Off the Felt is interviewing your favorite people in the poker industry to find out more about their lives — you’ve got it — off the felt. We recently sat down with Randal Flowers to talk a little poker, prop bets, and pick-up lines.
How did you start playing poker?
I started watching the World Series of Poker on ESPN. Soon I got my hands on all the old-school classic World Poker Tour DVDs. I quit playing baseball after my sophomore year of high school and picked up poker where I left off with baseball. I devoted so much time, practice and effort with baseball. I applied the same outlook on poker and my persistence combined with my degeneracy has me where I am today. Wherever that may be.
What is your tournament schedule like for the next couple of months?
I’ve been playing a lot of "The River" series in Thackerville, Oklahoma. It’s pretty much right next to Texas. There is going to be the greatest $2k multi-entry tournament ever soon. After that I’m heading to Vegas for the Epic Poker League $20k 8-max tournament. Followed by heading to LA for a $1k, $1.5k bounty, and $2k No-Limit Hold’em at the Commerce. My girlfriend lives in LA so it’s just a drive away from Vegas and very convenient.
Where is your favorite tournament stop that you have been to?
This is a tough one. I am a fan of so many of the places I have played in Europe. I guess my favorite is Melbourne, Australia. I went once for a month during the Aussie Millions. I also got to see Australian Open tennis, which was one of the best sporting events I’ve ever been to. Australia is followed very closely by Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona is very much like myself in that they eat breakfast at 12 p.m., lunch at 5 p.m., and dinner at 10 p.m. They party very late into the night, have great beaches, delicious food, beautiful women — the list goes on.
You have it listed on Twitter that you live in DFW/LV/LA/NC. Where do you call home?
Greenville, North Carolina. I live in Fort Worth at the moment with my friend Mario Silvestri (Pwnasaurus). I’ve lived here for about one-and-a-half years, and Greenville the rest of my life. I am moving back to Greenville soon depending upon how much I procrastinate. I’m in LA so much that it pretty much feels like I live there. I also might live in LA some in 2012 depending on life, we will have to see. I’m in Vegas for six weeks for World Series of Poker, and who knows how much else for Epic Poker League and WPTs.
What are your interests away from the table?
I’m kind of an electronic music snob. I am a huge fan of food. I am very into sports, especially football. I have a fantasy football draft that I have been studying for for a week or two now. I go to the gym every now and again, but I would not say I am in shape. I like to spend time with my girlfriend but it’s a long-distance relationship. It’s tough, but Skype helps a lot.
Do you have any superstitions when it comes to poker?
There is a certain T-shirt I know I have never advanced the next day in a tournament wearing. Something absurd like 0/8, I keep challenging it thinking "this is it, this is when I finally say eff you, shirt!" but I always get owned. One day I’ll learn to burn it. I guess that’s kind of me fighting being superstitious. I guess I always try to turn my hand over first when I’m all-in preflop. No matter what I have. I just do not want any bad karma whatsoever for even the slightest accidental slow-roll. That’s all I can think of.
Can you name all the members of NSYNC?
Sadly, without Googling, yes. Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick. Yeah, WTF, why do I know that?
What is the most ridiculous prop bet that you’ve participated in?
There was a boy once, at the tender age of 18, who thought he could drink twice the amount of liquid a body could process in 24 hours, in not water, but Hawaiian Punch, Sunny D, and Capri Sun. He then lost $2,000 on it to Ray Coburn (Exitonly) and Shaun Deeb. That stupid little kid was me.
Do you have a man crush on anyone?
Hmmm. Not really. I mean, define man crush? I guess if I could trade places with a guy it would be Tom Brady. Seems like a nice life. Throw four touchdowns and come home to Giselle’s home-cooked meals. Decent little Sunday.
Knowing you would win either way would you rather box Muhammad Ali or play one-on-one with Lebron James?
Box Ali of course. Plenty of people beat Lebron. Not many KO the king. It would be cooler having my body taken over by some higher power so I could beat Ali. I would like to see how that would happen.
I see you are an Atlanta Braves fan. Why the Braves?
Being from North Carolina, and starting playing baseball at age six, it was the Braves or the Orioles. The Braves had over 100 games a year aired on TBS, and they had just started dominating in the early 90s (I was born in 88). The Braves were an easy choice. Chipper Jones is my favorite player, of course.
Best pick up line you’ve ever used?
I don’t really do pick up lines. I just dance a lot and hope I can woo the ladies with my sweet pop-lock-n-robot, etc routine. I guess technically my best pick up line is something of radical direct honesty that I cannot repeat, but worked.
Can you do the Texas two-step like they do at Billy Bob’s Honkey Tonk in the Stockyards?
No, but I can be taught. I can dance. I’ve never been there, even though I’m from the South. I do not like Natty Lights, Marlboros, country music, or NASCAR. So there you have it.
If you weren’t playing poker what do you think you’d be doing?
Probably spending time doing something where someone isn’t directly telling me what to do and I can work my own schedule. I’d hope to be making music as a DJ or making food as a chef, in a dream world. I don’t want to think realistically because it’s too sad if it’s close to working a real nine-to-five or going back to school.
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