Aggressiveness: 6
Looseness: 5
Short-handed: 6
Limit: 5
No-limit: 7
Tournaments: 7
Side games: 3
Steam control: 4
Against weak players: 8
Against strong players: 6
Best game: Tournament no-limit hold’em
Weakness: A seven on the craps table at the wrong time
Conventional wisdom is that TJ’s non-poker gambling has limited his monetary success.
TJ often shows his good hands because he likes to give the image that he is always there. His philosophy is: if you never get called, you will end up with all of the chips.
TJ has probably played in and won more major tournaments than any other person.
Amusing anecdote
When TJ and I first played together, we had discussed how I had played some no-limit hold’em in Houston in the ‘70s whereas he had played in Dallas. I moved in on someone with Ace-King. The player called with a pair of Queens and I won the race.
TJ said, “I can see you learned to play in Houston. Those Houston players would come to Dallas and play that Ace-King, but they’d always end up against a pair of Aces. That’s why we call that hand ‘Walking back to Houston.’”
Title: On The Road Again
Artist: Willie Nelson
Year: 1992
Reason for this song choice
T. J. loves to tell stories from a long time ago about poker game he traveled to in Texas. Also, he has been on the road, traveling to poker tournaments, more than anyone else.