Photo by Dusan Kipic on Unsplash
Poker is a game that entices various celebrities, including guitarists, vocalists, and songwriters from metal music bands. These musicians bring the same passion and dedication to the poker table, like setting a concert stage on fire.
Want to know who are those famous musicians with pro poker skills? Here's a list of the best metalheads who play poker.
The first name that comes to mind is Anthrax Scott Ian, who became popular in the industry after winning the VH1 Rock 'n' Roll Celebrity Tournament in 2006. During this tournament, he defeated poker pros like Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, Ace Frehley of Kiss, and Vinnie Paul of Pantera. This victory showed his love, passion, and skills for the card game.
Fun fact: It was the first time he played a Texas Hold 'Em poker game.
What's more? The musician regularly plays various free poker tournaments online . Ian also hosts regular home poker games with friends from the music industry, including Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, and Slash. In an interview, Hammett admitted Ian is a great poker face who plays calmly and strategically.
He's also one of Ultimate Bet's seasoned players and has won various poker tournaments, including the 2009 World Series of Poker. Seeing his extraordinary skills, Phill Hellmuth, a professional poker player, was once eager to train him to advance his gaming career. After all, the singer had the full potential to be a shark!
Another poker enthusiast from the heavy metal music genre is Sully Erna . He started his poker gaming journey in 2006. Although Sully considered poker gaming a side gig, he won the two World Series of Poker events. He took home $17,730 and $45,422 in the WSOP tournaments of 2006 and 2007.
During the competitive poker tournament in Las Vegas, he secured the 713th rank among 8,000 participants. The talented player also participated in the 2007 Five-Diamond World Poker Classic and again won a massive $307,325 second prize money. The 2007 VH1 Charity Celebrity Rock 'n Roll Tournament was the musician's last poker game.
After this celebrity tournament, he focused only on the music band. However, not for long. Sully's passion for the game drew him again to the poker world. He engages in professional and commercial gaming whenever he goes on a tour.
The singer even got a "No Justice" tattoo on his back, which was his response to losing a game against a player. In frustration, he yelled, "There's no justice in poker!"
Steve Albin is famous beyond his recording engineering and music-producing skills for albums like Nirvana, Robert Plant, and Pixies. He also firmly set his foot in the gambling industry with his poker skills.
For instance, Albini ranked 12th and won the gold bracelet with a $105,629 prize in the 2013 WSOP tourney. Over the years, he continued his journey by participating in No-limit Hold' Em and Seven-card Stud. The musician also regularly competed against professional pokies during Tuesday night games in Chicago.
His family is responsible for his extraordinary skills. Albini's grandma taught him poker gaming when he was seven. His family also occasionally hosted pinochle games at home, while his father was one of the best bridge players. With time, his passion and skills developed even more, turning him into a seasoned poker player.
The Motorhead frontman extremely loved video poker. Lemmy Kilmister was a frequent visitor at Rainbow Bar & Grill on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard, where he enjoyed playing the video poker machine.
Before Kilmister's demise , the bar owner even shifted the machine to his home so that he could conveniently continue playing his favorite video poker game. Today, the machine is at the exact location, and the seat beside the game is still reserved for the great player, Lemmy. Many fans visit this spot to pay tribute to the pioneering of a new heavy metal genre after his death.
Moreover, Kilmister's interest isn't limited to video poker. With his signature drink, Jack and Coke, in one hand, he played slot machines for hours at LA casinos. In fact, Lemmy's Ace of Spades song is the most popular gambling song of all time, which shows his love for casino gaming.
It surprised the metal music fans when they saw Jerry Cantrell in a Rock Royalty evening on CBSSports. This high-stake poker gaming show was especially for poker enthusiast musicians. Cantrell paired with Scott Ian to compete against other celebrities during this show.
Further, Cantrell participated in several other poker games, including the Second Annual Vegas Rock Star Poker Tournament and Sweepstakes, LA Police Memorial Foundation Celebrity Poker Tournament, and Gardens Poker Night. The guitarist also won the title while playing No-Limit Hold 'em Turbo in the Ante Up World Championship event.
Later, Cantrell and Ian also launched a bar called Dead Man's Hand, dedicated to the famous poker story of "Wild Bill" Hickok .
Musician Scott Ian is the most skilled poker player, winning multiple tournaments.
Celebrity Poker Tour and VH1 Rock 'n' Roll Celebrity Tournament host various stars.
These metal maestros have proven they can dominate the stage and the poker table. So, don't be surprised the next time you see your favorite metalhead at a poker tournament!
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