Catching up with Jarred Graham

By Ben Blaschke
14 January 2010

HE is one of the quietest players you’re ever likely to meet but Jarred ‘FlopNutsOnYou’ Graham has certainly made plenty of noise on the Australian poker scene over the past two years.
Still just 20 years of age, Graham broke through for his first major live tournament win in late 2008 when he took down the APPT High Rollers event at Star City Casino for $222,000 but it was his efforts in 2009 that made everyone sit up and take notice.
Kicking things off with a win in the 6-max event at the Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series for $26,000, his love affair with Sydney gained momentum when he took down the inaugural Sydney Championships main event ($121,500) before he successfully defended his APPT High Rollers title this past December ($156,000).
Had it not been for a brutal beat to finish 10th in the APPT grand final just days later when he got it all in pre-flop with 10s against an opponent’s brain explosion (Q-8) he could well have added yet another title to the resume.
Big Game Poker’s Ben Blaschke caught up with Graham following the holiday break to reflect on his remarkable achievements of late.

First of all Jarred, you had two big tournament wins in 2009 with the Sydney Championships main event and the APPT High Rollers – a satisfying year for you?

“Yeah it was a great year for me. I didn’t have any real expectations of myself heading in other than to have a profitable year and it turned out well. I’ve got no complaints at all.”

Your first major win in a live event came in the High Rollers event in Sydney 12 months ago, a title you defended recently as well as adding the Sydney Champs title. Does one of those stand out for you??

"The Sydney Champs was the best win because it wasn’t a High Rollers Event, it was a main event of a bigger tournament. It was also a big thing for me to win another big title. The APPT High Rollers in 2008 was the first time I had won so it felt good to come back and win another tournament."

Have you considered moving to Sydney? You run pretty well here!?

“I don’t think Sydney is for me! I only moved to Melbourne about four months ago so I could be a bit closer to everything.”

You’re still only 20 years of age. How did you get started with poker??

“I started playing a bit with some friends at school for fun and then moved onto freerolls online. I ran that up a few times and started playing some cash tables before winning $2500 in a $33 event but lost it all playing $66 SnG’s. I ended up using my last $500 to enter the Stud/Hi-Lo/Razz event at the 2008 Aussie Millions where I finished 4th for $5000 and I’ve gone on from there."

Do you consider yourself a natural or is your success a result of study and hard work??

“I guess I’m a bit of a natural but I’ve also spent a lot of time looking at Hand Histories and watching videos.”

Do you have a group of fellow players that you discuss hands with??

“Yeah I talk to Steve Leonard, Aleks Brkovic, Kristian Lunardi and guys like that. They’ve been a huge help for me.”

Is there a particular aspect of your game that has improved since you’ve known that group??

“Definitely my post-flop skills. I think that’s one of the biggest differences between good players and weaker ones. I have played a lot of 6-max cash in-particular which I think really helps you learn to make good decisions after the flop.”

It’s well known that Steve Leonard stakes you into a lot of events. How did that relationship come about??

“It was after the 2008 World Series of Poker and he was looking for people to start staking. He had seen me around a bit and noticed that I was playing quite a lot so he asked if I would be interested. From there he also spent a lot of time teaching me and improving my game.”

He must be pleased with his investment??

“Yeah it has worked out well for the both of us. There are no complaints from either side.”

What would you say is your greatest strength at the poker table??

“Aggression against weaker players. A lot of them have a habit of calling then folding so it’s a matter of taking advantage of that.”

Do you spend most of your time playing tournaments or cash??

“Mainly cash. I’m a bit over tournaments at the moment – particularly online – so it’s mainly No Limit Hold ‘Em and Pot Limit Omaha cash games.”

The Aussie Millions starts this week. Do you have a full schedule??

“Yeah I’m playing in most events during the Aussie Millions as well as a lot of cash games. There have already been some very good cash games starting up over the past week or so.”

You turn 21 this year which finally makes you old enough to travel to Las Vegas for the WSOP. Any idea how many events you’ll be playing in??

“Not yet. I’m going to wait until it’s closer and see how I feel. I’ll make a decision on how many events to play then. I turn 21 on June 3 so I make it just in time.”

What are your goals for the future??

“Nothing in-particular – just to make a profit each year really. I’ve had two profitable years where I’ve run well so I’m just hoping that can continue.”