Eric Baldwin is a longtime poker pro and Las Vegas resident. He just made a deep run in the $3,500 2024 Aria Poker Classic, finishing in sixth place. Baldwin has more than $9,000,000 in career cashes.
Eric is an ambassador for Phenom Poker. Sign up via the link in his X bio, and check out his furniture service at toTree.
What’s one bit of essential prep you do before a big tournament or cash game session?
I like to do something that connects me with my body. If I have time I try to make it to the gym, but other options include walking, Peloton, tai chi, or meditation. I also use an amazing guided warmup from Jason Su.
I’m a strong believer that we show up with different strengths and capabilities each day. Just like a baseball pitcher may or may not have his best curveball on any given day, you’ve got to pitch with what you’ve got. Being connected to your body is the only way to be honest about what you’ve got that day.
What piece of strategy advice did you get when you first started playing that you wish you had ignored?
Harrington on Hold’em was like my poker bible when I first started playing tournaments. For as much money as it made me, there was some short stack advice in there that helped me torch a lot of 6-12bb stacks.
The book advocated for open-shoving anything halfway decent anytime you got down to 12 or fewer big blinds, so I would often times jam something like A-2 offsuit or T-6 suited from early position when it was totally unnecessary.
What's the dumbest thing you've ever seen or done at the poker table?
I saw a guy chew the corner off a rivered ace after it bested his kings.
What's your most memorable hand?
I was tucked in the corner of the Amazon Room at Rio in a huge field $1,500. On the stone bubble I four-bet jammed 
suited and lost to the 
of the other big stack.
I had to wait around for what felt like 10 minutes for all of the other tables to finish to see if I got to split the min-cash. After I was informed that I did not, I got to walk through 50 tables of happy baggers, many of whom offered high fives and stack inquiries.
What is your best piece of advice for players?
Do what you want to do.
Make a very small list of people whose opinions you really care about. If criticism comes from someone who isn’t on that list, leave it for the birds.
If you owned a poker room, who's the first player you'd want to sign as an ambassador and why?
Shohei Ohtani. I’m pretty sure the Las Vegas A’s are going to trade for him, so I think he’d be great for a Las Vegas cardroom. I’d work something out with the sportsbook as well to sign his interpreter.
Feature image courtesy of Louis Grasse, Choctaw image courtesy of WPT
