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SpadeClub Exclusive member Jerry “Blackchips” Savage sat down at his computer on Sunday. July 27 and was ready to take home the first-place cash prize of the $5,000 weekly event. Savage is retired and enjoys the outdoors and, most of all, the game of poker. He has been playing for more than two years now, and after he lost a $500 deposit in an online game, he decided to buy a computer program to help him learn more about the poker.
Savage really enjoys playing on SpadeClub because of the fact that it is a subscription-based poker site.
“You can play with play money on all of the Internet sites,” he said, “but that doesn’t give you any real experience, because the chips have no value. For $20 a month, you can get all of the poker you want. All you can eat, baby. SpadeClub has definitely made me a better player. When I don’t like how I am playing on other sites, I will play some at SpadeClub to get myself straightened out.”
Savage was able to sit down with Card Player to discuss his recent win and his love of poker.
Card Player: Tell me a little about your life outside of poker?
Jerry “Blackchips” Savage: My wife, Joyce, and I live in Lake Arrowhead, California. I enjoy poker, hiking, poker, movies, poker, sailing, poker, reading, poker, cooking ... and did I say poker? I am a member of Rotary and also do a little volunteer work with other organizations.
CP: What got you interested in SpadeClub?
JS: I was aware of SpadeClub because of Card Player magazine and SpadeClub e-mails. SpadeClub was attractive because I had a chance to improve my game and win money with only a $20-a-month investment. Where else can you get an opportunity to win thousands of dollars a month for $20 bucks?
CP: How long have you played poker?
JS: I’ve been playing poker, mostly home games, since high school. I deposited $500 into an online account and played limit and lost it all in a short amount of time. I realized that there was going to be a learning curve, but I also realized that I had learned nothing from the online experience. I didn’t play for about six months and I bought a computer program that helped me understand the game. I played that for many, many hours until I thought I was ready to play online again. I was very successful for the first six months or so but began to lose slowly but surely for about a year, but I never had to make another deposit. The games got tougher, and I seemed to have more than my share of bad beats. I’m on a slow, steady climb back.
CP: What is your general strategy going into a tournament?
JS: A lot depends on the table. I try to adjust my game to my opponents. I try to stay out of the way until the blinds get high enough that you can play poker. I like to be in a good chip position so I can pick up some dead money when the antes begin. It’s a crapshoot early in the tournament because there are so many players who like to shove their chips.
CP: What is your method to go about piecing together what kinds of hands your opponents could be holding?
JS: I have played a lot of hands over the years, and I have a feel for what they might be holding by their betting patterns; such as, how they have played previous hands, the texture of the board, etc. I’ve gotten a little better at trusting my reads. Previously, I would put a player on a flush draw, and the third card of the suit would hit the board, and I would call the all-in bet. Yep, he had a flush. I find myself trusting my reads enough to make more big laydowns.
CP: What do you feel is the key to success in when a tournament gets down to heads-up poker?
JS: Changing gears and trying to find my opponent’s betting pattern. I find I am more patient calling all-in bets — willing to wait for a better spot. And, of course, there is lots of luck involved.
CP: How is your play at a final table?
JS: I play lots and lots of six-handed sit-and-gos. When I get to the final table, I have a tremendous amount of confidence that I am the best player there. I’m about 50/50 at heads up playing sit-and-gos, but in tournaments, if I make it to the final table, I have a great shot at winning it.
CP: Was there a particularly key hand that you played in the tournament that helped lead you to victory?
JS: Actually, there were a few. One was fairly early in the tournament, and I was getting no cards. I was getting fairly short-stacked. I was in the big blind with a pair of sevens. A player had raised, and I decided to call for all of my chips. The sevens held up. When I have chips, I don't like to get in possible coin-flip situations. I had to gamble.
In another hand, three of us got all of our chips in on the turn. I had a set, and the two other players had straights. I was fortunate enough to hit the full house and triple up.
CP: Who was your toughest opponent in the event, and why? What aspects of their games made them tough to play against?
JS: “heavyduty” playing heads up. I had a huge chip lead. The first hand, I pushed with nothing and doubled him up. I kept up my aggression, and his chip count continued to creep up. At one point, he had gained the chip lead. I was playing a calling station and changed my tactics. I regained the chip lead when we got all of our chips in. I would have been short-stacked if I lost. I put a bad beat on heavyduty to win the tournament.
CP: What is a common mistake people make when playing heads up?
JS: Lack of patience. Shoving too often, even though they aren’t short-stacked.
CP: What’s the most amount of money you’ve ever won in a poker tournament?
JS: I have won numerous tournaments, but I play small stakes. Winning SpadeClub’s $5,000 tournament is my biggest win. I got deep into the last $40,000 Mega Monthly tournament. I went out about 32nd. I was in good chip position but donked off all of my chips on a bluff. I’m still pissed at myself for letting that opportunity get away.
CP: What do you think of the format of the tournaments on SpadeClub? Do you have a favorite tournament?
JS: I play at SpadeClub for the Sunday $5,000 and $40,000 tournaments. I like the larger chip stacks and the longer levels. Otherwise, I only play to win points and tokens. The daily money tournaments aren’t worth my while.
CP: Do you have any general advice to share with our readers about succeeding at SpadeClub?
JS: And make them tougher players? Giving away my secrets? No and no. Actually, read the rest of the answers to get some of my thoughts.
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