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This poker
and sports betting legend started playing as a preteen at home
with relatives and friends. His skills made them think he might
be a poker prodigy. They may have made the correct assessment,
as is evident by four WSOP bracelets, 41 cash outs including two
so far this year and over a $1,000,000 won in the WSOP since his
first try in 1976. Mickey has also won the 2002 US Poker
Championship Limit Hold-em event and cashed in numerous other
tournaments around the country. Additionally he’s been a force
to be reckoned with in cash games on both coasts as well. |
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I remember
dealing to Mickey in the 70s and while watching him play this year,
that same expression of a “intense human calculator,” calculating
pot odds is evident. While calculating, he contemplates his next
move to receive optimum results and later plans what to do in the
next similar situation when or if things do not go right in the
current hand.
Appleman came
to Vegas in 1975 from Long Island. He is a graduate of Rutgers. In
the 60s he became socially active in the troubled Washington DC area
and was involved in a community outreach program for
disenfranchised inner-city people. He soon became coordinator of a
drug and alcohol program. This social activist may have turned aside
a possible lucrative career in business; however
sports betting and poker
became his lucrative business.
Upon arriving
in Vegas, Mickey was befriended by Benny Binion. “This was a real
turning point for me” stated Appleman, “Benny and later Jack, did so
much for the gamblers. This place (the Horseshoe) was built by
gamblers.” Appleman continues to trek west each year from his home
in Fort Lee, New Jersey. He is a familiar figure at a poker table,
what with, his not hard to spot coiffure.
Mickey’s best
game (poker-wise) is any Omaha, Hold-em or Stud Hi-Lo split. In fact
his first WSOP bracelet was earned in the 1980 Hi-Lo Split No
Qualifier Stud event (now there’s and oldie but goody game not seen
much these days). His favorite game is any Pot-Limit game with
Kansas City (deuce to seven draw) holding a slight preference.
Even though
this is WSOP time and these articles are about “Poker Legends”, I
would be remiss not to mention that another article can and will be
written about Appleman’ s sport betting endeavors and side
adventures during the past WSOP ‘s and Slim’s Super Bowl
tournaments. These stories involve ping-pong, (yes… that’s right
PING PONG!), basketball in the middle of winter with Slim, Doyle,
Stu Unger and other "crazies" and his inclusion in the many golf
propositions and events, including the story regarding “Appleman’ s
shot for par on the 18th at La Costa for $640,000…..”
Later in a
post WSOP article, I will write in detail of the stories mentioned
above and will include a famous Mickey Appleman story describing his
involvement in one of the biggest college football line moves in
Vegas Sport book history.
When asked to
list the nine players he would NOT like to see at a $10,000
buy-in final table, that of course included him, Mickey listed,....
Chip Reese, Jon Heneghan, Cong Do, Doyle Brunson, Ted Forrest, Erik
Seidel, Carlos Mortensen, Chris Ferguson, Bobby Huff and Johnny
Chan. When I informed him that he named 10 players instead of
the 9 requested, Mickey stated “Oh really? It’s just so hard to list
the many deserving players after all these years and so difficult to
leave one off the list.” He added “These names are difficult to
place in any order.” So we made an exception, why not for this true
poker legend?
At the
conclusion of this reporter’s interview with this engaging poker and
sports legend, Mickey remarked that he was “a gifted sports
handicapper”. That was the second time I have been told that. The
other was from Frank Rosenthal!!! Mickey forgot however to
mention that he is apparently a gifted poker player as well…. |
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