In just his second WSOP event, Manalapan, New Jersey resident Connor Berkowitz (pictured), better known as nyr9414 on PocketFives, topped a massive field of 4,422 runners to win his first gold bracelet along with the top prize of $487,784.

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The Lucky Sevens No Limit Hold’em tournament had a buy-in of $777, which generated a prize pool of $3,095,400. The tournament lasted four days, eventually leading to a finale on the ESPN main stage. Berkowitz can mostly be found grinding on the regulated online poker sites in New Jersey where he has earned over $73,000 in tracked online cashes. His biggest accomplishment online was winning the PartyPoker/Borgata GSSS $75,000 Guarantee for $13,515.

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PocketFives: Congrats on your first bracelet! Tell us how you are feeling and what this win means to you.

Connor Berkowitz: The feeling is still pretty surreal. The whole tournament, you dream about winning, and for it to actually happen in only my second live event at WSOP is unbelievable. I know some of the best players in the world can play perfect poker their whole lives and never be fortunate enough to win a bracelet, so I know how lucky I am.

PocketFives: Where you nervous going into the final table? Did you have a specific strategy?

Connor Berkowitz: The only time I really felt nervous was the breaks between days and levels. At the table, it felt like just another poker game to me. My only strategy was to play my game just as I would any tournament in the past. I planned on being more selective against Matt Matros and Faraz Jaka (pictured), as they were the most experienced players at the table.

PocketFives: Do any hands from the tournament stick out?

Connor Berkowitz: Ten-handed I was four-bet all in by Matt Matros with A-Ko against his Q-Js. I quickly called and, after a dry board, a jack fell on the turn. I was pretty devastated until the king came on the river to keep me alive. That was the most memorable hand for me.

PocketFives: Do you have any plans for the money?

Connor Berkowitz: Nothing really other than to be smart about it and maybe make some investments. I will fire a few larger tournaments as well.

PocketFives: What have your friends and family said about the win?

Connor Berkowitz: My friends and family were all beyond excited for me. Knowing I had their support on the rail and on the stream while I was playing was such a large motivation. I can honestly say I wouldn’t have been able to win without all the support.

PocketFives: Being from New Jersey, give us your thoughts and experiences of regulated online poker in the Garden State.

Connor Berkowitz: Obviously, I feel very lucky to be living in a state that offers legal online poker and a chance at a living. I’ve enjoyed my time on the sites in New Jersey, but there are still a lot of things that can improve.

First and foremost, it would be great to see more states become regulated and maybe have states and other countries combine for bigger fields. I wish WSOP would offer chops for the larger tournaments and that PartyPoker would expand their tournament schedule for both low and high buy-in players. These aren’t meant to sound like complaints, merely suggestions; I love living in Jersey!

PocketFives: How did you get started in poker originally? Why was it appealing?

Connor Berkowitz: My friends and I used to watch WSOP on TV and we became hooked. We used to play every weekend from the time we were about 12 all the way through high school. That experience helped us grow as players despite our young ages. I think I was more nervous playing in my friends’ basements than at the final table. Those tournaments were high prestige among our crew. As time went on, I played more and more began to consider it for a profession.

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