Regarding Poker

Paul “Eskimo” Clark, a 48 year old professional poker player from Louisiana who now calls Las Vegas home is known for his aggressive style of poker and currently has three World Series of Poker (WSOP) Bracelets: Seven Card Stud (1992), Razz (1999) and Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo (2002).

Paul “Eskimo” Clark almost got his fourth WSOP Bracelet at this year’s WSOP playing in the $1,500 Razz Event. It appears to many that winning a WSOP Bracelet (maybe the cash too?) means more to him than his health.

It all started when Paul “Eskimo” Clark was playing in the $2,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo Event and had to play in the sweltering heat in the problematic Pavilion (tent). Initial reports claim that he suffered a minor heart-attack and that the hot conditions may have been a factor.

Shortly after his apparent heart-attack Paul Clark returned to the WSOP, and many people assumed that he was ok. Well, he was not. He entered into the $1,500 Razz Event and was determined to win it, apparently at any cost.

In the Razz Event he collapsed twice, prompting paramedics to be called in during the second incident. Paul Clark convinced them to let him continue playing. Was his collapse due to low blood sugar? Or maybe it was a stroke, the fact that one side of his body went numb during the second incident looks like evidence of a stroke. The tough Paul Clark signed a waiver absolving the WSOP of liability should he have suffered permanent damage.

Is winning more important than your health? Don’t ask Paul “Eskimo” Clark this question, his answer would be a resounding YES.

I wonder if finishing 4th and winning $31K in that Razz event was any consolation.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 21st, 2007 at 4:07 pm and is filed under Poker Pros, 2007 WSOP. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.