During the dinner break, he seemed happy enough to have 105k because he knew how well he was playing.  Of much greater concern to him was how his stable of horses were faring. 

Kyle also attributed some of his success today to not bother counting his chips unless it was break time. “Usually I count my chips after every hand, but if you lose a pot all you end up thinking about is that you had 15k a few minutes ago.”  He’s taken the same approach he does to cash games—let each hand play itself by chipping away at the small pots.

In one key hand, Kyle turned a straight flush draw with 87 and rivered the straight taking 30k from the big stack at the table in the process.  It was winning those small that enabled Kyle to afford the necessary races versus the short stacks.  His AK bested 1010 for an additional 15k just before his JJ held up versus AQ for an 80k pot.

All of the attention that had been given to Table 25 suddenly shifted to Table 38 when Carlos Mortensen filled the empty seat to Kyle’s immediate left.  Carlos wasted no time mixing it up, taking about 60k from the young player seated between him and Humberto Brenes.  The cameras love the shark and the matador, so there’s a chance you might catch a glimpse of Kyle mixing it up with them on ESPN.

Greg FBT Mueller decided he couldn’t stay away from the action at the Rio despite a full day in the Bellagio Cup III.  Although hometown buddy Shawn Buchanon was eliminated, FBT ended with 35k. He’ll have the day off tomorrow to sweat Kyle as he enters Day 3 with a very healthy stack.

- Read Parts 1, 2, & 3 of The Vancouver Boys

Kyle didn’t start playing poker until the end of his basketball career.  He was called “the next Steve Nash” as Canada’s top high school recruit during his senior year.  After playing college ball in the states, Kyle found poker to be a natural fit for his competitive nature.  He quicly rose to the top of the ranks as one of the best online cash game players in the world.

Using the name “krisqueen” (a tribute to his wife), Kyle dominated no-limit when it was introduced online (remember the 50 big blind days?).  A constant winner, Kyle has two great strengths: the ability to think like his opponents and bankroll management.

“I’m very competitive, so it’s natural for me to try to think like my opponents.  It’s really what I’m best at.”  Kyle doesn’t think so much about his hand or even his opponent’s hand.  “It’s about getting into the mind of your opponent to see the game from his perspective.”  Although he’s known primarily for his cash game play, Kyle does have a highly respected World Championship of Online Poker victory under his belt as well.

When most poker players get a hold of a bit of money, they naturally start moving up to the next biggest game.  After a few rough lessons, “krisqueen” has decided that putting too much money on the table at once just isn’t worth the risk.  With a beautiful wife and three young children, this very young “family man” has his priorities squarely in line.  He plays a few tables of $25-$50 online for no more than five hours a day. This may not seem like much playing time to the poker junkies, but when you consider this 25 year-old has had several million-dollar years you may find yourself rethinking bankroll management. If you measure the best poker players in the world by their ability to not just make money but hold onto it, Kyle ranks among the elite.

If you want to get Kyle talking, all you have to do is ask him about his current business endeavors.  Kyle has invested in five restaraunts in the Vancouver region, but it’s the newest one that has the most potential.  “It’s called Player’s Chophouse & Lounge.  I own it with several pro hockey players and some big-time athletes.  We are having a big opening party when I get home—it’s exciting because it’s right across the street from the Canucks’ stadium.”

Another investment Kyle enjoys come WSOP time is buying pieces of players.  Along with FBT (and sometimes Buc), they have bought a small percentage of—get this—28 players in the main event.  It gives them both rooting interest and the opportunity to win a big chunk of money for a very small price.

With several hours of play before players even reach the money, Kyle still has his work cut out for him.  As long as he can get those ten-fives to hold up, I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from “krisqueen” soon.