By Sean Chaffin
A recreational player from Toronto, John Krpan plays six to eight events a year and has been playing poker for 10 years. Krpan was pleased to be making a deep run among a field full of top-notch rounders in the WPT Bobby Baldwin Classic, and he wound up finishing 10th for $37,255.
With his children all grown and out of the house, Krpan has a little more time to hit the poker scene. He now divides his time between Toronto and Naples, Florida, and works in real estate development. Krpan may be a recreational player, but has more than $500,000 in live tournament winnings, according to HendonMob.com. Krpan is the latest subject of WPT.com’s new series called “On the Button,” where we will fire off quick questions in a simple, question-and-answer format to so you can get to know players, industry members, and more a little bit better.
How did you get into the film “Molly’s Game?”
“Aaron Sorkin, the director, saw me at a poker table a couple of years ago and asked me to be in his movie. I’m in all the L.A. scenes. In the movie, I’m wearing exactly what I’m wearing now. I was the only real poker player in the movie. Everyone else was just actors.”
How do you stay focused over such long a grind in a tournament like the WPT Bobby Baldwin Classic?
“You know what? If you ask all my friends and family back home, they’d have no idea how I do this, because this is not the way I am back home. I find playing poker therapeutic. I guess I’m a little less patient back home.”
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
“I’d like to go to Barcelona and try the games there, maybe a tournament. And Monte Carlo as well.”
What’s your best situational poker advice for less experienced players?
“Position – playing your position is very important. They’re more reading the cards than they are checking their position and taking the temperature of the table.”
What would someone be surprised to learn about you?
“That I have patience at a poker table.”
What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever had?
“I used to be a painter. I painted houses and they used to call me ‘Pig Pen’ because I was always the dirtiest, with paint all over me.”
What’s your pet peeve at the poker table?
“People that take a long time to make a decision. This 30-second [Action Clock] is the greatest thing. I absolutely love it.”
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