Generation Next -- Steven Merrifield

Upon graduating with a finance degree from the University of West Virginia, Steven Merrifield wanted to pursue his dream of playing poker professionally, but his mother hated the fact that her son gambled. To please his mom, he turned his back on having his name up in ESPN lights and reluctantly took a job as an insurance salesman in nearby Pittsburgh. The next six months were hell for him, stuck in a dead-end job, dreading a dead-end life.

Then, a much-ballyhooed opening of a West Virginia casino finally materialized. By day he hustled insurance, by night he hustled the locals in a $5-$10 no-limit hold’em game. Life was sweet again. Merrifield’s poker bankroll grew to $15,000, and his spirits soared as he reveled in the game he loved. Then, one day his mother surprised him with a gift that would change his life.

“I believe it to be the turning point in my poker career,” said Merrifield. “In January of 2008, my mom gave me her blessing. If I wanted to quit my job, I could. That’s all it took. I quit, and headed for the World Poker Open in Tunica, Mississippi.”

The cash games in Tunica were not kind to Merrifield. He also took offense to close friend Michael “shipithisway” McNeil’s unsolicited advice to avoid tournaments, because Merrifield’s game was not suited for them. So, of course, he dove into tournament strategy like a pit bull clenching a tasty bone, mainly with the intention of proving McNeil wrong.

His next stop was the WSOP Circuit event at Caesars Indiana. He would storm to the final table of the $4,900 no-limit hold’em event and cash for $40,419, and then would capture second place in the $5,000 main event, for $94,597. The Merrifield freight train would continue its storybook run with a second-place finish in the 2008 World Series of Poker $2,500 no-limit hold’em event, where he pocketed a career high $428,949.

Merrifield’s mother still may not approve 100 percent of her son’s poker ambitions, but she knew that it was best to let him find his own way — win or lose. That inspiration has motivated the soft-spoken West Virginian to realize his dream, and possibly a televised final-table appearance and coveted gold bracelet during the upcoming World Series of Poker.

Craig Tapscott: So, why didn’t you ever tackle poker online during your time at that job in Pittsburgh?

Steven Merrifield: I did, but I never had the discipline to play tight in the online cash games, and just blew my money.

CT: The story of your second-place finish at Caesars Indiana is a great one.

SM: Yeah. I had a bad trip in the cash games and was down to my last $500. I final-tabled a prelim event for $7,600 and was about even for the trip, but my friend wanted to stay and play more cash games. I took my $7,600 to a big cash game and lost almost all of my money to this businessman who was running like God. But he was a really nice guy. He said that he would buy 50 percent of my action in the $5,000 main event the next day. His name was R.J. Lewis from Seattle, Washington. I skipped the first two levels to go take a nap, as I was hung over from a long night in the cash games. After my finish in that event, I shipped my backer his share.

CT: This year, you’re off the charts online: a first place for $140,436 in the Full Tilt Poker $750,000-guaranteed event, then you chopped the $2,300 event No. 17 of the PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker for $254,000, and then you took fifth in the $10,300 main event for $281,000. What changed in your online game to elicit these mind-boggling results?

SM: Granted, I’m very aggressive, but I also think my game is more adaptable than that of a lot of players. I believe I really manage my table image well, as learned from my live-poker background. But I also know the aggressive mindset of online players. I think I mix them both well. I can also jump into that hyperaggressive late-game gear that it takes to be a world-class tournament player.

CT: List three key things that low-stakes tourney players need to know to move up.

SM: One: Sooner or later, you have to play back at the bullies at the table. You have to put them to a decision for a good portion of their chips or they will keep hammering on you. Two: Against a player who’s raising and has been tight, don’t shove light if you don’t have fold equity, because players will call a lot lighter on the Internet if they’re getting any kind of price. Three: Profile your opponents and track their tendencies, and then adapt and play accordingly.

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