Paul Pierce may want to consider a career in poker once his NBA playing days are over, or now, considering the NBA is expected to be mired in lockout for an extended period.
Pierce impressed at the 2011 WSOP, he wasn’t expected to do much except take pictures and be part of the celebrity crowd, but after the first day, it was clear that Pierce meant business racking up an impressive amount of chips for an amateur.
But in the end, Pierce couldn’t hang with the pros.
According to ESPN, Pierce played a patient game, but seemed to get active after dinner and found himself in a rough spot with 2-2 all-in preflop against the J-J of Allan Vrooman. The board ran clean for Vroonman (K-8-5-4-K) and Pierce stood up from his chair with only 20 minutes to go in Level 9 and made his exit from the WSOP main event to a round of applause from nearby spectators.
You have to give credit where credit is due, and Pierce did last as long as Johnny Chan and Andy Bloch. He outlasted more than half of the field that began the day, which should count for a pretty decent showing for an amateur poker player at one of the world’s premier events.
