesn’t at least make Day 2 – meaning he’ll need to win his three matches on Wednesday.
How does he work on his game away from the WSOP? Patience, observation, and planning are key.
"I go to a table and I really take it easy for the first half an hour or so, and I just watch everything," he says. "And then I plan my strategy from watching what I see."
While he hasn’t played much tournament poker lately, he plays cash games regularly with friends and fellow contractors.
“I've been out of the limelight for about six months,” he says. “I just play home cash games and things like that. I've been out of the limelight and that's where I wanted to stay. I want to think I'm the new kid on the block and let's leave it at that.”
"I want to think I'm the new kid on the block and let's leave it at that."
As the seating draw approached, Smith arrived in the Amazon a little early. Ever the poker player, he quietly railed the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo event. While he may be a force at the tables, Smith becomes a bit anxious.
“I don't get nervous until about a half an hour before the game,” he said. “So I'm starting to get nervous now.”
Grow up poor in a small California town wasn’t easy and after high school Smith joined the U.S. Army. He served from 1964-67, and spent one year in Europe (1965) and two years in Vietnam (1966-67).
In 1967, only a couple months from his tour of duty being over, he was part of a tank crew that veered off a main road across a rice paddy. suddenly a mine exploded and Smith was hit with shrapnel and his eardrum blown out. He was in the hospital for two weeks, but was alive. Everyone else in the tank was dead. He was later awarded the Purple Heart for sustaining an injury in battle.
"I really felt bad because there were soldiers next to me with arms and legs missing and it was really nothing compared to what I was seeing after the explosion," he told PokerNews in 2017 about the explosion. He would learn it was even worse. "Everyone got killed except for me. I was lucky."
Ready for Action
As he was seated in the first round, Smith was wearing his “poker uniform” that those playing in the event have come to expect – a button-up plaid collared, short-sleeved shirt with shorts. He stands out a bit in a room full of hoodies, T-shirts, and sunglasses. He’s added something a little different however, he’s also wearing French sandals.
"Everyone got killed except for me. I was lucky."
“This is what I like to wear when I’m playing,” he says laughing.
Looking back on his matches over the last few years, one win stands out among the others – defeating Antonio Esfandiari last year. He’s not sure the results will be the same if they meet back up a second time.
“He was he was such a gentleman,” Smith says. “I knocked him out and I'll never forget his comment when he said, 'I win one hand, and you win six.' And I didn't know how to respond to that, but that's really the way that was going. I feel great that I beat him, but it'll be tough playing him again. He'll beat me.”
As the event progresses into the afternoon, Smith hopes to continue to play his cards right. After so much success at this event, he’s definitely not afraid to face off with some of the game’s best minds. He plays his own game and brings plenty of aggression.
With so many close calls, what would winning tha bracelet mean to him?
“A lot of pride,” he says simply. “That's the word I would use.”
John Smith's WSOP $10,000 Heads Up Championship Track Record
| Year | Event | Entries | Position | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | WSOP $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Heads-Up Championship | 129 | 2nd | $208,154 |
| 2016 | WSOP $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Heads Up Championship | 153 | 2nd | $198,192 |
The WSOP $10,000 Heads Up Championship is ongoing but John Smith has unfortunately been eliminated in Round 1. Follow the action of the remaining players live in the WSOP PokerNews Live Reporting hub.
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas. His work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions. He is also the host of the True Gambling Stories podcast, available on iTunes, Google Play, TuneIn Radio, Spotify, Stitcher, PokerNews.com, HoldemRadio.com, and TrueGamblingStories.com.
