The 2014 World Series of Poker is less than two weeks away. One of the players who has been on a roll in recent weeks, just in time for the Las Vegas extravaganza, is Eric blizairBlair (pictured), who has been a member of PocketFives since 2006. According to the Hendon Mob, three of Blair’s last four live cashes are for wins.

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In March, Blair took down a $2,100 event during the Wynn Classic for $48,000. He followed that up with a victory in a Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza event for nearly $100,000. Then, he won his first WSOP Circuit ring in Black Hawk, Colorado, pocketing $116,000. He has over a quarter-of-a-million dollars in live cashes this year.

“It’s a huge confidence booster going into the WSOP,” Blair said of his recent performance. “It takes a lot of pressure off in terms of paying for buy-ins.” Blair is #125 on the 2014 money list, according to the Hendon Mob.

In 2013, Blair finished third in a $1,500 NLHE Six-Max event at the WSOP for $127,000, one of four cashes he had last year in Las Vegas’ summer series. “That was so much fun, but I could have definitely played better at the final table,” Blair told us. “That was my biggest live cash, but it was pretty painful when I busted, knowing I could have done a few things differently. But, I ran extremely well to get there.”

The Six-Max event’s final table had several heavyweights, including former Main Event champion Joe jcada99Cada (pictured) and fellow PocketFiver Keven Stamdogg Stammen. “Joe had a great table presence seemed like a really nice guy,” Blair recalled of the 2009 champ. “He seemed to play pretty solidly and wasn’t getting too out of line.” He added with a laugh, “I’d imagine people trying to bust you as the Main Event champ tightens up your game a bit.”

There are 65 bracelet events at this year’s WSOP and officials are expecting 15,000 first-time players to descend on the Rio in Las Vegas. “I’d tell them to enjoy themselves and don’t feel too much pressure,” Blair responded when asked for advice for first-time attendees. “Just being able to play in a WSOP event is pretty special.”

Blair lives in Las Vegas, so he’ll be able to sleep in his own bed each night, which he said will give him an advantage. He’ll also be able to play as many events as his heart and bankroll permit. “I’ll play mostly No Limit Hold’em events that have a buy-in of $5,000 and under,” Blair said, “and the Main Event. I might play one or two smaller Pot Limit Omaha events. I really need to learn more games so I can participate in the Mixed Game events. All of the best players know how to play all of the games.”

How is his aptitude for Mixed Games? Largely non-existent right now: “I haven’t even started learning. If I were playing online, I think I could learn the games quicker. But, I haven’t played online for a while.” When he did play online, he amassed $4.5 million in winnings and cracked the top 10 in the PocketFives Rankings in 2011.

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