No stranger to name-dropping, Phil Hellmuth not too long ago made notice of a proposal he acquired to play poker with Michael Jordan, and his regrets at turning down the supply.
Appearing on the NESN Chicken Dinner Podcast, the 17-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner described assembly the six-time NBA champion and five-time league MVP a number of instances. One of these interactions included a poker problem – which Hellmuth needed to decline.
Poker Brat Turns Down Air Jordan
Jordan has a long-standing repute as a gambler, and with a internet price estimated at $2 billion, the bets can get massive. The DraftKings investor has been recognized for large wagers on every thing from the golf course to the on line casino. When he performed within the NBA, his teammates on the Chicago Bulls stated he would go as far as to wager on which of their suitcases would come out of luggage declare first, not realizing he had bribed the handler to place his luggage on the entrance of the road.
According to Hellmuth, Jordan enjoys many poker video games, together with no-limit badugi. He stated that the supply to play some poker got here after hanging out with the NBA legend a number of instances.
Podcast host Sam Panayotovich and Hellmuth mentioned among the parameters involving taking part in in opposition to Jordan, who is seemingly recognized for placing in lengthy classes on the desk. Hellmuth in the end needed to flip down the invitation.
“He challenged me once and I didn’t have a lot of money in town,” Hellmuth stated. “I used to be silly. I ought to have simply referred to as my pals and stated, ‘Hey, (send me some money).’ And (Jordan) would have needed to play till seven within the morning.”
Jordan’s love for lengthy classes has been confirmed by Charles Barkley, who often performed in a recreation that included Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Magic Johnson. Barkley added that Jordan would continuously attempt to “buy” the pots he performed in, figuring out he had more cash than his opponents to work with.
“He’ll grind you down,” Hellmuth acknowledged. “But I’m not some 23-year-old playing his first session with MJ. I [would] be like, ‘I’m leaving.’ I [would have given] him an hour’s notice, which is reasonable.”
A longtime Jordan fan, Hellmuth stated the basketball participant as soon as acquired out of his limousine to say hey to the poker participant. The two have interacted a number of extra instances through the years, which incorporates the time he witnessed Jordan win a charity poker event in Minnesota.
2022 WSOP Player of the Year Josh Arieh has expertise playing with Jordan on each the golf course and in poker, and stated on Card Player’s Poker Stories podcast that “it was a horrible experience” due to Jordan’s relentless trash discuss.
Fellow six-time WSOP bracelet winner Layne Flack additionally shared a narrative on the podcast, explaining that he was as soon as recruited by the Chicago mafia to play in Jordan’s house recreation. Flack was uninvited, nevertheless, after he was outed as a professional on Late Night with David Letterman.
Cash Conversations
Along with that story, the Poker Brat spoke about showing on PokerGO’s No Gamble, No Future money recreation, NFTs, promoting inventory, and dealing as an advisor with various firms. Hellmuth additionally disclosed the monetary swings he has encountered, together with a current $180,000 shedding session, and the way he and his spouse deal with these sorts of losses.
“Cash becomes kind of a commodity for us in poker,” he stated. “We joke about that because I just don’t sweat little stuff ever. My wife’s like, ‘We had to pay this bill.’ I told her early in our marriage, I don’t want to hear about anything less than $10,000 because I want to keep focused on the big money. And she’s kind of become aligned with that. We’ve been together now for 33 years and I refuse to have her bring me the small money stuff.”
The dialogue included whether or not it was simple to be married to Hellmuth.
“It’s not the financial swings because money’s a great friend of mine and I have faith that I’ll always have money,” he stated. “She has been stressed about money in a reasonable normal human being way. But me, I’m like ‘Whatever, by the time I’m 76 we’re going to have a billion dollars. It’s coming.’”
*Photo credit score – PokerGO