KKPoker’s premier live poker event, KKLIVE, visited Montreal for the third time in November 2025.
The event is special for the KKPoker community in Canada, as it’s not only an opportunity to win big cash prizes, but also gives this tight-knit group the chance to meet up after years of online poker battles.
The event achieved 308 entries via online Day 1s, with 35 players advancing to the Live Day 2.
The biggest story to come out of the Main Event was the eventual win by Jordan Banfield, who started the day as the chipleader and ended it with the exclusive KKLIVE champion’s trophy. But one man who also deserves a special mention is Andrew ‘TheGoose’ Goosen.
Andrew is a popular figure in the KKPoker Canada community and the 2024 KKLIVE Montreal champion. Like Jordan, he was one of the Day 2 leaders and determined to defend his honor.
And how close did he come to achieving this goal? Very close! Ultimately, having to settle as runner-up after a hard-fought heads-up match with Jordan.
KKPoker spoke with Goose throughout the event to understand the mindset of a defending champion!
“SEE HOW THE CARDS FALL”
The defending champion of any poker event has one goal: to defend their title! Experienced poker players will understand that the odds of doing so are low, but poker players are creatures of momentum and confidence.
‘Goose’ came into Day 2 of the KKLIVE Montreal Main Event 5/35 in the chip counts with 377K. A healthy stack of almost 100BB. He was well-positioned to be confident about his chances of defending his title. So how did he approach it?
“I’m gonna see how the cards fall, see how my table is. I honestly haven’t even looked at my table draw yet, so I’m not really sure what to expect.” said Goose.
Some poker players may feel the pressure as defending champion, some may feel freedom, but for Goose, he was adamant he didn’t have a strong feeling either way and expressed his calmness by simply stating he was happy to ‘just play some poker‘. But despite his calmness, Goose was sure about his goal of winning.
“To win again, that would mean a lot. I would love to. Obviously, it meant a lot to me to win last year and get my name on that big KKLIVE trophy. I want to do it again!”
Goose wins in 2024!
“LOOSE GOOSE”
The KKPoker Canada community is strong both online and offline, with many of the players battling against each other in special events every week, including KK CANADA’S BEST and KK CANADA STAR, plus the Canada-exclusiveVEGAS DREAM satellites. So, how did Goose think he would be portrayed at the live table?
“My table image? I’m not sure, but I think people see me as a little bit of a ‘loose goose,’ so we might be able to use that to our advantage if we pick up a couple of hands and see what happens.” added Goose.
“I have looked around the room, and I see some really strong players here. So it’s definitely going to be a challenge. A lot of good players in this room, a lot of good players in this community. So should be a battle, should be a lot of fun.”
“THESE GUYS ARE ALL AWESOME!”
Last year’s victory for Goose awarded him CAD17,318, and since then, he has another 20 recorded cashes to his name, including a second-place finish for US$16,550 in the $ 400 No Limit Hold’em – Grand Stack (Event #36) at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. So did his approach to poker change after Montreal’s win?
“My game has changed very little. I do no studying. I don’t look at charts. I don’t use solvers. I just play poker.” Said Goose.
Whether you’re a poker player dedicated to studying or feel like extra playing time is your preferred learning method, KKPoker offers opportunities for all! For KKLIVE events, and our partner events such as the Battle of Malta and OLA Poker Tour, you can win live poker tickets for less, and that’s precisely what Goose did!
“Last year, I got into the KKLIVE Montreal Main Event for just $1.50, and I got in the same way this time. Cents Flip, max value. Spin it from there. Now we’re going to turn it into £15K today!”
Goose, of course, had his eyes on the top prize but also valued the chance to connect with his fellow KKPoker community once again.
“I’m looking forward to just getting together with all these guys.
“The people in this room I play with online every single day, so it’s so cool to just be here in person with them. And honestly, it’s a great group of people.
“The community that KKPoker has built is amazing. These guys are all awesome. I always have so much fun at KKPoker events.” Added Goose.
“JUST DO IT!”
After several hours of intense poker action, the KKLIVE Montreal Main Event field was reduced to four players. Irrespective of chip counts, Goose now had a 25% chance of achieving back-to-back titles. But despite his position and experience, Goose was keen to play down his odds.
“It’s been a good run. We’re down to four left, three really good players, and me. I think I’m probably fourth best in this field, but we’ll see what happens. Anything can happen.“
After Corey Chan was eliminated in 4th place, it was left to Goose, Jordan, and KKPoker Vegas Dream winnerSharath Maddur to battle it out.
An experienced and on-form trio with over US$250,000 in recorded live tournament cashes between them, and for Sharath, he had the practice of recently playing in poker’s biggest live main event in Las Vegas, courtesy of KKPoker.
However, luck was going Goose’s way, and he looked down at Pocket Queens after Sharath had shoved his short stack from the Button with Pocket Tens. Goose hit top set on the flop and survived Sharath’s straight draws to set up the heads-up match against Jordan.
Goose was the chip leader and started the final battle well, but one big hand was about to change the whole trajectory. Read all about it here.
It was a valiant effort from Goose to achieve back-to-back Montreal Main Event heads-up matches, and all the KKPoker team looks forward to seeing more of his success in the Canadian poker community.
So, if you are looking to create your own KKPoker story, here’s a final word from the man himself.
“Do it. Just do it! Start with the KKPoker satellite Flips. You can get into KKLIVE for $1.50, have your flight, your hotel, everything paid for. A free trip to Montreal!“
Join KKPoker, improve your poker skills, and win fantastic cash prizes and rewards in our cash games, tournaments, and SPINUP, with a $1,000,000 jackpot prize pool!
Download the KKPoker app and play anywhere, anytime, in a fun and recreational poker player-focused environment! We even have FREE buy-in tournaments every day to boost your poker bankroll! Join now and get great welcome rewards, plus 5% Instant Rakeback from day one and the chance to earn up to 50% rakeback.
Be a part of our poker community and follow the KKPoker journey on Instagram, Facebook, X and Twitch.
The products and services that KKPoker offers (via its websites, tablet and mobile applications) are together referred to as the "Services".
Access to Services may not be legal for residents of, or persons located in, certain countries. Services provided hereunder do not constitute an offer, solicitation or invitation by KKPoker for the use of, or subscription to, betting, gaming or other services in any jurisdiction in which such activities are prohibited by law. In particular, residents of or persons located in the United States shall not use any of the Services.
kkpoker.co is operated by Violet Fortune Tech Limited N.V. registered under No. 158923 (the “Company”) at, Dr. H. Fergusonweg 1, Curaçao. This website is authorized to operate under a Certificate of Operation issued and regulated by the Curaçao Gaming Control Board in accordance with the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (Landsverordening op de Kansspelen, P.B. 2024, no. 157). White Wolf Tech Limited, registered under No. HE 429048 at, Avlonos 1, Maria House, 1075, Nicosia, Cyprus, is a payments agent which provides payment services to the Company.
In order to register for this website, the user is required to accept the Terms of Service. In the event the Terms of Service are updated, existing users may choose to discontinue using the products and services before the said update shall become effective, which is a minimum of two weeks after it has been announced.
