Poker Articles

I recently had the opportunity to interview Mark "P0ker H0" Kroon about how the online poker lifestyle has been treating him:

Lenny Sharlet: So, what's it like to be so feared by your opponents that they are ready to chop a tourney giving you 2K more than 1st place money?

P0ker H0 : I was absolutely AMAZED by that. We didn't end up making the deal, because one guy said NO WAY. It was a bad choice for him, because he was one of the low stacks. I had 60% of the chips in play. After he said no, I just pushed over the top of him every time he was in a pot till I busted him. We ended up chopping, giving me the 14K for 1st.

LS: What do you think about chops in general?

P0ker H0 : I like to do them, I think chops are part of Poker. It depends on who I'm doing it with, I don't want to take advantage of anyone, and I don't want to be taken advantage of.

Last Sunday when I took 2nd in the Stars million, where 1st is 200K and 9th is 2K, you definitely want to chop if you can, because anything can happen and you want to win 40K+, not 2K, but in a tournament with only 40K in the prize pool, it is not as big a deal, and I'm just playing for first. I want the 14K, and the difference between 2K and 4K is not that much.

LS: What is your setup like when you play online?

P0ker H0 :  I own a little sports bar in Madison, and I play on a 52" Plasma TV, sometimes I get 50-100 people in here to watch.

LS: HOW MANY? (thinking he said 1500)

P0ker H0 : Well, it differs. Like on a Sunday, 50-100 people come in to watch. Some people [online] don't realize that there are 20-30 people watching me play. There will be like an 80 year old woman at the end of the bar saying, “That was A DONKEY move!” She doesn’t really know what’s going on, but everyone gets into it.

LS: You are a busy man with all the live events you've been playing. What is the most recent event you've played?

P0ker H0 : I’ve played like 18 events over the last year or two. I’ve been to the Bahamas 3 times recently! It gets to be a grind, but I win 95% of the trips online, so it is not so bad. Travel's free, hotel's free, and the buy-in is cheap, and all that helps take some of the pressure off. 

LS: What has been your favorite live event so far?

P0ker H0 : I have got to say Aruba. When UltimateBet started that, is seemed like everyone who played there came down, and it’s still got that feel for me.

LS: Ok, enough about poker, what has your life been like the past couple years, with the poker boom, your success, and just in general?

P0ker H0 : Absolutely unbelievable, it's astounding. It's amazing that things are going so fast. With the success, it's kind of snowballed. Just in the past 6 months, a bunch of stuff has been happening. It is kind of crazy to see my picture all over the place in magazines and the internet. 

Starting on June 15th, I'll be on CBS sports with the Ultimate Blackjack Challenge, which Russ Hamilton started with a unique competitive format. Jen Tilly, Phil Hellmuth, and some other pros and celebrities are involved. We just shot the finals at CBS studios in L.A. It was a great thing for me, personally.

I've got a local radio thing here [in Madison], and we just did a show with Phil Hellmuth, which was great.

Then there’s Phil’s Fantasy Poker camp III, which I was an instructor at last year, and he’s invited me back. I have a real passion for poker, but I also have a real passion for teaching poker, so being asked back to the camp is great.

LS: What is your favorite thing you've bought with poker winnings?

P0ker H0 :  I gotta say my big yellow hummer. I was in the army 20 years ago when it first came out, and I remember thinking “god, if I could ever afford to buy one!” So I won about 40K on Stars one day and it was kind of a whim thing. My wife almost killed me.



LS: I know you've made some good friends through poker, both online and live. What's it like to meet someone you feel you know really well for the first time when you meet up in Aruba for example?

P0ker H0 : I've made so many friends on the tour, guys like SamENole, because he is constantly winning sats. Month after month ,seeing some of these guys on tour is very cool. 

I got my start on UB back in 2002, and then Aruba came along, and I first got to meet guys like Shawn Rice, brsavage, Debo34, and Legggggggggy, I now call these guys some of my very best friends. I could call any one of the 15 or so original UB guys, and we would send each other 1K in a heartbeat.

Shawn Rice and I, we almost always room together. And talking poker with some of these guys and railing each other, I’ve learned more and had more fun than I ever thought I could.

What's it like being better known in some circles by an internet screenname than your real name?

P0ker H0 : I’ve had some people online ask, “Who are you, are you Jen Harmon?” I get a big kick out of it. It's really funny. My friends and family ask, “When are we going to see on TV? When are we going to see you in TV?” So, if you aren't in the online community, you don't really know who I am.

LS: Do any of your old friends call you H0?

P0ker H0 : Everybody calls me H0. I used to wear a shirt that just said H0 on it. People would come up to me and say, “Hey, you’re on Pocketfives!” or “I’m a P5er too,” it was cool. I guess it’s great for the site, but it is also great for me. It's almost like the Hell's Angel's, like we're a gang. I love it.

LS: Do you think having a catchy or clever screenname is essential to online success?

P0ker H0 : I don't think it's essential, but I think it definitely helps. I think making the most friends you can online helps. People like Classyploppy, who's always running his mouth, I might gun for them a little bit. Basically, just be nice and good things will happen to you.

But it makes me wonder what is in a name? Obviously, there are names like badgerfan or packerfan, so you kind of get an idea in your head. Like that kid ShipitThisway--I think that kid's going to be an amazing player, not just online, but everywhere. I sat next to him in a live event, and he is very talented. I think his name is perfect for him and his style.

LS: What's your favorite part of the lifestyle that poker has allowed you?

P0ker H0 : I have got to say my favorite thing about poker is the people I've met. The travel is nice, the money is nice, but the friends that I have made are just unbelievable. Getting recognition from Scotty Fischman or a big-time pro is cool, but  the best thing is running into Shawn Rice or Chris Savage. We would do anything for each other.

One time, Denny Lemieux wanted to play in the main event of a tourney but was a little short. Beanie and Shawn Rice went around and passed the hat. Everyone threw in $500 to buy Denny in, and he ended up cashing and making us all like $300. Where else would you find something like that? 

LS: Are you always on the road, or do you spend much time at home? How often are you at your bar? Is it more work or play when you're there, or some of both?

P0ker H0 : I’m home about 3 out of 4 weeks, I travel a lot, but not that much. At the bar, I work about 2 hours a day. People like to see the owner hang out with them, and I have to keep an eye on things, make sure everything's running smoothly. I come down and work lunches.

The bar thing is almost like a cheers thing. Everyone knows each other, and when someone like Leggggggggggy walks in, the whole bar will go “LEGGGGGGGGGGGGGYYY!!!”

But it's kind of different when we are playing poker, because we don't have the jukebox on, and we don't have the sports on; we are all glued to poker. It’s a sports bar, but it’s kind of turned into a poker bar. People come from all over and just sit and play online poker.

There’s this kid who comes to my bar and plays as WiscoMurray online. His name is Mike Reeves, and he's a concert pianist who's played piano for the President, graduated college at like 19, whiz kid, super-genius. Now he just wants to play poker, putting everything towards poker. He’s always after me for advice. He’s got a real future online, as well as in live poker eventually, I’m sure.
 
LS: What do you for fun? What do you do to recharge and refresh?

P0ker H0 : I love to golf. 3-4 weeks ago I played a round with Phil Hellmuth at Pebble Beach, and even though I was with 3-4 poker players, we got the chance to play one of best courses in the country. People like Clint Eastwood come up and ask for Phill’s autograph. I’m telling you, he could run for president and win. It's amazing the people that will come up to Phil.

LS: Do you visit Pocketfives often, or are you too busy with your many responsibilites?

P0ker H0 : I love Pocketfives, and I was one of the original guys on the site, and it was not all that long ago I was ranked in the top three. Traveling takes me away from online poker, and that of course means I'm not ranked as highly as I once was, which I understand.

I don't write in quite as much. With my style of poker, you either love me or hate me, and it really got to bother me when people would come on and say "Oh You suck" and that crap, gets old. Maybe this interview will help with that some. Over the past year or so, I have really changed 300% in the way I play. You would be surprised how tight I can play.

I love you guys, Adam, Cal, all the P5ers. If I didn’t have this thing with UB, I would wear Pocketfives gear everywhere I went!

LS: What’s going on at UB for you?

P0ker H0 : We're starting up satellites for WSOP preliminary events, and you're going to see an influx of me Shawn, Leggy. We are going to start a new Phone number for customer service, we’ve got a new tournament schedule coming out, a lot of things are coming down that we are excited about.

LS: What are your plans for the World Series? Play a ton of events? Just one or two?

P0ker H0 : I'm scheduled to be out there June 26th, for the first NL, and I'll be playing every PL or NL event. When I'm not playing in an event, UB will have a suite right by the casino floor, and that will be very nice, so stop in and say “Hi.”

Me, Shawn Rice, Leggy, and Debo rented a house for the month. It is very, very nice with a patio and a waterfall and everything. It’s like 5 minutes from the Rio too. We will be having a party out there, and we will be inviting P5ers and the online poker community, so watch out for more details on that.

LS: That sounds great, I hope you get a chance to stop in on the Pocketfives party (read more) on July 27th, you are definitely a guy I'd like to have a beer with! Any last thoughts?

P0ker H0 : Well, I’m working on a book with Supermoves. He’s got me, brsavage, DoubleLucky, NSXT2, and others answering questions about hands. He’s got a lot of great ideas, and I think it is going to be a very useful book.

LS: Thanks very much for your time, it was a blast talking to you, and good luck at the tables.

I know you will continue to bully your opponents into giving you not only their chips, but the Lion's share of the prize pool--who settles for first place money anyway?