The 22nd event of the ongoing PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Pokerfeatured a mid-stakes version with a $215 buy-in and $1 million guarantee. Nearly 5,600 entrants turned out and UK PocketFiver Martin molliemalone Malone (pictured) was part of a four-way chop for $135,000, the largest amount dished out. He is ranked #214 worldwide on PocketFives and we’d expect him to climb even higher in the future.

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PocketFives: Awesome job on the SCOOP chop for $135,000. Tell us how you’re feeling about it.

Martin Malone: Thanks so much. I’m still smiling now from it. It took a while to sink in just how big a result it was for me and I still haven’t really had time to sit back and enjoy the moment properly.

PocketFives: Talk about the chopand how that came up.

Martin Malone: I wasn’t thinking too much about a chop until we got short-handed. The money was so big at that point. I knew I was happy to talk numbers when I had a bunch of chips to see how good the deal could be for me.

PocketFives: Like the Sunday Million, the SCOOP tournament you chopped had a $215 buy-in and a $1 million guarantee. How similar was the field to a typical Sunday Million?

Martin Malone: The field size and buy-in were very similar to the Sunday Million. Any MTT with over 5,500 runners is going to be soft for a lot of it. Most of the best players will be in the field too, but there aren’t that many of them and the rest of the field will be more recreational players. Those bigger fields are tough to get through, however. You have to get lucky and not get unlucky at the right times.

PocketFives: Are you going to the World Series of Poker, which starts in two weeks?

Martin Malone: I’m going to head to the WSOP for a few weeks, so this score will help fund that trip for sure. I’m sorting out where to stay at the moment. I will stay with friends in a shared house, condo, or hotel. I need to sort it out soon, I guess!

I will probably play all of the No Limit Hold’em events that run while I’m there up to maybe the $5Ks. I’ll also play the Main Event. I’m definitely looking forward to the Main Event the most. It’s so much fun and I love that there is a real buzz in the room as soon as you sit down on Day 1. I love meeting people at the table; no other event has the same feel where people who sit there almost feel like winners just to be playing in it.

PocketFives: What will you do in Las Vegas outside of the WSOP?

Martin Malone: It can be hard to juggle time in Las Vegas. It’s very easy to get eaten up by Vegas and get lost in partying, drinking, and socializing. It’s also easy to play too much and go the other way. Last year, I didn’t go to a single nightclub.

I did socialize a lot and caught up with friends, but in previous years, I spent way too much time and money in clubs, so I stayed away last year. This year, I will try to party at least a couple of times, inevitably when one of the gang makes a final table or wins a bracelet.

PocketFives: We understand you volunteer away from poker. Where?

Martin Malone: I volunteer at a unit for young adults with autism, which I love and plan to spend more time doing over the summer. I’ve worked in that field since I was 20. The place I am at right now is actually where my girlfriend works full-time in Vancouver and it’s awesome. It’s so much fun and everybody there is so lovely and kind, both the staff and students. I’m looking forward to working there more.

PocketFives: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Martin Malone: I am very lucky to have the support and advice of my friends, both in and out of the poker world. They are all heroes. My backer also deserves a shout-out for always having faith. Shout-out to my girlfriend and mom, who I’m sure will be very excited reading this!

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