Noah Schwartz is a staple in high profile tournaments in Florida and he’s in the Day 1A field for the $3,500 World Poker Tour Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open. The Floridian enjoys a homefield advantage with a third of his WPT earnings coming from the Sunshine state.
“Being able to get in your vehicle and drive down the street to your home casino is nice and I’ve had success here,” Schwartz said. “It’s the comfort of sleeping in your own bed, getting a good night’s rest and being familiar with the people. I had some luck too, we all need that, right?”
A new approach
Schwartz hasn’t been grinding as hard as he used to when he was younger. “I focus on family, but I still play because I have that competitive thing in me – that desire and burn,” he said. “I’m trying to adapt while paying attention to the table. The game is ever changing, so if you’re not adapting, not learning, not growing – it’s like life, it will leave you by. I’m making some changes, so I’m not playing as much as I’d like to.”
Schwartz looks to etch his name in the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup a second time and is one of two players (Jonathan Jaffe) to win a WPT title and an Alpha8 trophy. He won the bestbet Scramble in 2012 and won his Alpha8 event in 2015 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood.
He likes to approach both events with a similar mindset. “I go into each tournament with an open mind to my table and to what’s going on. Obviously, with an Alpha8 with a $100k buy in, you’re going to usually get a tougher field,” he said.
“In a huge MTT field, you’re making adjustments on the run. You’re not going to play the same way all the time. I just figure it out,” said Schwartz. “It’s very different but challenging. There are certain players that you’re not going to be able to bluff but thinking players are going to go through the hand and piece it together differently.”
So, now what's next?
Schwartz has seen both ends of the spectrum in his field and with his reduced playing schedule, it’s given him some clarity. “At one point I was ranked fourth in the GPI and I was like, ‘Ok great, now I’m up here but now what? What’s next?’” he said. “I look at myself on a different pedestal now. My results aren’t where I’d like them to be, but I’m having more fun, meeting new people, enjoying it more and going with the flow.”
“As far as my life is concerned, I’ve taken an approach to take care of my health, body and mind. I’m doing cryotherapy and infrared sauna, making sure I’m in peak mental and physical condition – maybe not peak because I’m not there yet,” said Schwartz. “But I’ve lost about ten percent of my body fat and put on a lot of muscle.”
“It’s really important to play with a clear head. It enables me to keep my stress levels low, come in relaxed and I don’t put so much pressure on myself,” he said. “I think it’s helpful when you have mental clarity – it helps you rise to the top.”
