GETTING TO KNOW THE NOVEMBER NINE: JORRYT VAN HOOF
Name: Jorryt Van Hoof
Twitter: @Jorryt_Van_Hoof
Age: 31
Hometown: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Occupation: Poker Pro
Employer/Company Name: Self-employed
Marital Status: Girlfriend
Years entered Main Event: 4
WSOP Earnings: $27,956
WSOP Cashes: 3
WSOP Final Tables: 0
Best Main Event Finish: No in the money finishes

WSOP: Congratulations on making the November Nine! How do you feel at the moment?

Van Hoof: I’m happier than I can possibly express right now. This is just amazing.

WSOP: What do you expect the reaction will be to all this back in The Netherlands?

Van Hoof: I think they will be very happy. We will see.

WSOP: You are now the second Dutch player to make the November Nine in consecutive years after Michiel Brummelhuis accomplished the feat in 2013. Do you know him?

Van Hoof: Michiel and I are good friends. We started playing together at about the same time, which was like 11 years ago. We used to play in lots of the 50 Euro [buy-in] tournaments back then. I would hang out with him a lot and now I am humbled to follow in his footsteps.

WSOP: Do you think this could further poker’s popularity in your home country?

Van Hoof: It will probably help a little bit. It is pretty cool.

WSOP: How does it feel to also be the chip leader heading into the November Nine?

Van Hoof: It helps build confidence, of course. I also like the seat I have.

WSOP: What do you plan to do during the down time, especially preparing for the final table?

Van Hoof: I will probably get some coaching from some really good tournament players. I haven’t been playing a lot of tournaments lately. I can definitely use some help to improve.

WSOP: What would you do with the $10 million top prize?

Van Hoof: Before the WSOP, I was expecting to buy a nice house. Now, I will definitely buy a house for sure. I will also play in some higher-limit poker games.

WSOP: Tell us what happened on the final day of the summer session and how you got here.

Van Hoof: Everything went right. I can’t find anything that didn’t go right for me today. It was a real roller coaster a few days ago, and that made it more exciting. But today was calm for me. I felt more focused.

WSOP: Does that change the way you will approach the final table in November?

Van Hoof: I will take it one hand at a time, that’s how I’m going to approach it.

WSOP: A few personal questions, please. First, what’s your occupation?

Van Hoof: I own two businesses on the side and also I am a professional poker player I would say. I have been doing this for more than ten years.

WSOP: What are the businesses you own?

Van Hoof: The first is an online poker training site called “nederpoker.com". The other is a small start-up company I founded that supplies personal trainers and yoga to people who do work outs and that sort of thing. I am really involved in that. It helps me, especially in poker.

WSOP: Are you married?

Van Hoof: No, but I have a girlfriend. She is here [at the Rio].

WSOP: How many years have you played in the Main Event?

Van Hoof: Four, I think, but I skipped the last five years. My last Main Event that I played was in 2008.

WSOP: What got you interested in poker?

Van Hoof: I used to own a small store in Eindhoven that specialized in board games and magic. Customers and then friends started coming in and asking about poker when it first became popular in Holland, and pretty soon I began playing with them. I made many friends. I loved the game from the start. I also saw it was becoming popular on television and I realized this was something that had some future.

WSOP: What’s your daily life like back in Holland?

Van Hoof: I spend most of my time playing online in Pot Limit Omaha cash games. Aside from poker, I work out a lot and am involved in personal training full time. I also have my businesses too that I must tend to.

WSOP: Was there a turning point for you here in the Main Event?

Van Hoof: A couple of times I got quite lucky, for sure. I was all-in twice on Day 5. I was swinging back and forth between 2 million to 4 million, which wasn’t a lot of chips. I could have busted a few times. It was a roller coaster ride.

WSOP: Any other thoughts about preparing for the big night in November?

Van Hoof: Actually, I have played very little No Limit Hold’em the past two years. So, I will play and study more so I can improve. Also, I expect to get some coaching from someone who knows more about final table tournament player. The, I’m going to take some time off to relax and enjoy my free time – if I have any left.