Bryn Kenney hasn’t had a conventional journey to the top of poker’s all-time money list.
Who is he really? How does he cope with the pressure of poker and life’s ups and downs? What’s made him the person he is?
In an exclusive interview with PokerOrg, Kenney outlined a fascinating and broad philosophical approach grounded in real-world tenets but infused with a profound metaphysical approach.
He shared his thoughts about how life and poker are intertwined in a myriad of ways. And how, when you mix the practice of gratefulness into the mix, you become much happier and more accomplished at both.
Here’s a sneak preview of the full interview, which will be published early next week.
‘Believe in magic’
I think it’s important to try to bring in as much love and harmony as you possibly can in your own life. I think that there are lots of things that happen along like this road of growth, especially if you really ask for big things. You know what I would love more than anything in the world? I’d love to run the biggest charity in the world. That would make me the happiest that I could possibly be. It’s all about finding what’s important for you. It’s important to be open to all of these things that come along on your road in life and see them as a teacher.
I’ve done so much in my life. I’ve learned a lot of things already, but in the bigger picture, there’s so much more to still learn. That’s life. It’s such a vast space of growth and possibilities. I believe that life has infinite possibilities. They are there for you. They can be seized by you if you put in the effort to get there.
‘No one’s perfect’
Everyone's doing the best that they can in any given present moment. We all get caught up in our own things and can easily become thrown off because of difficult obstacles that are in the way.
When that happens, I try to see everything as working in my favor instead of working against me.
If you have the mindset that things are working against you, they'll continue to go that way. But if you feel life is always on your side, you can look at these low, difficult, and tumultuous points of life and say — ‘Is it really so tough?’
No one's perfect. No one only has good thoughts. Everyone, even if they seem so positive, may go through an intense cycle now and again. But then, I'd just get back to the point where I know life has always been good to me.
Big dreams, big goals
If we have dreams and goals to be someone more advanced than the person we are today, we will have to go through a lot of uncomfortable changes and growth to become that person.
I've always asked for a lot from life. I always tried to show myself as someone ready or willing to be that person that I was asking to be.
I think if you work hard, believe in yourself, and accept everything that is, then you might be able to go through obstacles that other people would give up on.
‘Everyone’s afraid of making mistakes’
We live in a time where everyone's afraid to make a mistake. When they play a poker hand, they want to be able to go over to their buddy and explain why they didn't make a mistake. The worst thing in their mind they could do is make a mistake.
Since they're so afraid of making mistakes, they won't be willing to be open and creative. If you’re open, you might actually find the best move in this or that moment in a spot versus this particular person for X, Y, and Z reasons.
Back in the day, I felt like I thought so much differently about the game than others. I was looking at aspects that other people weren't looking at, but I was still understanding and incorporating those aspects into how I was playing and thinking.
You have a lot of very smart people who are so sure that 5% to 30 % of the picture is the whole picture. They've convinced themselves of that.
If you're so sure of something, no new information can come to you.
The Interview with Bryn Kenney drops soon on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Photos courtesy of Joe Giron/Drew Amato/Triton Poker.
