Meme Star “Hide the Pain” Harold Appears at EPT Prague

Poker players were stunned at last week’s EPT Prague Main Event when the face of one of the most well-known memes arrived to play. Known as “Hide the Pain” Harold, his image is used to convey a message of suppressed  reaction to a painful moment.

Internet Stardom

The gentleman’s real name is Andras Arato, a 74-year-old from Hungary, and it turns out he’s actually a half decent poker player. We can imagine the look on the shocked player’s faces as he entered the arena to face off with some of the world’s best.

Ten years ago Arato uploaded some photos to the internet and they were seen by a professional photographer who felt he had the right look for a series of shoots he wanted to do. A year later the memes started to appear and now we see new ones featuring his image on an almost daily basis.

Now Arato can barely walk down a street without being recognised. Especially, maybe surprisingly, in South America.

Learning the Great Game

The poker story began last year when he was invited to a charity event. Although he didn’t cash, he seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed himself and caught the poker bug for life. No doubt we will see him again in the future.