Joe McKeehen

Joseph McKeehen was born on June 28, 1991, in North Wales, Pennsylvania. He graduated from La Salle College High School and later earned a degree in mathematics from Arcadia University. Before his poker career, McKeehen won the world championship in the board game Risk in 2010.

McKeehen began playing poker online while underage and transitioned to live tournaments at 18. His first major title came in 2012, winning a side event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $116,230. In 2013, he won a WSOP Circuit event in Atlantic City for $174,147 and cashed in the WSOP Main Event for the first time, finishing 489th. His largest cash before 2015 was a runner-up finish in the 2014 WSOP Monster Stack event for $820,863.

At the 2015 WSOP Main Event, McKeehen entered the November Nine as the chip leader with nearly a third of the chips in play. He dominated the final table, never relinquishing the lead, and defeated Josh Beckley heads-up with A♥ 10♦ against 4♦ 4♣ to win $7,683,346 and his first WSOP bracelet.

McKeehen captured his second WSOP bracelet in 2017 by winning the $10,000 Limit Hold'em World Championship for $311,817. He earned his third bracelet in 2020 during the WSOP Online series, winning a $3,200 No Limit Hold'em High Roller for $352,985. In high roller events, he finished runner-up to Bryn Kenney in the 2016 PCA $100,000 Super High Roller ($1,220,480) and placed 6th in the 2016 WSOP $111,111 One Drop High Roller ($829,792).

McKeehen is known for a patient, mathematically grounded playing style, reflecting his mathematics background. His calm demeanor during the 2015 Main Event earned him the nickname "poker robot." As of 2024, his live tournament earnings exceed $21 million, with 91 WSOP cashes and 22 final tables. He has five World Poker Tour final tables and one European Poker Tour cash. McKeehen's success from humble beginnings—starting as an underage online player—serves as an inspiration to aspiring poker professionals.