Tiger Woods just got done with his Tiger Jam in Las Vegas. Phil Hellmuth was there as a sort of deejay for the poker portion of the event. He even chatted up Big Cat.
Two legends, @phil_hellmuth and @TigerWoods, talking shop before cards are in the air. #TigerJam pic.twitter.com/4wVtDD1v6R
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) April 30, 2016
But it was a story Hellmuth recently told Golf Digest about a different Tiger Jam that really got my attention. He dished on all manner of things, but at the center (as he usually is) was Woods. Here's Hellmuth on a time they hit balls together in Vegas.
He messed up a shot, slammed down his club, and used the F-word. That behavior seemed familiar to me. We talked about passion and being perfectionists at what we do and hating to make mistakes. We hit for half an hour and had a good time. Later, that night, we played high-stakes blackjack. At the time, he had won 14 majors and I had 13 World Series of Poker bracelets. When I won my 14th, this past summer, I sent him a text message: I caught you.
Savage!
Hellmuth said later in the weekend Woods gave him blackjack advice
I remember having a 13 against the dealer's 2 and not being sure what to do. Tiger immediately told me to stand—and he was right. It's the correct play. I said, "Aren't you supposed to be a dumb golfer?" He cracked up. I remember that Tiger won big that night. I'm not going into the number. But if I say big, of course it was six figures.
A world I'm unfamiliar with but one that sounds like a really great time. There's also an unbelievable Michael Jordan story in the piece. You should go read it.
