TJ Murphy Returns to the Felt with His Eyes on Another Bracelet
TJ Murphy, last year’s champion of the $800 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack event, which occurred in June, earned him a career-best $368,997. He is back and aiming to add another bracelet to his collection. Most recently, he finished second in a WSOP Circuit ring event at the Festival Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood, Iowa, pocketing $76,736 this past March. Now, he's ready to chase more success.
A driven advertising executive by profession, Murphy brings the same intensity to the poker table. “Life’s going to kick you in the ass sometimes, you have to stay mentally strong,” he said. That resilience was tested when, shortly after his 2024 victory, his hometown of Spencer, Iowa, was hit by a devastating flood. “You just never know what life is going to throw at you,” he reflected.
To stay sharp, Murphy invests time in studying the game, taking poker lessons, and working with a trainer during breaks. “So I can come back to the table and fold, fold, fold,” he jokes. He also uses the mindset app Primed Mind to help focus and calm his mind before sessions, part of his strategy to maintain peak mental form.
Murphy first got into poker roughly 20 years ago and was swept up in the excitement of the Moneymaker boom. Still, it wasn’t until 2016 that he began approaching the game more seriously. Despite his competitive drive, he remains grounded, balancing poker with his full-time career and entering tournaments when his schedule allows.
He just arrived back in Las Vegas yesterday and is eager to fire in a few more events, ready, focused, and determined to go deep once again.