There’s a new #1 in the PocketFives Online Poker Rankingsand he’s pumped to be the top dog. Canadian Matt ch0ppyKay (pictured) moved up one spot in the Rankings from #2 to #1 this week, swapping spots with Griffin Flush_Entity Benger, who had been #1 for an impressive four months. Three of the last four #1 players have been Canadian, so PocketFives sat down with Kay to get the dish on his new claim to fame.

PocketFives: Thanks for joining us. Tell us why you’re so excited about reaching the top of the PocketFives Rankings.

Matt Kay: My best years were 2007 and 2008 by far and, at that time, I peaked at #7 mainly due to playing less volume. I had a bad 2010 and had to rethink a lot of my play and make huge adjustments. I never thought I’d be able to surpass my 2007/2008 peak, as I was much less motivated than I previously was. I was able to refocus and put in more volume than I ever had before and play, for the most part, consistently well.

Already this year, I have 120,000 VPPs on PokerStars. Last year, I got around 95,000 and didn’t even make Supernova. It feels like a big comeback for me more than anything and that’s the big achievement for me.

PocketFives: Looking at your recent scores, it seems like there have been big hits for you, like a win in the Ongame $200K (pictured) ten days ago, instead of volume.

Matt Kay: Those big hits definitely help a lot, but without the volume, I wouldn’t have learned as much and wouldn’t have made the appropriate adjustments to my game. I think it was 2010 where I was only playing Sundays and because I wasn’t playing enough, I fell behind the curve.

PocketFives: Is there a sweet spot you found for the amount of volume you need to play in order to stay ahead of the curve?

Matt Kay: Yes, although you can also play too much. If I play every day, I start to play bad and don’t enjoy myself at all. Even the volume I’m putting in now would have been too much for me a year or two ago. I think I’ve found the appropriate amount of playing time for myself, but everyone is different.

PocketFives: What is your current playing schedule?

Matt Kay: Sunday starting at 11:00am, Monday starting at 2:00pm, Tuesday starting at 2:00pm, and sometimes Friday as well. I used to start at 11:00am on Monday and Tuesday, but I’ve recently switched to starting later. I find it much easier to get focused instantly when I immediately have 10 tables going, some of which are late registrations, so it’s deeper in the tournament. Otherwise, the day just starts too slowly and I get bored and unmotivated too early.

PocketFives: Have you dabbled in any non-Hold’em games during your recent upswing?

Matt Kay: I still only play Hold’em. I just never had the motivation to learn other games, as there aren’t many good tournaments. It’s the same for cash games: I know they are better overall, but I’m just not motivated to do them. I’ve just had to find the proper balance in life and poker and I’m still not quite there yet. The more balanced I feel, the more I win as well. I kind of view stock trading as another form of poker; the mindset of each is very similar and useful.

PocketFives: How do you improve? Do you talk strategy with other poker players? Do you watch videos? Do you review hands?

Matt Kay: I don’t really do much of that compared to other players. I talk strategy with Simon pokerbrat13Charette and Mike timex McDonald (pictured) from time to time, but other than that, I like to keep that circle fairly small. I don’t do the “standard” move in some situations and think I might level myself if I talk to too many people. I’ve watched maybe five training videos in my life.

Overall, I try to find situations where people are playing poorly and try to get myself into more of those situations. I also know my current weaknesses and try to avoid those situations as much as I can.

PocketFives: Did you go to the 2012 World Series of Poker?

Matt Kay: Kind of. Staying home from WSOP for the most part this year helped a lot. I didn’t go because of the 30% tax on Canadians, which doesn’t make it worth my time. I could chase the dream of a bracelet or I could play online while other good players can’t and have a better win rate.

Of course, the Main Event was still worth playing. I’m glad Flush_Entity played most Sundays the past month or it wouldn’t feel as valid taking the #1 spot. I actually played on Sunday, July 8 and then flew in the morning of Day 1C (Monday, July 9) for the Main Event. I didn’t even miss a Sunday going to Vegas this year and still played good poker in the Main Event, busting early on Day 4 before the money.

Congrats to Matt Kay for reaching #1. Check out the complete PocketFives Rankings.