JOHNNY BEAUPREZ WINS SIX-MAX NO-LIMIT TITLE
Johnny Beauprez Wins Six-Max No-Limit Title

Colorado “Entrepreneur” Earns First Gold Bracelet and $324,764


Johnny Beauprez thinks playing poker is much like running a business.  In fact, he does both.  Beauprez not only plays poker for a living, he's also started an online training site for aspiring players who want to improve their game.

“Poker is something where you can get back what you deserve, which means what you put into it,” Beauprez said moments after earning his first WSOP victory, which took place at the Rio in Las Vegas.  “That's what I always liked about poker, that it's the quintessential example of entrepreneurship.  If you work harder and are better than your opponent, you are going to make money at it.”

That philosophy paid off big dividends at the 2013 World Series of Poker as the 28-year-old poker pro and website owner/instructor from Boulder, CO won his first gold bracelet in the $1,500 buy-in Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em tournament (Event 4).  He defeated a tough German player named Manig Loeser heads-up for the bracelet.

The tournament attracted a big turnout, totaling 1,069 entrants.  It took three full days to ultimately play down to the winner.  Beauprez proved to be a popular winner with the large crowd that was watching as a few dozen players clamored onstage jumping up and down as he dragged the final poker of the tournament.  Among those cheering the loudest was 2011 WSOP Player of the Year Ben Lamb.

Beauprez's name will be a familiar one to many good citizens of Colorado.  In fact, the latest winner is the son of two-term Congressman Bob Beauprez.  His father also ran for Governor of Colorado in 2006.

Years ago, when Beauprez informed his parents that he wanted to pursue a career related to poker, they were understandably skeptical, at first.  But as his parents came to realize their son's intense dedication to his craft, they gradually came to support his decision.

“I've been into poker since I was 18,” Beauprez said.  “At first, they were against it because they didn't understand poker.  They're not gamblers....they were just being good parents trying to give me great guidance.  But my dad is very entrepreneurial, so he understands it now.”

When asked what it will be like to phone his family back home in Colorado and inform them that their son has just won the premier prize in poker, plus more than $320,000 dollars, Beauprez again looked at the issue in philosophical terms.

“My parents were farmers and they still sleep like farmers, which means they are in bed right now,” Beauprez joked as the clock struck midnight in Las Vegas.  “They're going to have some great news when they wake up.  I'm going to say, 'guess what?  I won!'”

MEET GOLD BRACELET WINNER – JOHNNY BEAUPREZ

Name:  Johnny Beauprez
 
Birthplace:  Boulder, Colorado (USA)
 
Current Residence:  Boulder, Colorado (USA)
 
Age:  28
 
Marital Status:  Single
 
Children:  None
 
Profession:  Professional Poker Player / Business Owner
 
Website:   www.ploquickpro.com
 
Education:  B.A. Regis University (Hospital Administration), plus some graduate school studies (attended Colorado University)
 
WSOP Cashes (including this event):  4
 
First WSOP Cash (year):  2011
 
WSOP Final Table Appearances:  1
 
WSOP Wins (with this victory):  1

INTERVIEW WITH THE CHAMPION

WSOP:  How does it feel winning your first WSOP gold bracelet?
 
Beauprez:  It's everything.  It's what every poker player grinds for.  I've had this dream of playing heads-up for a gold bracelet a thousand times, but nothing matches the actual experience.  It happens really fast and the whole time you are there, it really feels like a dream.  You just don't wake up.  It doesn't get much better than that.

WSOP:  There was one point at the final table when you were all-in and needed help.  Can you describe the feeling of that moment in time?
 
Beauprez:  It was a pretty intense burn.  That's what the gamblers call it.  I think that's the quintessential example of a burn.  Nobody wants to get this close and get second.  That kind of thing haunts you.  I got second place in a Heartland Poker Tour event a few years ago and that still haunts me.  I still think of that.  It would be even more magnified here at the World Series.  So, all those thoughts go through your mind.  You got through it all, like saying 'one time' to double your stack.  That's the way it goes in poker.  We've all been on both sides of the coin.

WSOP:  Given your unusual background, the son of a farmer turned congressman, becoming a professional poker player and teacher seems like an odd career choice.  Can you discuss?
 
Beauprez:  I built my business from the ground up.  They saw I was passionate about something and that I was good at it.  I've been living on my own for a few years, just off of poker.  So, anybody can appreciate that.  My dad always told me to find something I was passionate about and to pursue it.  That's exactly what I did.”

WSOP:  Tell us more about your poker training website.
 
Beauprez:  We have the best Pot-Limit Omaha training on the Internet – www.ploquickpro.com.  It's hand-crafted by yours truly.  I've spent thousands of hours making the content.  I've also spent a lot of money getting world-class coaching to share their information.  We take a lot of prize on having a great community and a lot of content.  We're a small community, so you get a lot of personal attention.  I don't do it for the money.  I do it because I love poker and love teaching poker.  

WSOP:  Do you have anything special planned for the prize money?
 
Beauprez:  I'm going to start a college fund for some family.  I have some nieces I'm very close to.  When I was in bed last night I was thinking – what am I going to do with all the money?  I decided I'll start a college fund for my nieces.”