Lucky Juice

Weeks after Southern California home builder and transplanted Israeli Alex Kahaner won the 2005 Legends of Poker at the Bicycle Casino the producer assigned to that show stopped me in the hall and said:

"I just listened to Kahaner's interview and I think he says his nickname is 'Lucky Juice' but he could be saying 'Lucky Jew'."

Long silence on my part.

"I was thinking maybe I should call him? Or I could just pick one?"

So the producer calls the newly minted WPT champ at his work to explain the situation and Kahaner, to his credit, just laughs and says "It's Lucky Juice but I am a lucky Jew!"

Which brings me to the point that every top pro could not care less if you just think they win because they're lucky. In interview after interview Gus Hansen, John Juanda, Phil Ivey, you name it, and they have said some form of "I'd rather be lucky than good." Doyle Brunson said a poker tournament is like a lottery ticket, he just has more tickets than you. You want to be lucky. At some point in a tournament you need to get lucky. So the next time you drag a pot and somebody calls you a luckbox just smile. You are on the side of the angels.

2008 Legends of Poker starts soon. You can register online here. And when you make the final table say your nickname clearly..