Todd Jackson Cashes in Hockey for Poker
Reign forward turned professional poker player
Laura Hendrick, Ontario Reign PR Intern
After officially hanging up his skates, former Reign winger, Todd Jackson, turned to one of his favorite pastimes - playing poker; a new sport for him to play professionally in Las Vegas.
 “I think a lot people have an innate desire to compete and win; both a poker table and ice rink have given me that outlet,” Jackson said. “Sports are a huge net positive to society; you're doing something that people care about and will spend money to come see. Hopefully the fans are engaged and entertained. In poker, the mix of psychology, math, and luck make it both a beautiful and savage game.”
Jackson, 31, was part of the Ontario Reign’s inaugural season’s roster and returned to the team the following year for his final season of professional hockey in North America. While with the Reign, Jackson earned 35 points (16g, 19a) in 75 games.
The left winger retired in California with his girlfriend Danielle after his final season in Ontario. “I had spent 6 seasons bouncing around various teams and leagues,” Jackson said. “During my second season with the Reign, my role with the team had really diminished. I felt burnt out and was ready for the next phase of my life despite not having a clue of what I wanted to do.”
Jackson spent 2004-10 between the AHL, ECHL, and EIHL playing in Grand Rapids, Toledo, Phoenix, Newcastle, and Ontario. Prior to turning pro, he spent four years playing for the University of Maine where he earned several individual and team awards and recognitions including: 2004 East Second Team All-star, the Captain title his senior year, 2004 East Champions, 2-time NCAA Nation Champion Runner up, and the 2004 Best Defensive Forward Award in Hockey East and NCAA. He also represented the United States as part of the USHL’s U.S. Junior National Team in 1998-99, and 1999-2000, and the USNTDP’s Under-18 Team in 1999-2000.
After deciding to stop with hockey, he received a call from one of his best friends from college, and briefly came out of retirement to take the opportunity to play hockey in Northern Italy for part of a season.
Originally, the Cortland, New York native played poker with his friends in college when the World Series of Poker (WSOP) became more mainstream. During his downtime as a professional hockey player he began playing online and learned the ins and outs of the game; gaining the confidence to eventually play professionally. He can now be found playing mostly cash games around Las Vegas and entering the occasional WSOP events.
Although he really enjoys his new career, there are still elements of the game of hockey Jackson misses. “Poker is such a solitary venture that I really miss the camaraderie and the idea of a group of people working towards a common goal.”
Jackson has fond memories of his time in Ontario, “Being a part of the Reign, especially in the inaugural season, was something very special. The fans were so good to me and I still keep in touch with a lot of them.” (In fact, Jackson said a Reign season ticket holder was one of his biggest investors this year.) “Justin Kemp, along with the rest of the staff, really did things the right way and didn't cut corners. It's one of the best organizations and I'm honored to have been a part of it.”
With no serious plans to change his career-path anytime soon, Jackson will continue to enjoy the freedom and excitement of playing poker professionally.
“Poker can be a financial and emotional roller-coaster, but I couldn't imagine doing anything else. There will probably be a time down the road that I want more structure and stability, but for now I'm going to enjoy the ride.”
Be sure to keep up to date on what Todd is doing now!
Follow him on Twitter: @toddijackson
Read his blog: http://toddsblog.org
Here is the full interview:
Laura Hendrick: What made you decide to retire from hockey?
Todd Jackson: The decision to retire was pretty easy. I had spent 6 seasons bouncing around various teams and leagues. During my second season with the Reign, my role with the team had really diminished. I felt burnt out and was ready for the next phase of my life despite not having a clue of what I wanted to do. I loved California and had met an incredible girl, so I decided to move to the beach and put the suitcase away for awhile.
LH: Why did you come out of retirement and play in Italy for that brief amount of time?
TJ: I got a call from one of my best friends from college that was playing there and they needed an import mid-season. I was completely out of shape but felt it was an opportunity I would really regret not taking. Danielle and I didn't have any serious obligations so we just went for it. Within a week of the call, we had sold most of our possessions and were on a plane to northern Italy. The first few weeks were really tough, but it ended up being one of the best times of my life.
LH: What do you miss about professional hockey, specifically the Ontario Reign?
TJ: Poker is such a solitary venture that I really miss the camaraderie and the idea of a group of people working towards a common goal. Being a part of the Reign, especially in the inaugural season was something very special. The fans were so good to me and I still keep in touch with a lot of them. Justin Kemp, along with the rest of the staff, really did things the right way and didn't cut corners. It's one of the best organizations and I'm honored to have been a part of it.
LH: How did you get into the Poker world?
TJ: I started playing in college with some friends right as ESPN brought the World Series of Poker to the mainstream. When I started playing professional hockey, we had a lot of down time and I spent mine playing online poker. I really put a lot of effort into studying the game and gradually became a winning player. By the time I retired from hockey, I was confident that I could make a living playing full time online. Unfortunately, in April 2011, the US government cracked down on the sites and my bankroll vanished over night. So I've taken to the live games in Las Vegas. I really miss the convenience of online, but at least it gets me out of the house.
LH: You have to forgive me I am not very familiar with poker, so can you expand a bit on what it means to be a professional poker player? Is there a league you play in? Is it strictly tournaments?
TJ: There are no requirements or certifications to becoming a professional poker player. Anybody can sit down at a table as long as they have the money to play, so a lot of people do use the term "professional" pretty loosely. Because it's my only source of income, I feel comfortable with the job title. In poker, there are tournaments and cash games throughout the world at all stakes imaginable. I'm predominately a cash game player so I buy into a game for x amount of dollars and can cash out at any time. In tournaments, you pay a fixed amount, get a fixed amount of chips and play until somebody wins all of the chips. Tournaments have such a high variance that it's very difficult to have any kind of stable income. But if you can do well in some of the bigger buy-ins, one tournament can be life changing money. When the WSOP comes to town, I'll always try to play a few events but will sell off pieces of my action to help lower the variance and still have a chance at a huge score. One of the Reign season ticket holders was one of my biggest investors this year!
LH: How does playing professional poker coincide and differ from playing professional hockey?
TJ: I think a lot people have an innate desire to compete and win; both a poker table and ice rink have given me that outlet. I'm still in the infancy of my poker career so I'm probably biased, but I've found hockey to be a more fulfilling endeavor. Sports are a huge net positive to society; you're doing something that people care about and will spend money to come see. Hopefully the fans are engaged and entertained. In poker, the mix of psychology, math, and luck make it both a beautiful and savage game. At it's core, especially for professionals, it's all about extracting every last dollar from your opponent. I'm not sure that produces much, if any value to society. But there is crossover between the two: With the help of media and branding, poker is slowly creeping under the umbrella of what could be considered a "sport." The advent of the hole card cam allowed viewers to see the player's cards and really created an entertaining product. It's unscripted drama, loaded with heroes, villains, triumph and heartbreak. But the most appealing aspect of poker for me is the freedom I have. I work when I want and have no obligations. That's priceless to me. Poker can be a financial and emotional roller-coaster but I couldn't imagine doing anything else. There will be probably be a time down the road that I want more structure and stability, but for now I'm going to enjoy the ride.
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