About Zak VanKeuren

I’m a professional poker player, WSOP Bracelet Winner and WPT Prime Champion, and a men’s performance coach specializing in helping high-performing men operate with clarity, resilience, and consistency under pressure.

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My work sits at the intersection of decision-making, physiology, and mental performance — shaped by years competing in environments where focus, emotional regulation, and long-term discipline directly impact results.

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Background & Performance

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I was raised in upstate New York and attended Duke University, where I earned degrees in neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy.

Early in my life, I developed a strong drive to excel — academically, athletically, and creatively. Like many high-performing men, that drive came with overthinking, internal pressure, and a tendency to push harder rather than operate smarter.

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Poker became the ultimate training ground.

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It forced me to confront:

• decision-making under uncertainty

• emotional regulation with real financial consequences

• the limits of willpower without recovery

• the cost of unmanaged stress

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Over time, I learned that performance is not about intensity — it’s about systems.

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Why I Coach the Way I Do

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After years of competing and studying performance from both practical and academic angles, I began coaching men who were already driven — but running inefficient operating systems.

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Men who didn’t need motivation.

They needed:

• better energy regulation

• clearer priorities

• nervous systems that could handle pressure

• training, nutrition, and recovery that actually supported cognition

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That realization shaped my coaching philosophy.

I don’t offer hype.
I don’t offer vague mindset work.
And I don’t use spirituality as a substitute for structure.

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I help men build repeatable performance — physically, mentally, and emotionally.

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Who I Work With

Today, I work primarily with men in demanding fields, including:

• professional and semi-professional poker players

• entrepreneurs and executives

• professionals in finance, medicine, and other high-responsibility roles

My clients are capable, intelligent, and disciplined — but want their systems aligned so performance becomes sustainable instead of exhausting.

MY Approach

My coaching integrates:

• evidence-based performance psychology

• nervous system regulation

• training and nutrition for cognition and recovery

• practical decision-making frameworks

Everything we do is grounded in application, not theory.

The goal isn’t transformation for its own sake.
The goal is clarity, stability, and consistency under pressure.

Beyond Coaching

In the coming years, I plan to expand this work into in-person experiences and retreats focused on recovery, performance, and long-term health for high-performing men.

My broader mission is simple:
to help men build lives that perform well and feel sustainable.