In November, Joseph McKeehen (pictured), known on PocketFives as dude904, will hold the chip lead in the World Series of Poker Main Event as part of the 2015 WSOP November Nine. McKeehen has more chips than the second and third place players combined, so we caught up with the Pennsylvania native to get his thoughts just three months out.

PocketFives: Tell us how you are feeling to have made the November Nine.

Joseph McKeehen: It feels good. I don’t think of it a lot, or at least I try not to, but it gets brought up quite a bit. I’m still the same old kid, just maybe a little more confident.

PocketFives: Do you feel, or do you think there is, any added pressure being a pretty overwhelming chip leader?

Joseph McKeehen: The media keeps trying to put added pressure on me, but I don’t care really. I’ve been in this spot before; I’m not worried about it. All I can do is go and play.

PocketFives: What were your emotions, and what was going through your head, on that final bustout hand to determine the November Nine?

Joseph McKeehen: I felt like I was going to be there for a long time already, so I braced myself when the river card came. I was happy obviously, but I was in a mode where I was pretty focused, so I knew it wasn’t over.

PocketFives: What did you think about having Daniel Negreanu(pictured) around until he busted in 11th?

Joseph McKeehen: He was just a player. I’ve never been in a situation like the Thunderdome before, especially where most of the people were rooting for him, but it surprisingly didn’t bother me at all. It probably even helped me a little because it was easier to stay focused. If I get intimidated, I play worse, so I tried not to get intimidated. I got put in a good spot, so I took advantage of it.

PocketFives: What has life been like since July?

Joseph McKeehen: I’ve done a few interviews and played a couple of poker tournaments. I think I’m good at balancing my time for this stuff, but in reality not much has changed yet.

PocketFives: What are your thoughts on the regulated New Jersey online poker sites? You’re from Pennsylvania, but you’re a regular in our New Jersey pokercommunity.

Joseph McKeehen: They are what they are: not big or anything, but when I’m at Borgata playing, they’re there if I get bored. They could likely do a better job. I would assume they are sustainable in the long-run, even if it’s the same people passing all the money around. People have jobs and like to play, so the money pool probably won’t ever die.

PocketFives: What do you think of the November Nine concept?

Joseph McKeehen: I’m undecided. I could have probably woken up and played the final table the next day, but it makes me feel a little bit more like a celebrity because the obvious reason they do this is to build the tournament up during the off-time. All the chip leaders in the past said the break hurt their momentum, but I don’t know if that really matters.

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