How Tennis Star Boris Becker Paid Off Prison Poker Debts to Hardened Criminals
Retired tennis star and convict Boris Becker told a German media outlet that if he hadn't received help from the outside to pay off prison poker debts to hardened criminals, his life would have been in danger.
The 57-year-old three-time Wimbledon champion went on to play poker professionally following his retirement from tennis in 1999. He gained some prominence within the poker community, cashing in World Poker Tour (WPT) and PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) events along the way.
Becker would even have stints with PokerStars and PartyPoker as a brand ambassador. But it appeared his poker-playing days would be put on hold when he was sentenced to more than two years in a UK prison in 2022 for white-collar crimes. He would, however, continue to play the game he loves during his sentence, only this time he wasn't competing against regular Joe's and Jane's.
Becker Plays Poker in Prison
Becker, a German tennis legend, was found guilty in 2002 in his home country for deliberately making false statements regarding his place of residence on his personal income tax filings in order to save more than €1 million. He was initially slapped with a two-year prison sentence, but he ended up only being required to pay a fine.
The athlete's luck ran out in April 2022 when a London court sentenced him to 30 months in prison for failing to hand over assets valued at £2.5 million to repay a debt related to a bankruptcy filing. He would be released after just eight months in the slam. But if a friend on the outside didn't come through for him, he may have never experienced freedom again.
Becker, promoting his memoir, told German media outlet Suddeutsche Zeitung that he'd continue his poker career during his prison stay, a decision he referred to as "foolish."
“I had played poker professionally after tennis, so I thought, what could go wrong? But I was playing with real criminals, who came into my cell and threatened me if I didn’t pay,” Becker said.
Becker said he ran up a £500 debt to "Romanian criminals." That might not seem like a ton of money to a high-stakes poker player. But it is in prison, and the hardened criminals he owed are the type who "come into your cell and slap you across the face."
Becker, who was once worth nearly £40 million, couldn't pay up. So, he contacted a friend from outside the prison walls to send him money so that he could pay off his debt. He admits that had he avoided paying the debt, his physical well-being could have been in jeopardy.
The tennis champion admitted that playing in those prison games was "foolish." But he enjoys poker and wanted some action while locked up for what was expected to be over two years.
Becker also addressed how prison has affected his mental health even after being released. He's been out for nearly three years, but said, "You'll never completely shake that time."
“In bed, I lie so close to the edge that I almost fall out. When I sleep, even the largest mattress turns into a narrow cot. I'm not a psychologist, so I can only say that things were different before prison," Becker said.
Becker, a six-time Grand Slam champion, ventured into the poker world in the 2000s. He has $111,000 in live tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob, and has frequented cash games around the world for decades. He spent seven years as an ambassador for PokerStars from 2007 to 2014.
The poker enthusiast who lives in Italy is expecting his fifth child and first with his current wife, Lilian de Carvalho Monteir, a political risk analyst. The couple was spotted attending the Sport-Bild Awards in Hamburg, Germany, last month.
