Travis Endersby: The happy-go-lucky pro who stormed WPT Australia

There were multiple huge, correct laydowns and well-timed bluffs throughout the earlier days that all added up. But I definitely ran very well and won three significant pots with AKs over the last two days. Each little decision or hand made a massive difference in such a deep tournament.

Was there a specific strategy you adopted going into the final stages of the tournament?

With 20 left, my mission was to gather as many chips as possible while payouts were flat. I took my chances there, knowing that from eighth onwards pay jumps would matter. By the time we were six-handed, I was clearly the second-biggest stack and had to play a low-risk strategy versus the chip leader, which ultimately may have reduced my stack for heads-up, but at least helped me to get there and lock up a great payday.

Travis Endersby and James Obst heads-up at the WPT Australia Championship

Spenser Sembrat

How did your strategy evolve throughout the tournament? Did you make any significant adjustments?

I came into this tournament relentlessly looking for thin value, winning pots without showdown, and applying pressure where I thought it might benefit my stack. By the time the final table came around, that was no longer an option, and I had to be ICM-aware and protect my stack, with Obst having 190 big blinds to my 95 with others having 14-50 big blinds.

How did you tackle the final table?

James Obst was always going to apply a lot of pressure with a gigantic chip lead at the final table. I was previously countering with my own aggression, but in the end it was mostly just waiting for hands until we were heads-up, when I could completely play my own game. I love heads-up poker, having formerly been a heads-up sit and go player.

Travis Endersby (bottom left) with the rest of the WPT Australia Championship final table

Was there a specific moment in the tournament where you felt the momentum shift in your favour or against you?

I actually had an extremely smooth transition all of the way, always just slightly increasing my stack and never being at risk.

• End of Day 1b: 137,500 (64/140)
• End of Day 2: 671,000 (11/50)
• End of Day 3: 1,700,000 (4/16)
• End of Day 4: 4,700,000 (2/6)
• End of Day 5: Second and fairly satisfied.

How do you manage your emotions when you’re so deep in a big money situation?

I am playing a game I love – a game I have relentlessly studied. I am happy, and confident – because I have put in the study and massive online volume – that I can play with anyone. Sure, I have plenty of improving to do, but I feel confident I can compete. I also have lots of people that like to buy my action, so I share my victories with them and I am never playing more than I can afford to play. Because of this, I literally view the $11 Boski Double, the $2,650 Venom, an $8,000 WPT Main Event or a $30,000 Triton tournament the same way. You will see me with a massive smile on my face, joking with everyone at the table (or my Twitch audience).

Another thing that works for me is getting well organised the night before I play, making sure I am taking care of everyone and everything outside of poker, so I can just concentrate on the game and my strategy on the day. Daily things like having gratitude and treating people well seems to reflect back on you and just makes for better, happier, calmer poker players, too.

Travis Endersby always plays with a smile on his face

Were there any moments when you felt nervous or doubted your decisions? 

I felt doubt in some specific spots. This was extremely deep and an extreme ICM spot, so there were some post-flop spots I am going to be studying hard over the next few weeks to check the validity of some plays I made. But once the decision is made in game and I have learnt from it, I just move on. Ideally, once I've taken my lesson from the past, I leave the past there and look ahead.

What kept you focused during the long hours of the tournament?

Lots of caffeine. Also, if I find myself drifting, I put myself in another player's shoes and try to range what they have. This helps keep me focused, watching the action, and also picking up where somebody is making theoretical mistakes I can exploit. I am certainly willing to let myself not focus here and there, chatting at the table, having some fun. This can help on the really long days where you are playing 12 hours, playing online at night, then back for 12 hours on little sleep. You sometimes have to pick your moments. 

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Certainly the last hand [watch at the bottom of the article, starting at 4:30:00]. Before it ran out, I was discussing with James that it was a clear limp/call. It's a tiny mistake, and I probably go broke on it anyway, but it's a clear fundamental mistake. I talked myself into thinking it was somehow a good choice at the time. Other spots where I might have made some mistakes would be overdoing my stack protection against the chip leader. I knew adaptations needed to be made in that direction, but maybe I went too far. The good news about that is I have an opportunity to learn from that for my next 100,000 tourneys and be a significantly better player going forward.

What’s next for you? 

I'm going straight to the Australian Poker Tour to represent the state I was born in, Western Australia, in a State of Origin clash (along with five of my great buddies), versus some of the best players from Australia and around the World. Vice captain clash should be lots of fun going up against Dan 'Jungleman' Cates, Kahle Burns, Corey Kempson, Alex Trevallion, Joe Sandaev, Brian Kim, and Vincent Huang. This should be followed by some higher-stakes tourneys. After that, I'm honestly looking forward to being back home with my family, my dog, my friends, and just streaming again. It's been a busy, but amazing 10 months since I won my Triton adventure from ACR. And since then, I've met so many great people, travelled all around, and had some amazing poker results. I feel very fortunate!