PocketFives Member manifest, aka Todd Jackson (pictured), is following his poker dreams and recently won a seat in the World Series of Poker Main Event on WSOP.com. His WSOP.com user name is orono, named after his alma mater, the University of Maine at Orono. Manifest was the name of the garage band his friends and he played in growing up. When not playing poker, his other favorite games are NLH14 and Battlefield 4 on PlayStation 2. A former upstate New Yorker, Todd now resides in Las Vegas. We had a chance to talk with him.

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PocketFives: How excited are you to be playing in this year’s WSOP Main Event?

Todd Jackson: I’m really excited. It’s the opportunity that every poker player dreams about. I’ve played it two other times and haven’t made it out of Day 2, so I’m looking forward to another shot at it. The fact that I’m freerolling really reduces the stress of it.

PocketFives: What are you doing to prepare?

Todd Jackson: Ninety-nine percent of my play is in Limit Hold’em, so I really have to hit the books and work on my No Limit tournament game. It’s nice that I have all of this time to prepare and I really want to give myself a shot at a deep run. I have a pretty clear sense of the things I need to work on.

PocketFives: To what do you attribute your current online success?

Todd Jackson: I’ve definitely been running well lately, so that always helps. But, in general, I think I have a pretty good work ethic. It’s tough to put in a ton of hours because games aren’t always running, but I subscribe to multiple training sites and read a lot of books. Players are always getting better and I’m fighting hard to stay ahead of the curve. Before a big tournament, I’ll usually try to get a workout in, eat a good meal, and meditate.

PocketFives: Is there anyone who helped change how you approach the game of poker?

Todd Jackson: Not any one person really. I’ve never had a group of poker friends to talk about the game with. So, most of my approach has been developed through forums, training sites, books, and good old trial and error.

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