Introducing the Rock Stars with Other Prestigious Live Skills
Rock stars tend to be some of the most charismatic people on our wonderful planet. They have a “live fast, die young” motto, which means they enjoy all sorts of challenges away from the magnitude of live stadium and arena tours. One way in which some of the most iconic rock stars have tested themselves away from the stage is to dabble in high-stakes poker games. Poker is one of the most challenging table games around, with players having to balance fate, probability and mentality to prevail and win the big bucks.
For rock stars who make millions of dollars in earnings, when they’re taking time out away from the recording studio and live stage, high-stakes poker seems to be a popular way to fill the adrenaline void. Here are just some of the most prominent names in the rock scene who have also developed impressive poker skills.
For the last 36 years, Scott Ian has been an integral part of the thrash metal giants Anthrax. He’s now the only remaining original member of the band, and he continues to write the lyrics for all of the band’s tracks. During some considerable downtime between 2006 and 2011, Ian confirmed that he dabbled as a professional poker player. Ian played Texas Hold’em for the first time in a celebrity tournament screened on VH1. He enjoyed it so much that he eventually got sponsored and received additional lessons from some of the biggest names in poker. He cashed in at the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event, finishing 634th out of 6,494 entrants. Ian has a history of hosting home games with other big names in rock, including friends Slash, Jerry Cantrell and Kirk Hammett.
One of the founding members of American legendary rock band, The Eagles, Glenn Frey is well-known for his marathon sessions of poker in between gigs. He even invented his own version of ‘Eagle Poker’ with fellow band member, Don Henley. The game was always a popular pastime for Frey and the rest of the band. It was used as a means of passing the time when travelling between gigs or between sound checks and heading on stage. Frey teamed up with Don Henley as session artists for Linda Ronstadt before The Eagles were eventually signed by Asylum Records in 1971. In an interview with the L.A. Times, Ronstadt recalled how Frey and co. would regularly win games of poker played in between sets.
Although Kevin Martin might not be considered a rock star in his own right, he’s certainly a very good judge of rock and metal bands, given his long stint as a prominent radio DJ up until 2013. Kevin built up his own online poker bankroll while playing as a hobby; but once his bankroll hit $15,000, he gave up the day job and sought a career in the online poker scene. He is now one of the industry’s most prominent live streamers, with a highly-active Twitch channel that attracts hundreds of poker fanatics each week.
There’s no doubt that poker is heaps more rock and roll than a game of snap or Uno. These leather-clad guitarists and vocalists want to carry on feeling alive when they hang up their plectrums and vocal chords. What could be a better release than sitting at the top tables of poker’s biggest tournaments, with eye-watering prize pools?
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