REMEMBERING WHEN JOHN CENA TRIED HIS HAND AT POKER
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WWE champion John Cena is now more of a part-timer in 🍉 the world of wrestling - due largely to his acting roles in series like HBO’s upcoming Peacemaker - but that’s 🍉 not the only thing he’s dabbled in part-time through the years. During his WWE pomp, it was revealed that John 🍉 Cena had become heavily involved with Texas Hold’em poker. In an interview with Bluff Magazine, Cena revealed that he had 🍉 caught the “poker bug” watching the World Series of Poker (WSOP) on television.
This interview was back in 2006 during the 🍉 time of the “online poker boom”. It was a golden age for Texas Hold’em, with thousands of amateur poker players 🍉 starting to play online with the dream of reaching the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas and emulating the likes 🍉 of Chris Moneymaker – an amateur who went all the way to win the Main Event and the highly coveted 🍉 WSOP gold bracelet in 2003 and remains active on social media.
Cena was enchanted by the glitz and glamor of the 🍉 poker boom
Cena compared the rise of Texas Hold’em poker in the 2000s to the surge in popularity for wrestling in 🍉 the 1980s. He said that the poker industry began to experience “characters created” in the same way as personalities evolved 🍉 in the wrestling ring. Cena was transfixed by the game of poker and how the most successful players needed to 🍉 have “attitude” and a desire to remain “focused” with every hand.
In 2012 and 2013, Cena opted to try his hand 🍉 online himself. Much of his time was spent at the PokerStars US site, which remains one of the most popular 🍉 and trusted poker rooms for Americans, even after Black Friday and the implementation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act 🍉 of 2006 (UIGEA). He played under the moniker of “JohnCena Pro”, entering 908 tournaments in 2012 and 652 tournaments in 🍉 2013. He finished “in the money” 16% of the time in 2012 and 15% of the time during the following 🍉 year.
Aside from the online poker tables, Cena revealed in his interview with Bluff that he also indulges in poker home 🍉 games. Given that the WWE rolls into the bright lights of Las Vegas several times a year, Cena was asked 🍉 whether he was brave enough to sit down and play in the many poker rooms on the Las Vegas Boulevard 🍉 Strip. He admitted that he was too afraid of being “totally hustled” by the many poker pro sharks lurking.
Cena also 🍉 admitted that card games have long been on the agenda on the road with the WWE machine. He said that 🍉 traditional games like poker are rarely played between one another, with “trick games” such as Spades or Pitch most popular. 🍉 Playing at the WSOP is so far an opportunity that has evaded Cena, who described himself as something of an 🍉 “open book” at the poker tables, capable of “cracking under the pressure”. Although he was once the WWE champion, he 🍉 insisted he has always had “zero bragging rights” in his home games.
The truth is, Cena is probably being a little 🍉 modest about his poker persona. Given his size, strength, and authority, you can bet your bottom dollar that few people 🍉 would want to mess with him in a poker hand to the river!
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