World Series Of Poker: Finalist Wears Unwashed 'Lucky' Shorts For 10 Straight DaysFinal Six Are A Mixed Bag When It Comes To Superstitions |
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The World Series of Poker Main Event final table resumed at 5:30 p.m. in Las Vegas on Friday, with the remaining six players battling it out for millions in prize money.
The final table just so happened to fall on Friday the 13th, but, unsurprisingly, none of the final six were aware of the date. That’s what happens when you play around 12 hours of poker every day for over a week straight in a casino with no windows and only tournament clocks. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some superstitions among the final six.
Card Player had a chance to talk to all six players before the start of play on Friday, and it’s pretty clear that Nicolas Manion, a 35-year-old poker player from Michigan, is the most superstitious of the bunch. Manion only had about $15,000 in tournament winnings before going deep in the poker world’s most prestigious annual event.
“I have lots of superstitions,” Manion said. “When I used to race snowmobiles I would put the same boot on first. If I didn’t do well racing one weekend, I would put the other boot on first. I am wearing the same shorts that I started day 1c wearing. I have not washed these shorts. I have changed my underwear, though.”
Manion has also been changing his shirts depending on how he does on the felt, but the shorts aren’t going anywhere. “If I win this tournament, these shorts are getting framed,” he said. “They are never getting worn again…until I play next year.”
When asked if Friday the 13th meant anything to him, Manion paused and then said with a laugh: “Can I fake an injury and just play tomorrow?”
“The date doesn’t actually matter,” he admitted. “I am just hoping the cards are in my favor.”
Almost surely the second most superstitious of the group is John Cynn, a 33-year-old from Illinois. Cynn finished 11th in the Main Event in 2016 for $650,000.
“You know, I don’t know about superstitions,” Cynn said. “But I believe in the power of positivity. Whether it’s superstition or not, if you think it’s going to help, then it’s worth doing. If you think something is going to hurt, get it away. I think energy is important.”
“I have not changed my clothes,” he continued. “Same hoodie, same jeans, same shoes. I wash some of them. Some of them you don’t have time to wash. This hoodie has not been washed, you can’t wash off the run-good.”
Both Aram Zobian and Tony Miles said that just staying positive has been the key to their deep runs, rather than some lucky clothing, card protector, or whatever else it may be.
“I believe in the law of attraction. I am not superstitious. I think the law of attraction is very real. Positive thinking is really important,” said Zobian, a 23-year-old poker pro from Rhode Island.
Miles has been wearing sports jerseys, and there is some extra meaning behind them besides your run-of-the-mill fandom. He showed up on Friday with a Steph Curry jersey.
“I have been wearing jerseys of guys who are strong men of faith and who are talented on the field. That’s what inspires me,” Miles, a 32-year-old Florida-based poker pro said.
Both Joe Cada, the 2009 Main Event champion, and Michael Dyer, the massive chip leader heading into the second day of the final table, couldn’t care less about superstitions, or really anything else for that matter besides playing their A-games.
Dyer showed up to the final table stage just a few minutes before play began, while his competitors all arrived much earlier. When asked if he was superstitious at all, Dyer said the only thing he worries about is “trying to wake up on time.”
The final six were all vying for the bracelet and the $8.8 million top prize.
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