Almost the entire poker community knows about the ongoing cold war between Instagram king Dan Bilzerian and professional poker player Doug Polk. From Twitter arguments to calling out each other on interviews and videos, these two have been quite vocal about their distaste for each other. However, just recently, Bilzerian agreed to appear on Polk’s podcast, and it has been one of the most anticipated interviews in poker.
The past few weeks have seen Bilzerian appear on many podcasts in an attempt to give an insight into his life and most importantly how he got his wealth. In the past, Bilzerian has reportedly claimed to have amassed his vast fortune from playing poker alone. However, as a son of a very successful businessman, it’s not difficult to see why many found it a bit hard to believe it with Polk being one of them.
Polk, who has won three World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and is a founder of the poker training site Upswing Poker has not been shy to call out Bilzerian on his claims. On his YouTube channel, Polk has countless times called out Bilzerian for his skills as a poker player and lying about the origin of his fortune. You see, a vast majority of Bilzerian’s money has been believed to come from a trust fund set-up by his father.
I'm glad you clarified where the bank statements would come from
You are also misquoting me, I never said you 100% didn't make your money from poker, I said it was very unlikely. Statements dont prove anything, with time and money you can make it look like it came from poker
— Nice Doug Polk (@DougPolkVids) April 25, 2018
ALSO READ: Doug Polk Patches Up With Long Time Rival Daniel Negreanu
The base of this suspicion reportedly lies in the fact that Bilzerian’s father – Paul Bilzerian was jailed in the 1980s for financial crimes. There were millions that were never recovered by the authorities which is believed to be the reason why Bilzerian is able to live his playboy lifestyle.
Rocky Start
The interview kicked off with Bilzerian immediately accusing Polk of his poor journalism and misrepresenting details of his story. The one that Bilzerian pointed out was his interview with Joe Rogan. However, Polk insisted that he had been accurate and fair while talking about Bilzerian but still admitted that there was creative editing involved to add a little humour.
Most of the discussion in the interview has been already discussed or mentioned like Bilzerian justifying his money came from playing private high-stakes poker games. There were some details from the interview that were not common knowledge like how Bilzerian used to be coached by the American poker player and high-stakes cash game specialist Andrew Robl for 5% of his action. With Robl’s expertise, it is no doubt that Bilzerian must have picked up some valuable lessons.
In the interview, Bilzerian also claimed that he was able to cash about $70 million by taking action from a few good players who were able to play in private high-stakes games. While this is not provable, it does somewhat explain why someone whose poker skills are constantly doubted can build a fortune.
ALSO READ: Jean Bellande Accused Of Cheating By Dan Bilzerian & Bill Perkins
Other tales that have come out of the interview were of Bilzerian playing in the Bellagio $10/$20 in the early days and of Bilzerian’s run on the online poker platform Bodog where he had a record month of $400,000. He also told Polk that he will be able to show him the paperwork related to his trust fund which he only cashed in 2019.
Another funny moment in the interview was when the two were talking about some of the hands that Bilzerian lost on Bill Perkins’ stream. But Bilzerian said that just before the interview he had flipped a coin for $3.5 million and so didn’t care how much he lost.
The two- and half-hour interview also covered topics like Bilzerian’s Instagram persona, which is highly discussed and debated, his public fight with Vanessa Kade which makes it worth the watch among other things. So, whether you are a fan of Bilzerian or not, you should definitely check out the full video of the podcast here.
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Donna Amo was a writer at Gutshot Magazine. She is a graduate from Sophia College of Women, Mumbai with a degree in English Literature. When this October born foodie is not writing content or poetry, she spends her time laughing at memes or watching series. Based out of Mizoram, she is drawn to all things nature and has a soft spot for puppies.
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