That’s how the North Wales, PA, native described his state of mind entering the final level on Day 6 of the 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event.
There are a number of reasons McKeehen shouldn’t be “chill” right now -- $7.6 million of them to be exact. That’s the first-place payout in the 2015 Main Event.
Despite the astronomical money at stake McKeehen truly seemed laid back while on a break from the tournament.
“It’s pretty fun,” he said. “I’m just trying to enjoy the ride and play my best. That’s pretty much all there is to it. I’m trying to not let the moment overtake me.”
Friends, Family Following Closely Back Home
McKeehen’s friends and family back home might be more stressed than the person actually playing the tournament.
They’ve all been following the tournament closely using online resources.
“My mom might get fired but that’s besides the point,” joked McKeehan. “They are enjoying every minute they can. This is a big sweat.”
McKeehen’s been playing poker for around 6-7 years now and has amassed over nearly $2 million in live tournament cashes.
He’s shown the ability to overcome massive fields in the past. In 2014 he outlasted 7,861 players to take second place in the WSOP Monster Stack tournament for $820,863.
McKeehen has already outlasted 6,380 players in the 2015 Main Event but this time around just making the nine-player final table would net him $1 million.
McKeehen Among Chip Leaders
Despite his laid-back demeanor McKeehen has been a beast at the tables and has spent a considerable amount of time near the top of the chip counts today.
He’ll be looking to outlast some big-name poker pros like Daniel Negreanu and Fedor Holz.
Outside of poker McKeehen likes to fool around with online card game Hearthstone, which has become widely popular with poker pros.
Last month he made Legend, which means he was in the 0.5% of the game’s ranked players.
“I like the game,” he said. “I just play it for fun but I started winning a bunch in a row last month. I will NOT be making legendary this month.”
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