Online Poker Spotlight: Jonathan Little
We sat down with Jonathan Little recently to talk a little poker, his latest signing, and what he likes to do when he's not seated at the felt.
Hello Mr. Little! What have you been up to recently?
I have been chilling in NYC and playing lots of live tournaments. The Mohegan Sun tournament is next on my list, followed by the WPT Main Event at Bellagio.
You are known to be one of the best live players in the world and have won several WPT titles. Can tell us what it takes to become a world champion, or what are the key ingredients to becoming a successful live poker player?
For me, the most important thing that helped to become a winning player was to study. I have read basically every poker book, watched numerous videos, and spent countless hours posting on poker forums online trying to figure out the optimal play in every situation. If you study long and hard, it is tough to fail at poker.
Do you have any rituals the night before or the morning of a big tournament?
I go to the gym four times per week at around 10 a.m. so I can be on time for tournaments at noon. I try to eat as much asparagus as possible. I also love to drink fruit smoothies. I think it is important to be in shape, eat right, and get a lot of sleep if you want to be able to focus for long periods of time.
Do you have a life coach or mindset coach like a lot of the pros seem to be using these days?
I don't have a mindset coach. If I have one huge strength, it is the ability to not let the bad things get to me. During my first year playing live poker, I lost around $250,000, which helped me get used the bad runs. I think a lot of guys start off running hot and because of that, they don't learn how to lose. They eventually have a losing year and it crushes them. That is one part of live tournament poker you just have to learn to accept and master, otherwise it will get the best of you.
This past week you recently signed with Victory Poker. Congratulations! What intrigued you to sign with them?
I know a lot of the pros personally and I know them to all be great poker players and honorable people. I know they are making a site run by the poker players for the poker players and I feel like I know online poker as good as anyone, so I wanted to help.
If you are not playing poker, what would we find "jcardshark" doing?
I love to travel and hang out with my friends. I also like to be home in Pensacola with my family. In Vegas, I like to stay in shape and play video games.
What is the best place you have been to and where is your dream destination?
My favorite place I have been is probably Australia. It was lots of fun in basically every way. I would like to take long trip to Europe and just see everything, although with all the poker tournaments going on in America, it makes it tough. Maybe that will be something to do later this year.
You're a gamer - Xbox, PS3, or Wii? Also, what game(s) are you addicted to these days?
I play mostly PS3 and a little Wii. I don't know why, but I never fell in love with Xbox. I have been hooked on Fallout 3 lately. I hear they are coming out with a Fallout game based in Vegas, so that will probably suck lots of my life away once it comes out.
When you are playing poker in Vegas, rate your top three favorite casinos to play at and why.
I like the Bellagio the most because that is where all the big tournaments and cash games take place. I like Caesars second because that is where the second biggest tournaments take place, and I like Wynn third because it is nice and plush in their poker room.
Butler or Michigan State, Duke or West Virginia, and who wins the championship?
Butler, Duke, and Duke. Although I really have no clue. I pay more attention to pro sports in general.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us Jonathan, we wish you the best of luck.
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