MEET THE LATEST WSOP CHAMPION – NAOYA KIHARA
Name: Naoya Kihara
Birthplace: Nayoro, Japan
Age: 30
Current Residence: Tokyo, Japan
Marital Status: Single
Children: None
Profession: Professional Poker Player
Former Profession: Private School Teacher
Number of WSOP Cashes: 2
Number of WSOP final table appearances: 1
Number of WSOP gold bracelet victories (with this tournament): 1
Best Previous WSOP finish: 653rd (in 2011 WSOP Main Event Championship)
Total WSOP Earnings: $531,388
Other Interesting Things: Hopes to become ambassador for the game of poker in Japan and throughout Asia
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE WINNER
Question: Can you talk about the poker scene in Japan?
Kihara: Poker is getting popular in Japan. The people who like poker like gambling as well. So, a lot of people joined online poker, and then improve their skills. And then more and more come to cheer. And then a second, third and fourth bracelet winner should appear, I think.
Question: Is this your first year to play at the World Series of Poker?
Kihara: My second one.
Question: How many tournaments have you played?
Kihara: Before, six side events and one Main Event. And then, I got a $19,000 cash in the Main Event last year.
Question: What does it mean to you to be the first Japanese WSOP winner? Is this special?
Kihara: Yeah, that’s right. Now, I’m living off poker. But I want to be a sponsored player. So, the first Japanese bracelet means the possibility of that will increase.
Question: You talked about live poker being illegal in Japan. Do you disagree with that?
Kihara: It should be legal. I think it’s a really stupid law, but…
Question: Do you think it will change?
Kihara: I don’t think so. That’s why a lot of people in Japan go to Las Vegas and then play poker and the other games. Question: Is Pot-Limit Omaha your best game?
Kihara: No. Actually, I think I’m not so good at Pot-Limit Omaha. I had around 2 million experiences in Hold’em and then 250 experiences in Omaha High-Low and I think only 150K in Pot-Limit Omaha. So, it’s not my best game. Because of that, I tried to play ABC style. And then—especially yesterday—I really got lucky and lucky and lucky again. Every flip I won, so because of that, I ran so nice. And then I got the bracelet.
Question: What is your screen name online?
Kihara: Nkeyno.
Question: How did you find out about poker?
Kihara: My friend started online poker a half year before me. And he taught me. He played. And when I didn’t know the rules, he taught me. He showed me the online game with four tables (multi-tabling). And then I saw behind him “six hours,” and then I learned a lot.
Question: You just won $500,000. That’s a lot of yen. What are you going to do with the money?
Kihara: Right now, no idea. But I want to join a lot of live tournaments. Before, I don’t have enough money, so I couldn’t join too much tournaments. But now I have money, so I can join a lot of tournaments. So, I will increase my tournament winnings more.
Question: You play for a living professionally. What do people in Japan think about that?
Kihara: My parents don’t like it. They know that but don’t like it. My friends don’t say bad about that because I have a lot of mahjong—which is a game in Japan—I have a lot of mahjong friends. I play that game also. My mahjong friends, they don’t think gambling is a bad thing. So, it’s not so bad from my friends.
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