By
Published
Jul 19 2006, 08:21 PM
The PocketFives.com Podcast welcomes one of three (so far) Pocket Fivers who have won bracelets at this year’s World Series of Poker: Jon Friedberg (PokerTrip/Reactrix, PocketFives.com Online Player To Watch). Jon took down Event #17, a $1,000 No-Limit Texas Hold ‘em tournament, collecting $526,000 and a coveted WSOP Bracelet.
Jon has been around the game of poker for a while now. At 32 years of age, he had already participated in about 45 WSOP events as well as many major live tournaments. But notoriety first came to him through his play at the online tables. A graduate of the University of Arizona with an MBA from Pepperdine University, “PokerTrip” joins the ranks of Cliff ‘JohnnyBax’ Josephy, Scott ‘bigriskkyy’ Clements, and “Ian J” (Ian Johns) as Pocket Fivers who currently hold a WSOP bracelet.
Our interview with Jon Friedberg took place a few days after his emotional heads-up win over John Phan. Many of the members of our site often wonder what exactly goes on behind the scenes once a player wins a major live tournament, and Jon was kind enough to provide us with a step-by-step narration of the hour immediately following the moment when the River card of the final hand was placed on the table.
Other than his soft-spoken manner, there’s something else that distinguishes Jon from many of his colleagues: his ability to keep things in perspective. While he wasn’t completely jovial about discussing a past relationship with a professional poker player named Kathy, he did provide some insight into the rigorous schedule (and grind) that numerous high-profile online tournament players deal with. Playing every single high buy-in online tournament every single night alongside your girlfriend seems like a dream come true, right? Not so, says Jon… and he’ll tell you why during our Podcast interview.
Our second guest gave just about every member (and quite a few visitors) of PocketFives.com a reason to laugh in April of 2005 with his bad beat stories and famous punch line “Go all-in to see where you’re at!” Pocket Fiver ‘BigHems’ (whose first name is Brian) lives near Columbus, Ohio and attends the University of Ohio as a Telecommunications major while working part-time as a lifeguard at a local swimming pool.
Brian won the PocketFives.com Presto Award for Funniest Poster of 2005 due to his side-splitting make believe rants that became even funnier when some posters took him seriously. But “BigHems” is nobody’s fool, he’s a winning poker player who comes across as sharp and witty, even when faced with this week’s Podcast feature segment: Complete The Beat.*
The 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event is only about a week away! Be sure to check out www.pocketfiveslive.com for updated coverage of your favorite online players during this year’s Main Event.
· The most-famous post created by “BigHems” can be found at the following link:
http://www.pocketfives.com/7669D51E-709F-401F-A665-9F6DE4E7E277.aspx