He wore an Elvis costume to the Main Event. Then won $1.9M.

Most people dream of playing the WSOP Main Event.

Adam Hendrix? He did it in a rhinestone Elvis suit…after losing a side bet.

Good morning fellow gambler! If you’re new around here, every week we peel back the felt on the world of high stakes poker. We bring the highs & the lows. The cheers…the tears. Usually over a couple of beers. This week’s guest?

Adam Hendrix

He’s the #1 poker player from Alaska. Final tabled a $50K. Cashed for nearly $2M in one tournament. But the craziest part? He’s the opposite of flashy.

But before we start, We’re GIVING AWAY $175 per week in August! And all you’ve gotta do is play poker. (Might we recommend a little 1-hour session while you grind this episode? 🤑)

We sat down with Adam to break down:

• How he started playing poker in grandma’s card club

• His first “real” game in a smoky Virginia basement

• Why he waited to go pro — and the exact bankroll number he wanted first

• The behind-the-scenes of the 2025 WSOP Main

🎧 Listen on Spotify: [uploading…]
📺 Watch on YouTube: Click Here

⏱️ Show Notes with Links:

0:00 🎬 Intro — Meet Adam Hendrix, Alaska’s top tournament earner
2:30 🥃 Whiskey + TSA icing
6:30 🧊 The Iceman nickname origin
7:00 ❄️ Pink Hat Poker: Playing with grandma in Alaska
8:40 📺 ESPN poker memories & Jerry Yang
10:30 🥃 First scotch = tastes like an old shoe
12:00 🌍 Childhood abroad: Alaska → Scotland → Egypt
15:00 🏈 Football injury + spleen bruise + Hurricane Rita
17:45 🎓 Engineering to Econ at Virginia Tech
19:40 💸 Western Union deposits + basement home games
22:00 🏠 Wins $120 — “I was on cloud 9”
27:30 🍔 Hokie House cheesesteak free rolls
28:45 🃏 Starting a poker club + first sketchy Radford game
31:00 🎥 Streaming ACR high rollers pre-2020
32:30 💼 Quitting his job with $75K bankroll + Sharkscope pitch
34:30 🎰 Early tourney scores in West Virginia & Borgata
39:00 🤮 Puking after bubbling the Venetian 1600
41:00 💊 Legionnaires from Rio water mist?!
42:00 🥈 Gets 2nd in WSOP PLO8 with 95% of action
44:00 🛬 Moves to Vegas mid-COVID with Brock Wilson
46:00 🛑 $100 cap rule & Other weird rules
51:00 📦 LAPC 10K in a COVID tent
54:00 ☠️ Commerce poker horror stories
58:00 📺 Justin destroys hotel TV with a shoe
1:03:00 💍 Meeting his fiancée
1:05:00 🔥 Rising through 10Ks, 25Ks, and 50Ks
1:08:00 💰 50K PLO Final Table: Took the shot + focused up
1:10:00 🧠 Only shot takes when he feels “locked in”
1:12:00 🎭 Elvis costume side bet before Main Event
1:14:00 🤡 $100 last longer with Justin — ends in 2 hands
1:20:00 🎸 Costume store mission
1:25:00 🔥 Craziest table of his life — Elvis on stream
1:27:00 😱 Dealer misdeals → Hendrix wins all-in with JJ
1:29:00 😭 Finally cashes the Main Event — emotional
1:31:00 🎯 ICM pressure on final 3 tables
1:33:00 🏆 Final table! Childhood dream = $1.9M
1:35:00 🧠 Facing Mizrachi with JJ — “I can’t fold”
1:39:00 ✈️ What’s next for The Iceman: Alaska, Cherokee, coaching📌 Subscribe for more high-stakes poker stories & interviews! (And so we keep making these!)

Cheers,

Art and Justin

PS: Want to play high stakes poker in a game that prioritizes fun?

Play with us at Table 1

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