14 Dec
Playing in the NBA, NFL, or MLB – three of the most lucrative professional sports leagues in the world – requires not only talent and God-given physical gifts but also mental toughness and unmatched competitiveness, the same qualities a poker player needs in order to succeed.
Poker is a worthy alternative for them and can sometimes lead to unwanted attention from the media. That’s how many myths and legends regarding their degenerate behaviour at the tables were born. But how many of these myths and legends are actually backed up by genuine facts? We can’t be sure, but some information is out there that can help us differentiate the facts from the fiction. So, given the nature of the beast, what are the craziest poker stories revolving around US professional athletes? To open up your appetite, let’s start with number five and arguably the best basketball player all-time, Michael Jordan.
5. His Airness’ Trip To Barcelona
There are a lot of gambling stories that have the name of Michael Jordan in them, from crazy double-or-nothing golf bets to seven-figure losses at the craps tables in Las Vegas. There is also the notorious story of tipping the baggage handler to help him win a prop bet against his fellow Bulls’ teammates during a trip – he gave his ‘opponents’ nine-to-one odds that his luggage would come first (guess who won #wink).
There’s even a conspiracy theory out there saying Jordan retired the first time – in 1993 – not because of his father’s death but because NBA commissioner David Stern told him to back down and create some sort of distraction in the midsts of his multiple gambling scandals. We probably won’t find out what really happened behind closed doors but we can share a story with you that has to do with poker – confirmed by many.
It was not only MJ: Sir Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, and Magic Johnson were also part of the crew.
It was during the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona that many stories emerged about the Dream Team flat-out domination. Since the US men’s basketball team was winning by a margin of 44 points, the ultra-competitive players challenged themselves on the green poker felt. It was not only MJ: Sir Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, and Magic Johnson were also part of the crew playing deep into the night, sometimes till the following morning.
On one of those nights, Jordan didn’t notice how time flew and sat at the poker table until 6 AM. He realized he had a game to play that day so he took a one-hour power nap, woke up and prepared for the afternoon’s encounter that happened to be the Gold Medal Round against Croatia. The Original Dream Team eventually hammered the Europeans 117 to 85 with Jordan scoring 22 points. And this was before energy drinks became such a big thing.
4. From The Poker Felt To The Football Field
Most of the times, pursuing a dream can be quite a challenge. It involves not only good decision-making but also taking risks. That’s what Pat McAfee did in his attempt to become a football player.His first love was soccer; he spent weekend after weekend playing the game. Knowing that his son kicked the soccer ball a lot during practices, Pat’s mom, Sally, encouraged him to try out in a Punt, Pass & Kick competition. He won that small tourney and in his senior year, he became a high-school national champion.
Penn State initially offered him a scholarship only to back down afterwards. Was it time to give up? Not for Pat. That year, Kenn State called but the young kicker wasn’t satisfied. Then opportunity arose: a kicking guru, Mike McCabe phoned the McAfees inviting the young Pat to take part into a national competition for high school players in Miami. The problem was he needed $1,500 for the trip – he was living in Plum, Pennsylvania.
So what did he do? He lied to his parents, saying he was going to spend a night at a friend of his, borrowed $100 and went straight into the basement of an old restaurant where an illegal game of poker was being held. He was ready to gamble on his future. So he played against grown men and turned that $100 into a trip to Miami. That trip earned him a scholarship to West Virginia and later, a place in the NFL, on the Indianapolis Colts.
Thank God for a pair of pocket Jacks
McAfee told USA Today last year, recalling the hand that made his dream possible.
3. Losing A… Finger In A Poker Tournament
Controversial former MLB outfielder and designated hitter, Jose Canseco had a year to remember in 2014. First, he accidentally shot himself in the hand while he was cleaning off his gun. What does this event have to do with poker anyway, you may wonder? It seems that a finger fell off during a poker tournament Canseco played several weeks later. According to his Twitter account, he was playing a tournament when suddenly, he felt his damaged finger falling off (can you even imagine the scene?) He admitted he should have amputated it immediately after the shooting incident. Conseco confessed on Twitter:
It was very loose with no bone to connect. It was also smelling really bad.”
He also mentioned about someone recording the whole scene, calling his agent and getting paid for his video that could have gone viral otherwise. Yet he mentioned nothing about the particular poker hand or tournament. Did he cash in at least? Or did he lose the tourney also?
One thing is for sure: Jose Canseco took the whole ‘play until my fingers fall off’ idiom to a brand new level.
2. High-Stakes Games Gone Wrong
We all know about the scandals revolving around the queen of the Hollywood poker scene, Molly Bloom and a bunch of other actors like Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. What most don’t know however is how New York Yankees slugger Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez got into those high-stakes illegal games. Apparently, it was a very rough start.
Rodriguez’s passion for poker is widely-known; back in 2005, he was warned by the MLB to stop attending underground poker games in New York. He is also a good friend of the ‘Poker Brat’ Phil Hellmuth.
It’s unclear who got him into those high-stakes under-the-radar games, it may have been Molly herself as she claimed to have had an affair with A-Rod. Yet we know how Rodriguez first heard of the games, thanks to the ‘King of Instagram,’ Dan Bilzerian.
Bilzerian told RadarOnline back in 2011 that the baseball players first made his appearance in 2009, at Cody Leibel’s,
He just shook his head, not knowing what the hell happened. He didn’t want to deal with it at all. He was like, ‘OK, whatever. It’s your game.’ A-Rod lost, like, a few thousand dollars that night. After everything that happened, he paid-up and left.
In spite of the incident, he kept going. Molly Bloom organized a game in Miami and Rodriguez joined in. Loan sharks – maybe Russian mobsters – were playing that game and when one ‘dubious’ guy started losing, he called several thugs to try to intimidate A-Rod & Co. The baseball player ‘freaked out’ and left the game with Bloom.
Surprisingly that didn’t stop him either and he kept playing in those illegal high stakes game until 2013, when FBI agents raided New York for underground gambling activities arresting 30 people and bringing charges to 34 including the 2009 World Series champ.
1. High-Stakes Game Gone Worse
The craziest story of them all didn’t happen on the poker felt nor in some mansion’s private game. It actually happened on a plane and in a locker room.
Most NBA fans know many stories about what happens behind the scenes during flights from one city to another. To kill time, competitive basketball players engage in several games and gambling activities like craps, blackjack, bourré – a trick-taking gambling game – and yes poker. Some even bet $20,000 on Rock, Paper, Scissors, as former NBA player, Jay Williams said in a podcast two months ago.
Like you would expect, action heats up in the blink of an eye with some players even losing their heads. Former Washington Wizards’ star Gilbert Arenas – or Agent 0 as he was called back then – experienced that heat and lost his job because of it. A couple of months ago, he even shared with the world what really happened in December 2009 and why he was suspended more than half of the season. Following the book release of his former teammate Caron Butler in which Butler recollects the 2009 incident, Arenas posted on Instagram ‘the real story.’
It all started on a flight back from Phoenix to Washington. Several Wizards were playing cards. When Agent 0 entered what could have been a variation of draw poker, a teammate of his, Jarvis Crittenton was already ‘ballsdeep in losing.’ During one hand, Arenas folded and showed his hand face up. Crittenton reacted immediately and screamed misdeal. Words were exchanged and after the landing, Crittenton said to his foe:
If we were in the streets, I’d pop you in your knees.”
Arenas accepted the challenge:
S### I’ll give you the guns to do it on Monday.”
The Wizards had practice on Monday so Gilbert came to the locker room with four empty guns and put in on Jarvis’ chair challenging him to pick up one and shoot him. Crittenton instead threw the guns to the floor hitting the trainer’s foot in the process and showed his own ‘little silver gun that Eddie Murphy shot the pinky toe off with.’ Agent 0 started laughing saying:
Put that Harlem’s night gun away. Look at the s### I’m giving you, imagine what I have at home so you can keep those (guns).”
Fortunately, nothing serious happened that day as things gradually cooled off. The story leaked out about some two weeks later and Arenas was suspended for the remainder of the 2009 – 2010 season. He tried a comeback but never succeeded. The other player, Crittenton ended up in jail after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault with a firearm in 2013.
BONUS: Which Athlete Is The Best Poker Player?
Let’s light things up though and try to rank these athletes poker-wise. Gilbert Arenas played at some high-stakes tournaments including the Poker Caribbean Adventure while Jordan is known as a fearless competitor at the poker tables. But are they the best? Not if you’re asking Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth talked with TMZ Sports at the beginning of this year and shared his thoughts on this matter. Surprisingly he didn’t mention A-Rod but a bunch of NBA players. He plays a lot with the 2015 NBA champs Golden State Warriors since he’s from Bay Area and said big man Andrew Bogut is poker-pro material. He also mentioned Charles Barkley, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. YES humble Timmy who is ‘a killer at the poker table.’ Check the whole interview – including how Hellmuth lost $32,000 to an NBA star – below:
