Online Player of the Year - Eric ‘blizair’ Blair

Eric Blair has been on the online scene for only the last three years, but during that stretch, he has established himself as one of the more consistent tournament professionals in the game.

Since 2008, Blair has earned more than $1.8 million while playing under the name “blizair.” In 2010, he finished 66th in the Online Player of the Year (OPOY) race, and had his best year to date, banking more than $500,000. This year, he already has turned heads with eight final tables and three wins, including a $93,000 score for taking down the PokerStars Sunday 500, one of the toughest online events each week.

In this interview, Blair discusses how he got his start and how living with some of the best poker minds in the world has helped his game.

Julio Rodriguez: Before you found poker, what did you want to do with your life?

Eric Blair: I had aspirations of becoming a professional golfer, but that just didn’t work out. At my best, I was down to about a 2 handicap, but that doesn’t cut it at the highest levels. I briefly considered playing in college, but I kind of just fell into poker, and that took over. Once it became clear that I had no professional future in golf, I put everything I had into poker to try to make that work for me.

JR: Who introduced you to poker?

EB: I was introduced to poker by my friend Alex “ags104” Santiago. He was doing well, and I wanted in, so he kind of showed me the ropes early on. I started out with a $50 deposit and ran it up to about $2,000 before losing it all. It wasn’t until I put a few hundred on UltimateBet that I started seeing success. I played some small-stakes no-limit hold’em cash games, and was able to run that up to around $50,000. After I realized how profitable this game could be, I was hooked.

I then swapped some cash with my buddy to get some money on Full Tilt. One of the first tournaments I played there was a $75 freezeout, which I won, for another $10,000. With cash games, I was happy that I was profitable, but I had never experienced a thrill like I had after winning that tournament. Being the last man standing is a feeling that never gets old. That was when I made the full-time switch to tournaments.

JR: What is something that most casual players don’t know about serious online tournaments?

EB: On any given Sunday, you can easily spend up to five figures in tournament buy-ins. If you aren’t cashing for $10,000 or more, you’re having a losing session. People don’t realize how much of an investment you are making as an online-tournament grinder, but you have to spend money to make money in this business.

JR: How would you describe your playing style?

EB: I think most people would describe me as a tighter player. That may have to do with the fact that I’m not backed by anyone, but it’s mainly just because I prefer to be on the nittier side of things. It’s not the most common approach that regulars take in online tournaments, but that’s a good reason to do it. I let the other players go crazy, and jump in there only when I know that I can get my share of the chips virtually risk-free. Because I’ve developed this reputation as a tighter player, I can use it to my advantage to steal some big pots with complete air. To me, it’s easier to steal one big pot than risk more of my stack stealing five or six smaller ones.

JR: Have you made any big life changes since turning pro?

EB: I just moved to Las Vegas recently, and moved in with some friends who are also online-tournament players. Right now, in the house, we have Steve “gboro780” Gross, Ben “ShankingYou” Palmer, and Jamie “thecronic420” Rosen. Back home, I was living with friends who were working normal 9-to-5 jobs, but now, I’m with some like-minded people who know exactly what I’m going through, and are there to offer their support. We act as sounding boards together, constantly bouncing ideas off each other and talking about hands. It’s impossible not to become a better player in that environment.

JR: That’s quite a collection of online talent. Do you ever feel any pressure when they are sweating you over your shoulder?

EB: We don’t really bother each other while we’re playing unless one of us is really deep in a major tournament. Even then, we are sweating them from our own computers. Frankly, most of the talking and advice comes the day after you’ve busted out of your tournaments. In that moment when I’ve made a questionable play, I’m not really in the mood to discuss what I did wrong. After I’ve had a chance to cool down, however, I’ll explain what happened, and the others will chime in with their opinions. It’s pretty low-key.

JR: Do you ever make it out onto the golf course and hustle fellow players with your game?

EB: I play with a few poker players in Las Vegas, but I’m not out there to make a ton of cash in side bets. I’ll leave that for Phil Ivey and the other high-stakes guys. When we play, the most that anybody can lose is a couple hundred dollars. I play golf for fun, and poker to pay the bills. ♠