Tournament Trail Q & A: Johnathan 'UFPokerStar' WestraWestra Talks About School, His Game, and His Success |
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It has been a slow and steady rise to the top for Johnathan Westra. Since turning pro in 2006, Westra has earned nearly $430,000 in live tournament winnings, much more in satellites, and is one of the top online players on Bodog, all while going to school and working toward his degree.
Westra has shown a knack for taking down preliminary events and already has three wins this year alone. He started the year off with a win in an event at the WSOP Circuit at the Grand Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. A month later, he won an event at the Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza. Just recently, he took down an event at the WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s New Orleans. Westra has 12 final-table finishes in his short career and just cracked the top 100 in the Card Player Player of the Year race.
Westra spoke to CardPlayer.com shortly after his recent win to discuss college life, his plans for the future, and, of course, poker.
Julio Rodriguez: How did you first get into poker?
Johnathan “UFPokerStar” Westra: I got really serious about poker when I got to college at the University of Florida. I played a 25¢-50¢ no-limit hold’em cash game five nights a week for my entire freshman year. I did really well at that and began to slowly raise my limits up to $1-$2 no-limit. I decided to invest my cash-game profits into an online bankroll, and it has turned out to be the best decision I ever made.
JR: It seems that the University of Florida is particularly gifted when it comes to churning out top-level poker talent. Just last week, we did an interview with Ben “ShankingYou” Palmer, another online player with a Gator affiliation. Other notables to come out of the Swamp include Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Aaron Been, Ryan “toetagU” Fair, Jason “JaspudUF” Lee, Grayson “The_Dean221” Nichols, Tyler “tnetter” Netter, and Frank “Gator93” Hernandez, among others. In fact, I’m an alumnus, as well. Why do you think there is so much talent coming out of Gainesville, and what is the poker scene around campus?
JW: Rumor has it there’s something in the water (laughs). But seriously, there is a lot of talent around here. I’d probably say it has to do with the city’s proximity to the rest of Florida. Gainesville is a pretty isolated city. Everything is an hour or more away, and finding the nearest casino will take you much further. As a result, the home games are stacked. A regular $1-$2 no-limit home game would have at least three $100,000-plus profit online players sitting in. Some games I’ve been at have had as many as five seated at the same table.
JR: So, you’re still living there?
JW: I’m still a student, and I recently bought a house. At my pace of study, I’ll be there for a while. (Laughs)
JR: It seems like every few months you take down another live tournament. What does it take to stay consistent and fight off downswings?
JW: I’m playing the best poker I have ever played right now, but I think my ability to stay consistent is due to my time spent grinding it out online. I used to exclusively play sit-and-gos and heads-up matches all day long. This has really helped my shorthanded and bubble game so much. Live satellites are the easiest way to fight downswings if you’re confident in your shorthanded game. So, if a particular trip isn’t going that well for me, then I just play more satellites to compensate.
JR: You seem to do very well in preliminary events. In fact, all but one of your cashes takes place outside of a main event. Is there something about these tournaments that suits your playing style?
JW: Well, I’m still a student, so traveling is a little harder for me. Before this semester, I was traveling in between my tests. I only took this semester off, since I had already won a seat for the WPT Championship and a few other events. I’ve only played in about five WPT main events, but my schedule has allowed me to play in a lot more prelims. I’m not a millionaire yet, so unless I win a seat, I usually don’t take the time off to play in a live tournament with a buy-in over $3,000.
JR: How would you compare the competition between the World Series of Poker Circuit and the World Poker Tour?
JW: The fields have seemed stronger at the WPTs, but I think that’s also due to a higher average buy-in. The WSOP Circuit events are always super-soft with large fields. Overall, though, I think it’s the same good players, but the higher buy-in scares away the dead money on the WPT.
JR: What is your involvement with Bodog, and how did that come to be?
JW: I started playing tournaments online because of the Bodog weekly leader board promotion. They let the weekly winner play a pro heads up for $1,000 each week. If the pro wins, the pot keeps building. Well, the first week I tried for it, I won the weekly and then beat Josh Arieh for $14,000. That was huge money for a 20-year-old college student. Since then, I have joined Team Bodog and have been doing my thing on the tournament trail.
JR: How is your online game going?
JW: My online game is great right now. I play in between trips and after I bust out of live tourneys, if I’m in the mood. I’ve already won multiple WSOP packages this year on Bodog and have been doing well in the multitable tourneys.
JR: Speaking of your game, how would you describe your playing style?
JW: To be honest, I don’t really have a set game. I’m very adaptable to my table and can play a tight or aggressive game while switching gears anytime I see an opportunity. I would say my strength is that I understand how people view me and will play against me, and then I can counter with that information. I don’t want to give much more away, but hopefully everyone get a better idea of my game from some TV final tables.
JR: What are your plans for the upcoming Series? Are you going to play every event, or will The Venetian, Bellagio, and Caesars see some of your action?
JW: I’ll be out in Vegas the entire Series this year. I’m so ready to go; I just got a teaser last year, because summer school cut my time short. I will be playing almost every no-limit hold’em event at the Series, then I will hit the Venetian Deep Stack on the off-days. I will probably drop by Bellagio for a few events, since I seem to run good there.
JR: Thanks for taking the time out to talk Johnathan.
JW: No problem, see you at the Series.
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