PocketFives had the opportunity to catch up with Bloomfield, New Jersey’s Josh jerseyjoshBaer (pictured, ranked #29 in New Jersey) about his poker career. When Baer is not playing poker, you can find him bartending at an occasional concert. He was also featured in a New York Times article in 2005 about qualifying for the WSOP Main Event via an online satellite.

With over $100,000 in tracked online cashes, some of his notable accomplishments include a third place finish in the PartyPoker/Borgata Poker $100,000 Guarantee in March 2014 for $11,560, a second place finish in the network’s $10,000 Guarantee for $1,829, and four wins in the network’s $5,000 Guarantee for a combined $4,221.

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PocketFives: When did you start playing poker?

Josh Baer: My father taught me how to play Five Card Draw when I was around 13. Once I was 19, the movie “Rounders” came out and I learned how to play Limit Hold’em in a local weekly game with some fellow bartenders. Soon after, I was playing in home games at least five nights a week with friends I had grown up with, gone to college with, coworkers, or whomever felt like donating cheese to the Josh Baer fund.

Eventually, I got brought into New York City’s underground clubs such as Playstation, where I started to spend most of my time playing small tournaments and games like $4/$8 Limit, which is now like watching paint dry. Around 2002, I started playing online No Limit tournaments while going back to college and went on to satellite into the WSOP Main Event three times.

PocketFives: How many hours do you dedicate to poker each week?

Josh Baer: On average, I play poker a minimum of 40 hours per week. I tend to take at least one or two days off a week in an attempt to have a life outside of poker or bartend the occasional concert.

PocketFives: How do you pick what cash games or tournaments to play?

Josh Baer: Each night, I try to play MTTs with the biggest guarantees that are $35 buy-ins and up on 888 and Borgata Poker. I play cash games from time to time as well, either before or after tournaments when I have the extra time and energy. It’s usually $1/$2 or $2/$4 NLHE.

PocketFives: What are your favorite New Jersey online poker sites to play and why?

Josh Baer: 888 and Borgata are currently my favorite sites to play on. 888 was a big factor in helping me get back into playing online full-time again. I had been working at Pig and Prince in Montclair in December of 2013 when the 888 execs happened to come in for dinner one night. The owner of the restaurant made it a point to tell them about me, at which point I was asked if I could provide feedback on their site, which I was happy to do. A couple months later, I was able to give my two weeks’ notice and go back to playing full-time once again.

I think 888’s software and hand history features are great. It’s also sometimes nice to play with not as big of a field and still have decent payouts. But, most importantly, I do better on their site. Borgata’s $5K and $10K are also fun tournaments as well as their big Sunday guarantees. I need to start putting in some time on WSOP, though, which I plan on doing in the near future.

PocketFives: Since the launch of regulated online poker in New Jersey, what has been your most memorable cash or win?

Josh Baer: The Borgata $100K in March when I took third out of a field of 786 players for $11,560. If I’m not mistaken, I think it was the first tournament I played on that site. Five-figure pay days are usually how I prefer to start on poker sites.

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

Josh Baer: Over the past 16 years, I’ve had many people who have helped change how I approach the game. For one, my parents and siblings are all highly completive, intellectual, successful people who have strongly influenced my strategic outlook on the game as well as life.

Players such as Stu Ungar and Daniel Negreanu, and writers like James McManus and Andy Bellin have all helped inspire me as well. It’s also always good to have friends like Scott (Woooooo), Maureen (RedHotMomma), Jon (FrickenWacko), and Jordan Richmond, who are all very supportive and constantly pushing me to better myself and step my game up.