Eric Baldwin is a longtime, respected poker pro and Las Vegas resident. He recently finished a deep run in event #1 at the PokerGO Cup. He eventually finished seventh, knocked out by eventual winner Texas Mike Moncek.
Baldwin is also a sponsored pro with Phenom Poker and he’s won two coveted WSOP bracelets with over $9,300,000 in tournament career cashes. We caught up with him to chat about this year's World Series of Poker on the eve of the schedule release.
Besides the Main Event, which events did you play at last year's WSOP that you plan on playing this year?
Well, you know me, Craig, I'm a grinder. I just show up pretty much every day of the series and play what I think is the highest EV event for the day.
This year might be a little bit different for me, though. I've been diving into the world of mixed games. That might be advantageous through the series because there are eight straight weeks of NLH tournaments. That grind is real.
I'm hopeful of being able to pick and choose a couple of my favorite mixed-game events. That should be refreshing and help me get my juices going when it's 115 degrees outside.
Baldwin is one of the top local grinders in Las Vegas. When did you start dabbling on the mixed-game side of the street? I see a lot of NLH huge scores on your Hendon. You’ve got your work cut out for you.
I'm still in the early part of my journey. I've always been interested in them and wanted to gain some experience playing online. I would play a handful of events back in the day, like 2008 through 2010.
I have always intended to dive into mixed online games and gain some experience. But then, after Black Friday, we all lost the ability to see a lot of hands quickly.
It feels like the kind of thing that online would be better than live, as far as learning. You can get to see more hands, especially as a complete beginner. I put mixed games on the back burner for a while.
What made you excited about them again?
I took a sponsorship deal with Phenom Poker. Phenom launched, and there’s been a lot of cash game action with mixed games. It’s one of the reasons I love Phenom. I've been meaning to get into mixed games for a while. This is a perfect opportunity.
I'm not a complete novice. Some games I feel pretty comfortable in other games; I'm still definitely learning. There are varying degrees of what's essential and what's not as important in these games. It's been enjoyable diving in and getting a feel for these.
I assume that studying other games has helped you with the NLH game.
100%. And I've found that over the years if I study PLO for a bit and then come back to hold’em, something just clicks better.
What new events do you want to see on the schedule this year?
I've never gotten too into the WSOP schedule anticipation. That's one thing that’s great about the WSOP; they seem open to suggestions and adjustments regarding the schedule.
With the WSOP under GGPoker's ownership, are you expecting things to be the same or business as usual?
It seems like the live WSOP in Vegas is going to be run by a lot of the same people. I don't anticipate too many changes, especially not in the first couple of years. I hope they do good things for poker. We'll see.
"Ten-handed poker needs to be a thing of the past," Baldwin says. What has been your pet peeve recently at the WSOP, and do you think it might be sorted out this year?
Ten-handed poker needs to be a thing of the past. Period. Especially since many of those tables are designed to be eight-handed. Now you're cramming 10 people; it makes for a miserable experience.
It's another thing that gets brought up constantly, but it's true. It's the training level of the dealers. They have some valid excuses. But at the end of the day, there are excuses for everything.
You’re a very athletic and mindful person. What do you do to prepare your mindset for the summer grind?
Recently, I've been working with Jason Su. I don’t know if he calls himself a mindset coach or more of a performance coach. But I know the guy's legit. He’s helped me make improvements throughout my life and my game.
How do you prepare your body for the grind?
I prioritize my health and fitness, which pays off in the long run. You're playing these 12 to 14-hour days. The blinds are the highest they've been toward the end of the day. You're making the biggest decisions when you're most fatigued for the day. It just makes sense to have yourself in better shape to help you be a little bit sharper at the end of the day.
Recently, I joined a gym. I’ve started doing more weights and cardio than in the past. It's been extremely beneficial.
You have a family now. And you’ve been in the game for over twenty years. How do you stay motivated to play day after day and still enjoy the game?
My family is my number one priority. But playing poker is my life, and I love it. If you can stay connected to some of that passion and curiosity, you will take in much more from your study sessions.
I'm very fortunate to still love showing up at work every day. I try to keep it playful and stay focused on the love of the game.
Watch Eric live on Twitch (Debut stream next Wednesday at 1 pm PST): https://www.twitch.tv/basebaldypoker
Find him on X: @basebaldy
