With a Little Help From My Friends

Annette Obrestad. John Juanda. Barry Shulman. All well-known international poker stars with one important thing in common — the World Series of Poker Europe main-event title. The most recent name added to that list was James Bord. Who? That’s what many of you asked as you watched the young, jovial Brit celebrate his first bracelet. However, Bord isn’t new to the scene. He has just always remained behind the scenes, known only by the younger British poker generation and high stakes circles in Vegas. That was until he won one of the most prestigious events of the poker world and just over £830,000.
Chilling with poker friends in Cape Town, South Africa, Bord told Card Player everything was “same old, same old” since his big win. “So things haven’t gotten a little crazy?” I ask. “What about the money — has that not changed things for you?” Taking everything in his stride, Bord plainly states, “I had good friends in and out of poker before, nothing changes there, and we just carry on I suppose… In terms of the money it’s a nice additional bonus.”
I probe further, not knowing too much about the champion or his background, thinking surely this has to be a massive deal to anyone in their 20s. “My lifestyle hasn’t changed,” he assures me. “It’s just kind of cool to win the main event.” Bord is quick to respond though when I ask him what the best thing about winning it was. “All the boys were there; all my poker mates, all my non-poker mates, just all of them. It was ridiculous really,” he says.
Best Things in Life are Free
The 29-year-old comes across as easy going and quite laid back but when his friends are mentioned, he becomes animated. One thing that stands out about Bord is he is clearly someone who would never forget where he came from, and who stood by him along the way. This fact wasn’t difficult to see during the heads up of the main event when people of all nationalities pushed their way closer to him, trying (drunkenly in many cases) to support their British friend who was about to hit the big time.
When the final hand came, it felt like the room was going to explode as Bord’s friends and poker mates pushed through the barrier to share in his celebration. A watery-eyed champion spoke to the cameras after his win, made sure all his supporters were in his final photographs, and refused to pose solo in front of his winnings. Standing there in tracksuit bottoms, a t-shirt, and a baseball cap, it was clearly not about the glitz and glam, the hype, or the fame for the local hero, but about achieving something wonderful in a game he worked hard at and adored, surrounded by those who celebrated him whether he won or lost.
Fortunately for Bord it was the former, but it wasn’t easy getting there. When asked who his toughest competitor was, he says, “Ronald Lee. He is a very strong player, very intelligent, with no fear. He makes good decisions… an all round tough opponent.” “And what about your final opponent Fabrizio Baldassari?” I ask. “He’s a very nice guy,” says Bord. “Very LAG [loose aggressive], likes to play post-flop. I’d rather have played him heads up than Ronald, but he’s still a very solid player himself.”
Tell Tales
But could Bord read Baldassari? And did he feel like he knew his final opponent’s game? “He kept telling me he had a tell on me and everything I did was the same every time, except maybe the way I counted my chips or put them in the pot, that I maybe varied that slightly, which I’ll try and improve on in future,” says Bord. “So when it was heads up I just started doing things very randomly, and I really believe that’s why he shipped on me with Q-8.”
“So do you think he was right about this tell then, and letting you know this actually may have helped you to win?” I can’t help but ask. “I have no idea,” he says. But then adds, “I’m not like a live tourney shark or anything so I am sure I’m not as methodical as other players, but telling me is always nice, to have that info… a little bit of game theory never hurt anyone.” If Bord isn’t a “live tourney shark” then what does he think he is? Simply put, Bord responds, “Just a cash player who took a shot.”
Chasing Bracelets
Any player whose first major tournament win is a World Series main event might feel that they never have to worry about impressing their peers or proving themselves ever again. On the contrary, he/she might feel like they have to spend the rest of their life trying to prove it wasn’t a one-off. Bord has a refreshingly down-to-earth attitude; he recognises the game standard is always improving, therefore there is always a new challenge; but also appreciates the fact he doesn’t have to chase a bracelet now.
The poker community would usually now expect to see Bord in every event, on every tour, and in all the televised games. However, Bord does not plan on going down that road. He is happy returning to his usual schedule and routine. In saying that, it is also clear Bord now has the bracelet bug. “To me the bracelets still mean something and I’m happy to have one especially in a bigger event,” he says. “I’ll definitely dedicate more time at the Series each year to tourneys now. There are a couple of Brits with two bracelets — Praz [Bansi] and JP [Kelly] — I want to join the race! The mixed games this summer… I’ m going to play every competition to give myself a shot.”
Speaking of mixed games, Bord may be a no-limit hold’em champion but that is not his main game. For the last four or five years, Bord has mostly focused on playing mixed cash games. “I prefer playing more games; more action… I like action,” he says. “I hardly ever play hold’em cash. Rush Poker is pretty cool though.” “And what about the stakes?” I ask. “Depends,” he casually replies. “I won’t play in games I think I’m a big dog in, so it really depends on the line-up.
“Online, I play usually $50-$100 7-game, now 10-game (thanks Full Tilt!) up to $250-$500. I will play higher but not regularly. It’s got to be worth it. But live, I’ll play a little higher as I think games are weaker. So in the summer I’ll be normally playing $300-$600 mixed games in Ivey’s but sometimes it will be $400-$800. I didn’t play when the game was higher last year and will probably be the same this year. I never want to play out of my comfort zone.”
But was Bord playing these stakes before his recent wins? “Yes, I’ve been playing medium and medium-high stakes for quite a while now,” he says. “Again I very rarely play higher than $400-$800 and have only played say 100 hands in my lifetime above that.”
As Bord climbed the stakes, he managed to remain under the radar, but how did he build his bankroll to be able to afford these stakes? “I played some good games in north London at the River Card Club, my local, they used to have a £5-£5 there. I went to Cape Town on and off for a few years a while back and grinded on the South African sites, which were pretty good action, plus I played in some really good games out here. So, a lot of hands later, some nice upswings, and a bit of luck,” he says.
Rocky Beginnings
Before the poker world heard his name, and before his days of grinding in South Africa, Bord was a 20-year-old student who entered a tournament in his local casino and finished third. From there, he deposited online, and despite some time spent working in the city, he found himself constantly drawn back to the world of poker. But poker wasn’t his sole passion at the time. “I was a pro gambler from then on,” he says. “I always said I would go back and do some kind of professional job before I accepted that I was always going to do better in gambling than anywhere else. It suits my personality. I haven’t seen 9 a.m. for a very long time.”
In poker, and indeed in professional gambling, things often seem too good to be true, and there is, more often than not, a lot of heartbreak before success. “When I was young, I went broke at 23 actually,” Bord reveals. “I was gambling too high and had no discipline. The effects hurt me. I had done OK and had no idea how to manage my money or have any form of discipline. I’d put it all on the line in good situations. I just wasn’t ready to be a professional. Anyway, let’s say it caused me a fair amount of pain and aggravation and I lost my freedom whilst I went back to grinding $100 no-limit. I had to start again.
Back then it was a combination of sports and poker that hurt me. I had no idea about bankroll management. My bankroll was whatever I had to my name that day, especially if I thought the game was good. Poker can be a very cruel game, very cruel…but there are good days,” he adds.
Then how come after all these years, it’s all of a sudden ‘James Bord wins the WSOPE’, ‘James Bord wins the Marrakesh High Roller’, not to forget his Poker Million heat — what’s going on? “We all need a little help from our friends,” says Bord. “Sam Trickett, Martins Adenya, etcetera.” “You put it all down to your friends?” I ask. “I’d say to help me transform my game they added a lot. Obviously I have some poker ability… Or maybe I’m just a run good luck box. I don’t mind either way,” he says.
People may have noticed Bord’s gratitude towards friend and poker pro Sam Trickett during his WSOPE victory. Trickett was always on hand for advice or support, and Bord made sure that everyone knew how grateful he was for that. “We travel together,” Bord explains. “In fact he’s sitting next to me now! I used to play cash, he played competitions.” But were there any magic kernels of advice given? “Ah there wasn’t any one individual thing. It was over a year of sweating him in tourneys, learning, asking questions, and watching some of the other boys as well,” he says.
I persevere. What is it that Bord thinks he is doing differently in tournaments than before? “I suppose taking more time over decisions and not taking off without a parachute as much as I used to,” he replies.
Bord Takes On the Big Guns
After winning the WSOP Europe main event, the Brit went to Marrakesh to play the 2010 Poker Cup $50,000 no-limit hold’em event where he beat a small but highly-respected field of pros for the first place prize of $247,000. He says, “There was Tom Dwan, David Benyamine, Robert Mizrachi, “Lagerborg”, Antony Lellouche, a couple of other solid players, and three high roller “donk-ish” type players. Antony is very, very good. It was good fun. It’s never a walk in the park, everyone wants to win, but in the heads up versus Robert Mizrachi, I played very, very, very well. That’s the best I’ve played in a while. Obviously he didn’t wake up with a hand etcetera, so I ran good, but I put in some pretty good four and five bets there, plus some pretty decent flop play. I was very happy with my performance heads up.”
What about the Poker Million (he went on to finish third in the final) was that a different kind of experience for our new champion? “Yeah of course,” he says. “It was a sit ‘n’ go. But I feel like I’m going to be better in that format than a multi-table tournament. I’ve played a fair amount of SNGs in my time. I also knocked out Tom Dwan with a runner-runner flush, even though he was short — it’s nice to be able to remind myself of this. I’m always going to come to play. I don’t care who’s in the game — it’s only a tourney, you can only lose the chips in front of you, and there’s nothing wrong with a little bit of creativity here and there. I know some of the players from cash games. They’re definitely more fun than an MTT because they’re short, and action is non-stop when the blinds go up.”
In reference to Dwan, Bord says, “Tom is a good guy. We’ve been friends since California, we played some deuce-to-seven together. That was a very exciting game the first time we played. I think he’s good for poker.” But what about his game? “He’s far more solid than I thought he was,” says Bord. “But again he’s a far better pot-limit Omaha and no-limit player than me and I wouldn’t even bother commenting on his game because I really don’t think about those games on that level… He obviously can play a little bit,” he says laughing.
Now and Next
Back to the present, and when not traveling, Bord spends a good bit of time at his house in Vegas. So, what would a typical Vegas week in the life of James Bord consist of, if there weren’t any major tournaments on? “Four days I’ll play at Ivey’s room, sometimes three days, and then the rest of the time a bit of golf (but I’m rubbish), relaxing, going to concerts etcetera.. I have a lot of friends out there now so I suppose just normal living,” he says, and then adds, “As normal as can be.”
“My favourite thing in the world is to wake up, put the basketball on in my office at my house, load up Full Tilt, watch the games and play a bit. Sunday NFL being the best day of the week. That won’t change much.”
What should we expect now then from the Full Tilt pro? Bord says, “I wanted the bracelet. Thank God that is not at the back of mind any more. I’m involved in some businesses now, and maybe just general progression — I’ll carry on playing in the same cash games, nothing will change there. I’ll play more bracelet events for sure, and enjoy life I suppose. I’m getting old, 30 this year, so sick!”
Although 30 sounds old when you’re surrounded in the industry by Internet wizards still living at home with their parents, Bord has a long career ahead of him and a bankroll to make it interesting. “The rest of the year I’ll stick to cash,” he says. “I just wouldn’t want to put myself through the mental strain and hours of play in tourneys apart from that. So in between I’ll stick to cash and hopefully as many of those fun TV SNGs as I have the time to play. I have some business investments now such as The Poker Farm. It’s a cool project, originally set up to train poker players in the third world and provide a skill set and job to people who need it.
“Since then we’ve trained (and backed) about 300 players online. I’m not involved day to day, but it’s a cool community of poker players, all from different places, and I’m happy to be part of it.” Bord’s humble attitude and his compassion for his friends is evident once again when he adds, “The first Farm bracelet should have been Sam Trickett’s.” “Why do you say that?” I ask. “He was deep a lot of times in the summer; so, so close,” he says. “And there where others — Jarred Solomon, Joel Ettedgi, basically I think seven members of the Farm made final tables in the summer at the WSOP, and in the end I was the first one with a bracelet.”
Just Another Poker Player?
When discussing recognition and credit where it’s due, Bord speaks openly about the kind of player he believes should get respect. “I think sometimes the wrong players get promoted, bad ambassadors for the game or people that aren’t really what it says on the packet. Poker makes people into idols or whatever. There are lots of good players who work hard at their game, manage their life well, and don’t get any recognition and there are plenty of players who have all the recognition but can’t put food on the table, and have been built up by the sites but aren’t really the people they’re made out to be.
“Anyway, does that matter? Not really. Even if they have no recognition, those talented, young players I can think of many, like Matt Marafioti — I’d rather have his life than some recognised pro that really should not even be playing the game of poker and once got lucky with A-K in a tourney.”
Bord is what he is, and doesn’t pretend or wish to be anything else. He has just the right attitude to keep his feet on the ground, and hopefully his bank balance in the black. To sum him up, when asked how he would describe himself, he simply replied, “Just another poker player with a dream.” ♠