Martin Jacobson: Patiently Grinding One Drop High Roller

Martin Jacobson reached the top of the poker world in 2014 when he won the World Series of Poker Main Event for $10 million. He returned with one of the top stacks on Day 3 of the WSOP $111,111 High Roller for One Drop and locked up his 25th career WSOP cash.

The big payouts don’t affect Jacobson’s game – he’s able to block out distractions better than most. While a couple of players were stalling, hoping to slide into the money, Jacobson didn’t deviate. “I just played my normal game, waiting to see how hands unfolded,” he said.

Grinding the money bubble under the bright lights of the Feature Table didn’t bother him. “It’s a little slow and it can be a bit warm under the lights sometimes, but it’s been fine today. It’s fun to be up here every now and then.”

Jacobson began the day on the feature table streaming every hand exclusively on PokerGO with two former One Drop winners – Antonio Esfandiari and Dan Colman. Some viewers might not be familiar with the full lineup of players, specifically Salman Behbehani, but Jacobson knows the table. “I know Salman really well, we’re actually friends off the table,” Jacobson said. “He’s been playing the game a long time, not so much recently, but it’s nice to have a friend at the table.”

Jacobson’s relaxed nature disguises the nerves his still gets in events with six-figure buy-ins. “I definitely still get nerves,” he said. “Considering the prestige and the buy-in, it creates more adrenaline than a small tournament would.”

The jolt of adrenaline reminds Jacobson to keep his emotions in check. “Yeah, I take things more seriously in an event like this,” said Jacobson. “The more that’s at stake, the more serious I take it.”

“I never look at the money,” he continued. “I just try to play my game and try to win. But at the same time, I’m aware of the pay jumps and dynamics, but I’m generally don’t focus on the money at all.”