Dantepoker

Poker Players

Life in the fast lane of the professional poker circuit is one hell of a roller coaster of a ride. For as many times as they’re up, the pros go down just as fast. Even the greats walk a fine line between riches and destitution. To make it big, they have to bet big which can often make or break them. And avoiding the glamour and temptations that go with the pro package can often be their undoing. In this section we take a look at great players gone bad, along with general news from the poker hall of fame.

 

Bad Boys of Poker

Layne Flack
Layne Flack is one of poker’s most natural talents, but also one of the most notoriously troubled. In his first Vegas tournament, played in 1997, he won $67,800 and went on to make and break himself time and again. Money slipped through his fingers like water - girls, bars and fast cars. ‘If I didn’t have it in me to gamble big, I wouldn’t play poker the way I do,’ he says. ‘There are people you can give $10,000 to and they will quit after they win $25,000. Other people, like me, we can run that sum up to a million because we love action and are willing to take risks.’

Mike Matusow
Mike “The Mouth” Matusow’s hard-partying ways caught him up in 2004. In 2000, he admitted to taking his first illegal drug — Ecstasy. He later started taking various forms of methamphetamine (speed).”Drugs became such a natural part of my life, I didn’t think of them as illegal,” Matusow says. “I was so dumb and naive”.

Marcus Bebb-Jones
Marcus Bebb-Jones made news when he allegedly murdered his wife Sabrina, 31, in September 1997 before dumping her body in a national park in Colorado. US authorities claim he then spent thousands of dollars on credit cards before attempting to kill himself. ‘He lived a playboy lifestyle during the course of that weekend which culminated in him putting a gun in his mouth and shooting himself in the head in a failed suicide attempt’ - all in response to the recent disappearance of his wife.

Ernest Scherer III
Another poker player who made news is Ernest Scherer III, 30, was arrested for two counts of murder for the deaths of Ernest Scherer Jr., 60, and Charlene Abendroth, 57. The professional poker player was charged for murdering his parents for financial gain. That gain was to the tune of $1.5 million, the inheritance he would have received upon turning 30. The player turned 30, 3 months after the death of his parents.

Luke Schwartz
The 25-year-old Brit, Luke Schwartz was deemed very controversial in 2009 for his complete disregard for some of the most elite online players. He was banned from EPT and all the Grosvenor casinos in the UK. Luke ‘_fullflush1_’ is known to trash-talk whomever he’s playing. During an interview in the Poker Stars at the European Poker Tour event at Prague in 2008, he said that he wasn’t having any problems because he “owned everyone at the table.” His online behavior that he has shown on Full Tilt, where he was rumored to cash out from the site, was equally evident at the event.

Why poker players turn bad

Playing poker exposes a person to the temptations of alcohol, drugs and women (if you’re a guy!). Hard liquor is even served free at most poker games or tournaments. Poker in itself was even considered a vice long before the game popularized. Dragging the first big pot, making their first big score in a poker game, or the final table in a major tournament is intoxicating and addictive in itself.

Why do some poker players take drugs? Some players say they take drugs because it enhances their performance. Paul Philips even said, “There isn’t any question about it - they made me a much better player”. The 35 year old poker player confirmed that the drug Adderall and the narcolepsy pill Provigil helped him during his play. He said it helped him earn more than $2.3 million as a poker player.

But it’s not all about the fun. Another well known reason why poker players take drugs is because of depression. Playing poker is filled with many highs and lows. The highs can be seventh heaven, but the lows can be devastating and may lead to horrible depression. However, many poker players favor to save their money for a play than providing themselves with the right treatment. Instead, they end up remedying their selves through self medication. This is when it becomes most dangerous.

Alcohol, on the other hand, hides fears during play. One example is Layne Flack, ‘the most competent drunk I’ve ever seen’, as one floor manager in Los Angeles once said. Quoting the famous player, ‘I asked John Hennigan if I should take a nap or have a drink. He said I should do what I had to do. I ordered a couple beers to drink before playing.’ But don’t be fooled. This approach may work for Flack but most players stay off the booze during games to keep their wits about them. Poker is about good judgement and that’s usually the first thing that goes out of the window when you’ve had a drink!