The countdown to the 2025 WSOP is on. 100 bracelets. All the poker players. And PokerOrg will be on the floor from start to finish.
Since leaving high-stakes cash games in the rearview, Jeremy Ausmus has been a dominant presence on the poker circuit, especially when entering any event in his hometown of Las Vegas, whether at the WSOP or the PokerGO Studios.
Since last year’s WSOP, Ausmus has been on a tear, banking three seven-figure scores, including capturing his first Triton Poker Super High Roller trophy at the $25,000 NLH 8-Max for $1,892,000 this past March. He has won six WSOP bracelets and over $27,000,000 in career earnings.
PokerOrg concludes our WSOP prep features with a series of in-depth interviews as we head into the exciting first week of the 2025 World Series of Poker.
Watch the full interview above now!
The most expensive WSOP Fantasy player should be in the Player of the Year race. 'My goal is to make the most money'
Are you excited about this summer’s series?
I look forward to it every year. I used to play mainly cash in Las Vegas, so I didn't have to travel. Now, I tend to focus more on tournaments, and enough have sprung up here, so I still don't have to travel much.
As usual, I look forward to playing everything and working hard this summer. Maybe I’ll be in the running for Player of the Year; battling with Scott Seiver was a lot of fun last year.
You had an amazing WSOP last summer, a second, a third, two fourths, and multiple final tables. Is the pursuit of WSOP bracelets a goal you set each summer?
I've been fortunate enough to win several — five in the last three years or something. Sure, you want to win more, but that’s never been my goal as a poker professional.
I've been a pro for 20 years now. I keep meticulous records. My goal is to make the most money. I could employ a different strategy and try to win the most tournaments, but I would probably win less money. I try to win the most money. That's what's important to me.
As my career continues, the accolades have become more important, but collecting the trophies is fun. But you can't win WSOP POY if you don't win one.
It all depends on your goals, right? I made a lot of money at the last WSOP, and it was one of my best series ever. I can't be upset with those results.
'I have to be sharper now.'
What are you looking forward to most at this year’s WSOP?
They’ve added a couple of new events. I'm especially excited about the $25K half PLO, half NLH event and looking forward to the $100K PLO.
You’ve been on a hot tournament streak for a few years now. What have been a few keys to the growth of your MTT game?
I study a lot. I work very hard to improve my game, including working with solvers. Because I wasn’t used to playing tournaments full-time, that didn't start until right before COVID.
I used to play cash and then go play a tournament for fun. Naturally, I was pretty good at them, but I didn’t put much of the finer detail work into everything like I do until now.
I no longer play cash because this is how I make all my money. I have to be sharper now.
I review the hands that come up very carefully. I'll jot down notes every time I play and review a lot of final tables. I like to see what other players might be up to, especially opponents I play with often.
The PokerGO Studio is homefield advantage for the 2024 Player of the Year. What is one of the things you love about the WSOP?
I love that you play so many different types of opponents. You have to adapt to them and see what you can come up with on the fly.
I feel that's the highest level a pro can reach. We can play the best players at GTO and the worst players. A pro will do their best to exploit them, make ridiculous folds if needed, or make calls and understand spots where it's hard to balance.
You have to be able to have it all dialed in. I feel that’s what the best players in the game can do.
You’ve had great success at the PokerGO Studio these past few years, and then you traveled to a Triton event this year and took it down. Should we expect you to play more of those types of events overseas in the future?
Probably not. I have a couple of kids who will be out of the house within a few years. I don't want to be traveling the world playing these high-stakes tournaments right now.
I do it sometimes, once or twice a year, but that's about it. It’s the same with the WSOP in The Bahamas. I don't see myself going out there this December.
I know that's jumping ahead, but I will stay and spend the holidays and December in Vegas with my family.
Check out the full interview posted above, where Ausmus expands on a myriad of topics surrounding the 2025 WSOP series and beyond.
- Watching and learning from different styles of players
- Being the highest scorer in the $25K Fantasy Draft
- The extra motivation of pursuing top-dog status on leaderboard
- Who would he choose to swap 5% with at the series
- The best strategy to employ to go deep in the WSOP Main Event
- And more…
Follow Jeremy’s 2025 WSOP journey on X.
