Streamer Spotlight: Thirst Lounger Jon Pardy Tackles Twitch, Goes Vegan for $12K
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Thirst Lounge host Jon Pardy is in good company of poker players with a history in participating on reality TV shows, and fellow Big Brother Canada Season 2 contestant Arlie Shaban was the catalyst that got him into poker.
"[Arlie Shaban] really opened the door/my eyes into the poker world," Pardy told PokerNews. "He ignited my passion for the game, and made me fall in love with the Twitch game and community."
Poker Rollercoaster
His poker career to date hasn't all been smooth sailing. After joining the Thirst Lounge team in the British Virgin Islands in February, Pardy has felt the emotional rollercoaster that many players experience during the course of their careers.
Pardy went from playing live poker casually to taking online poker seriously, currently on a stake thanks to Bill Perkins and the Thirst Lounge project. Although he is still grinding his way towards booking a profit for Perkins, Pardy has been working on his mental game and cashed twice in Las Vegas during the summer grind.
"You can go from a top fifty stack to out, just like that."
The reality TV star collected CAD$100,000 in cold hard cash after winning Big Brother Canada Season 2 in 2014, along with a $25,000 voucher towards furniture at The Brick and a $10,000 vacation. In that same season, he caught the poker bug from Shaban, and his poker journey was under way.
Apart from Shaban, some of Pardy's other Twitch poker inspirations include the likes of Jason Somerville, Jeff Gross, Jaime Staples and Matthew Staples.
"And live guys like Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth. I love entertainers and lively ambassadors!"
The Struggle is Real
"Poker is good when it's going good, but bad when it's going bad," Pardy told PokerNews. With the goal of producing more poker content, the ThirstLounge put out a series of YouTube videos showing some raw footage of the ups and downs experienced by the team. In particular, Pardy seemed to be one of the members that went through a wide range of highs and lows.
Pardy found himself entering and busting tournaments online at a rapid pace, going from sitting on a top stack to facing elimination after enduring a bad beat. He went from running around the living room in excitement, to literally falling to his knees in agony after getting eliminated in a huge spot online — all in one day.
"[Arlie Shaban] ignited my passion for the game, and made me fall in love with the Twitch game and community."
"To be honest, I'm a very emotional guy. And poker is the most emotional f***ing, whatever you call this game - sport thing of all time. You can go from a top fifty stack to out, just like that," explained Pardy. "It's just devastating, because you work and you play so well, and you feel like there's nothing else you could have done."
Now that Pardy has felt some of the emotions that come with playing poker more seriously, he offers some tips on how to ease some of the frustration: "My advice to people who decide to do this for a living is put in the work, but make sure you have something outside of poker to occupy time."
Working with Elliot Roe
Some of the most successful poker players out there often emphasize the importance of dedication to the game, and the lows make Pardy doubt himself with regards to pursuing poker for a living.
"I don't know if I want the poker dream," Pardy told PokerNews. "I don't know if I have it in me to be that hardcore grinder."
"Since the session [with Elliot Roe] I’m far more calm, focused, motivated and overall just in such a better headspace."
This is part of the mental struggle that many players deal with on a regular basis. Whether it's busting a tournament or going on a downswing in cash games, it happens to everyone at some point. How one deals with these battles is generally what makes or breaks a poker career, and Pardy admitted he needed to work on that aspect of his game.
He had the good fortune of working with mindset and performance coach Elliot Roe to try and tap into the frustration that he has been dealing with. "He's definitely cleared a path for me and shown me a path to be successful."
EASILY is right!!! Can’t speak highly enough of @ElliotRoe1 and the resources/content/work/results he produces! If… https://t.co/jf8FP0LxBp
— Jon W. Pardy (@Jon_Pardy)
"Elliot Roe is a game-changer. One of my biggest struggles for me with poker, and maybe life was the mental side," Pardy shared. "He has a way of changing your perspective on things and leading you into the choices necessary to succeed. Since the session I’m far more calm, focused, motivated and overall just in such a better headspace. He has helped not only my poker game tremendously, but my life also! I can’t speak highly enough of the man and his content."
Since meeting with Roe, Pardy has booked his biggest live career cash worth $3,214 after finishing in 10th place at The Golden Nugget during their 2019 Grand Poker Series. He has since gone back to the Thirst Lounge home in the British Virgin Islands to continue his journey.
Going Vegan for $12K
A recent prop bet made with Bill Perkins has Pardy not only changing up his mindset, but also his diet and lifestyle.
The terms of the bet have Pardy putting up $12,000 to win $12,000, and all the renowned meat-eater needs to do to win is go vegan for six months. Can Pardy avoid the carnivorous lifestyle and get an extra bankroll boost? You can watch his weekly YouTube vlog updates to find out, and learn more about the bet in the following video.
To see how Jon Pardy is progressing, visit him on Twitch via his personal stream as well as the Thirst Lounge channel. He can also be found on Twitter @Jon_Pardy.
