Nevada may be home to the world capital of gambling in the form of the 24/7 pleasure centre that is Las Vegas. But it may surprise some people to discover that long before the first neon sign flickered into life in the desert, Louisiana had got there first.
In fact, as early as 1806 there was so much gambling going on in the state that the government sought to restrict it to the capital, New Orleans.
In more recent times it’s sports betting that has become the big news following its legalization in 2022 some four years after the US Supreme Court’s historic decision to overturn a federal law forbidding it.
There are many sportsbooks available online in various states, that have legalised sports betting activities online. LouisianaBets displays the top sportsbooks available in Louisiana. But however much it has taken off, online sports betting in Louisiana isn’t as popular as poker.
Poker is a popular casino game played across the world and in the USA. The game is typically played offline in a social setting, typically at a land-based casino however has recently become successful since the transition online. Various technology advancements have allowed poker games to be played in a digital format with players being able to play against real-life players or computers at an online casino. There are many different poker games available online including Texas Hold’em, Five-Card Draw and Three Card Poker. There are also many poker tournaments that players can participate in.
For many decades the card game has been played in bar rooms, casinos and on the riverboats making their way up and down the Mississippi. So, it comes as no surprise that the state has also produced many fine exponents of the game, none more accomplished than George Brandon Adams – although he’s dropped the first of his Christian names as a poker pro. With almost $5.3 million in career earnings to date he’s certainly out in front when it comes to poker players from Louisiana.
A brief bio
George Brandon Adams was born in New Orleans in 1978. From his earliest days in full-time education, he showed exceptional promise at math and science, so much so that he was able to attend and graduate in economics from the University of Florida aged just 19 and then go on to obtain his masters there too.
From there he was Ivy League-bound, studying for a doctorate at Harvard.
His interest in poker was first stimulated at Florida when game theory was introduced as part of his course curriculum. Wanting to put the theory into practice, he spent several weekends in the poker rooms of Biloxi, enjoying moderate success.
When he went up to Harvard he discovered that there was a very active poker club with some very talented members, and his route to the big money first began.
It just so happened that this coincided with the arrival of online poker, an area in which Adams has continued to excel. But it was in 2007 that he also decided that live cash games and tournaments where the real money was to be made.
Key career successes
There are so many great successes that Adams has enjoyed over his career to date, but a number do stand out.
The first notable one came in 2005 when he achieved a very creditable 21st place in a WSOP circuit event, taking home winnings of $14,765. What made this all the sweeter was that it was in his home city of New Orleans.
Fast forward twelve years to the 2017 Aussie Millions where he was runner-up winning A$590,520. In the same season he also notched up a 3rd place in the $25,000 High Roller at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open with a reward of £351,000 as well as an $810,000 win at the Poker Masters.
The very next year he was back at the Seminole winning $370,000 and $400,000 at the Poker Masters.
Adams has achieved great success in various tournaments and poker events he has participated in.
The cherished WSOP bracelet
For poker professionals the annual World Series of Poker is their Olympics. It’s also where Adams is a bona fide gold medallist or, more precisely, gold bracelet winner. He picked up the prestigious prize in 2019 at the Online High Roller event, along with $411, 561 in cash.
He’s also cashed in at no less than 20 other WSOP tournaments adding up to an estimated $2.395 million in WSOP winnings.
In the biggest game of all, the legendary Main Event, he has achieved three finishes. In the highest of these in 2007, when he was just starting out, he came 69th in a field of 6,359 players scooping a very handy $130,288.
A finger in many pies
Adams’s razor-sharp mind has also opened up several other business opportunities for him – and his easy manner has made him a natural for televised poker games on shows like Poker After Dark.
He has lectured on economics at one of his alma maters, Harvard, and written a poker-based novel called “Broke” – which is ironic given his great success.
One of his most recent entrepreneurial forays has been to set up a website that gives anyone who wants access to academics and Nobel prize winners for advice, guidance or information.
Called Expert Insight, he claims the inspiration came from other poker players who offer to share their expertise online.
It’s being run in tandem with his poker life so we can expect his career earnings from cards to continue to rise. And it doesn’t look like there are many other players from Louisiana who are about to challenge him for the No.1 spot anytime soon.
