In late March, Brian AKBigFishJames (pictured) struck a deal in the weekly PokerStars $100 Rebuy. His reward was a $55,000 payday after chopping heads-up with PokerStars member jaybeastie, who earned $51,000. The tournament generated a field of over 1,000 players and a $334,000 prize pool was divvied up. The American transplant now living in sunny, sandy Costa Rica spoke with PocketFives about his largest tracked score to date.

PocketFives: Congrats on the solid showing in the PokerStars $100 Rebuy. Tell us how you’re feeling about it.

Brian James: It felt good. I have had a few nice wins, but this one is the best yet. There are not too many prize pools of one-third of a million dollars.

PocketFives: We know it had to be special. Tell us about the chop. Why did you decide to make a deal and how did the negotiation go?

Brian James: I always want to look at a chop because you never know what kind of a deal you can get. I thought I got a really good one too. I don’t remember exactly, but I think when we entered heads-up play, I was down about 10% or more in chips. The deal was that I got just over $50,000, he got just over $51,000, and we played for $5,000. I thought I might have an edge heads-up, but given his lead, I thought it was smart to take the deal.

PocketFives: What are your plans for the money?

Brian James: Play a little bigger, like start playing the $200 Rebuy on PokerStars. I was getting close to that before this too; Black Friday kind of crushed my bankroll. Also, I am going to buy a car or truck. I’m moving into the interior of Costa Rica (pictured) soon and having a car will be nice for taking lots of trips. Costa Rica is a little bigger than the size of Kentucky, so you can get anywhere in the country in one day.

The place I live right now, Vista Las Palmas, is great. It is kind of like the Panorama Towers in Las Vegas. There must be seven or more units full of poker players in my building.

PocketFives: Where were you in the United States before Black Friday?

Brian James: I had been in San Francisco, but only for a few months. I was trying to find a long-term home when Black Friday hit. I had finally bought all new furniture, a television, nice wheels, and all that. It was the first time in my life that I had ever bought all new furniture. Then, about three months later, Black Friday hit.

PocketFives: Are you in Costa Rica permanently? Would you consider moving back?

Brian James: “Consider” would definitely be the right word. Right now, I am dating a great Tica and planning to move in with her pretty soon. I would want to live down here another year or so before I make up my mind. Like many poker players, I really feel like our government lost some of my loyalty. If I can be happier down here, I would rather give my tax money to this government.

PocketFives: It seems like you’ve largely flown under the radar, but you’re #61 worldwide in the PocketFives Online Poker Player Rankings. Talk about how the general poker public perceives you.

Brian James: I think I am relatively unknown and don’t really know how the poker public perceives me. That’s a tough question. I think some good players probably think I am a donk, and sometimes I try to heighten that image. Sometimes I make terrible donk-ish moves, but in general, I think the guys that play with me know I am dangerous and usually have a good hand when I really should.

I started playing in Wrangell, Alaska with friends and have never been around many other pros until now. I wish I could have started somewhere with other good tournament players around, as sharing information can really speed up your development.

PocketFives: Are you pumped to be in the top 100 worldwide in the PocketFives Poker Rankings?

Brian James: Yeah, it is kind of cool. I like that it would make it easier for me to get sponsored for live tournaments.

PocketFives: Can you tell us about your live poker career?

Brian James: I decided not to play in this year’s World Series of Poker. I might change my mind, but I can wager so much more playing online. For example, in any three days combined, I wager a Main Event entry in buy-ins. I just went up to the United States about a month ago for my grandpa’s 90th birthday, so I think I would rather just stay here and grind.

Last year, I ran into a group of guys that talked me into putting up something to get backed for the WSOP Main Event. I was really surprised and happy to see that I was booked in less than 24 hours. Having Galen Turk Malloy Hall, who was with those guys, saying I was a good horse didn’t hurt. The bottom line, though, is that I like being able to lower my variance, but still wager a ton of money, by staying home.

Sign up for PokerStars today.