J.C. Tran Making Yet Another Deep Run In The World Series Of Poker Main Event

Poker pro J.C. Tran is one of the game’s all-time greatest players. Over this lengthy career grinding live tournaments, the Sacramento native has racked up nearly $9 million in career scores. On Saturday on Day 5 of the 2013 World Series of Poker main event, Tran had a healthy stack with 122 left. A first-place prize of $8.3 million was hanging in the balance.

Tran has been deep many times in poker’s most prestigious event, finishing 108th in 2009, 561st in 2012, 493rd in 2007 and 117th in 2004. The final table has always eluded him.

Tran chatted on one of his breaks in play to talk about his main event so far.

Brian Pempus: How is your day going here?

J.C. Tran: The first level started out brutal, losing half my stack in a few key hands. I ran nines into aces, lost A-K to A-J. But then I held on and played solid, and sure enough after break I picked up a few hands, got a little aggressive and now I am at like 1.7 million.

BP: Is patience the big thing in this tournament?

JT: Yeah, and you have to know your table image. If it’s bad, you just have to control it and back up. It’s also important for others to sense that you are feeling confident.

BP: Since you a well-known pro do you feel people give you a lot of respect?

JT: You know, right now everyone can play. There’s not a single player who doesn’t know what he or she is doing. If they started off the tournament not really knowing what was going on, by now they have picked up a lot of important stuff. It doesn’t matter who you are, you have to go out there and play. I respect everyone at the table, just like they probably respect me. I am going hand for hand with what kind of reads I have. I am not even doing it by name, but by how they have been playing recently at the table.

BP: Have you been folding a lot of big hands in this tournament so far?

JT: Not any monsters, but I’ve been folding nines, tens, and sometimes jacks to three-bets, and I have been right. That’s the most important part. When I feel I am little lost on hands I let them take the lead and be the one to do the betting. I make my decisions based on what they do. In the past, I just kept firing away, and it was hard to get any types of reads on people when you are firing away. I have been shifting gears well this main event and picking up a lot.

BP: There’s always room to improve?

JT: Yeah, the game is always evolving. You mix it up a bit to get reads on the new faces. You have to let them be the caller a few times and be the bettor a few times. You adjust. Players these days mix it up really well, but I feel like the more hours I put in with them the better I am able to figure things out and get a sense of what they are doing.

BP: Do you feel like your live experience helps you deep in this event?

JT: Yeah, but not only my live experience…my experience making deep runs in this event before. It has helped me a lot, but you still need cards. No matter how well you are playing or how great of a table draw you have, you need to make hands.

BP: At this point in your career, do you have pressure to not squander another opportunity?

JT: The past few times I made deep runs I didn’t envision myself getting there. It was like, one day at a time type of deal, without thinking too far ahead. This year I’m really starting to think that I can get to the final nine, and that mindset seems to be helping. Before, I just played poker and let it get me to where it got me. This main event I’m telling myself that this event happens once a year and you get this deep every once in awhile…maximize the opportunity.

BP: You have a lot of friends in poker. Would your rail be ridiculous if you made the final nine?

JT: Yeah, and I really do owe it to my family and friends, and especially my wife. She has been taking care of our two-year-old son every day while I play, prepping food for me and all that stuff. I owe it to them. I’m not playing for myself anymore. I am playing for everyone at home and my friends sweating me online. The support is really great.

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