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Mickey 99
If you count him out, it’ll cost you
Growing up, Mickey Appleman was a talented athlete and a gifted student. Every achievement in one arena fueled his determination in the other. The resulting echo chamber of success produced a monster-sized competitive streak in his 5’5” 120lb frame. Appleman graduated from Rutgers with a MBA in statistics. He could’ve had his pick of lucrative jobs, but he applied his energy and big brain to activist issues. He became a coordinator at a drug and alcohol treatment center in Washington DC. It was the height of the 60s. Vietnam slammed against racial conflict, which butted against the counter-culture. His escape from swirling social strife was poker. “I had an innate talent for it,” he said. Appleman gravitated to New York City where the intellectual talent pool reached its deep end. New Yorkers have always put a high value on creativity – whether it was in business or the arts – and poker was just another scholarly pursuit. As Appleman worked on his game in places like the Mayfair Club, he also developed a skill for sports betting. Unlike the computer-assisted odds-makers today, Appleman was a “shoot from the hip handicapper.” He could instinctually weigh all the variables and pick a winner more times than not. Then there’s the story when he bet on himself. He found 32 people to bet him $20,000 a piece that he couldn’t break 100 on a golf course he never played. On the eighteenth hole, Appleman sunk a fifty yard chip shot to finish 99, winning $640,000. As amazing as that was, Appleman’s poker game is even more impressive. He’s won four WSOP gold bracelets in four different games, had two Main Event final table appearances, and his lifetime tournament winnings exceed $1.6 million.
