The world of poker content has expanded with the rise of social media, YouTube, live streams, and more! Poker has become more accessible, and the variety of online poker content has exploded.

While online poker content seems to be dominated by American and Canadian personalities, one man from the Czech Republic has spectacularly stepped into the spotlight with his witty, funny, and totally entertaining poker content! His name is Václav Dušek, but you will know him better as LEMONPOKER!

KKPoker has been partnering with LEMONPOKER for over a year and is delighted to have seen his efforts to create new and entertaining poker content recognized globally in the form of a 2025 Global Poker Award nomination for Rising Content Creator.

KKPoker spoke exclusively to LEMONPOKER to learn more about the man behind the camera, his poker passion, and his exciting plans for the future!

EUROPE’S RISING STAR

Firstly, congratulations on your GPA Rising Star in Content Creation nomination! How did you feel when you first learned you made the shortlist?

I couldn’t believe it. I mostly did content for other accounts and niche European festivals. I also attended my first live tournament (not including the Nuts Pub League in Edinburgh) just over a year ago, which was also when I made my first poker content on my $50 second-hand Motorola. Huge kudos to GPI and the panel for actually giving a shot to so many of us non-US talents this year!

Can you share the story behind your moniker, “LemonPoker”?

I was 12 and needed an online nickname. Lemon came to me from God himself, and it stuck. It means so many bad things, unfortunately, but it still beats my actual Slav name nobody can consistently pronounce.

How did you come to collaberate with KKPoker as both a player and content creator?

I’ve always been just an odd-job freelancer and a friend to KKPoker! 

It was right after I took a break from cash games when my long-term friend/boss Sven from PokerStrategy said KKPoker wanted some people to attend Slovakia’s famous Banco Casino for the Polish Poker Championship. 

At the time, I was coming off five months of cold-calling thousands of strangers on the street for 10 hours a day during a presidential campaign. So, I grabbed my phone and did a bunch of interviews. It was insane—I met Eric de Solo, Marek Wrona, and Ms. J, who likes to stay in the shadows, and had a blast.

They even brought Beata, who was crushing Miss Poland, to make the KK Lounge more fun. This was my first real experience with live poker tournaments, and I loved it instantly!

Your videos showcase a vibrant and energetic persona. How do you maintain this enthusiasm, both online and at the poker table?

I am what a psychiatrist would call neurodivergent. Basically, the switches that regulate focus and brain function are weaker in mine, and I experience stages of hyperfocus, often followed by periods when I can’t focus on anything at all.

I just love working with people and seeing great competition, so you just get to see that hyper side of me when live events and streams are involved.

You’re building a great poker community around your content. How have your recent collaborations with KKPoker helped shape your brand and content ideas?

I recently attented EPT Prague and was following Jon Kyte and Padraig O’Neill. I realized how much fun it was to focus on a couple of players, work with them, and really get to know them instead of spreading myself too thin—which I am (in)famous for.

As a freelance content creator, you have the chance to collaborate with many poker platforms. How has partnering with KKPoker enhanced your connection with the poker community?

Well, it changed my life. 

Let’s start with the Macedonians I met during the Slovenian Poker Tour in Rozvadov, which is coming up again soon. Zenga, Aleks, and later Zuberko showed me how incredibly passionate local communities can be. They help each other out, hype up their country—and like and share anything you put out, no matter the quality—a content creator’s dream! 

I also got to interview Blaž Žerjav, who turned $20 into over $1,000,000 on a $2k bankroll. He’s inspirational in the same way Lena900 is—they don’t care if they play a high roller or a $1 satellite. For them, it’s poker, and they try to perform their best and enjoy it all the same—a true winner’s mindset.

Later, I interviewed Dara O’Kearney during the Bratislava Poker Festival. 

Earlier that year, I nearly died for that man, reviewing his book by walking fully clothed into a freezing pond in the middle of February for a bit in my review. 

I’ve seen Dara more than anyone else last year, including my closest friends and family. I bumped into him at almost every stop, no matter the country or continent. Even at the Wynn at 11 PM, I went to get some tacos, and there was Dara waltzing in front of me with his ice cream.

If I ever disappear suddenly, he should definitely be the first suspect haha. 

As the only European Rising Star award nominee, tell us how you think poker in Europe is growing, and your thoughts on working with KKPoker to help this goal.

The trend in Europe that KKPoker is riding is themed tournaments and festivals that seep into smaller and smaller venues. It’s a no-brainer to have online qualifiers and themed festivals—you get more people in, the locals have a reason to face new players, and the local communities are incredibly grateful that a site like KKPoker is making this happen. Many people have come to know KKPoker as the go-to local live tournament satellite app, and I am all for it.

Your content is a mix of humor, strategy, and raw poker experiences. How do you balance entertainment with poker education?

I’ve been a cash game coach for 10 years, and I absolutely love geeking out for hours about some obscure river 3-bet spot that has no impact on your win rate.

But the live circuit isn’t about that—it’s about people, characters, emotion, and relatability. The fact is, because of the rake and traveling expenses, the vast majority of players are actually not winners in the long run.

The two people who influenced my view on this were Adam Pliska, the WPT CEO, and Franke of the Festival Series. It’s all about responsible gambling, treating the players as talent, and poker as entertainment first. Education comes second. 

There are so many educational tools available, but very few people are actually willing to put in the effort to use them correctly. Lucky for me, since I was always a solid winner in cash games but never made it past NL200, my role as a hype man and the one who asks others to educate people fits the landscape really well.

“Between 5 and 12 hours of research”

What’s your creative process like? Do you plan your content, or is it all about capturing the moment?

It depends on the content. For podcasts, I do between 5 and 12 hours of research per guest beforehand, then prepare topics and let my brain do the rest.

I’ve been doing this for over 10 years, and I still interview random people on the street for the EU in my spare time—it’s just what I do. I’m just constantly trying to upgrade my equipment and improve the technical side.

For short-form content, I give my editors heart attacks and drive social media coordinators to the brink of insanity. 

I thrive on chaos, throw scripts out the window, and ask what the players actually want to do instead. Then I react to what’s happening in real-time. It’s all about the personal stories and the emotions they evoke. 

More than once, I’ve had messages from people telling me my edit made their mother cry, or daughters and family members leaving heartfelt comments under videos. That’s the reward I really work for—bringing an old lady to tears.

That said, I am working hard on improving my communication with editors and coordinators and plan my content better. While I never want to turn my work into sterile, metrics-driven content, planning and process are key for both myself and my team. 

Working with others has been vital for my live event content journey, the names that stand out are KK’s Ms.J. and her team and my great friends Melvin and Franke who gave me countless pieces of advice and often pointed out the dumb things I have done, somehow while encouraging me at the same time.

You’ve attended incredible poker events like the Polish Poker Cup, Slovenian Poker Tour, Bratislava Poker Festival, Smart Poker Tour, and the European Poker Tour. Can you share some of your favorite experiences?

I just loved Smart Poker Tour in Sunny Beach. Meeting and interviewing the really only other Czech globally recognized content creator Karlencho, talking to the Simeons, the KK guys, and especially Anna-Maria, who grabbed my mic and trolled her boyfriend Ivelin, calling him a fish during live play.

If I could recommend the best vacation-slash-grind spot, it would be Sunny Beach.

Any funny or crazy behind-the-scenes stories from these tournaments that you can share?

The best ones were the comedy bits with KKPoker representative Tia during the Bratislava Poker Festival. It was hilarious trying to figure out the angles, and she was such a great sport and kept coming up with new ideas. It’s always a pleasure for a content creator to meet someone willing to look equally as dumb as you, and Tia is a true superstar.

Dream poker destination you haven’t played at yet?

Asia! I was gutted I lost the KKPoker celebrity qualifiers for KKLIVE Tokyo! I’ve actually dated a girl from Guangzhou for three years but never went to Asia. Maybe that’s why she’s my ex…

“Telling stories nobody dared to tell before”

What are your goals for your poker content creation? Do you have aspirations for other roles in poker or even world media?

Eventually, I want to have a small team of enablers who take me as I am. We would be like bounty hunters of passionate creators, going from project to project and telling stories nobody dared to tell before.

What advice would you give to aspiring poker players and content creators looking to make their mark in the industry?

Be yourself—to hell with the metrics (at first). We work in a niche industry, and the only way you will make it is if you really enjoy it. 

If you love your content, that’s half of your victory. if you don’t, well – there is more money elsewhere if you have talent for making content.

What message do you have for your fans and supporters who have been on this journey with you?

My content is and always will be about others and their stories, and I am nothing without the people I work with. Thank you to every single person who has done just that!

Follow LEMONPOKER on Instagram and be sure to stay tuned for his upcoming content in parternship with KKPoker!

If you have a love for live poker then check out KKLIVE, KKPT and the online satellite tournaments at KKPoker! You can win tickets and poker packages to global live poker events.