Poker Stories: Gavin Griffin

Poker Stories

Gavin Griffin was one of the original young stars of the poker boom, becoming the then-youngest World Series of Poker bracelet winner in history at the age of 22 at the 2004 summer series. The Darien, Illinois native earned $270,420 for taking down the $3,000 pot-limit hold'em event. He busted Phil Hellmuth at the final table, which prompted the Poker Brat to utter the now infamous line of, "If there weren't luck involved, I guess I'd win every one."

A few years later, Griffin made the trip to Monte Carlo for the EPT Grand Final Championship and took it down for $2,429,103. In 2008, he won the World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open for another $1,401,109. The three marquee tournament titles made him the first player ever to win poker's Triple Crown, a feat that has since been accomplished by only eight others. In 2012, he nearly added a second bracelet, finishing runner-up in the $1,500 Omaha eight-or-better event. The 39-year-old has more than $5 million in career tournament earnings.

Highlights from this interview include 'cleansing' rain, the relationship between Dalmatians and horses, 'losing' for a living, leaving TCU for poker, riverboat casino dealing, winning his WSOP bracelet, Hellmuth's quote, running good while being sick, David Pham's consistent lie, the Triple Crown, what you do with a free Harley Davidson, feeling the pressure from PokerStars, a $1,000-$2,000 2-7 triple draw game, side bets with Gavin Smith, Mike Sexton's chuckle, being an 'equities analyst,' and disappointing Tobey Maguire fans.

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