Greg Mueller Says WSOP Run Brought Back His Love for Poker
The ex-hockey pro says a deep Main Event run, plus support from friends and family, has reset his motivation after years of burnout.
Greg Mueller says his deep WSOP Main Event run has done something he did not expect: it has made poker feel fun again. After years of feeling burned out, the former hockey pro said the tournament has rekindled his passion, even if he is not sure how long that feeling will last after the event ends.
That turnaround matters because Mueller had been open about losing interest in the grind. Review-Journal reported that he said he likes to stay active, does not want to sit in a chair all day, and had gotten to a point where the game no longer excited him. He also said poker had slipped down his priority list over time, while golf, which he took up during COVID, became his passion.
His path into poker stretches back to his playing days. According to PokerOrg, Mueller learned the game on long bus rides during his professional hockey career, and he drew a direct line between the two sports. He said the competitive nature and discipline required in hockey are similar to poker, and compared making big folds at the table to skating away from an altercation on the ice.
The Main Event run has already become the biggest tournament result of his career. Card Player reported that Mueller, now 55, locked up at least $1 million by making the final nine in the $10,000 no-limit hold’em world championship, and that he had previously cashed in the Main Event in 2013 and 2017. He is also a three-time WSOP bracelet winner, with titles in 2009, 2009 again two weeks later in the $1,500 Shootout, and 2019 in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship.
PokerNews described him as the most experienced player left at the final table. Mueller told that outlet he had wondered in recent years whether the game had passed him by, and said his 2019 $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. victory had put those self-doubts to bed.
The run was also built on a lot of support. Mueller said friends were coming out to rail him, and he had received kind messages and shout-outs from players including Matusow, Hellmuth, David Baker and Alex Livingston. He said he felt like it was a team game and that he did not want to let people down.
Mueller has also tried to prepare physically for the final table. He said he had dropped about 7 to 8 pounds by eating cleaner, sleeping more, moving around, lifting weights and walking, and he said he had been doing cold showers before each day’s start time. His stated goal is simple: feel good, look good, play good.
The final table began Monday and runs through Wednesday, with all remaining players guaranteed $750,000 and the winner set to collect $10 million.
