According to Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson would always “try to buy the pot” while playing Poker.
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There is no denying that Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player ever lived. The Chicago Bulls leader revolutionized the NBA and is still one of the most influential personalities in the sporting world.
Being one of the most fierce competitors helped MJ rack up a stacked resume. Over the span of Mike’s 15-year illustrious career, he won every silverware possible. “His Airness” has a ridiculously long list of achievements – 14 All-Star appearances, 11 All-NBA selections, 10 scoring titles, 5 MVPs, 6 championships, 6 Finals MVPs, and holds approximately 200 franchise records.
With basketball being relatively easy for Michael, he would often look into other hobbies and display his competitiveness in activities such as golf or even gambling.
One of Jordan’s favorite pastimes was playing poker. We’ve heard several anecdotes of “His Airness” and his addiction to the same. And a few years ago, Charles Barkley revealed the one trick Michael would use in all poker games.
“Michael Jordan would always try to buy the entire pot”: Charles Barkley
According to Charles, during the 1992 Olympic Games, Jordan would use a cheap trick while playing poker – trying to buy the entire pot. Using his staggering wealth, Jordan would often exploit the rest. Barkley further revealed:
“Every night – not one night, not two nights, not 10 nights. Me, Magic, Scottie and [Michael] played cards every single night. But Michael tried to buy the pot every single night. It was really awesome. Like, first of all… me and Scottie don’t have as much money as Michael and Magic, but we knew that no matter what the cards were, at the end of the night, or three or four times a night, Michael was always gonna try to buy the pot, and just like he always says, ‘what’s your breaking point of going all in?’
“[Jordan] and Magic are on a whole different level than me and Scottie, but they tried to buy the pot every single night,” Barkley added. “It was awesome and hilarious.”
However, Jordan wasn’t unbeatable. Barkley revealed how one could win a hand against the Bulls leader despite him going all-in.
“You have to have 100% confidence in your hand if you’re going to go all-in against Michael, because he’s going to be doubling down, doubling down,” Barkley said. “If you have a good hand, you have to go all-in. You gotta do it.”
With Mike having an insane net worth of approximately $2.2 billion, it will be impossible for a majority to compete and win a hand against him today.
Also Read: Michael Jordan spent $48,000 to ice himself out for Kobe Bryant’s HoF induction
