Former Nov. 9er James Akenhead Reaches The End Of Professional Poker Career

Having left poker, Akenhead finds peace.

In a really nice article for Poker Player Magazine, 2009 World Series of Poker November Niner James Akenhead, opens up about what happened to his poker playing career in the 4+ years since he took 9th place in the WSOP Main Event for over $1.26 million dollars.

He details what it’s like to be young and suddenly rich, chasing that next score, running poorly and living out of a suitcase for nearly a decade playing poker.

After 18 months of this dry spell I thought that if this can happen this long how could I go through my 30s, 40s and 50s with this possibly happening? I still couldn’t cash to save my life. I was trying things just to make myself cash now. I was playing really tight to try and increase the chance of me cashing – and it still wasn’t happening.

Now, Akenhead has settled down a bit. Purchasing a bar/restaurant called The Reach Bar, he’s no longer allowed to wake up at noon and work on his own schedule. He’s found a new reality, one that isn’t that of a poker pro, and it seems he’s at peace with that.

Take the time to check out the full interview over at Poker Player Magazine.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling (VACPG) helpline at 1-888-532-3500
published 10 years, 8 months ago • by • permalink

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