2021 Michigan Championship of Online Poker (MICOOP)

A couple of familiar faces around the live poker circuit are among those to have entered straight away in Event #18. The pair of Patrick "MSPT-HOF" Steele and Henry "xlzou1990" Zou both have mid-six-figure lifetime earnings in the live realm and look to add to their already-impressive resumes with some online success in tonight's event.

Player	Chips	Progress
Henry "xlzou1990" Zou	25,000 25,000	25,000
Patrick "MSPT-HOF" Steele	25,000 25,000	25,000
22yardPUNT	25,000 25,000	25,000
AUTOKOREKT	25,000 25,000	25,000
backdoorFILTH	25,000 25,000	25,000
BeefySupreme	25,000 25,000	25,000
eyewantoowin	25,000 25,000	25,000
GrandKam616	25,000 25,000	25,000
jTizzle450	25,000 25,000	25,000
LambForeshanks	25,000 25,000	25,000
SimpinAintEasy	25,000 25,000	25,000
YouPaid2SeeNuts	25,000 25,000	25,000
santasworkshop	25,000 25,000	25,000

Jason "Clozer" Kapoor, 26, resides in Redford, Michigan and has established himself as one of the state's fiercest players. He spent five years selling cars before opting to play poker full time beginning at the end of 2019.

"I don’t have much family, my mom just passed away five months ago," Kapoor told PokerNews. "I'm really trying my best to ship a tournament soon to dedicate a win to her."

Kapoor started playing poker avidly in 2017. He always knew the basics of the game, but like so many, he wasn't aware of just how in-depth the game could be.

Kapoor didn't graduate high school and actually left home when he was just 14 years old. He spent 70 hours a week working at a Dunkin Donuts when he was 16 years old just to pay rent and bills. To succeed in poker, one has to grind and deal with hardships. Kapoor has real-life experience in both.

"I was in survival mode my whole life, so I had to get good at reading people," he explained. "Knowing how people worked. What they wanted to hear and see. It’s sad but true. In my opinion, this really helps in poker, one of my best abilities is knowing where I’m at a lot of the time."

In regards to PokerStars launching in Michigan where he plays under the screen name “TheRealClozer," Kapoor said: "I’m super excited that we have the chance to play legally online now."

When not playing online, Kapoor sniffs out the action. For the past five months, he's traveled to what little live events there have been. Primarily a cash game player at the $5/$10 level, Kapoor added tournament play to his skillset in 2019. His biggest live tournament cash to date is $12,051 for finishing 19th in the 2019 MSPT Michigan State Poker Championship for $12,051.

"I can’t wait for the world to reopen. I’m beyond blessed to have this ability to make this kind of living considering where I came from and everything I’ve had to overcome throughout my life," he said. "Poker is not just a hobby. It’s a lifestyle, and I can’t see myself ever giving it up. I’ve met some of the best friends I could ever have from poker."

He added: "If you see me at the tables, you will either love me or hate me. I’m a talker, it’s part of my game. I mean no harm, I just want your chips!"

Kapoor is currently in Tampa Bay for a live event but will be returning to Michigan soon to compete in the MICOOP.

"Ideally I would like to ship that [live event] then come back here to Michigan and win the Main Event of the MICOOP."

PokerNews will be keeping an eye out for Kapoor whenever he jumps into online tournament action.

Tags: Jason Kapoor

Welcome back to PokerNews coverage of the inaugural PokerStars Michigan Championship of Online Poker (MICOOP). Wednesday night will see three more events of the two-week, 60-event flagship tournament series, with the marquee event of the night being Event #18: $500 NLHE [6-Max, High Roller], $35K Gtd.

Registration is already open for all currently present inside Michigan state lines on the PokerStars Michigan client with play set to get underway at 8 p.m. ET. Players will receive 25,000 starting stacks and blinds will begin at 80/160 with an ante of 20, increasing every 10 minutes through the duration of the one-night event.

Registration will remain open until 10:40 p.m. ET, at the approximate end of Level 15 (1,250/2,500/325). During that time, all players may fire up to four total bullets before being fully eliminated from the tournament. Should players at the final table agree to a deal, they must do so while leaving at least $700 up top for the eventual champion.

Updates will be coming fast and frequently from the time play gets underway all the way until one player remains. Stay tuned to PokerNews to follow along.