Jared Jaffee entered the illustrious WPT Champions Club in Season XII, defeating Blake Purvis heads up to capture the WPT bestbet Jacksonville Fall Poker Scramble and more than $250,000. Jaffee returns to bestbet Jacksonville in Season XIV as one of the handful of celebrity bounties with a $2,500 bounty on their head. The WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble kicks off on November 6, and concludes with the televised final table on November 10.
Jaffee talks about returning to the site of his big WPT win, playing as a bounty, and his Amazin’ New York Mets.
In November of 2013, you became a member of the WPT Champions Club at bestbet, winning more than a quarter of a million dollars in the process. If you can go back two years, what was that day like?
I was actually pretty nervous. It was, I believe, my third WPT final table. I hadn’t had the results I would have liked, and I was still without a major title. I came in with the chip lead and would have been extremely disappointed if I didn’t close it out. When the final card was dealt, and I won, it was one of the most exciting moments of my life. I never celebrate winning but I shot out of my seat completely out of reflex. It was very special.
Does it excite you to return to Jacksonville? Do you get a small confidence boost?
Yeah, I love playing in Jacksonville. I’ve made several runs there since I won and I feel really comfortable there. The staff is great and my results are really good there. I always look forward to playing there.
You have four six-figure scores since winning in Jacksonville, including another WPT final table right after it and a bracelet win, did you feel the rush?
I don’t know if I felt the rush necessarily, but I definitely felt the confidence. Poker is a game of belief. You have to believe you are playing well and making the right decisions, and you need to believe you are going to win. I didn’t always feel like that early in my career, but I definitely started feeling that way afterwards.
What does winning a poker tournament do to your psyche?
It really does a lot for the psyche. It makes you confident. It calms you. It takes a ton of pressure off of you. Winning really is everything.
You return to Jacksonville as a bounty, with $2,500 on your head. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Do you prefer to have players looking to take you out?
I enjoy being a bounty. It’s a lot of fun and it generates action, and I love action. I try my best to embrace the fact that being a bounty is really an honor and it means that I’m doing something right. As for people trying to take me out, I don’t think it’s a whole lot different than usual. I welcome it.
Your New York Mets are currently in the World Series for the first time since 2000, and haven’t won since 1986. How many months of “run good” would you trade in for a World Series win?
Wow; The Mets winning would be incredible. I’ve suffered a long time as a Mets fan. I guess I’d trade in three or four months of run good for a World Series win, but only if I knew the run good would return. I have lots of bills to pay and I love to spend .
You’ve been to several playoff games, what has this Amazin’s Run been like?
This playoff run has been incredible. I’ve spent my life rooting for plenty of disappointing teams, and it is demoralizing sometimes. Once the Mets started making this run I decided I was going to tag along for the ride, so I’ve been to all but one of the home games and both road games at Wrigley (which was beyond amazing). My plan is to go to all World Series games, if it’s feasible.
For more information on the WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble, head here.
For the best rates on hotels at all WPT events, head to WPT Travel.