It’s All Downhill for Chris Hinchcliffe

By Matt Clark

The burden of being the start-of-day chip leader is non-existent to Chris Hinchcliffe (pictured). The Thunder Valley local favorite opened today’s Season XVI WPT Rolling Thunder action on top of the leaderboard.

The final table is in sight. Only seven tables separate Hinchcliffe from his first WPT final table since Season II. To reach the ultimate goal in his home poker room would be a dream come true.

“I feel I have a shot,” Hinchcliffe said before Day 3 about his chances. “Coming in with 64 players with the chip lead with the talent in the room is humbling. I’m just going to play my game. I can’t let other people’s chip stacks going up and down or my stack going up down affect me.”

The talent in the room surrounds Hinchcliffe at his starting table. Seated with him are two-time WPT Champions Club member Aaron Mermelstein, WSOP Main Event winner Joe McKeehen, and Season XV WPT Rolling Thunder final tablist Steve Tabb.

Hot Start to 2018

Hinchcliffe opened his 2018 poker account with a six-figure score and is positioned to attain another. The L.A. Poker Classic opened with a $350 buy-in, $1 million guaranteed event. The last player standing of the 3,956 who entered was Hinchcliffe. The run earned him $142,715.

Did the “momentum” from the result carry over two months later to WPT Rolling Thunder? Hinchcliffe thinks so.

“It’s really cool,” Hinchcliffe told WPT.com. “The momentum is great. It’s been a long time. I had some success early in my career and bought a business and tried starting a family and being at home and didn’t play a whole lot. Six years ago, I moved back to California and started playing here. This is my home casino. I play all the events here and it’s nice to be deep here and represent the home team.”

Returning Home

The poker boom coincided with Hinchcliffe’s initial rise in the tournament game. His first-ever live tournament cash came at the WPT PartyPoker Million III final table and resulted in a $441,463 score. The former pro is now a program manager for a construction company in the Sacramento area.

Hinchcliffe wrote “Thunder Valley, CA” on his end-of-day chip bag. While speaking to Hinchcliffe, multiple players and casino staff stopped by to wish him well. When the new Thunder Valley poker room opened, Hinchcliffe played in the first cash game spread.

What Does It All Really Mean?

The odds of Hinchcliffe winning two tournaments in the first quarter of 2018 are slim by any equation. A tournament regular of Hinchcliffe’s 46 years recognizes the variance of him being in a position to ship another win. Is there any pressure to live up to his chip lead as play starts? The respect of his peers matters to Hinchcliffe.

“For me, it’s more about outside perception,” Hinchcliffe told WPT.com. “It vindicates you a little bit. For me internally, I’ve always gotten myself into really good situations. But then, I’ve also imploded. There’s the ‘Chris Hinchcliffe blow up’ and I’ve really tried to work on that. I’ve gotten better. Fortunately, things have gone really well so far and I’m excited about the opportunity.”

To offset potential tilt, Hinchcliffe plugs in massage music to his ears. Calm is of the utmost importance with a 12-hour day expected to reach the WPT Rolling Thunder final table.

Where To Go from Here

The life of a poker pro is behind Hinchcliffe and he gets to live out his WPT ride for at least today. With $295,128 awaiting the WPT Rolling Thunder winner, Hinchcliffe might have to burn another day off alongside his Action Clock time chips if he makes it through the Day 3 gauntlet.

“I have a real job,” he said. “I took a vacation day today and hopefully and I’ll take a vacation day tomorrow. Regardless of the outcome, I’m not quitting my job.”

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