Mekhi Phifer
Hollywood is full of talented young actors, but few have the versatility of Mekhi Phifer. Throughout his career, Phifer has shown tremendous range in numerous leading roles, having starred as an emergency room doctor on TV’s ER, an underground hip-hop M.C. from Chicago, and a modern-day version of Shakespeare’s Othello. A self-proclaimed “winner,” Phifer has managed to make a career by defying the odds, so it should surprise no one that when he’s not busy on the set, he might be found enjoying himself at the poker table.
Phifer was introduced to the game early, recalling family bonding around the kitchen table playing Five-card and Seven-card Stud. “Everyone would eat dinner and we would play afterwards. I can remember my parents playing as far back as fi ve years old. That’s when I fi rst really started learning about the game,” says Phifer.
While capitalizing on a series of starring roles that included turns in movies such as 8 Mile, Clockers, Soul Food, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and O, Phifer has sharpened his skills at his family’s favorite game. “I’m very serious about playing poker. I’m very competitive. I try to play smart, read my opponents, and make the right decisions when I play.”
Up until very recently, Phifer spent most of his time on set playing Dr. Gregory Pratt on ER. Even during busy shooting weeks, he admits to getting in a fair amount of poker action, and now that his character has been killed off, perhaps we’ll be seeing more of him in the poker world. “When I have downtime, I like to play a lot. I actually participate in a couple of home games. The games usually have other actors and entertainment people, but sometimes pros such as Antonio Esfandiari or Jamie Gold will stop in. There is almost always someone interesting stopping by to play. It often starts with a $5,000 buy-in, but people end up buying in for $30,000-$40,000 by the end of the night. Sometimes we even have games that go for three days straight. It can get pretty crazy.”
According to Phifer, he’s neither threatened by the high stakes nor the challenging competition he faces. “I don’t play beyond my means when I gamble and poker is no different. I’m not sitting there losing a lot of money. I put a limit on how much I’ll spend and I try not to get too crazy, and although I try not to take a lot of monster risks, I don’t play scared either.” Similar to his love of acting, Phifer believes he is destined for success at the tables and he has two main motivating factors while playing. “First of all, I’m a winner, so I want to win. I love the intrigue of the game and I enjoy not knowing what is going to happen at any given moment. Sometimes I even love the bad beats. It is all a part of the game. If I had to pick one thing that motivates me in particular, it would be winning the money.”
Despite his love for stacking chips, Phifer admits it’s not all about the Benjamins. “It’s about the competition. Although we play for a lot of money, the guys I play with aren’t going broke, so it’s not like it’s that cutthroat. No one needs to win in order to pay their rent or mortgage. I actually take some of my winnings and go splurge on things. I love going to the game and saying, ‘Hey guys, look at the nice watch you bought me!’”
When playing home games in Los Angeles, Phifer often fi nds new challenges in each session. “Fortunately, I’m a switch hitter, so I can adapt to the environment around me. These guys defi nitely know how to play. You have to be able to adjust to the players at the table, whether it is Jamie Gold, who likes to play every hand, or Morris Chestnut, who is so tight at times that it is unbelievable.”
Following a poker philosophy of consistency in every situation, Phifer believes that poker is more about skill than about acting. “People have different assessments, I guess, on what acting is, especially at the poker table. Take a look at Daniel Negreanu who has no poker face at all but is still a world champion, and then compare him to Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson who is completely stoic at the table. They are both acting when they play, just doing it differently.”
Although Phifer currently makes his living as an actor, it is very possible that he may eventually pursue a career on the felt. “People always ask me whether I would rather be a world champion or win an Oscar and I tell them that I would rather have that bracelet. I would carry that trophy around with me all day. I think it is harder to win a Main Event bracelet than it is to win an Oscar. I would defi nitely rather be the Main Event winner.”
