Justin “BoostedJ” Smith was a younger hotshot within the poker world again within the late 2000s, each on-line and dwell. At age 21, he was an up-and-coming star within the sport with a vibrant future in poker.
Smith’s keep among the many sport’s elite was short-lived, and he’d been gone from the World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) for 9 years. However on Wednesday, the now 36-year-old returned to the summer time sequence to compete in Occasion #66: $10:000 Pot-Restrict Omaha Championship (8-Handed), the place he advised PokerNews what he is been as much as lately.
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What’s He Been Up To?
Smith, a former Full Tilt Poker professional, final cashed on the WSOP in 2013. And he is hoping to finish that drought this week.
“What introduced me again to the 10k PLO is, I have been enthusiastic about it for the previous two weeks it simply type of got here to me, I used to be like I truly really feel like taking part in poker, simply impulsively,” Smith stated.
It has been fairly a while because the poker world has seen the as soon as distinguished determine of the poker neighborhood. He defined why he left the sport.
“I used to be very burnt out, I took a really lengthy hiatus,” he defined.
The previous excessive stakes professional stated, exterior of a pair charity occasions and a few small purchase in tournaments right here and there, when he sat down at his seat within the $10k PLO occasion at round 8:30 p.m. PT on Wednesday, he hadn’t performed a significant hand of poker in 9 years.
“BoostedJ” hasn’t simply been sitting round doing nothing the previous few years, nonetheless. Actually, he is saved fairly busy exterior the poker world.
“Since poker, I’ve largely been producing films and TV exhibits, and been concerned within the music enterprise too,” Smith stated.
One of many films he’ll be producing is an upcoming biopic in regards to the late Doyle Brunson, who handed away at 89 final yr. Smith stated there is not an anticipated launch date simply but, and he is looking for the correct actor to play “Texas Dolly.”
Poker Participant Returns to Motion
Whereas it has been years since Smith has performed poker, he appeared relaxed when coming into the Paris ballroom. However he did not acknowledge lots of the gamers within the area.
“Simply strolling in right here I am considering what’s poker like right this moment?” Smith stated minutes after he took his seat. “I do not know most of those individuals. So, that is simply type of curious as a result of I do know that after I left it was so onerous to climb stakes, and I assume there’s been crypto and stuff since then, so there’s been some huge cash come into the financial system.”
Smith performed in among the largest money video games on this planet 15 years in the past through the top of the poker increase. He appeared a number of occasions on exhibits equivalent to Poker After Darkish, and he additionally had some success in tournaments having cashed for over $2.2 million lifetime, in line with The Hendon Mob.
“I feel most of what I recollect (from the previous) is all of the issues that weren’t on TV in all probability,” Smith stated. “I performed some giant money video games that undoubtedly weren’t on TV, and people had been in all probability the craziest moments by far of my poker profession. Additionally, similar to waking up placing in loopy hours on-line, and you understand, doing that taking part in poker within the bathe and stuff like that if the sport was too good and I needed to go someplace.”
Smith constructed his bankroll up from taking part in $0.01/$0.02 money video games all the way in which as much as the excessive stakes on poker websites equivalent to Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars. He is now making an attempt to win his first WSOP bracelet, and stated he plans to enter just a few different occasions this summer time.
Comply with Justin “BoostedJ” Smith’s Run within the $10k PLO at PokerNews
