Fortnite sensation Ninja invited Jimmy Butler to his private high-stakes poker game at Hustler Live Casino in Los Angeles. The Miami Heat superstar seemed locked in as he aimed to upstage famous personalities like soccer superstar and close friend Neymar, social media influencer Dan Bilzerian, professional poker player Alan Keating, and boxer Ryan Garcia, who sat alongside him. Butler tried to keep his best poker face on, but couldn’t hide his annoyance about Garcia’s shenanigans.
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During one hand, the boxer made a bizarre remark to Ninja, saying, “The first one to move is gay!” Bilzerian and Butler did not heed his comment, while the Fortnite star and Keating engaged with him. After Garcia won the hand with a straight and earned $34,150, he stood up off his chair and began dancing. Butler could no longer keep his cool and mouthed, “What the f**k is going on?”
Butler’s reaction is understandable. Given the stakes and the players on the table, he expected it to be a serious game, however, Garcia’s bizarre antics left him flummoxed. To make matters worse, the boxer was sitting right beside him, which meant he couldn’t avoid his shenanigans like Bilzerian, who sat on the opposite end of the table.
Butler’s experience playing poker with Garcia wasn’t pleasant and has had better days when indulging in his gambling hobby.
Jimmy Butler loves gambling
Jimmy Butler is a card-game savant. The Heat superstar enjoys playing high-stakes poker alongside wealthy players just as much as he loves challenging his friends in spades. Despite earning over $263 million in salary alone during his time in the league, the veteran buys scratch cards hoping to hit the lottery.
Last year, he was recorded enjoying a glass of wine while eagerly going through scratch cards hoping to earn a few dollars. Butler was overjoyed after winning $10, saying, “I’ll take it! I’ll take my $10. So far, I broke even.”
In another clip, the Heat superstar gave a cashier a $100 bill and asked for a handful of scratch cards. Butler hilariously said he didn’t want expensive cards and wanted $1, $5, and $10 lottery tickets. He then claimed he trusted the cashier to give him a winning ticket.
Later, Butler posted a clip on his Instagram stories revealing that he didn’t win a dime, saying, “Highway robbery, y’all selling us a dream. The American dream, trying to get rich quick.” The guard is set to earn over $101 million over the next two years, taking his career earnings to over $364 million. However, he’s still gambling on his luck and hoping to hit the jackpot.
