Johnathan Bishop's Tourneyblog Interview

Johnathan Bishop, known as The_Gov on Twitter, is one of the best poker players you may not have heard of ... yet. Bishop, who was literally raised on the game, is happy to grind out a nice living these days for himself online, eschewing the bright lights of Vegas or Atlantic City. Recently he found time away from his busy schedule of tourneys and low-stakes games to drop some knowledge and share some of his personal story with you, the Tourneyblog reader.

Tourneyblog: Johnathan, you describe yourself as an ‘esoteric, psychotic poker player.’ What exactly does that mean?

Johnathan Bishop: Well, I was taught the game of poker by my Grandfather. He was a savvy businessman in the sixties and seventies that dabbled in everything from bootlegging to auto dealerships. He also owned and operated a couple of bars. These were the types of places with Merle Haggard on the jukebox and that always had a game of some sort going in a back room. He taught me the game at an early age, starting me out with stud and draw. He was subsequently shot and killed in one of his bars during a marathon session of stud. That night changed my view of the game forever.

TB: How long have you been playing poker professionally? Do you play mostly online or live action games? Which brands of poker are your bread and butter?

JB: I shied away from the game for years, playing the occasional house game until 2004 when I was invited to an online tournament from a local radio DJ friend. After winning the tournament and being reminded of my love of the game, I spent the next few weekends alternating between trips to Atlantic City and Las Vegas. I did this for two months of strictly weekends and inadvertently made more money in those two weekends than I had the entire year. Since then I’ve played mostly online with the occasional Vegas run. I play nothing but no-limit with the occasional pot limit run.

TB: What would you consider your biggest success as a poker professional to be?

JB: This may sound corny but my biggest success thus far was introducing a close friend to game. He played home games before I came along but had no idea the potential for high income. Since then he has paid off his student loans, his car and made some sizable long term investments. Corny, I know, but giving him the shove he needed and seeing his achievement has been my biggest success and as a player.

TB: Would you recommend poker as a career for my readers? What kinds of advice would you give to someone considering poker as a profession?

JB: NO!! Stay away! College is the answer! Seriously though, I know ESPN and all the late night poker shows have made it look easy, especially with people like Chris Moneymaker and Jamie Gold coming out of nowhere and winning the WSOP Main event, but playing poker professionally is a serious business that could easily leave you bankrupt.

Take the advice from sites like this one, stick to it and don’t be afraid to read a book or two.

TB: Let’s stop for a second to play what I call the Tourneyblog lightning round. We’re going to give you some quick questions. Just give your first response:

Do you prefer …

tournaments or ring games?

JB: Definitely tournaments

TB: Live action or online poker?

JB: Love the live play but online play has been much more lucrative for me

TB: Hold’em or Stud?

JB: Hold’ em

TB: Limit or no-limit?

JB: No limit

TB: Texas or Omaha Hold’em?

JB: Texas

TB: low stakes or high stakes?

JB: Tough call, I’ve made more money in the low stakes but enjoy playing with the high stakes players much more.

TB: tight or loose?

JB: I’m mostly a conservative player.

TB: aggressive or passive?

JB: I’m mostly a passive player.

TB: tilted or unemotional?

JB: Definitely the tilter. 

TB: Anything you’d like to add based on those short answers?

JB: Circumstances always dictate my play style. I tend to stay conservative and passive always waiting for the opportunity to set traps. As far as tilting is concerned, I feel it’s an underrated term that is mostly looked at as something to avoid as opposed to utilizing its advantages as a playing strategy.

TB: Are there any strategy tips you’d like to share with our readers?

JB: Don’t be afraid to switch up your playing style occasionally. Predictable players are a dime a dozen and usually end up increasing my bank roll.

TB: Perhaps there’s something we missed that you’d like to discuss?

JB: Don’t think so, the questions seem to have covered everything. I would like to say thanks for having me and I hope we get to do it again sometime.

Thanks, Johnathan. We'd certainly love to have you do a guest article for us or another interview anytime. It was a pleasure chatting with you!

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