SpadeClub's Bellagio Championship Series Monthly Qualifier Winner

SpadeClub.com, the total poker experience, offers more than 2,500 tournaments and $100,000 awarded every month, all for just $19.99 a month. No entry fees, no deposits, no risk. Find out more.

 
On Aug. 31, Exclusive member Jeremy “TheBulldog” Keefer beat out 108 other entrants to make a first-place finish and win a $2,500 seat in a satellite to the 2009 Bellagio Five-Star World Poker Classic. Keefer is 22 years old, has been playing poker for more than six years, and is hoping to one day move to Las Vegas to pursue his dream of becoming a professional poker player. Keefer is excited to be able to play with some of poker’s top professionals at the Bellagio event next year, and he is sure that this will be an experience he will never forget.

When asked if he thinks SpadeClub is a great place for beginners, he said, “The bottom line [is that] SpadeClub is a great site for any poker player. When I first joined. I thought, ‘I’m only signing up for the big tournaments; the others aren’t worth my time.’ But with all of the promotions the site now offers, such as this Bellagio Championship Series, it is worth it for poker players of all skill-levels to sign up.”

Card Player was able to ask Keefer some questions about his poker play and how he intends to take down the competition at the 2009 Bellagio event.
 

Card Player: First off, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Jeremy “TheBulldog” Keefer: I currently live in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Even though the cards don’t always fall my way, I know I’m a lucky guy, because I have a close and supportive family, great friends, and more opportunities in life than a lot of people ask for. I enjoy anything competitive, such as sports, games, and, of course, poker, and I hope that competitiveness will allow me to succeed so I can support the friends and family who have always been there for me.

CP: How does it feel to win the first Bellagio Championship Series monthly qualifier?

JK: It’s a pretty awesome feeling. Going into the tournament, I knew I had a good chance to win, as there were only 109 entrants. Once play started, I realized that everyone seemed to play pretty solid poker, probably because of the opportunity that comes along with winning the event — it’s not every day that you get a chance to win a $2,500 satellite seat into one of the world’s largest poker tournaments.

I just played my game and held a fairly large chip lead for most of the tournament, and when we got down to the final two, I had a 294,000 stack versus a 96,000 stack. I thought it was over, until I lost my Internet connection for a few minutes and the tables had turned. Once I got reconnected, my opponent, StevenBVT, had a huge chip advantage, as I had lost most of my stack while disconnected. I worked hard to grind him back down to 20,000 in chips and got him all in four consecutive times with a dominant hand (twice he was outkicked and once I had K-K vs. Q-J), but he won all four hands and regained the chip lead. My hard work paid off in the end, however, and my hat goes off to StevenBVT, who was a fine competitor, and I couldn’t have asked for a better challenge to the end.

CP: Are you excited to get the opportunity to play in the 2009 Five-Star World Poker Classic at Bellagio?

JK: I am very excited for this opportunity to work hard and prove myself in the most competitive poker atmosphere in the world!

CP: How do you plan to take down some of the tough competition at the 2009 Bellagio event?

JK: Well, I can’t go too much into detail, as some of my opponents may be reading this article [laughs], but I will stick to my normal tournament game plan. Basically, I will try to get a good feel for how each person plays and try to avoid hands and situations where I can harm my stack. Overall, I’ll probably play pretty tight in the early stages of the tournament and get more aggressive as the blinds increase.

CP: Are you ready to play in the Bellagio Championship Series finals in April for your chance to win the $25,000 seat in the Bellagio event?

JK: I am ready to play in the event, and I’m hoping to play well in the remainder of the monthly qualifiers to increase my chances of winning.

CP: Was there a particularly key hand that you played in the tournament that helped lead you to victory?

JK: Once we got down to the final two, I had lost a big pot with Q-Q, which is pretty distressing heads up. Later, I believe it was the final hand of the tournament, I had flopped a pair with a straight draw and pushed all in. StevenBVT called with Q-Q, and luckily I hit trips on the turn to seal the deal. I’ve always said I believe in karma, but it was still pretty lucky!

CP: What are some of your other poker accomplishments?

JK: I primarily play cash games in Atlantic City and have had some very good days at that, but as for tournaments, I’ve only ever won smaller events, and I’m hoping that the Five-Star World Poker Classic can be my first major accomplishment.

CP: How long have you been playing poker, and how did you get started playing on SpadeClub?

JK: I’ve been playing poker for about six years now, and I think it’s funny to look back on. Some friends and I started playing $5 tournaments and 5¢-10¢ no-limit hold’em in high school, and now we just laugh about how distressed we would get if we lost $5 or $10 in a night. Over the winter months last year, a few of us spent many weekends in the casinos of Atlantic City, where I would read articles in Card Player magazine. In one of the issues, I saw an ad for SpadeClub and checked it out. I was excited to play in the $5K and $40K events, so I bought a membership for an entire year — and I have no regrets, SpadeClub is awesome!

CP: How often do you play on SpadeClub?

JK: I play just about every day on SpadeClub.

CP: Do you have any general advice to share with our readers about succeeding at SpadeClub?

JK: Just play smart poker and you will make more final tables. Even though these are freeroll tournaments, there is still a lot to be gained, so be patient and you will be rewarded.

CP: Anything else you would like to add?

JK: I think it’s amazing how many life-lessons can be learned from playing poker. Being a good poker player can help you in all aspects of your life, from budgeting to decision-making to doing business. I think poker is a game that everyone should have the opportunity to learn, and I think SpadeClub is a great way for beginners to gain the knowledge and experience to succeed at the tables and in life.