Phil Hellmuth, the holder of seventeen WSOP bracelets, shared a missed poker opportunity that he’ll always remember. On the NESN Chicken Dinner Podcast, Hellmuth mentioned his regret over declining an offer to play poker with basketball legend Michael Jordan.
Hellmuth and Jordan crossed paths several times, with one notable encounter being when Jordan challenged Hellmuth to a game of poker. Known for his gambling passion and a whopping net worth of approximately $2 billion, Jordan is notorious for his large stakes. Tales from former Chicago Bulls teammates suggest that Jordan once tricked them into betting on whose bags would appear first on the baggage carousel, a game he’d rigged by bribing a baggage handler to prioritize his luggage.
Recalling the challenge, Hellmuth commented, “He challenged me once, and I didn’t have a lot of money in town.” He quickly added, “I was stupid. I should have just called my friends and said, ‘Hey, (send me some money).’ And (Jordan) would have wanted to play until seven in the morning.”
Hellmuth recognized the persistence of the NBA champion. “He’ll grind you down,” but added, “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.”
Furthermore, Hellmuth touched on his financial ups and downs. He highlighted a recent loss of $180,000 and shared his wife’s perspective on their finances. “She has been stressed about money in a reasonable, normal human being way,” he mentioned. However, Hellmuth remains optimistic about his financial future, stating, “Whatever, by the time I’m 76, we’re going to have a billion dollars. It’s coming.”
The post The Poker Game Phil Hellmuth Declined with Michael Jordan appeared first on iGaming.org.