The SCOOP Main Event on PokerStarsbrought out thousands of players for tournaments that had three different price tags. The mid-stakes version had a $1,050 buy-in and attracted over 4,000 entrants. Besting all but four of them was PocketFiver Kevin Kevish Williams (pictured), whose fifth place finish was worth a healthy $171,000.

“I’m feeling great,” Williams told PocketFives. “I ran kind of badly at the final table, but I am very happy with the score.”

The winner of the mid-stakes SCOOP Main Event bagged $635,000 and the top six brought in at least $100,000. “The money at stake didn’t affect me that much,” Williams argued. “I don’t think you ever know if it will or not until you’re there, but I was enjoying it. Obviously, I was super conscious of the dollar value of wasting a big blind and the implications of an ICM mistake, but I certainly didn’t freeze up at all.”

He added, “Even when I got a couple of three-outers, I thought, ‘Well, that was an expensive river,’ but I didn’t let it get me down. Variance in poker tournaments is way deeper than all-in showdowns and I appreciate the run-good inherent in even getting into that spot. I was enjoying every minute.”

He headed out to Las Vegas last month for the World Series of Poker in late June and said the SCOOP money will help him buy a little more of his own action. However, as he put it, “The real value of the money is staying in the game.” Williams is also heading to Peru in September, quite a haul from England.

Williams is involved in a theater company in his hometown of London and a portion of his SCOOP winnings may go to producing a play. “I started it when I met a talented writer and we decided to put on one of her plays,” he said. “It was on for three weeks at a small theater in London and we’re looking to put her next play on next year. It’s mainly a dark comedy and drama. I think she’s a real talent.”

Let’s get back to poker now. Williams got into the game originally while playing in a staff pub game. Then, he attended Sussex University and started playing in local casinos in Brighton. Eventually, the Brit won a winner-take-all 1,000 FPP satellite to the World Series of Poker Main Event and, as he worded it, “I was hooked.” Poker has been his full-time job for a few years now.

Speaking of the Main Event, which started on July 5 from the Rio in Las Vegas, Williams finished 77th in it last year, his fifth time entering. “I think I have a decent grip on the psychology of playing that event,” he said. “I think it’s a very forgiving structure that allows you to come back from setbacks well. I also can never tilt in that event. It’s on so many people’s bucket list to play even once, so if you’re in it, life can’t be that bad!”

Williams also added that the Main Event, which once again had three starting days this year, has “so much value.” He explained, “It’s such a long tournament that not tilting or making silly mistakes is probably twice as important as pulling off super A-game moves.” You can catch all of our WSOP news by clicking here. Real Gaming, a regulated online poker site in Nevada, sponsors our WSOP coverage this year.

Finally, we wanted to mention that Williams sold a portion of his SCOOP Main Event on Twitter. Several of his followers bought 2% of him as the first piece of action they ever had. He gleaned, “Having them railing me was really fun and I guess we have them for life now! Action-selling regs: you’re welcome!” Each 2% stake was worth about $3,500.

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