Hevad "Rain" Khan burst onto the poker secne at the 2008 World Series of Poker main event with as much volume as any player in recent years. On his way to a sixth-place finish, Khan became infamous on ESPN as he celebrated big pots won with a very enthusiastic shouts of joy that caught the cameras’ attention. Since then, Khan has become much more humble in his table demeanor while racking up consistent tournament results. Khan had cashed nine times in 2008, including another finish in the money at the WSOP main event (240th place, for $35,383) but an outright big win had eluded his résumé. That was until Oct. 30, when he walked away with the $1 million top prize for winning the Caesars Palace Classic main event. It was only during the closing moments of that victory that Khan let his "Rain" Khan persona once again come out to celebrate. Card Player caught up with Khan shortly after his celebration, and he talked about what changes had taken place in him as a person and a player that he felt led to the victory.
Ryan Lucchesi: Does this vindicate your World Series main event final-table appearance in 2007? I know you have been gunning for this first major title since that first accomplishment, how does it feel to achieve that goal?
Hevad Khan: I’m ecstatic; I worked really hard and I played in a lot of tournaments in which I thought that I played really well, and then sometimes you get short-changed. You get put into situations that never repeat themselves, but they’re always on the opposite side of the spectrum where you just get unlucky. You know, whether it’s a set getting cracked by a flush draw or kings running into aces. It happens endlessly, and with the expense of the buy-ins, if you go through a six-month drought without cashing in anything, you start to look back at your tournament profits and think maybe this isn’t for me. A lot of time of consulting with my good friends, like Dan Schreiber, a really great heads-up player who went deep in this tournament with me, as well.
When I was out there in Korea, I was searching for something, and trying to rekindle the old social ability that I lost putting all of those hours into playing all of those sit-and-gos and all of those tournaments. I found that the more you know about life, the more humble you can become, and the more straightforward and focused you will be in whatever you pursue. So, if I could say anything to anybody, it would be to keep an open mind, always, and don’t live life according to how people think you should live it, live it for what you want out of life.
RL: You could really see a different confidence level present in the way you carried yourself. Do you feel like the outcome of that trip really took your game to the next level?
HK: Yeah, and even though I won that tournament and it’s very exciting, I still plan to continue to pursue tournament poker and whatever it is that interests me and motivates me to work hard, and that’s what really life is about. I remember saying it when I was in ninth grade, and I didn’t even truly understand what I meant, as life goes on and you mature, you’re finally old enough to understand what it means that the journey is everything, not the end result. It’s not the result, it’s the hard work that makes everything.
RL: The heads-up match featured the most play at the entire final table. How did you adapt your strategy as you held the chip lead and then lost it, only to double up and eventually take the victory?
HK: As vulnerable as it sounds, the whole intensity of the situation was getting to me, because it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a spot like this. But, what I did notice is that I told myself to think objectively, stay focused, calm down, and keep a clear mind. I tried to remember that life isn’t just this tournament, but to play the game and play as well as I can. And it just hit me, I thought I was the superior player, I thought that I’d put in endless hours, and I have endless resources to help me train and get better. If I lose, I wanted to make sure it was because of the luck of the game. I didn’t want to get in there and just react to it; I wanted to anticipate his every move. I wanted to make sure that I played as optimally as I could. I took what came my way, and I’m very thankful for the fortunate situation where I flopped top pair against a draw.
RL: One last question about the tournament in general. Starting with 100,000 is a first for a $10,000 buy-in event, but the blind structure at times was a large factor in forcing the action. How was your pacing and timing different in this tournament than others you have played lately?
HK: With all the of traveling that I’ve done and keeping my mind clear and trying to work and get better at the game, I’ve recently tried to get better at cash games, and that made me very fearless, because I know that even if I don’t do well in a tournament I still get to make moves and be fearless. It’s all about playing fearlessly and pushing people to the limit. I believe that there was no a single hour of the tournament where I did not push people to the limit. I was ruthless. A lot of people would go, “Wow, this guy annihilated the bubble.” I’ll tell you, I just felt my table, and if they were going to let me, I was going to do what it took. You put them in a spot, you feel them out and what you think they can do, and then you react.
RL: In your first WSOP appearance you were very outgoing with your celebrations, and because you regretted that, you were trying to break the mold on that and become a little bit more subdued. We saw a little bit of the old “Rain” Khan tonight when you doubled up and then won the tournament soon thereafter. Was it nice to unleash a little bit tonight and celebrate such a big win?
HK: Yeah, I remembered all of these happy memories I’ve had in the last five months, just traveling and being with my friends. And traveling and exploring and growing as a person just burst out of me in pure excitement. You can’t just be a social mole, you can’t just be a poker hermit just trying to be still. You have to bring out your emotions, and if there is any time to do it, why not when you win? But don’t do it when you just win a pot, you know? I think I’ve found the right time to celebrate.
Check out Khan’s celebration below:
