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It was the final break of the night of Day 1A of the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas, and it was time for a color-up. Over on table 332, the players started shipping their small chips to the chip leader. But they werent shipping them to two-time WSOP Main Event final tablist Ben Lamb in the 2 seat.

No, the chip leader at this table was Alan Keating, the fan-favorite nosebleed cash game starter, star of Hustler Casino Lives Million Dollar Game and 24-Hour stream, and arguably one of the most popular livestream personalities of the year.

The fact that Keating is the chip leader might come as a surprise to some, it may be equally surprising that hes even playing a tournament at all. But in catching up with Keating its clear, hes just here for a bit of fun.

I have a bunch of friends that are playing so we all kinda got together with a last longer and making a thing out of it, going to dinner togetherstuff like that, Keating said.

Its been a wild year for Keating who has emerged as a newsmaker in poker and a headliner that will take a livestream to the next level. You dont need to convince Ryan Feldman and Nick Vertucci of Hustler Casino Live of that fact, as the showrunners have gone out of their way to bring Keating to the forefront whenever he clears his schedule to spend time mixing it up on stream. However, despite the star treatment, Keating rebuffs the notion that hes more than just another player. In fact, he brushes off any notion of poker celebrity.

Im definitely not a celebrity in my mind, Keating said. Im just having fun with my friends, kinda getting out there gambling. Ive been gambling for a long time so its not out of the ordinary. But Im enjoying getting out there and having fun with friends.

Thats not to say he doesnt enjoy the support. When the chat pros tune in to see him fire away and play his brand of no-holds-barred poker, as a poker fan himself, he feels it.

I love it, I get excited about it. You know I go into the chat sometimes when Im watching different streams. Its just a really fun thing to do on the viewing side so to be on the other side, Im doing a little bit of it for the fans. I definitely feel the warmth from people that enjoy watching me play.

It would be natural to think that with several major cash games livestreams in Las Vegas this week, including a $300/600 game hosted by the World Poker Tour, he would be interested in getting in the mix. Prior obligations are keeping him busy this week but, thats not the same for Garret Adelstein, the high-stakes crusher who is making his return after 15 months away from the game following one of the most infamous hands in poker history. Keating, who has had occasion to play with Adelstein, took a moment to share his general sentiment on the return of Adelstein to the high-stakes scene.

I do have thoughts on it, I mean just from a human-to-human perspective I think Garretts a wonderful player and it seems like hes in his element when hes playing poker, he said. So human-to-human I just want people to do what theyre best at and what they really enjoy. So Im happy to see him back out there and playing.

Who knows, perhaps Keating and Adelstein will cross paths in the future but for now, Keating is seemingly having some fun with the task at hand – making a run at the $40 million guaranteed prize pool of the WPT World Championship. It may seem antithetical to have a splashy player like Keating grinding a multi-day tournament, but with a last longer on the line (which he wouldnt comment on, but its Keating and his pals, let your mind run wild) hes doing his best to deny his nature.

I kind of feel like a phony because I have to play a style that isnt meotherwise I get my head taken off, he laughed. Im kind of just paying attention to how other people are playing and reverse engineering how I should be playing. That clearly means playing less hands.

Who knows, he added. Maybe Ill win this thing.

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