Part-Time is a Good Time
PokerNews asked the floor to help choose candidates for interviews and the first to be introduced was John McGuinness.
“He’s fun,” the floor said.
Point Pleasant resident McGuinness describes himself as a part-time player. This, even though his Hendon Mob history literally begins with a second-place finish in the 2009 40th World Series of Poker $2,500 Mixed Limit/No Limit Hold'em event for $172,227.
McGuinness explains he is employed as a Process Server for legal matters; poker is a serious—though part-time—pursuit.
McGuinness is among the final 25 players in the $400 PokerNews PowerStack event, with $1,875 locked up. “I’m trying to make some money because I’m getting married next month,” he confides. Engaged to be married to his fiancée, April, McGuinness says, “I’m marrying April in April,” and suddenly the floor’s characterization rings true.
As Level 23 came to a close, McGuiness has a stack of just over 1 million chips. Action folded to McGuinness in the hijack and he raised to 125,000. The event chip leader in the big blind with over 3 million went into a mini-tank before folding.
McGuiness returned his cards to the dealer while pulling the pot, saying, “Man, I didn’t want to raise the chip leader’s blind. I really didn’t.”