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Recently, PocketFiver Jordan scarface_79 Smith barreled through a 1,695 player field en route to a win in a $2,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event (#36) during the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Smith’s victory was worth $586,000 after he defeated Ken Lennaard heads-up. In the event’s final hand, Lennaard called for his tournament life holding Jd-8 on a flop of 3-4-8, all diamonds. The PocketFiver turned over 9-7 of diamonds for a flush and dodged another diamond on the turn and river to take home the win. Event #36 marked Smith’s first WSOP final table and boosted his career earnings from the Las Vegas tournament series and its Circuit Events to over $700,000.

Online, Smith has been equally successful. Back in 2006, he chopped the PokerStars Sunday Million for $80,000 and went onto win the Full Tilt Poker Sunday Mulligan two years later. Last September, he picked up a win in the Stars $200 rebuy for $51,000 and in May, Smith recorded a runner-up effort in the Full Tilt $100 rebuy for $23,000. Last month, Smith racked up $103,000 in tournaments that are tracked for the PocketFives.com Online Poker Rankings.

PocketFives.com caught up with Smith just a few days removed from his monumental bracelet win, one of 10 pieces of hardware captured by PocketFivers in 2009.

PocketFives.com: Did you have high expectations coming into the WSOP this summer?

Smith: I always do. You’re excited when you first come out and sometimes it doesn’t exactly work out that way. I had a rough start this year, but I tried to stay positive and not let it get me down. I ran really well in this tournament. Everything worked out in kind of a perfect storm.

PocketFives.com: Towards the end of Day Two, you started picking up a lot of big pots. At what point in the tournament did you start thinking about the final table and the bracelet?

Smith: Around two or three tables left. I won a race and then a three-outer against Corwin Cole. I was really fortunate to win those pots and they put me in about fourth or fifth in chips with two tables left. It really put me in a good position going into Day Three.

PocketFives.com: What was your game plan heading into the final table?

Smith: I didn’t really have a game plan. I just tried to evaluate the players and stacks in different situations hand to hand to see what the flow of the game was and then adapt from there.

PocketFives.com: You had quite a rail assembled at the WSOP final table and you’re also well-known in the online poker world. Did anyone try to give you advice heading into the final day?

Smith: No. I just had a few friends who were there to give me support and root me on and I really appreciated it. It helped out knowing that I wasn’t alone and had some people in my corner.

PocketFives.com: Now that you’ve won a WSOP bracelet, will there be there any change in what you’re doing for the rest of the summer or the rest of the year?

Smith: I can relax a little bit more and take a break. I’m just going to play the rest of the WSOP and maybe the Bellagio Cup. Then, I’m going to go home and visit with my family and friends to take a break from poker for a while. My plan is to relax and enjoy the win.