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Poker and celebrity have walked hand in hand through history. The lifestyle poker breeds is a glamorous one, drawing the curiosity of the rich and famous (usually to the delight of the pro). At the same time, those who thrive in the lifestyle find fame knocking at their door. History shows us as much.
Men like Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Wild Bill Hickok are remembered as gunfighters. It’s a more comfortable and glorious way to recall these men who many credit with building the country, but gun slinging wasn’t their vocation. It was a necessary skill for anyone making a living through cards.
In the twentieth century, the trend continued. President Truman famously played poker as a means to prolong his inevitable decision about whether to drop the bomb. President Nixon paid for his first political campaign by beating friends and foes alike out of their chips.
With the emergence of the World Series of Poker in the 1970s, new opportunities for fame and poker to marry emerged. Amarillo Slim made it on to just about every major talk show America had to offer after his victory in 1972. Jimmy “‘the Greek” Snyder, known to national audiences for his football commentating, started acting as master of ceremonies for WSOP.
Of course the celebs wanted to play. Telly Savalas, TV’s Kojak, started playing in the Series. So too did Gabe Kaplan, fresh off his hit series Welcome Back, Kotter. Kaplan, it seems has never left.
In the nineties, Larry Flynt made controversy when he tried to buy his way to the fi nal table. Matt Damon and Ed Norton, promoting the upcoming Rounders, both played in the 1998 WSOP. Damon was famously taken out with pocket kings by Doyle Brunson’s pocket aces.
As pronounced as the marriage has always been, the poker boom amplified it. With the game gaining social acceptance, celebrities flocked to poker. Ben Affleck, Don Cheadle, Tobey Maguire, Jason Alexander, and hordes of others have found their way to the felt, enjoying the hunt for chips and simultaneously finding the rare chance to be just another player. Some, like Shannon Elizabeth and Jen Tilly, have made the game their primary focus.
Of all the moments involving celebrity play in the World Series, it wasn’t one of the giants who most emblazoned his image on the mind of the viewers at home. That dubious honor belonged to Oliver Hudson. The son of Goldie Hawn and star of numerous television shows, Hudson made his way to the 2005 WSOP with a dream. It would be Sammy Farha who would shatter it.
Farha’s second-place finish in 2003 had made him a celebrity in his own right. With his loss to Chris Moneymaker following him, Sammy has always made for good television and ESPN’s producers knew as much. They decided to make his table the focus of their cameras on Day 1. Hudson happened to be sitting at it, and the first hand would produce more fireworks than any one TV exec could ever have hoped for on this first day.
With both freshly seated, their T10,000 in front of them and the blinds T25-T50, Farha lived up to his fast and loose reputation with the fi rst action of the day, a raise to T200 with A♥-10♦. The action folded around to Hudson, whose black pocket tens insisted on a raise. He made it T450 to go, the raise too small to chase Farha from the pot. Sam made the call.
Now, ask yourself at this point what the single ugliest possible flop could be in this situation. Could it be… oh, say A♣A♦10♥? That’s how the board came, giving Sammy aces full of tens while poor Oliver was left with a comparatively meager tens full of aces. Hudson had managed the nearly impossible task of flopping a full house with no outs in the deck.
Both players checked on the flop in the hopes of inducing a bet from the other. The turn was Q♣. Hudson decided it was time to strike, putting T300 in the pot. Sammy raised to T1,300, a large bet designed to make Oliver think Sammy might be stealing, but no such nuances were needed. In Hudson’s mind, all of his chips were already in the middle. When Sammy made the raise, that was exactly what happened. Oliver moved in and Sammy called instantly.
“Oh my god…” and a knowing smile was all Hudson could do, the reality of his situation now displayed in front of him. Sammy was all business, preparing to run over the remaining players at the table with his new, double-sized stack. Hudson was all smiles, realizing he had a story to tell the rest of the beautiful people. A meaningless jack on the river made it official. Good thing TV work pays well.
Gary Wise is a celebrity in his own mind but in no one else’s. You can see proof of that at his website, www.wisehandpoker.com.
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