Legendary Chicago music producer Steve Albini wins World Sequence of Poker event once more

When the final card flipped and legendary Chicago-based music producer Steve Albini emerged as victor in a 773-competitor World Sequence of Poker event, he ran over to mates watching close by.

“It made me really feel like 1,000,000 bucks,” Albini stated.

Metaphor apart, he actually felt like $196,089 — the first-place purse that he received.

Albini — who produced mega-influential rock albums like Nirvana’s “In Utero” (1993) and Pixies’ “Surfer Rosa” (1988) and who sings and performs guitar for indie-rock band Shellac — received his second World Sequence of Poker event on Friday.

His successful Stud Hello-Lo hand was a five-card flush with a pair of sevens, he stated.

“After we performed the ultimate hand and I noticed I had received it, I didn’t have a rush of emotion,” Albini stated. “It was kind of like, ‘Oh, that fingers over, on to the subsequent one. Oh, wait, there’s no subsequent one.’”

The producer received his second bracelet at Paris and Bally’s Las Vegas On line casino. He competed within the $1,500 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. occasion, a multigame type of poker that alternates between Texas Maintain ‘Em, Omaha Hello-Lo, Razz, Stud and Stud Hello-Lo.

Albini performs casual money video games in Chicago with mates like skilled Brandon Shack-Harris and statistician Nate Silver. He’s excited concerning the prospect of one other Bally’s on line casino coming to Chicago.

“Having a card room that I can get to by the Blue Line sounds (expletive) wonderful,” he stated.

Raised on household video games of cribbage and pinochle, Albini stated he’s lengthy joined informal video games at casinos whereas on tour and is “completely completely satisfied taking part in kitchen desk poker for quarters and {dollars}.” The one event he competes in is the World Sequence of Poker yearly.

He received a $1,500 buy-in Seven Card Stud occasion in 2018.

“I used to be by no means brief on chips in that event. I used to be by no means actually confronted with a tricky choice in that event. That one felt prefer it was kind of dealt to me,” he stated.

Not so this time. The native rock-legend was all-in “eight or 10 occasions” this event. The chances of all these near-fatal bets falling by means of had been low, he reckoned.

“This one additionally felt like a fluke,” he stated.

If luck propelled Albini to victory, it could have come from the particular buckeyes his spouse gave him. He saved them in his pocket as he performed.

“Not a lot as a fortunate talisman, however to remind me of how a lot I really like my spouse,” Albini stated.

Whereas it takes much more than luck to win two World Sequence of Poker occasions, Albini has “no illusions” about his potential to play skilled poker. Whereas he’s proud he punched above his weight, he doesn’t suppose he can compete with extra devoted gamers and isn’t keen to dedicate the time to take his sport to the subsequent stage.

“I’ve a spouse and a enterprise and an occupation and a band and two cats and a bicycle and a backyard. I’ve issues that I’ve to do in my life,” Albini stated, including that if poker turned his livelihood, it may additionally grow to be much less enjoyable.

As he weathered all-in hand after all-in hand, Albini stated he didn’t really feel emotional. As an alternative, he was doing the identical arithmetic poker at all times requires of him, gleaning data from uncovered playing cards and delicate expressions.

That coldblooded calculus doesn’t relate to music manufacturing or the rest in his life, Albini stated.

“With a view to reach poker, it’s good to be pointedly misleading. You might want to be pouncing on the weaknesses of different folks and it’s good to exploit different folks’s errors,” he stated. “These are sociopathic tendencies.”

After taking part in almost 40 hours over three days, Albini was awarded his second “bracelet,” the signature prime prize of World Sequence of Poker occasions. He snagged it off the felt and rushed to indicate it to his mates after his victory. However the bracelet fell to the ground and a hyperlink broke off.

“They’re not jewellery, they’re extra like fairground trinkets,” Albini stated. The producer, well-known for his uncooked, analog fashion, stated he may go away the prize damaged to recollect.

The eternal, hypnotic pandemonium of the on line casino flooring left Albini with little sense of time as he took his mates out for celebratory tacos.

“I couldn’t let you know if it was 12:01 or 4 within the morning,” he stated.

He determined to enter a $10,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. occasion subsequent. It began Monday night, and he was set to face off towards a professional-filled area.

“I don’t need to have any expectation of successful to have an expectation of successful some cash,” he stated earlier than the event began.

Albini ran out of chips by the top of the event’s opening day.

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