Look Out - Elliot Smith

Elliot Smith has been a familiar face on the tournament trail ever since he started to venture out of British Columbia to play international poker events, beginning with the 2008 World Series of Poker. The 23-year-old pro cashed three times during his rookie summer at the Series in various hold’em events, for a total of $59,447.

That represented a 320 percent increase over his previous tournament winnings. Smith began his poker career playing limit hold’em, and then graduated to no-limit hold’em when the casinos in the Vancouver area began to offer more no-limit games.
He moved on from the 2008 WSOP to start 2009 on a very strong note. In the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $10,000 no-limit hold’em main event, he finished 53rd, for $27,500, out of a field of 1,347 players. After that cash, Smith was off to Australia, and he found more success down under.

He made his first final table in the Aussie Millions $10,000 no-limit hold’em main event, and eventually finished in third place. He took home $461,437 in prize money, which is the biggest win of his career. “It gave me a lot of confidence heading into year two,” said Smith. “I was able to start confidently in tournaments and make some riskier plays that gave me a big stack heading into the later stages of tournaments.”
He said, “It has been off and on for a few years now. After the Aussie Millions last year, I picked it up a bit. I went to a few more tournaments in Europe than I would have, and the main thing was the confidence it gave me at the tables.” Smith’s most recent cash was another score in the Aussie Millions main event, this past January, when he finished 23rd, for $44,820.

One lesson that he quickly learned while traveling was that friends and colleagues are an invaluable resource on the road, especially those friends who have short memories when it comes to the felt. “A lot of friends sit down at a table and are afraid to play each other, because they don’t want to ruin their relationship. If you’re friends, you can talk about it afterward, and just play 100 percent at the time. If you bluff someone, it’s just poker, and you shouldn’t worry about it. You show respect when you’re not at the table, but when you’re at the table, everyone is the same,” said Smith. “You also need to talk to people who have been doing it longer than you have, so that you can learn from their experience.”

When he’s not playing poker, the young professional pursues some athletic hobbies that are suited to his tall frame. He plays in multiple recreational basketball leagues, and also enjoys swimming (he swam competitively in high school).

Smith doesn’t know how long he will continue to play poker. He is still seeking his first major-tournament title, but he has racked up $727,035 in tournament winnings so far. “As long as I’m enjoying myself, I will keep playing. Poker is meant to be fun. As soon as you’re not having fun, you should do something else,” said Smith. As long as he continues enjoying himself, expect to see him at another final table in a major event very soon. ♠