William Hung made headlines in 2004 for his heartfelt, but terrible, singing efforts meant to impress the judges on American Idol. The Los Angeles resident introduced loads of positivity, however his rendition of Ricky Martin’s ‘She Bangs’ didn’t fare properly on the present’s third season. Hung actually didn’t turn out to be a pop star and Simon Cowell stated the efficiency was “one of the worst auditions we’ve had this year.”
However, Hung’s audition went viral and introduced a little bit of fame that adopted with quite a few media appearances, motivational talking gigs, and even an album. As it seems, he even tried poker, though that led to him developing a gambling problem.
“Unfortunately, I developed a gambling addiction,” he instructed People journal. “I knew I was good at poker, but then I got greedy. I got into sports betting. The whole gamut. I know better [now]. I wasn’t supposed to do those things, but I did it anyway. And I paid for it. I got divorced, and I learned I had to be smart about which risks I chose to take.”
Poker Pro Dreams Turn Out Badly
After his preliminary brush with fame, Hung went on to earn a level and MBA in arithmetic. Although he was noticed at Los Angeles and Las Vegas cardroom dozens of instances over the past twenty years, he had been working a traditional job in statistical evaluation with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
But life on the poker desk proved to be too engaging for Hung, who determined to make the leap.
“I quit my job three years ago and became a professional poker player,” he instructed People. “I’d been doing it on the side for a while, and I decided maybe I was good enough to go for it. I was earning way more doing that than I was at my regular job. It was going well for a while.”
At the poker desk, Hung has $108,295 in stay event winnings. The better of that got here in 2015 in a $235 World Series of Poker Daily DeepStacks occasion, when Hung completed third for $17,856. He additionally gained the Ante Up 4 Autism profit event in 2022, besting the charity’s host Chip Jett heads-up for the trophy.
Originally from Hong Kong, Hung went via one thing many devoted gamblers have skilled at instances. The betting away from the poker desk apparently proved to be his downfall. He wrote a detailed post on LinkedIn final 12 months about his struggles with playing and vowed to go away all types of wagering behind.
Hung has since returned to his outdated job, gotten remarried, and now hopes to begin a household along with his new spouse. He’s glad to have an easier life once more.
“There’s nothing wrong with having a steady job after fame,” he says. “I think it’s the right thing to do, to provide for my family now.”
*Photos – William Hung’s Facebook