In the modern poker era, very few have made it to the final table of the WSOP Main Event twice. One such player is the Belgian great Kenny Hallaert, who finished fourth in the World Championship this summer for $3 million after previously winning $1.64m in sixth place just nine years ago. After an exhausting WSOP, the Belgian tournament specialist spoke to us from Barcelona between events on the European Poker Tour.

A Unique Background

“I understood what players wanted and could apply that knowledge when running events.”

Many players have a similar background in the game; they came from a math background and left university to crush the competition online while young, or they transferred comparable skills from another industry and developed a career based on a historic love of playing poker. Kenny’s background is different and fairly unique in the industry.

“I have a unique profile, having worked both on and off the felt,” he says. “I started working as an electrician in 2000, but moved into casino marketing in Belgium in 2008, then ran events and served as a floor person for EPTs and other events. That experience helped me as a live events advisor for PokerStars today. I know players’ needs and operators’ limitations, which allows me to execute events effectively. Organizing and running events has always been something I enjoy.”

Having a job while starting out playing poker provided financial security for Kenny, reducing the pressure on him during those early years. Most of two decades on, he acknowledges that having another career in the game freed him up to perform his best at the felt.

“Being a player helped me as a Tournament Director,” Kenny accepts. “I understood what players wanted and could apply that knowledge when running events. You can’t please everyone, but you can find a middle ground for most players. However, running events doesn’t make you a better poker player! The focus is on making the tournament run smoothly, ensuring every player has a good experience.”

Kenny admits to being ‘a bankroll nit’ in those early days and his financial security gave him plenty of time at the felt. Once there, he learned a lot from his fellow players and tried to take their comments and apply improvements in his other role.

“I heard conversations and applied that knowledge to improve event experiences. You can’t please everyone, but you can satisfy the majority. It taught me focus and perspective. The main goal is making sure every single player in the building has a smooth, enjoyable experience.”

Back to Barcelona

“Going to a new venue can be more challenging because local operators aren’t always aware of the scale.”

As in almost all of the past 20 years, the EPT has returned once again to the Catalan former city of culture of Barcelona. Kenny is used to heading to a stop on the tour that is always heavily populated and packed with places to visit when not at the felt.

“It’s a discussion we have with live events; whether we go to new places or keep working at familiar venues,” he says. “It’s a balance, but Barcelona works well. I kind of look at it like the tennis Grand Slams; those four fixed tournaments are there every year, and we look at our events similarly. Returning to a venue has advantages: they know you, you know them, and you know what’s possible. Going to a new venue can be more challenging because local operators aren’t always aware of the scale, which creates extra challenges. Here, we’re probably considered loyal customers after all these years.”

There’s a lot to love in Barcelona for the players – the venue of Casino Barcelona is convenient, plus there’s the nightlife, the beach, and the restaurants. Everything is there for poker players. The only issue is capacity. PokerStars can’t expand because of local regulations, and have to use the casino entrance for every player, limiting how they can operate.

“That’s one reason why we increased the buy-ins for the EPT and PokerStars Open events,” says Kenny. “We were already at overcapacity, which affected the player experience. Long waiting lines, tables crammed together, staff under pressure. We explored solutions: starting earlier, starting early or having faster structures, but increasing the buy-ins allowed us to reduce the crowd while maintaining prize pools and improving the player experience.”

The buy-ins were raised this year, the PokerStars Open moving from €1,100 to €1,650, the EPT from €550 to €825, and the PS Open High Roller from €2,200 to €2,700. With prize pools increased and player comfort improved, Kenny says the goal was achieved, focusing on the quality of how they run events.

A Gruelling World Series

“Making the final table is so rare, roughly one in a thousand players make it that far.”

This summer’s WSOP was one of the best ever for Kenny and his biggest winning year, as he came fourth in the WSOP Main Event for $3 million. He confesses to taking a fortnight to come down from the adrenaline that dragged him through 10 gruelling days at the World Championship felt.

“I usually take a month off after the main events in April and May, followed by SCOOP and then the World Series – a three-month non-stop period. Summer in Europe is a good time to rest and prepare for EPT Barcelona in August.”

The experience of making the final table again was unique for many, but came twice in nine years for Kenny, who came sixth in 2016, a year where Will Kassouf – just like this year – made a very deep run. All in all, Kenny had played the WSOP Main Event 17 times, cashing five times. Four of these results have been inside the top 125 players.

“I finished 123^rd, 64^th, sixth and now fourth. It’s unique because making the final table is so rare, roughly one in a thousand players make it that far.”

It wasn’t initially smooth sailing this year, with Kenny down to 11,000 chips from a 60,000 starting stack at the end of Day I.

“Survival mode kicked in, but I was thinking about the next event!” confesses Kenny. “I managed to rebuild, doubling up several times with some key flips and eventually grew my stack to 45,000. On Day 3, near the bubble, I knew I had cashed in four previous events, which helped my confidence.”

Late on Day 6, a pivotal pot ensured confidence would be with Kenny throughout the remainder of the event.

“There was a huge three-way pot with my aces versus queens and jacks, where the stack sizes were huge. It was a nice spot when something like that happens; it’s a good feeling to win there.”

Will Kassouf and Michael Mizrachi

“It’s frustrating when someone causes disruption, but as a player, I could block it out.”

Two other players in the Main Event helped shape Kenny’s destiny; Will Kassouf and Michael Mizrachi. The former, who had a prominent blow-up in 2016, went even further nine years later, busting to Kenny in a very standard spot before going crazy at the Belgian and the rest of the table. The blow-up had a mixed impact on Kenny.

“From a tournament director perspective, it’s frustrating when someone causes disruption, but as a player, I could block it out. I was experienced enough to focus on my game, where the value of stacks is six or seven digits. If this were a lower stakes tournament, such disruption wouldn’t be enjoyable.”

While business is business, even as a poker player, the Tournament Director side of Kenny was disappointed the situation progressed as far as it did.

“As an operator, I probably would have intervened earlier, but at the final table, it was manageable. Many people congratulated me afterward, half of them thanking me for busting Will Kassouf, that’s enough to show how the poker world views him. I don’t mind table talk, but disruptive behavior crosses a line.”

When it came to the final table, Kenny was second in chips with five left. Despite this, he ran into a man for whom the World Championship would go the way of the Poker Players Championship, Michael ‘Grinder’ Mizrachi. Kenny doesn’t think Mizrachi was destined to win as all the final nine had confidence heading into the latter stages.

“At the final table, the momentum was strong for all players,” he tells us. “Everyone had been playing for eight days without elimination, so confidence was high. Chip stacks and experience also determined chances of winning. Michael had experience and skill, which is a deadly combination and helped him finish the job. The final table progressed so quickly, much faster than typical Main Events.”

A Focus on Improvement

“Poker involves survival, patience, and exploiting opponents’ mistakes.”

With Kenny’s career yielding him over $9 million in live results, he admits he could never be disappointed with his career, even if it ended tomorrow. But he years for a ‘major title’ and determined to make it happen in the coming years.

“I’ve now made consistent progress: 123^rd, 64^th, 6^th, and now fourth in the Main Event. In some ways, it’s been a series of near-misses and improvements. Poker involves survival, patience, and exploiting opponents’ mistakes while hoping for favorable cards. I’ve won smaller events, like a $5k Irish Open event for €140,000, but I’m hungry for success on a different scale.”

The next few years in Kenny’s professional poker career will see him attempt to become the first player in the modern era to land a seat at the WSOP Main Event final table. With the experience behind him and years to achieve this target, who would put it past him?

The next time Kenny Hallaert gets under the lights of a major event final table, it may well give him the major title he craves.

Photography courtesy of the Irish Open and WSOP.