Billy Kopp - Pro of the Month

New UB Pro Still Has Sights Set on Main Event Glory

Billy "Patrolman35" Kopp has had an impressive 2009 campaign, tearing up online tournaments and then recently displaying his talents in the live tournament arena.

The University of Kentucky student had solid finishes during the World Series of Poker in the Pot-Limit Hold’em World Championship (11th) and in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event (final table). However, his most impressive feat was the deep run he made in this year’s Main Event, finishing 12th for $896,730. He also recently won the FTOPS razz event, winning his first gold jersey.

ESPN’s poker blog described his dramatic exit from the Main Event this way:

"A shock fell among the Amazon Room after the elimination of Billy Kopp was mentioned. For most of the day, Kopp was our chip leader, but he got involved in hand with Darvin Moon where both players flopped flushes. After a flop of Kd-9d-2d, Kopp led out for $750,000 and Moon called. The turn was another 2. Kopp bet $2 million. Moon raised to $6 million, Kopp moved in for $20 million and Moon called! Moon showed Qd-Jd to beat Kopp’s 3d-5d. Absolutely unbelievable."

Recently signed by UltimateBet, he talked with Online Poker Pro about his journey so far.

How did you get into poker?

I first started learning and getting into the game my junior year of high school, at age 17. The seniors on my basketball team would get together before late practices and on our time off to play sit-n-gos with buy-ins up to $20. That year Chris Moneymaker won the Main Event and we began to play poker even more. ESPN made no-limit Texas hold’em very popular. Seeing a random guy (at the time) win more than 2 million dollars spurred my interest and my dream to one day win the Main Event myself.

How long have you been playing?

I started playing poker sometime in 2003, so roughly six years.　I have played primarily online since 2003 and have just gotten into live poker the past two years after turning 21.

How did you work on improving your game?

To be honest, I have never read a whole poker book, subscribed to a training site or used a tool like that.　I started off by teaching myself through playing many games and hands.　Six years ago you could play very, very tight and make money fairly easily.　The game has evolved since then and I attribute my success to experience.　The more hands and situations you see the better off you will be at handling them in the future.　

What would you say has helped you the most?

Volume is the key to success in poker. The more volume you put in, the more experience you will have. I continue to learn on a daily basis by talking strategy with other players whom I respect.

What’s your biggest weakness/strength at the game?

I feel that my biggest weakness is that I sometimes give players too much credit. To an extent, this is necessary until you are familiar with your opponent and see how he is capable of playing. However, I find that sometimes I could have gotten more value or even an opponent’s entire stack, but didn’t because I credited his hand with more strength than it deserved. I feel that my biggest strength is my ability to play post-flop. To me, this is the most important part of the game. Lots of winning players know the gist of position, bet sizing, etc., but being able to play better than or outplay your opponents post-flop allows a great player to open his raising range preflop to virtually any two cards.

Who do you look up to/respect most in the game?

I look up to the players who have helped better my game. I have encountered many different types of people and players in my poker career. I have had the pleasure of playing with and meeting three outstanding online players who invested money in me years ago. Ahh_Snap (Nick Newkirk) and Lilholdem954 (Chad Batista) were two of the first players to help my game grow. These two were absolutely running the tables over and had some respect for my game. I was able to talk strategy with them and go over many hand histories with them, which helped me see things that I had never seen before. The perspective of a great player and someone you respect is important in this game. You need to keep your mind open and not become stuck on thinking one way of play is "right."

Three years ago I was privileged enough to be staked by my good friend Jeff Williams. In 2006, as many know, he won the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final. He was already a well-respected player and proved this by winning the event at only 19 years old. I immediately wanted to learn as much as possible, and that’s what happened. We discussed things so in-depth that I can’t begin to go into them in this interview. The amount of knowledge he passed on to me about all aspects of the game, including strategy, bankroll management, variance, higher level thinking etc. has really improved how I play today. He helped bring my game to the point of success that I have today.　

I also look up to the friends I play with on a daily basis and really respect. I could name lots, but the player I respect most in the game right now is my good friend Ryan Welch. He has stormed through the rankings and tournaments online in the past year. How he gained the knowledge and scores that he has thus far only playing online virtually one year is beyond me. We discuss hands and lines on a daily basis to better our game. This is how good players become great. You must surround yourself with a good environment of good players. His ability to remain so calm and focused in the long run, even during extreme times of downward variance, is something that I look up to.

Do you ever model your game after another player?

I started off as a very tight player. As I stated years ago, just being tight meant that you would make money. There are still poor players, but less than there were. I have modelled my game and mindset through these close friends and players I spoke of earlier. Now, I am perceived as a very loose-aggressive player. To remain fresh and up with the changing trends in this game today, you need to do things that other players aren’t. This is what I have been doing and am continuing to do today.　

What do you want to accomplish?

I placed 12th in the World Series of Poker Main Event this year. My main goal is to eventually win this coveted poker tournament, as it is the largest in the world. To get that close again in the biggest tournament of the year, weaving through more than　6,000 people, isn’t a realistic immediate goal due to the tournament happening only once a year. I’m only 23 and am certain that I will get back there someday. For now, I just want to win my first live event. I have been so close several times in the past several months and have only just gotten into live poker. I aspire to have a win under my belt sometime in the near future.

You had a great WSOP in general – what it was like for you?

Going into the WSOP I had a lot of high expectations, as always. I always go in thinking that I’m going to win every tournament. If you don’t put yourself in the mindset that you are capable of winning and are better than your opponents, then you shouldn’t enter.　

I came eighth　place in the $5,000 NL event for about $75,000. I was short going into the final table and had a terrible table draw vs. some great online players. I then got　11th　in the $10,000 pot-limit hold’em event for around $57,000. I was in second or third　place on the bubble of the final table and encountered two big coolers while at a five-handed table to bust. Finally, I made a nice run in the Main Event and got so close once again, getting 12th　place for around $890,000.　

To say the least, it was an exciting summer. I am very honoured and proud to be officially representing UltimateBet as a team pro now. It was also nice to prove that I can compete live as well as online. Between the WSOP, the second-place finish in the $5k New Orleans Circuit event, and my online play, I am having some great success. It is frustrating to get so close several times in such a short period of time and come up short, but I am still learning and my time will come soon.

What do you have coming up?

I will be travelling around the rest of this year playing some live events, while still playing the major tournaments online.

Billy plays as "Billly_Kopp" on UB, "Patrolman35" on Stars and "Durangodan35" on Full Tilt.