Former MU student Hinkle makes his gamble pay off
Lynn Hinkle has to admit that when her 22-year-old son, Blair, told her last year that he was leaving the University of Missouri to pursue a career playing poker, she reacted the way any normal parent would.
She gasped.
He was two semesters away from getting his finance degree, she said. Leaving that to try and make a living at poker? It doesn t make a parent feel too confident about the future.
Lynn isn t doubting her son s decision anymore. Blair just completed the Los Angeles Poker Classic and finished in 11th place worth a cool $62,000.
It s not many parents who can admit they re wrong, she said, laughing. But in this case, I was wrong. How many kids finish college and make $62,000 the first year?
And actually, Blair made quite a bit more than that before his decision to leave school in December. He made $25,000 last summer in Las Vegas during his first live poker tournament. He also pulled in $150,000 during an on-line tournament in the fall.
He s always been good with numbers, Lynn said. He s got a brother who once saw him playing six different poker hands on two different computers and asked him What are you, Rain Man?
Blair, who was captain of the tennis team at Park Hill High School, stood his ground against poker heavyweights Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey, who wound up winning the LA Poker Classic worth almost $1.6 million.
It was a learning experience, sitting with those two guys at the same table, Blair said. Hellmuth did the most talking. He kept calling me kid. He kept saying Kid, you keep opening the pot. Kid, you re doing all the raises.
But, you know, away from the table, he s really a nice guy. I think he does a lot of things just for the cameras and just to get into people s heads. He s a good guy to his fans.
Blair has taken his winnings and purchased a house and a car not bad for a 22-year-old.
I d like to make enough to retire, he said. I d like to do it for five or 10 years and make enough money not to have to worry about (money) anymore.
Blair also has gained the support of his mom.
I could tell when I first told her I was going to do this that she was upset, he said. But now she s OK with it. I don t think she really believed me at first that I was this good at it.
Yes, mom is a believer.
He s very cool and confident about it, Lynn said. He s in his element.
Big 12 promotions
For those wondering if the Big 12 s hiring of Tim Weiser as deputy commissioner was a threat to associate commissioner Tim Allen s job. Not the case.
In fact, Allen and Dru Hancock have been promoted to senior associate commissioners.
Allen will still coordinate operations with the conference s television partners and coordinate the football and men s basketball scheduling. Hancock will still manage women s basketball operations and administration.
To reach Jeffrey Flanagan, call 816-234-4492 and leave a message or send e-mail to jflanagan@kcstar.com
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