Bryn Kenney: "I Am Like the Lone Wolf in this Poker World"

Samuel Cosby

Jul 30, 2018 7 min read Last updated Jul 31, 2018

Bryn Kenney has long been one of pokers�� best, sitting on top of the GPI Player of the Year Leaderboard for most of 2017 and locking up more than $8.5 million in tournament earnings to become the player with the most winnings in 2017. But he��s not finished yet. Kenney still has some poker goals that he wishes to achieve; he��s just not done grinding.

We caught up with Kenney at the Triton Super High Roller Series in Jeju to talk about what��s next.

"I just play poker by myself and play my own version of street poker."

��Number one all-time winner,�� Kenney said about his goals. ��I just like it. I have fun. I have fun traveling the world, flying business, staying in nice hotels, playing the highest stakes in the world versus the smartest, best players. It��s just really fun. Of course, the money is cool, but I don��t even really think about the money. Just as long as you have money to spend, as long as I can help my family out too. That��s what I care about the money for. Here I��m just in the ring, like fighting. I don��t think about the money ever.��

That goal has been something that just nearly eluded Kenney in the past, but it��s a goal that��s becoming harder and harder to achieve after this year where Justin Bonomo pulled well ahead of the pack. Kenney currently sits at #9 on the All-Time Money List with over $24 million in live earnings, just inches below Dan Smith.

For a long time, Kenney��s considered himself to the best player in the world. Earlier in 2018, he issued a challenge to the poker world, saying that he would take himself in the U.S. Poker Open against any other player, yet found very few takers. This mentality hasn��t changed.

��I��ll bet on myself anytime,�� Kenney said. ��I��m always confident in myself. Of course, there��s a lot of really good players in the tournament like Stephen Chidwick, Sam Greenwood, Mikita [Badziakouski]. And that��s the thing, in high roller tournaments, it��s usually the best players in the world and only a few amateurs. Here [at Triton Poker Jeju] they get more amateurs and VIPs to play. And even if I��m just not doing great, I feel like my game against the entire field is the strongest. I��m just confident in myself.��

So confident, in fact, that Kenney finds more value in keeping his strategies to himself rather than share them with the world. He said he doesn��t have a group of poker friends that he talks to, no one he talks hand histories with.

��Actually, I��m like the lone wolf in this poker world,�� he said. ��All these other guys talk hands, sit around, have Skype groups, talk on WhatsApp, share strategies, share reads, look at charts together all day. I just play poker by myself and play my own version of street poker.

��To be honest, I was talking more poker with people some years ago, maybe like five or seven years ago, and I actually realized fast that my approach to the game and my thought process is a lot different, and I feel like the most important thing is not to give up your thought process. I don��t talk to anyone about my hands or ask advice or anything.��

"I don��t talk to anyone about my hands or ask advice or anything."

If Kenney is somewhere to play poker, he��s there to play poker. One bad beat doesn��t send him back to the hotel room.

��Not me,�� Kenney said. ��I play. If I��m here, I��m never not re-entering. Maybe if the tournament is not great I��ll wait until like the end of registration or something. Let��s say if I were to bust right now again, I��d probably wait like a bit too and not want to be in for more than three bullets. I usually don��t really buy in for more than three, so if I��m out on my second bullet I��ll just wait until the last minute to re-enter. Take a little breather for a little bit. Chill out.��

And Kenney seemed chill as ever despite being eliminated early in the day, and perhaps that could have something to do with his attire. For Day 1 of the HK$2,000,000 Main Event he came decked out in a bathrobe. Something to keep him Zen and comfortable. Kenney��s fashion has been something of a hot topic after showing up to the Aria Super High Roller bowl in full kimono. It��s a part of an effort by him to stay comfortable and focused.

��So like the GTO bathrobe strategy, you know like a bathrobe usually you get for cheap or whatever,�� Kenney explained. ��But this is like the finest material bathrobe right here. It fits as like everything. Let��s say you��re having a nice bender, like you��re in Ibiza or something, you walk around naked with this thing on. It feels nice. You cover yourself up if you need to. For a poker tournament, it��s nice and comfortable. There��s just so many version for it.

��It��s all about how you feel. You gotta just go with the flow. Like how you��re feeling in the day. Today I��m feeling like Japanese so I came with the robe. The kimono is for special days. Stuff like that.��

"Today I��m feeling like Japanese so I came with the robe. The kimono is for special days."

Some of it has been influenced by the scene in Asia, but Kenney said he��s always dressed for comfort. He has at times asked Triton Founder Richard Yong for advice on where to shop though.

��I��ve always dressed like really comfortable,�� he said. ��When I was younger, I used to wear Nike shorts and big white shirts and stuff. And then you��re like ��Ok, I gotta start dressing a little bit better.�� I��m just all about comfort. I asked Richard on this trip, ��Where do you go to for this stuff?�� And I have the store on my list for places I need to go to on my next trip to Japan which is as soon as this tournament is over, because any time I can go, I go shopping or eating in Japan. I love it.��

On Triton Hold��em and Jeju

Kenney��s been in Jeju for almost a week now but it��s been a full poker trip, with not much time outside to explore. He kicked his week off by firing a bullet in the HK$1,000,000 Triton Hold��em (Short Deck) tournament, which didn��t go quite as planned. But he��s still intrigued by the game and looking to play more and learn more about it.

��I played it in Montenegro too and I busted in one hand,�� Kenney said about Triton Hold��em. ��So I��ve played three bullets of HK$1,000,000 [Triton Hold��em] and I��ve played a total of eight hands.��

Despite the lack of success, Kenney��s confidence carries over between games as well, not deterring him from coming in fast and strong.

��I��m coming in with the strategy that I��m just better than these guys at tournaments,�� he said with a smile. ��And even if they think they understand this game better than me, I��m gonna catch on fast. If there��s any game of cards that��s like tournaments that a bunch of people are playing, I��m just in.��

"We actually have a lot of big cash games sometimes running. Like $100/$200 no-limit. People playing $100/$150k deep, which is kind of unheard of."

And despite not doing much in Jeju this trip, Kenney has been to Korea several times before.

��I��ve been to Seoul a few times and I actually like it a lot. I like the nightlife, the people, some of the food. And here is a cool place to play poker. I wouldn��t necessarily go out and do anything in Jeju but to come here and play for like four, five, six, seven days, it��s nice and comfortable, you��re in a resort. I feel like it��s perfect. I��d rather come here than a place like Macau.��

Kenney��s been doing a lot of work with GGpoker, trying to get games running the best they can with the best software they can offer, and for him, it��s more than just being the best place where he can play. He wants to create an environment for the players, something that everyone will be happy with.

��We actually have a lot of big cash games sometimes running,�� he explained. ��Like $100/$200 no-limit. People playing $100/$150k deep, which is kind of unheard of to see people from Israel and Malaysia to come on and play huge games. We don��t allow any software to use when you come and play on the site, so the pros don��t have as big of an edge. It��s more of a fun site that��s geared toward the amateur players.

��The thing is I always listen to what people want for poker. I��ve always advise tours on what kind of changes they should make. I got PokerStars to make their one day tournaments which run everywhere. The thing is I��ve always just tried to do everything for the players. Not like for myself or anything. I just want more games and for people to be happy. I just love the game and want to be able to play more.��