Watch the poker fight from the Venetian!
It’s not that uncommon for fistfights to break out in casinos, and poker rooms have seen their fair share of brutal beatdowns and poker fights over the years.
In case of Michael Haag it was a simple case of using his Brazilian JuJitsu skills to subdue an attacker in a domestic abuse incident at the tables recently, just outside the Venetian Casino cardroom in Las Vegas.
While poker pro and vlogger Joey Ingram may have moved his talents to breaking down the latest happenings in the MMA world, fellow YouTube star Jeff Boski has gone one better and managed to snare an interview with Haag about the dramatic and violent episode, revealing the background to the fight…
For Michael Haag, a pro with some $350,000+ in live tournament earnings to his name, but also a criminal record, taking the man who assaulted his female companion to the ground was child’s play.
His BJJ skills clearly evident in the clips above, but it also raised some fears that he would be in trouble with the authorities himself.
Rewarded for bravery…and poker skills!
Not so, the Venetian treating Haag to a “victory dinner on the house”, the feuding couple by this time having been taken away by security for further aggressive behaviour.
The extra sweetener for Haag was that he had just scooped the $1,000 high-hand bonus, making it a night to remember at the Venetian.
As a footnote, Haag actually learned to play poker while in jail, gambling with dangerous fellow cons as good a stomping ground as any for surviving the cut and thrust of the bricks and mortar casinos he would later visit once he became a free man with a new focus in life.
Casino punch-ups are not always ‘domestic arguments gone wrong’ of course, the money, stress and environment all elements that can turn a happy evening into a grisly poker headline…
Poker fights Part 1 – Phil Ivey’s bodyguard
Last year saw another bout of poker-related fisticuffs making its way to YouTube, Phil Ivey’s bodyguard dealing with an unpleasant fellow player in spectacular fashion during the 2017 WSOP, Jimmy Fricke tweeting about it at the time…
Full on fist fight in Bobby’s room just broke out. Was over pretty quick but wow.
— Jimmy Fricke (@jvfricke) 25. Juni 2017
… VIP-Grinders covering the story along with some incredible footage…
Poker fights Part 2 – Small Man Syndrome
Naturally, when people are upset, the possibility of a rather nasty ending is increased – the physical version of poker tilt perhaps – and the bad behaviour has come thick and fast recently, this ‘small man syndrome’ effort impressive to say the least…
Poker fights part 3 – The Goodfellas Effect
To finish with, it should be said that fallouts at the poker table don’t always end in violence, but the following amusing clip is probably not recommended for viewing at a family dinner or during a visit to your grandmother!
Well, hopefully your own weekend at the tables isn’t quite so eventful!
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