Red-Hot Chad Eveslage Shrugs Off His Label As A Closer

Chad Eveslage’s first recorded live tournament score came back in 2011, and the Ramsey, Indiana native subsequently spent a decade on the grind, racking up $3.6 million in cashes. Following the global pandemic, however, Eveslage has caught fire and more than doubled that number, and now finds himself ranked among the top tournament players in the world.

There were occasional highlights during his first ten years in the game, including a WSOP Circuit win at Choctaw in Oklahoma, and a deep run in the WSOP main event, but for the most part his résumé was filled with more close calls than trips to the winner’s circle. But these days, it’s clear that Eveslage has become a closer. In addition to the millions he’s pocketed, he’s also added some significant hardware to his mantel.

His run started in January of 2021 at the Lucky Hearts Poker Open near his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Eveslage took down the $1,000 buy-in event for $101,572. Then in April, he hopped into a $25,000 high roller at the Hard Rock Poker Open and once again nabbed a win, along with $767,576.

That summer, he headed to Las Vegas and was the last man standing out of a field of 1,199 in the WPT Venetian DeepStack Championship main event, banking $910,370 and his first World Poker Tour title. He narrowly missed out on his first WSOP bracelet later in the year, taking second place in an online high roller event for another $198,959.

When the WSOP returned for a live series in the summer of 2022, Eveslage managed to cash nine times overall, including three final tables and a win. His bracelet was captured in the prestigious $25,000 high roller event, and it came with a hefty $1,415,610.

With the gold secured, Eveslage put his focus back on the WPT. In October, he once again added his name to the Mike Sexton Champions Cup, taking down the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at Bellagio for $1,042,300 and his second tour title.

To add some icing to the cake, he went back home to South Florida in November, and made the final table of one of the biggest WPT events ever held. The 31-year-old took third place in the $3,500 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open out of a field of 1,541, cashing for another $390,000. As a result, he moved into first place in the WPT Player of the Year race with just the championship event at Wynn remaining.

Card Player spoke to Eveslage as he finished out his stellar year to find out how he’s been able to put this winning streak together.

Julio Rodriguez: You’ve been in the game for awhile now. How did you find poker?

Chad Eveslage: I played sports in school, and basically did whatever was on ESPN. In 2003 the Moneymaker boom happened and my friends started playing some. I eventually tried play money online.

I think I had a knack for it right away. I got some real money online around the age of 15, and by 17 I was already playing up to $1,000 buy-ins online.

JR: Was there a major score or turning point that made you believe you could play for a living?

CE: There wasn’t a single large score that convinced me I could play professionally. I was a consistent winner at the medium and high-stakes tournaments [online] which always gave me confidence that I was doing something right.

I also had no backup plan. I definitely had some stressful times. Making rent was never in question, but losing for six months when you play 40 hours a week is not fun. 

JR: It seems like before the pandemic, there were a lot of consistent results and deep runs, but not a lot of wins. How frustrating is it dealing with the variance of tournament poker?

CE: It can be very frustrating, but I think most pros have their own way of dealing with it. For me, I sort of view the live tournament poker scene as a delusion-generating engine. The variance, combined with our psychology, obfuscates reality.

Recognizing the chaos of tournament poker keeps me grounded. People, even smart people, will believe players who have been fortunate are doing something really special. The opposite goes for people who have been unfortunate.

I remember one of my friends used to say, “Chad is just not a closer,” when in reality I was just losing the important flips. Flips that I have been winning recently.

Now those same people are probably thinking, “Chad is so good at closing out tourneys,” when in reality I’m just winning the important flips. 

JR: Did you put in extra work during the pandemic shutdown? 

CE: I am certain that I got a lot better during COVID. During lockdown, I played six out of seven days for pretty much every week. I remember Darren Rabinowitz tweeting something like, ‘Has [Chad] left his computer in two months?’ There was no strategy shift, I just got better from all the reps. 

JR: After a prelim win in Florida, you started playing high rollers. What went into that decision and how did you know that you were ready?

CE: That win was nice, but I would’ve started playing the high rollers anyway. I was consistently competing with a lot of the high roller regs online during COVID and had confidence from that. 

JR: You’ve had a lot of big spots come up recently. How well do you think you handle high-pressure situations? Can you sleep well sitting on a chip lead the night before a big final table?

CE: I sleep well. I am so drained from a full day of poker that I can usually fall asleep quickly.

But I still feel anxious in big spots. It’s a good anxiety, though. I don’t think I do anything special, I just try to rely on all of the reps I have put in, and then execute. 

JR: There are some players who do well at WSOP, some on WPT, and some in high rollers, but you have found success in all three. How different is it to compete with each pool of players and how does your approach to each tour vary? 

CE: My approach is mostly the same. I think one of my strengths is exploiting the average pro, which I encounter a lot in WSOP and WPT events. I have a good feel for the tendencies from all of the online experience. But I don’t think I do anything too special. It’s tempting to reduce the success to something more interesting, but it’s mostly just luck. 

JR: Can you describe what it felt like to win your first WPT title? What about the bracelet? Were these accolades something that were on your poker bucket list or is it all about the cash for you?

CE: The first WPT win was surreal, and each win since has been gradually less surreal. I think for people outside of poker, especially in today’s world, credentials are very valued. So, it gives me validation from people outside of the poker world. Impressing non-experts is okay, but it’s the experts whose opinion I really value.

JR: Are you superstitious at all? Do you believe in momentum?

CE: I am not superstitious in a ‘wear the same underwear’ sort of way. But I am much more open to unknowable stuff in poker than a lot of pros.

I love the phrase ‘competence without comprehension.’ I think that describes a lot of what good poker players do. Often good players don’t exactly know what makes them effective. Sure, there’s ranges, and pot odds, but at a deeper level, intuitions know things that are difficult to put into language. I’m not sure if that would be considered superstitious, but I am a little skeptical of the doctrinaire GTO types. Only a little, though. 

As far as momentum, the best part of running good is that it makes others play worse against me. People will make moves they normally wouldn’t because they assume I’m messing with them. This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy dynamic that is really interesting.

Something like, ‘Oh, I’m afraid to block bet river against Chad because if he 5x pots it, I don’t know what to do! So, I’ll just check.’ Or maybe ‘Chad knows I’m opening light here, so I’m going to four-bet shove if he three-bets me.’ 

JR: What goals do you have left for your career?

CE: I’m not really the goal-setting type. I’ll play until I don’t enjoy it or find something else. Downswings can be stressful, so I hope my livelihood isn’t dependent on poker forever. ♠

Top Tournament Scores