Soon-To-Be-Father Jason Mercier Looking to Win on Home Turf

With a wedding ring, a couple of gold bracelets, and a baby boy on the way, it’s safe to say that Jason Mercier (pictured) has had a big year both on and off the felt.

Mercier married Natasha Barbour late last year, and now the young couple is expecting a baby boy six months from now. Mercier won two World Series of Poker gold bracelets last summer in Las Vegas in less than a week, and that was also where he proposed to Barbour after she cashed in third place in the WSOP $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em.

The Davie, Florida resident began his impressive poker career ($17,446,902 in tournament earnings at time of writing) here at the Seminole Hard Rock, and it would mean a lot to Mercier if he were to win his first WPT title on his home turf and continue his current life-heater.

We caught up with Mercier during Day 1 of the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, and he talked about playing close to home, fatherhood approaching, and his big year.

WPT: What makes you excited to come out and play in the WPT event that is in your backyard?

Mercier: “Well, I’ve been trying to win one of these tournaments for quite some time. It’s nice every time you get to play a tournament with 1,000 people because you can turn a small amount of money into potentially a huge score. I’m excited every time there is a tournament series here, especially about playing the main event and trying to hopefully win it.”

WPT: Do you read into the home-court advantage at all? Do you feel more comfortable here as opposed to anywhere else?

Mercier: “I don’t think I necessarily have home-court advantage, but I definitely like playing here, this is one of my favorite places to play. I like to be able to drive home and go to sleep in my own bed, as opposed to when I’m traveling all over the world and have to stay in a hotel. It’s nice to play in the first casino that I ever played in, and be able to play high stakes here.”

WPT: Staying closer to home is something that is going to become more important for you in a couple months. What are your feelings about becoming a father soon?

Mercier: “Yeah, I’m probably going to have to spend some more time at home. My wife is expecting, we’re going to have a baby boy in about six months from now, so it’s definitely going to be a transition. I don’t think I’m necessarily going to be playing 40-hour sessions all the time. I might need to be around a little more.”

WPT: You’ve had a big year both on and off the felt. Do you feel that life events can add up in a snowball effect sometimes both personally and professionally?

Mercier: “Somewhat. I mean, there have definitely been a lot of big events that have happened to me in the last 18 months. I think it was just that time of life, that inflection point where now I’m going to get married and start having kids. Hopefully everything will go well with this one and we will start having more.”

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