In tournament poker, making the right choice in marginal moments are what separate great players from good ones. One of our rising stars on PokerStake, Kevin Theodore, is playing this week’s Main Event at the 2025 Texas Poker Open. To prepare him for the inevitable, we fired off our 15 Bigs at the long-time poker professional.

Down to 15 big blinds in a poker tournament, each player faces the choice over whether to shove or fold, to push forward or pull back. They’re often tough decisions, and we’ve made our own 15 Bigs exactly the same, pressing our PokerStake players to tough calls. Will ‘KTheo’ fold under the pressure, or rise through the field as he does so often at the live felt?

Let’s find out!

You’re on a long-haul flight and can only choose one TV Show or Movie to watch on repeat, which is your pick?

Breaking Bad – I’ve watched it numerous times. I’ll cheat and include Better Call Saul. I love every season of both.

If you were stranded on a desert island with one book for company, what would it be?

Honestly, I’m not the biggest reader. I wouldn’t say there’s one in particular and don’t love repeats. I suppose it’d have to be on survival tips.

Talking of repeats, which song could you listen to on repeat forever?

I’d go with Postal Service’s song District Sleeps Alone Tonight but the full album never gets old to me.

What’s your favourite place to play poker and why?

I love playing at the Aria, it has a more casual feel to me, with great staff, good action and I love a lot of restaurants there too. The Wynn is a very close second.

If you were to be shot at dawn, what would be your last meal and drink?

A filet with whiskey on the rocks, finished with a cookie skillet and ice cream.

Where’s your favourite non-poker holiday destination?

I love beach vacations, typically in Mexico and I’d be sure to mix in a few rounds of golf.

You can play poker every day for a year or play no poker for a whole 12 months – which do you choose?

For sure, I’d play every day for a year. I basically do in some form anyway so it wouldn’t be a huge stretch.

Who is the person you don’t have around anymore that you miss the most

My grandma who I saw regularly growing up and made it all the way to 109 years old. She was actually the one who taught me all sorts of different card game variants mostly rummy as a kid. Her and my grandpa played in a card club themselves!

Which person would you most like to meet but never have?

Having grown up in the Chicago area I’d go with Michael Jordan and do it on the golf course. I’d love to get trash talked! A legend and the G.O.A.T. – for me, it’s ‘MJ’ over Lebron.

When’s the last time life put you on tilt?

This is pretty irregular for me as I’m naturally a calm person but would say a tough stretch of both family and friends passing away and a lot of the complications that followed.

If you couldn’t play the WSOP Main Event next year, which family member would you put into the action in your place?

My dad. He hasn’t really played live too much but loves to watch poker and would really enjoy the experience. He’d love telling people he got to play in it and hopefully he’d cash!

What’s your best poker skill?

Humility. I don’t pretend to know all the answers and more so on the other side of it trying to understand different people’s perspective and experimenting.

And your biggest leak?

Trusting my gut versus something I ‘should’ do. I’m getting more and more comfortable going outside the box but it’s still something I’m working at.

If you could make one rule change to poker, what would it be?

I’d solve tanking – it’s intolerable and exploited. Despite improvement efforts, we’re far from a solution in my opinion. It’s an issue on all streets, tournament stages, and soft bubbles. Current rules favor tankers, disadvantaging others, ruining player experience, and making it unwatchable from a marketing perspective.

You have just ten seconds with the person of your dreams… what do you say?

I’d be genuine and authentic, hoping the right words come in the moment.

Kevin absolutely nailed his 15 Bigs questions… it’s a double-up for sure. If you want to back Kevin Theodore in the 2025 Texas Poker Open or any other forthcoming events, simply follow his official PokerStake staking page and invest in one of the hottest tournament players in the world right now.

Photographs by PokerGO, the home of the PokerGO Tour and award-winning photographer Danny Maxwell.