33 year-old Jeremy Ausmus is a recognized live cash game player, but the betting companies consider him having the thinnest chances of winning the Main Event. Naturally, the reason for this is that Ausmus starts the final table from last position with 9,805,000 in chips.
Ausmus got "infected" with poker after high school, by seeing the cult movie 'Rounders'. Although in the beginning he wasn't sure whether one can make a living out of poker, after watching the movie he took a giant leap into poker and read all the poker books he could find.
Jeremy Ausmus
"These were the times when I started improving myself in all the fields that would help me to become a better player. Actually, this process has been going on ever since" - says Ausmus.
The poker player moved from Colorado to Las Vegas in 2005. Here he had everything he needed to let poker take over his life, but he pays great attention not to go to extremes considering the number of hours he spends playing poker, as he already is a family man as well.
The American pro did not play much poker following the end of the summer section of the WSOP. He did plan to take part in the WSOPE, but complications arose with his pregnant wife, which made him stay in the States. His second child was born healthy on the 25th of September.
"If I played poker all night, I would sleep all day, and I would never see my wife and kids. I have always been careful with my bankroll, but I'm even more so ever since I have a family. I would like to provide everything for them, as their secure future is the most important thing for me in the whole world".
Ausmus said in numerous interviews that the closer he got to WSOP Main Event final table, the more conscious he became about what was at stake. But this did not have any effect on his gameplay.
"I did everything I could not to worry about the money at stake. I just tried to deliver my best, and made it clear for myself that the world goes on even if I get eliminated".
As everyone else, he too needed a bit of luck as well to get to the final:
When it got down to two tables, Ausmus confessed getting tighter, but says he did it not because of the stake, but because large stacks were sitting on his left, strategically making it the right thing to do.
"Because of their large stacks, it was possible for these players to 3bet smaller stacks without it backfiring. My stack was not big enough to have lots of options, but I still managed to bluff my aggressive opponents at this stage. I just had to choose the right moment".
Ausmus would not like to guess who this year's winner will be, but he hopes that someone with a good personality to become the ambassador of poker.
"The better person the world champion is, the more people will consider trying out poker. This is a great game, where different lives meet and fight for victory, and anyone can win in the short run. This is what differentiates it from sports, and this is what makes it very special" - said Ausmus.
