The Top Presidential Poker Player

323
July 29th, 2016
Back The Top Presidential Poker Player

When friends learn I actually interviewed four Presidents of the United states and one prime Presidential candidate, they are fascinated. They ask me questions about Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter and Barry Goldwater. One of the questions most frequently asked is, 'Which of them do you think would be the best poker player'?

That is a very good question and one I am not sure I can answer.

SomeUSPresidentPlay Poker

Let's start with the basics. Ronald Reagan was one of the most genuine people I have ever met. He was still governor of California when I met him at a private Christian school in Phoenix. He and his wife, Nancy, were visiting Nancy's father in Scottsdale who was ailing from a heart condition. My editor Vic Thornton assigned me to spend part of the day following him around the school as he spoke to teachers and students.

When Reagan spoke to you, he was totally interested in you and what you had to say. There was no divided attention with the man who would become one of the most popular presidents in U.S. history. It was all or nothng.

I think Reagan would have made a poker player who, win or lose, would have played his cards well and would have left the game with a humorous quip and a smile.

I met Richard Nixon and Barry Goldwater at a Republican convention. Nixon was an intense man with piercing eyes and a sharp mind. We exchanged quip and talked baseball.

Nixon's poker playing prowess has already been discussed in these columns. He was a devastating player on shipboard during World War 11 in the U.S. Navy and cleaned out his fellow sailors of so much cash that he could afford to finance a Congressional campaign, which he won.

I think I would have to give Richard Nixon four gold stars when it comes to poker.

Barry Goldwater had a robust sense of humor and little tolerance for fools. He was blunt-spoken and tough on reporters. In front of an audience he would be charming and have the people eating from the palm of his hand when making a speech. But one on one, Barry was outspoken and bridled no nonsense as he proved when I covered him while working as a federal beat reporter for the old and now defunct Phoenix Gazette. Barry would have been a tough poker player and would have held his own in any game, I believe.

Jimmy Carter was just a peanut farmer and Governor of Georgia when I was assigned by my city editor to cover a speech he made at a national peanut grower's convention in Tempe, AZ. before he was elected president.

PlayingPokerWhoWillWin

I enjoyed Carter's speech. He spoke about how his policies were helping the people of Georgia and when I returned to my newspaper, I made a prediction: if this guy reaches enough people with his message, I said, he's going to be elected President. Everyone laughed at this words, but I meant them and enough people believed Carter's message to put him over the top in the Presidential race.

Dwight Eisenhower was making a train ride in his private railroad car when he stopped in Clovis, N.M. where I was working as a reporter for the Cloviss News-Journal. He made a 30-minute stop at the railroad depot and spoke from the back of the train to a crowd of about 3,000 people. With that famous Ike grin and hand waves, he charmed the crowd as did his wife, Mamie. Ike was the good old soldier who would lead the nation well during his terms in office. I could see why he was popular with his soldiers and why he was a genial poker player who once gave back the losses a young officer had incurred because Ike felt the man couldn't afford to lose the money..

Now there is a new kid on the block who aspires to be President. His name is Donald Trump.

I have never met Trump, but I admire his style and like some of the things he has said at his political rallies. It seems to me he has a reasonable chance of ascending to the Presidency. There he will have to play poker with the world's leaders including Russia's Vladmir Putin.

How would Trump fare as a poker player? My take on the man is this. He is not afraid to run a good bluff and he has a brilliant mind. With those qualities going in his favor, I wouldn't bet against him. Not even with borrowed money.

It's too bad The Travel Channel can't get the world leaders to play against each other in a World Conference Poker Game. Wouldn't it be great if nations could resoolve their problems through poker rather than war? If that ever happens, the world can truly say progress is being made in the way of civilization.

Back to articles
Get great bonuses at VCO

Search

Search Results

Select language

English English

Don't show this again

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share