Poker Player Interviews
Tracy Mims
Tracy Mims was an amateur who played in the 2005 WSOP. He managed to qualify for the event through a satellite on Ultimate Bet.PROFILE
Name? Tracy Mims
Where are you from? Warner Robins, GA.
Age? 42
What do you do for work? As little as possible.
POKER PROFILE
How long have you been playing poker? I've been playing poker since I was about 12 years old.(good ole dad)
Do you prefer playing online or brick & mortar? And why? I haven't played cards in a casino but a few times, but I play all the time online...but if I had a choice it would be face to face. To me online play is not quite as serious as face to face; too many times I see people go all in every hand until somebody rakes them under the table. Doesn't happen as much when you're looking at the face of your opponent.
What is your favorite poker site? Ultimate Bet.
How many hours a week do you play? I try to get in at least 10 to 12 hours a week, sometimes less, sometimes more.
Where did you learn how to play? My father is a player, and I have played almost every game there is with him since I was a kid.
What is your favorite game? Definitely NL Holdem.
Who is your favorite poker player? Doyle Brunson.
Do you play poker mainly for the money, entertainment, or for the challenge? I love the fun of the game, but if it weren't for the money I probably wouldn't play.
TOURNAMENT
What expectations did you have before the tourney? Did you do any special preparations? Not many - I really didn't expect to do all that well, my first time and all. I lasted 14 hours before I was knocked out. I went all in with my short stack and a pair of aces only to get beat by a pair of deuces and another deuce on the river. The only preparations I did was to study up on the game for a few days before the tourney.
Were you nervous playing against the WSOP competition? I was more nervous than I have ever been in my life...lol, plus I forgot my reading glasses and couldn't see a damn thing....lol
Did you find the WSOP players harder to read than the usual tourney players you play against? I thought everybody played about the same as I'm used to playing at home. But I was at ONE table and there were hundreds.
Many talk about the 12-hour days at the WSOP - did physical fatigue ever become a factor? Some days were until 2 and 3am and we started at 11:00am, so yes, I was very tired, plus I've had several back surgeries and it was very hard to sit that long.
Did you find the WSOP players harder to read than the usual tourney players you play against? Not at all, Jimmy Kimmel's cousin was at my table and so were the TV cameras, and Jimmy Kimmel standing there messing with everybody. So everybody was kinda playing conservatively, because nobody wanted to screw up on national television.lol
Did you meet, talk to, or get any advice from any of the pros? I didn't actually try to meet anybody, but I did see most of the pros there. I saw Doyle Brunson, Jesus Fergusen, Howard Ledderer, Phil Ivey, several movie stars like James Woods...it was just awesome to get to sit at a table next to most of these guys.
Based on your experience, do you plan on playing in the WSOP in future years? Most definitely, if I ever get lucky enough to go back, I plan on making sure I've got my glasses, first of all, and then trying to relax more, I only had to last 4 more hours and I would have won $12,500 ...but I didn't.
Name? Tracy Mims
Where are you from? Warner Robins, GA.
Age? 42
What do you do for work? As little as possible.
How long have you been playing poker? I've been playing poker since I was about 12 years old.(good ole dad)
Do you prefer playing online or brick & mortar? And why? I haven't played cards in a casino but a few times, but I play all the time online...but if I had a choice it would be face to face. To me online play is not quite as serious as face to face; too many times I see people go all in every hand until somebody rakes them under the table. Doesn't happen as much when you're looking at the face of your opponent.
What is your favorite poker site? Ultimate Bet.
How many hours a week do you play? I try to get in at least 10 to 12 hours a week, sometimes less, sometimes more.
Where did you learn how to play? My father is a player, and I have played almost every game there is with him since I was a kid.
What is your favorite game? Definitely NL Holdem.
Who is your favorite poker player? Doyle Brunson.
Do you play poker mainly for the money, entertainment, or for the challenge? I love the fun of the game, but if it weren't for the money I probably wouldn't play.
TOURNAMENT
What expectations did you have before the tourney? Did you do any special preparations? Not many - I really didn't expect to do all that well, my first time and all. I lasted 14 hours before I was knocked out. I went all in with my short stack and a pair of aces only to get beat by a pair of deuces and another deuce on the river. The only preparations I did was to study up on the game for a few days before the tourney.
Were you nervous playing against the WSOP competition? I was more nervous than I have ever been in my life...lol, plus I forgot my reading glasses and couldn't see a damn thing....lol
Did you find the WSOP players harder to read than the usual tourney players you play against? I thought everybody played about the same as I'm used to playing at home. But I was at ONE table and there were hundreds.
Many talk about the 12-hour days at the WSOP - did physical fatigue ever become a factor? Some days were until 2 and 3am and we started at 11:00am, so yes, I was very tired, plus I've had several back surgeries and it was very hard to sit that long.
Did you find the WSOP players harder to read than the usual tourney players you play against? Not at all, Jimmy Kimmel's cousin was at my table and so were the TV cameras, and Jimmy Kimmel standing there messing with everybody. So everybody was kinda playing conservatively, because nobody wanted to screw up on national television.lol
Did you meet, talk to, or get any advice from any of the pros? I didn't actually try to meet anybody, but I did see most of the pros there. I saw Doyle Brunson, Jesus Fergusen, Howard Ledderer, Phil Ivey, several movie stars like James Woods...it was just awesome to get to sit at a table next to most of these guys.
Based on your experience, do you plan on playing in the WSOP in future years? Most definitely, if I ever get lucky enough to go back, I plan on making sure I've got my glasses, first of all, and then trying to relax more, I only had to last 4 more hours and I would have won $12,500 ...but I didn't.
What expectations did you have before the tourney? Did you do any special preparations? Not many - I really didn't expect to do all that well, my first time and all. I lasted 14 hours before I was knocked out. I went all in with my short stack and a pair of aces only to get beat by a pair of deuces and another deuce on the river. The only preparations I did was to study up on the game for a few days before the tourney.
Were you nervous playing against the WSOP competition? I was more nervous than I have ever been in my life...lol, plus I forgot my reading glasses and couldn't see a damn thing....lol
Did you find the WSOP players harder to read than the usual tourney players you play against? I thought everybody played about the same as I'm used to playing at home. But I was at ONE table and there were hundreds.
Many talk about the 12-hour days at the WSOP - did physical fatigue ever become a factor? Some days were until 2 and 3am and we started at 11:00am, so yes, I was very tired, plus I've had several back surgeries and it was very hard to sit that long.
Did you find the WSOP players harder to read than the usual tourney players you play against? Not at all, Jimmy Kimmel's cousin was at my table and so were the TV cameras, and Jimmy Kimmel standing there messing with everybody. So everybody was kinda playing conservatively, because nobody wanted to screw up on national television.lol
Did you meet, talk to, or get any advice from any of the pros? I didn't actually try to meet anybody, but I did see most of the pros there. I saw Doyle Brunson, Jesus Fergusen, Howard Ledderer, Phil Ivey, several movie stars like James Woods...it was just awesome to get to sit at a table next to most of these guys.
Based on your experience, do you plan on playing in the WSOP in future years? Most definitely, if I ever get lucky enough to go back, I plan on making sure I've got my glasses, first of all, and then trying to relax more, I only had to last 4 more hours and I would have won $12,500 ...but I didn't.
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