I am Jason Mercier, Team Pokerstars Pro, AMA!

Jason, its your favorite retired poker dealer. Remember that one time at the Palms afterparty when those girls came up to us and were like " hey can we get a picture with you?" And I reached out to take their camera and they were like "no with YOU" and you took the picture of them with me. I still have no idea who they thought I was, but that was hilarious.

My question: what city/tournament has the most fun nightlife?

Also: what is your favorite Quiznos sandwich these days?

I remember lol

Probably Barcelona!

Chicken carbanara

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

Hi Jason, thanks for doing this AMA. Your fearlessness and sharp mind are qualities that I've enjoyed watching. I have two questions:

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?

2) What is the best advice that you can give about succeeding in large field tournaments that helped you 'turn the corner' and start to see great results?

Thanks man! Best of luck in your future endeavours.

1. 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.

2. Watch everything happening around you. Make adjustments.

Do you think that online poker will come back to the States entirely?

eventually yes... I hope

Jason how do i win flips?

focus really hard, I mean really really really hard lol

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 $

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 :)

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 biggest cash pot you have won?

660k

Just one question Jason. When will it end?

edit- Im guessing the people down voting dont follow Jason on twitter.

never

Hi, Jason, big fan here

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.

How much of a financial hit did you take with your bracelet bets this past WSOP?

6 figures. don't want to say

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.

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

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.

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if they are a good player than yes, but I can't imagine why a good player would only have 2k

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

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

Hi Jason!

What's the best comp you've ever received from a casino?

Thanks and GL!

Lotta buffet tickets :)

honestly, I can't recall the best

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 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

Hi, Jason! I've always been a fan of your seemingly relaxed demeanor both at and away from the table.

What player do you respect the most?

Is there a moment in your career that stands out as the biggest poker mistake you've ever made?

Thanks!

I have a lot of respect for Daniel Negreanu, he's consistently winning on the tour for so long, and is a great ambassador for the game.

I can't think of a huge mistake that I regret, I try to focus on the positive aspects of my career!

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

How many hours did you dedicate to poker when you started?

my life

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.

What tilts you the most?

traffic

Can you share some pics/vids of your boat?

What are your thoughts on Phil Helmuth?

Follow me on Instagram for boat pics : realJasonMercier

Phil Hellmuth is a great guy

Is your last name pronounced Mer-Sear or Mercy-A? Every commentator says it differently.

Mer See Ur

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

Will the Knicks make the playoffs?

nope

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

Has there been any professional poker player that you just have not been able to read? Who has been the most difficult?

Do you feel your perception ability extends past poker?

Thanks

There are a lot of pros that are difficult or unable to read.

My perception ability definitely flows over into all aspects of life.

Do you watch hockey? If so whose your favorite team?

nope

What are the perks of being a pokerstars pro?

I get my face as my avatar :)

If you could give one tip to people aspiring to emulate your poker success, what would it be?

win lots...

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.

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 :)

Hi jason, i remember reading a blog post you posted a while back about you're all or nothing lifestyle and wanting to take a break from poker for two months or so before the PCA, how did you feel this affected your game when you went to play in the PCA events? Have you been able to make more balance in your lifestyle? sorry if this is already in a blog post somewhere, thanks for doing this AMA!

EDIT words

It was refreshing coming back to poker after 2 months off, balance is an ongoing struggle for me and something that can never be perfected. Consistently working on it is something I plan on doing for the rest of my life. Exercise, diet, and sleep :)

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

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.

Hi Jason,

Who is the player you least enjoy playing against purely from a personality/body odour/all-round douchebag point of view?

I don't exactly call out my enemies on public forums

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 :)

Hi Jason, In your opinion, is Ole Schemion or Vanessa Selbst a more formidable opponent?

They are both very tough and very good

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?

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

Are you planning on playing any Irish events this year? Irish open, IPO?

no, never been to Ireland either ;/

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.

Who's your inspiration?

my dad

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businessmen keep 100%

poker players sell action... just depends on the player

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.