Wild Man Eric Hicks Got Drunk, Won A Main Event Seat, And Then Had The Best Time Ever
P5’s - Eric Hicks came to Las Vegas early last weekend to play the 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event and was a little bit bothered to discover it didn’t start until Monday.
A small business owner from El Segundo, CA, Hicks decided to make the most of the weekend and played the $888 Lucky Eights event. Before busting that event, he jumped in the $215 WSOP Main Event Scramble on WSOP.com that guaranteed 25 seats to the Main Event.
“I was playing in the Scrambler. I was #1 in the Scrambler, early on and we started bar-hopping, drinking beers and I was bragging to everybody, ‘Look, I’m #1 in chips’,” said Hicks, who has held the chip lead at various points on Day 2AB of the Main Event. “It was me on my scooter, playing the scrambler. People couldn’t believe it.”
Hicks eventually closed out that win and started prepping for his Main Event, which started on Monday.
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So this dude Eric Hicks is probably my favorite poker player of all time. He’s a complete wild man. His story starts drunk, this last weekend, when he was riding around on his electric scooter, bar hopping in Vegas, playing a satellite to the Main Event on his iPad. And that’s how he won his $10k seat to the tournament. Drunk, on his scooter.
And once he was in the tournament, he took off. He couldn’t miss. He was putting everyone in the cage, in blenders, and stuffing them in lockers.
And what does he owe it all to? His lucky amulet, of course.
Obviously. What a beast.
It gets better though.
That 4th place last year in the $3k PLO- He did it, blacked out drunk.
Last year he final tabled the $3,000 Six Max Pot Limit Omaha, but don’t ask him to talk about. It’s got nothing to do with bad memories – he finished fourth – but more to do with a complete lack of memories.
“I love playing. I drink when I play. I swore I wouldn’t do what I did last year, I made a final table and I have no memory of it. I got so drunk,” said Hicks. “That’s the worst bad beat story of all time, I’ve always wanted to make a final table. This year I’m going to take it more seriously.”
No memory of it! I guess having no memory of your final table and finishing 4th while blacked out is sort of a pretty cool memory within itself.
Unfortunately his Main Event ended in 401st place, still good for $33,305 and a lifetime of memories. Poker needs more guys like Wild Eric Hicks. Fun player, not a douche, loves drinking, and a guy everyone wants to play with. Guys like him make poker fun again.