| What has been the luckiest moment in your career? Thanks! | With 90 players left in EPT San Remo in 2008, I got JJ in against Roland De Wolfe's QQ... on a T 7 3 flop. I hit a jack on the river and went on to win the tournament for 1.4 million $ |
| 1) How long were you playing poker before you decided: "I'm going to do this for a living"? What would you consider the turning point (in terms of poker ability, a significant cash, etc) that pushed you toward doing this professionally? | I was playing for about 2 and a half years while going to school and working part time jobs, before I realized I was going to make a living solely from poker. The turning point was when I decided to go for supernova elite on Pokerstars in 2007. |
| What portion of the cash that you play with is actually yours? | It's almost always all mine. I sell action to the 100k+ tournaments thought. |
| Why do you mostly play tournaments instead of cash? Isn't the variance terrible? | I play both, you just don't hear about the cash games all the time. The variance is insane for both. |
| What is the worst bad beat of your career? | KK into Antonio's AA with 19 left in the One Drop where first place was 18 million dollars. I was third in chips he was second. #showers. |
| Jason how do i win flips? | Focus really hard, I mean really really really hard lol. |
| Are there any well-known poker pros out there who have obvious tells they aren't aware of? | Yes, and I'm not going to name names obv :) |
| Do you think that online poker will come back to the States entirely? | Eventually yes... I hope. |
| Is there a moment in your career that stands out as the biggest poker mistake you've ever made? | I can't think of a huge mistake that I regret, I try to focus on the positive aspects of my career! |
| Hey Jason, do you think it would be possible for a live grinder to grind in today's games with 2k starting at 1/2$ to like 75k in a year eventually moving up when the bankroll allows it? | If they are a good player than yes, but I can't imagine why a good player would only have 2k |
| When Vanessa Selbst did an AMA, she went into some detail on a hand she played on High Stakes where she stacked off to an amateur's set with her queens, her point being that the hand was one that she looked back on and cringed about, knowing that it was broadcast on tv. So, is there any tv hand (ept, big game, high stakes) that you feel that you truly misplayed and can't bear to look back on? | Actually there's a hand against Justin Bonomo that I played on the big game in which I had AxJd and check shoved the river as a bluff. Makes me cringe a little- although, I'm not sure it was such a bad play :) |
| What would you say the single most important piece of advice you could give poker players just starting to really learn the game? | You can only get better but playing, and through experience. there's only so much studying you can do, you have to play. |
| What's the best comp you've ever received from a casino? | Lotta buffet tickets :) |
| Honestly, I can't recall the best |
| Do you treat poker like a job all the time now or do you still have the occasional beer and pretzel game with your buddies? | I had to stop doing that a long time ago. I spend so much of my time playing poker at the highest level that when I'm not doing so, I want to do something other than poker. |
| So what do you do for fun now with your buddies if not poker? | Boating, eating, sports, beach |
| How many hours did you dedicate to poker when you started? | My life |
| IS LIV SHAVED? HAVE YOU EVER HAD MORE THAN 4% OF YOURSELF IN A SHR? | Do u want me to say yes? because I've obviously had more than 4% of myself |
| Can you share some pics/vids of your boat? What are your thoughts on Phil Helmuth? | Follow me on Instagram for boat pics : realJasonMercier. |
| Hi -I am very curious about what a typical week looks like for a poker pro (in terms of hours)? For example 60 hours spent playing poker, 40 hours spent analyzing, xx spent sleeping, xx recreation. | Depends on the player. I spend weeks playing 0 hours and other weeks playing 100. |
| So, do you play golf ? And if yes, what's your handicap ? And if it's low, are you better then Ivey ? Cheers from iceland. | Only played a few times, I'm awful. |
| When was the definitive moment when you decided you wanted to go Pro and what impact did it have on your life (besides the obvious)and the impact of the life of others around you? | A few months into 2007 I was well on pace to achieving Supernova Elite status on Pokerstars, which meant I would make a nice chunk of money throughout the year. |
| At that point, it didn't impact much, I was playing online basically working a desk job. Once I started travelling a lot for poker though, my life changed dramatically. |
| What do the Dolphins need to do in order to become a contender in the AFC East again? | They started the offseason off pretty right with a few firings! |
| What is the biggest cash pot you have won? | 660k |
| What is the most bat-shit insane play you've ever seen made at a poker table? | Wish I could remember one specific one... I've seen so many lol. |
| What are the perks of being a pokerstars pro? | I get my face as my avatar :) |
| I tend to blush at the drop of a hat..as a pro poker player how do you generally read someone whose face turns red? | Lol ummm if there face is turning red a lot, I probably will be able to tell what kind of hand they have. :P. |
| How much of a financial hit did you take with your bracelet bets this past WSOP? | 6 figures. don't want to say |
| Sweet... big fan, always love watching ept live when u final table. a few questions. | Sorry only 2 questions per person! :) |
| Seems like you were crazy info OFC before, but seems like to don't play as much, or at least not tweet about it? | Took a nice break but ready to get back in the mix. |
| After our brief pineapple session at PCA, Vlad said your ofc bumhunting wouldn't stand in Moscow. Was he referring to himself or me? | Lol I'm not sure bud... I think he meant hit and running. |
| Language barrier. |
| Who is the player you least enjoy playing against purely from a personality/body odouall-round douchebag point of view? | I don't exactly call out my enemies on public forums |
| Is your last name pronounced Mer-Sear or Mercy-A? Every commentator says it differently. | Mer See Ur |
| Is that true that poker players get a lot of ladies? | Depends on the player... |
| If they are a fat slob, then they probably aren't getting a lot of ladies. |
| I do okay |
| Just one question Jason. When will it end? Edit- Im guessing the people down voting dont follow Jason on twitter. | Never. |
| Hello Jason, welcome to reddit! Do you have any thoughts on string cheese as a snack food? | Thanks! Not a fan of string cheese, stopped eating it when I was 11. |
| If you could give one tip to people aspiring to emulate your poker success, what would it be? | Win lots... |
| What tilts you the most? | Traffic |
| Whats your net worth give or take $1m? also what kind of boat do you own? | I don't tell people my net worth. Its a formula something. 35 footer |
| Who are the four people you spend the most time with? | Do u want me to name my friends? |
| Do u know Dirty Dave? |
| Dan Obrien when I'm on the road. |
| Why 4? |
| You can't just drop that you bought a sweet boat and not tell us what you named it. It's corny though, isn't it? :) | It's going to be either "deuces" or "deuce to seven" |
| Has to do something with the price :) |
| Has there been any professional poker player that you just have not been able to read? Who has been the most difficult? | There are a lot of pros that are difficult or unable to read. |
| Do you feel your perception ability extends past poker? | My perception ability definitely flows over into all aspects of life. |
| Who would you rather play between Ike Haxton and Viktor Blom? | I'd rather play Ike. |
| Why Ike? | Viktor is scary :) |
| Were you actually contemplating taking your boat to the PCA? | Yes was considering it, |
| I'm not sure of the logistics of it. Was it just a joke? | Ending up not because of the potential problems and bad weather |
| How did you select your horses? Will you ever recruit more? What cut do you get from their winnings? | I'm strayed away from backing in the last few years. Most players in the past that I backed we did a standard 50/50 with makeup deal. |
| It’s often a misconception that gambling is a sin but according to the bible it’s never said that gambling is a sin rather the lust of money is where we sin. I was curious since the time you posted your blog about your beliefs as a Christian how has that affected the relationships around you and has it changed your approach in live games? also, on my next visit to Miami can I drive your new boat? @heydanpowers. | Gonna pass on the boat driving, no offense. |
| My beliefs as a Christian haven't really affected my relationships or my approach to live games except in that I'm trying to not put in such long sessions anymore playing cash. That is more of a health thing though. |
| Are you planning on playing any Irish events this year? Irish open, IPO? | No, never been to Ireland either ;/ |
| How much money would you personally have to have in order to play $100,000 buy-in tournaments without swapping/selling action? | Many more millions :) |
| Just how much harder has the game gotten from when you first started out to current day? | There are a lot more elite players nowadays. |
| Do you watch hockey? If so whose your favorite team? | Nope |
| Is the no-drinking bet going to actually happen? What's your motivation for proposing it? Glglgl tho. | It might, but it hasn't happened yet. I was not feeling well after a night of drinking... so I fired off on twitter looking for action. |
| Hey Jason, Gonna be making my way down for my first WSOP in vegas this year. Any tips? Is late registration the way to go? | I recommend showing up early, regging the night before to avoid lines, get comfortable and prepare for a long day. Patience. |
| What I'm trying to get at is, as a (amateur) poker player myself, I often find it hard to separate the skill from the variance, and when I win money I wonder if I got lucky and when I lose money I wonder if I just suck. Do you ever doubt your abilities and how do you overcome this doubt? | Doubting your abilities is something that almost every poker player struggles with. It's hard not to during the downswings. Overcoming this is difficult, but a lot of times you just have to play through it. |
| Who's your inspiration? | My dad |
| If you could only choose one horse for a ten man sng for your life, who would you pick? Besides yourself. | For my life??? |
| How do you see yourself in 10 years? still at the top, still playing? | I can't imagine a year from now, much less 10 years. I hope to still be at the top. |
| How hard was it to get there where you are standing now? | I can't put into words how hard it was, it took many many hours and a lot of hard work. |
| I know that you're a big sports fan. How often do you bet on sports? Also, do you do most of it online, with friends, or at a Vegas sports book? | I don't really bet sports much anymore, had to stop after really slamming it for a while. Was doing it mostly with friends. |
| Will the Knicks make the playoffs? | Nope. |
| Hi Jason, In your opinion, is Ole Schemion or Vanessa Selbst a more formidable opponent? | They are both very tough and very good |
| Any plans to relocate long-term and focus on online games again instead of live? If so, how much would another online MTT reg like me have to pay you to cancel those plans?! | Let the bidding begin!! |
| I have no plans as of now to do so, you're safe! :) |
| Online poker is legal in my state now, and I have a $200 bankroll to start with. What would be the best way to grind it out into a decent amount? | What are you good at playing? |
| Tell us how you REALLY feel about the Stars High Stakes Regs Problems twitter account. | Lol who? |
