Tom “Majin” Hayward on his first EPT and why he’s done saying no
Most tourists moan about the weather in London, but not Tom “Majin” Hayward.
The PokerStars Team Pro has flown into town from his home in New Zealand for the European Poker Tour (EPT) London festival, but a bit of rain? He’s used to it.
After five years of living in Christchurch, where he studied production and picked up the skills he’d then apply to his unique Twitch stream, he recently decided to move back to Dunedin, his original university city, to live with an old uni friend.
“It’s cheaper, a nice change of scenery,” he says. “The weather is a bit ratty though, it’s a bit like London. A lot of rain! But I just wanted a change.”
A good reason to stay indoors
On this particular day, London is extremely wet outside. Lightning is lighting up the dull, grey skies and the rumbling sound of thunder is ensuring everyone stays inside.
Staying inside has never really been an issue for poker players. But the problem is, Hayward has just busted the £5,300 EPT London Main Event on Level 3.
“I ran queens into aces for 50-60 big blinds,” he says. “But to be honest, it was just a privilege to be able to play it.”
So now he’s up on the feature table helping out the TV crew as they set up and test everything ahead of tomorrow’s Main Event streaming.
Hayward grinding the UKIPT Main Event earlier this week
Coming a long way for a debut EPT
This was Hayward’s first-ever EPT Main Event. He wasn’t even really planning on coming to EPT London. It’s a long way to go, after all. “But PokerStars helped me get here,” he says. “It’s amazing.”
He’s been playing a fair bit of live poker of late, having spent the summer grinding his maiden World Series of Poker schedule. “Vegas was my own thing,” he says. “It had been a while since I’d played live poker due to covid. But anyone who plays poker seriously thinks about going to Vegas at some point. I enjoyed the experience.”
The players he encountered in just three levels of the EPT Main Event were tougher than your average player in the WSOP Main. “There are more regs. The people who frequent these £5Ks are definitely tough.”
According to Hayward, the players he encountered in just three levels of the EPT Main Event were tougher than your average player in the WSOP Main. “There are more regs,” he says. “The people who frequent these £5Ks are definitely tough.”
But when it comes to poker, travel, or anything (within reason), Hayward seems like he’s up for it.
“I’m just not saying no to opportunities really,” he says. “Just getting in there when I can.”
Hayward’s Main Event ended in a cooler
Second time lucky
It might be his EPT, but it’s not his first visit to London. Hayward was here back in 2019 for the second edition of Lex Live, where he first got to meet other streamers, many of whom are now his fellow PokerStars Ambassadors.
“This trip feels pretty similar but this time around I haven’t played as much poker,” he says. “I’ve seen the city a bit more–I’ve been on a bus tour and I’m thinking of going to see The Book of Mormon. It’s tough to fit it all in. But I’ve enjoyed meeting people.”
His stream has definitely grown in popularity over the past few years (“It’s not like I’ve had people recognise me or anything though”), plus he’s had the results.
The last time we spoke, Hayward had just taken down the Sunday Million, fulfilling a career-long dream (and putting to bed the recurring dreams he’d have about winning it, only to wake up and realise none of it was real).
Some well earned recognition
And his fans are loyal, tuning in every time he goes live, but also, in some cases, flying seven hours across the pond just to meet him. Just yesterday, we spoke to two-time Platinum Pass winner Jennifer Carter, who told us that Hayward attending EPT London was one of the major reasons she decided to make the trip.
“She’s a sweetheart, eh?” Hayward says. “We had a good catch-up. She’s one of the people who has been on my stream since the very beginning. It’s cool to meet people like that, who are somewhat dedicated to the cause. There’s a running joke that I look like an alpaca because of my hair, so she knitted an alpaca for me, which is really cool.”
But how do alpacas feel about the rain?
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