Joseph McKeehen: The Broad Street Bully Looks to Terrorize the WSOP
We made Joseph McKeehen's acquaintance earlier in the year while covering the Borgata Winter and Spring Poker Opens, and with two victories in as many series, the 23-year old native of North Wales, Pennsylvania immediately made his presence known. First, we watched as McKeehen rolled through Event 3 of the Borgata Winter Poker Open, overcoming a field of 578 entries to take down top honors - along with $69,808 in prize money. Just a few months later, McKeehen returned to the winner's circle, defeating 193 opponents in Event 10 ($660 NLHE Reentry) for another $33,873 score.
In between those wins, McKeehen - a diehard Philadelphia Flyers fan who often sports his team's orange and black on the felt - added another first place entry to his résumé, winning a $1650 Foxwoods poker Classic event to add another $61,285 to his lifetime earnings.
McKeehen has made an astounding seven final tables in Atlantic City over less than two years of live action, and over a dozen during his brief but highly successful career, proving that when he plays the game he loves, he plays to win. Those final table appearances have garnered the young McKeehen a World Series of Poker Circuit ring from the 2012-13 Caesars Atlantic City Main Event, as well as yet another Borgata seasonal series win from last November's Fall Poker Open. That makes it three consecutive Borgata Opens in which McKeehen has held up a trophy, something that has made his parents Brent and Gina extremely proud. McKeehen jokingly told the table during his latest victory that he "wanted another trophy," before adding "my mom keeps them in her china cabinet."
With $937,253 in reported live earnings to his credit already, McKeehen has quickly become a a force to be reckoned with on the live tournament circuit, but he has yet to achieve the same level of success during WSOP play. We caught up with McKeehen while he prepared to take his seat in Event 4 ($1,000 NLHE) here at the Rio, as he looks to bring his East Coast dominance westward...
You can read the rest of McKeehen's interview with PokerNews here.