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According to Montel Williams, poker has become more tha just a hobby. “Up until this yea my favorite pastime has bee snowboarding. I have probably gone at lea 90 times a year for the last 6 years. I haven been snowboarding once since I starte playing poker.”
An Emmy-award winning television talk show host, Williams has led an exciting and inspirational life. Raised in Baltimore, he did well as a student, becoming his high school class president. In 1974, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was selected to attend Naval Preparatory School, Which eventually led him to the U.S. Naval Academy. Upon graduation, Williams joined the Navy, and during his naval career earned awards for valor and his humanitarian efforts, including the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal.
After 22 years of military service, Williams worked as a motivational speaker before seeking a career in daytime television. Launched in 1991, The Montel Williams Show went on to become one of the country’s most successful television talk shows. The show recently ended production after 17 years. Although he stepped away from the limelight of late, Williams has kept busy by building a hotel in Baltimore, developing several lowto moderate-income housing projects, publishing a new book called Living Well with Montel, creating several new television projects, and playing a good amount of poker.
After being introduced to the poker in the military, Williams found himself playing throughout his 22-year service career. Frequently playing at night while on deployment, Williams became so good at the game that he was once reprimanded for tak-ing too much money. “I pretty much stopped playing after that. Once I left the service in 1988, I moved on because I had other priorities and things I wanted to accomplish,” he said.
Once out of the Navy, Williams set poker aside and focused on his television career and spending quality time with his family. But after successfully navigating his career path and family life, he once again found himself looking for new challenges. Three weeks before the 2007 World Series of Poker, Williams found himself contemplating playing poker again and, after serious consideration, decided to give it a go.
According to Williams, it was just like old times as he fell in love with the game again. A relentless perfectionist in everything he does, Williams began learning new facets of the game. Although he played mostly 5-card Draw and 7-card Stud in the Navy, Williams now prefers tournament-style No Limit Hold’em action. His love for the game has even earned him his own sit-n-go tournament at the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas.
Although he likes to play wherever he goes, Williams especially likes Las Vegas. “The Golden Nugget has been over the top when it comes to dealing with me. I shot some shows at the Golden Nugget during the WSOP and our relationship has blossomed since. They know just how much enthusiasm I have for the game, so they decided to create special $1,000 No Limit Hold’em sit-n-goes called “Montels” for the Saturdays when I’m in town.”
As for how much action he seeks, Williams says he tries to make it to Las Vegas several times a month to play and he can’t get enough. “Sometimes we play fi ve Montels a day. I love it. The structure features 20-minute blinds and players start with $10,000 in chips. We have some local businessmen and some pros like Scott Fischman who come and play and it is always a good time. We even have last-longer bets that sometimes make the prize pool close to $20,000 per sit-n-go.”
Always known as a man of the people, Williams continues to be that person at the poker tables. “Anybody who wants to sit and play with me can call the poker room at the Golden Nugget and fi nd out if they are running Montels that weekend. I’ll play with anybody.”
Today, Williams spends a lot of time at the tables. Whether he is playing at Tunica while visiting family, doing business in LA and hitting up the sit-n-goes at Hollywood Park, or taking the short drive to his home turf of Borgata, Williams is always in the mix when he has time to spare.
Williams says he has jumped into the deep end of the universal poker pool and is now trying to swim with the sharks while relearning to prey on the game’s weaker fi sh. He credits his brutally honest pursuit of individual excellence for giving him the edge over opponents.
“Anybody worth his weight in salt when it comes to poker understands that if you ask a thousand poker players if they are average or above-average, most will respond that they are above average, and this is their downfall, because they don’t try to improve. The truth is that all the good players are trying to constantly work on their game and that is why they are good players. I am a voracious reader and I have probably read over 50 poker books in the last 6 months. I’m always looking to get better at the things I do and this is no exception,” he said.
Williams says his poker philosophy includes three factors that many of the game’s elite also view as essential keys to victory. “I believe in the importance of position, patience, and aggressiveness when the time is right. You have to be present in each hand as well. You have to be in every hand, even when you are not in the hand, by paying attention to what everyone is doing. You have to understand each player at the table. The great thing about tournament poker it is that most people are trying to make the fi nal table while I just focus on beating the player who is in front of me.”
It shouldn’t surprise players that Williams is a tough opponent. Capitalizing on his various careers, he uses the skills he learned along the way in almost every decision he makes at the table.
“I don’t like to give out secrets about my game, but I’ll share this one. In 17 years of doing my show, I’ve literally sat 4 feet away from over 30,000 people and discussed their most personal heart-wrenching issues. After dealing with so many people, I have learned how to catch people who are lying. I have caught a number of people who have tried to lie their way onto the show and had them thrown out immediately, never airing that show. In addition, I spent a number of years in the military as a special duty intelligence offi cer and you have to have a pretty crazy memory to be good at that,” he said.
Williams describes his assassin-like approach as one that he balances with his willingness to remain vigilant during slow periods. “There are times in the game when you look down and see J-Q suited, in middle position. You may think you have a great hand, but your discipline has to stop you from making mistakes out of false confi - dence. You have to remember things such as what the small blind did six hands ago from mid-position and be prepared for that kind of action. Discipline requires that you slow down and systematically think through all of your options. Once you’ve thought through your options, you can know whether or not it is the right time to go to war. I’m not going to war like G.W. Bush did. I’m going to war for victory.”
Although somewhat secretive about his game, Williams is extremely open about his interest in helping poker players live better lives and to use the game as a tool to improve the lives of others.
“I just published Living Well with Montel. It came as a result of my years of battle with multiple sclerosis. I have tried my best to live the best I can with this illness. Part of it has been modifying my eating regimen and constantly exercising. Even before I go play poker, I’m at the gym for an hour and a half. Poker players need to understand that the healthier you are, the better your brain will function, and as a result you will become more successful at the tables. Sitting around eating hot dogs and pizza and drinking multiple cups of coffee and four Red Bulls before ten at night is not the way to go. You’re pretty much destined to lose if you don’t treat yourself right.”
According to Williams, a number of top poker players have asked for his advice on how to live healthier and he says he is more than willing to offer it. “If I can inspire one of these guys to go do something, it is a victory. It’s no secret, the healthier you are, the more stress you can handle. Poker is a game of stress and by making some positive changes in your life you will have a better way to deal with that stress.”
Unlike many who play the game strictly for material purposes, Williams enjoys the camaraderie at the table and the charitable nature of the game. Refusing to get caught up in the drama surrounding the game, he continues to take the high road and says he looks at the game as a sport and not just his personal ATM.”
“I’m hoping to promote the sport and make sure that people know that it’s not just some salacious gambling thing. It is a game that has touched the lives of almost every demographic in America. On any given day, anyone can sit down at the tables and beat someone else. We are all equal at the tables.”
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999, Williams has been a constant fundraiser for various charities and he is continuing that work with several charity poker engagements. Having found support from the professional poker-playing community and gaming industry, he is throwing a celebrity-fi lled poker fundraiser in New York City in March 2008 and has added a second fundraiser for the Montel Williams MS Foundation at the Golden Nugget in June. According to Williams, poker players can have a positive effect on the lives of others and they have a responsibility to get involved. “Players need to remember to give back. I am so fortunate to enjoy a sport where people can do so much to make a difference.”
His MS foundation works to further the study of multiple sclerosis by fi nancing current research and raising national awareness about MS. You can read about it at the foundation’s website: http://www.montelms. org.
Considered a motivational speaker by many people, the sage-like Williams has this advice for players who sit at his table. “It is a game. Let’s remember that. I know you put money up to play, but you do the same thing when you go to a movie. You put that money up so you can enjoy it. Players frequently come to the table angry. Calm down. It is just a game and we are here to enjoy it.”
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