Bad news for Jeffrey Brett Muncy... Kelly Minkin is retiring from pro poker

[Dan Druff]

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/The_Illest/status/1940193730079908210

After a decade in the game, I’m officially retiring from professional poker. Tomorrow’s @WSOP Main Event will be my last.

If poker has taught me anything, it’s to always bet on yourself when you have an edge. That mindset led me to start Triple Barrel, my high-end poker clothing company, form my own law firm, and now co-found Fukui Labs, where we're building the creative future at the intersection of blockchain and AI.

Poker has given me more than financial success. It has taught me how to be resilient, logical, and adaptive. It has provided me so many opportunities, lifelong friends, and even led me to meet my now husband (@LandenLucas). I've spent years teaching others how to leverage poker strategy in their own businesses. Now I'm doing exactly that myself.

To celebrate, I’m giving away 3% of my Main Event profits (worth up to six figures in equity) to three lucky winners

Here’s how to enter:
1.Follow @fukuilabs

2.Retweet this post

That’s it. You’ve got 24 hours. Let’s make this final run count

This doesn't seem totally accurate, though. Kelly seems to have checked out of the poker scene after COVID, and has just 11 cashes since 2021, and 0 in the past year. To my knowledge, she was not an active cash player during that time, either.

She seems to get restless easily and tends to want to frequently move onto something new. This "Fukui Labs" where they are "building the creative future at the intersection of blockchain and AI" sounds rather boilerplate to me (and has a shitload of competition), and is going to have a tremendously uphill battle to succeed.

Interestingly, her husband is a former KU basketball player who came close to being drafted by the NBA, but ultimately wasn't selected. He settled for playing in Europe for a few years before ending his career. So close, yet so far away.

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/LandenLucas/status/1940179479751798814


Landen is listed as the "CEO and co-founder" of Fukui Labs, but I'd be surprised if this dude has much technical knowledge of crypto.

Good luck to them, though.



I do wonder if Kelly soured on the poker world due to the various creeps she encountered. In addition to Muncy (who is at least harmless), she had the floor switch her out of her WSOP table a few years ago, because a guy who supposedly owed her money was also at the table, and he was allegedly acting hostile. This caused a minor scandal at the time, as it was seen as preferential treatment to move her. However, she later clarified that the event hadn't started yet, so this wasn't bad (she could've unregistered at that point anyway).

[Dan Druff]

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/muncyjeffrey1/status/1940312776255447490

[Dive_Bar_Dave]

Quitting poker usually means you have been running bad/losing money right?

[Dan Druff]

Quitting poker usually means you have been running bad/losing money right?

Usually, yes.

In this case, perhaps not.

COVID seemed to have sapped her enthusiasm for playing. Then she came back to the WSOP in 2021, had that weird issue with some dude who owed her money, and it just seems she kinda checked out. She was doing well in tournaments pre-COVID.

She even had a good shot at becoming sponsored somewhere, given that she's female and attractive.

I think she's just tired of poker and the community, and now thinks this "blockchain AI" idea (lol) is gonna be a winner..

[Dive_Bar_Dave]

I watched her play on a couple of Hustler streams a year ago. She didn't seem overly into it.

Also, she is a pretty loose player, so I am sure her variance must be extreme.

On the appearance side, she is one of those women who I find attractive, but I am not sure why. Like, on some factual level she isn't attractive, and yet she is attractive anyway...

[Sheesfaced]

She also was an attorney before she was a poker player so she’s educated and surely has other career options.

Some people get into poker because it’s literally the best career option for them. Some get into it because the idea of being their own boss and playing a game for a living sounds romantic and appealing despite having other potential more lucrative options.

For a lot of the latter group they realize that what seemed like a fun way to make a living has very little long term future. It’s one thing to make an average of $80K a year playing $2-5NL as a fresh out of college graduate with no benefits but no real responsibilities. It’s quite another as a married 30 something year old with kids who need health insurance, a retirement plan, aspiring to own a home, and 529 plans for their kids. The career progression of a poker player is much much more unreliable and unpredictable.

TLDR, poker is faggot.

[Ryback_feed_me_more]

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/The_Illest/status/1940193730079908210

After a decade in the game, I’m officially retiring from professional poker. Tomorrow’s @WSOP Main Event will be my last.

If poker has taught me anything, it’s to always bet on yourself when you have an edge. That mindset led me to start Triple Barrel, my high-end poker clothing company, form my own law firm, and now co-found Fukui Labs, where we're building the creative future at the intersection of blockchain and AI.

Poker has given me more than financial success. It has taught me how to be resilient, logical, and adaptive. It has provided me so many opportunities, lifelong friends, and even led me to meet my now husband (@LandenLucas). I've spent years teaching others how to leverage poker strategy in their own businesses. Now I'm doing exactly that myself.

To celebrate, I’m giving away 3% of my Main Event profits (worth up to six figures in equity) to three lucky winners

Here’s how to enter:
1.Follow @fukuilabs

2.Retweet this post

That’s it. You’ve got 24 hours. Let’s make this final run count

This doesn't seem totally accurate, though. Kelly seems to have checked out of the poker scene after COVID, and has just 11 cashes since 2021, and 0 in the past year. To my knowledge, she was not an active cash player during that time, either.

She seems to get restless easily and tends to want to frequently move onto something new. This "Fukui Labs" where they are "building the creative future at the intersection of blockchain and AI" sounds rather boilerplate to me (and has a shitload of competition), and is going to have a tremendously uphill battle to succeed.

Interestingly, her husband is a former KU basketball player who came close to being drafted by the NBA, but ultimately wasn't selected. He settled for playing in Europe for a few years before ending his career. So close, yet so far away.

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/LandenLucas/status/1940179479751798814


Landen is listed as the "CEO and co-founder" of Fukui Labs, but I'd be surprised if this dude has much technical knowledge of crypto.

Good luck to them, though.



I do wonder if Kelly soured on the poker world due to the various creeps she encountered. In addition to Muncy (who is at least harmless), she had the floor switch her out of her WSOP table a few years ago, because a guy who supposedly owed her money was also at the table, and he was allegedly acting hostile. This caused a minor scandal at the time, as it was seen as preferential treatment to move her. However, she later clarified that the event hadn't started yet, so this wasn't bad (she could've unregistered at that point anyway).

Any chance she got knocked up and decided it was time to leave?

[Dan Druff]

She also was an attorney before she was a poker player so she’s educated and surely has other career options.

Some people get into poker because it’s literally the best career option for them. Some get into it because the idea of being their own boss and playing a game for a living sounds romantic and appealing despite having other potential more lucrative options.

For a lot of the latter group they realize that what seemed like a fun way to make a living has very little long term future. It’s one thing to make an average of $80K a year playing $2-5NL as a fresh out of college graduate with no benefits but no real responsibilities. It’s quite another as a married 30 something year old with kids who need health insurance, a retirement plan, aspiring to own a home, and 529 plans for their kids. The career progression of a poker player is much much more unreliable and unpredictable.

TLDR, poker is faggot.

You're not wrong in general, but again, Kelly is a unique situation.

I was surprised when I learned that she holds like 3 college degrees in various difficult subjects. I think one was related to biology (or perhaps was biology). Too bad Muncy isn't over here, I'm sure he could fill us in. Anyway, I was impressed and thought, "Wow, that's a really smart girl." I learned at the same time that she was also a lawyer. At first she came off as a superachiever, which made her then-success in poker even more admirable. However, as time passed, I came to realize that it was more likely she is just one of those restless people who can't stay in any career for too long without getting restless.

This isn't a knock on her. I have a buddy like that. He came an electrical engineer, got a great job, was doing well in his career, and suddenly at around age 30, he abruptly quit and went to school to get a degree in finance. Then he started again at the bottom, got a finance-related job (I forgot where, it's been a long time), and then suddenly quit that and opened a restaurant. Then that failed, and he closed it down and moved on to yet another career in another totally different area. None of these (except for the electrical engineering thing) were his childhood dreams. He just couldn't sit still, and in fact admitted that to me.

I thought of him when I heard about Kelly.

Note that, in addition to starting her own firm, she also worked for Mac Verstandig at his boutique gambling law firm. That didn't seem to last long, either.

Now she's entering this new lol crypto phase several years too late, and I wish I could make sidebets as to whether she'll still be doing this in a few years.

I actually believe she could be successful if she just stuck to one career and put her heart into it. She's definitely smart enough.

[TheXFactor]

Kelly Minkin is an attorney NOT a professional poker player. She is 38 years old and is no longer poker hot.

From now on, a female can only be poker hot if she is under 30 years old, has big boobs, is actually attractive and single.

[Dan Druff]

Never saw that pic regarding the Verstandig Law Firm. Must have been during the years she worked there.

Haven't heard much about Mac in awhile. He had a nice winning streak going, and I was seemingly always talking about him on radio.

I wonder if he got burnt out on the poker community. He just didn't seem the same after the lawsuit against Postle didn't work out (mostly because Calfiornia law on the matter is stupid). Postle's buddies were constantly trolling him on Twitter, so maybe the whole thing became too much and he exited stage left from the community.

[VegasSpider]

So, I like Kelly... I think she's super hot (I mean certainly when she was younger) and can actually play a little, so this isn't really directed at her specifically, but:

What's the fucking deal with people 'retiring' from playing poker? This is legitimately the most bizarre thing to me. I can honestly say that I've never really had the desire to do anything else per se. And even if I did, I'd always want to play so I can't relate, but are you gonna tell me she's just never gonna play again? I don't even understand.

If someone invited those tig ol's to play in a stream game and gave her a 50k fee to let em flop on the table, she'd turn it down?

In all seriousness, I can understand the cash game grind losing its novelty at the higher limits given the climate change re: private games etc.... but she plays tourneys too. She's never gonna play one again? Ever?

And, no offense to her.... cause I actually am interested in what she's doing, but how many people legit care about Kelly Minkin 'retiring' from poker?

This social media thing ill never understand. How have people become so self important that they would think that random strangers care that when she wakes up on Monday she'll play parcheesi for money if asked, but will refuse to play poker for money?

Anyway, best of luck to her. I actually think she was one of the hottest/smartest/coolest to come out the post online poker whatever, but I don't get the whole thing in general even though Im way more interested in her activities than 99% of the other people out there. Still makes zero sense to me.

[The Boz]

Welcome Jeffrey!

[Dan Druff]

Yes, the "retiring" is stupid for the reasons you said. Unless the person is quitting poker altogether and permanently, there's no point to announce a so-called retirement. This is especially true if the person retiring has already dwindled down to very little play overall.

I can tell you that if I ever quit poker, you won't see a retirement message from me. And I could never see myself quitting completely.

[Sloppy Joe]

Yes, the "retiring" is stupid for the reasons you said. Unless the person is quitting poker altogether and permanently, there's no point to announce a so-called retirement. This is especially true if the person retiring has already dwindled down to very little play overall.

I can tell you that if I ever quit poker, you won't see a retirement message from me. And I could never see myself quitting completely.

Also adds a 1% likelihood that brother Muncy will take this as rejection and turn young Kelly into a floor rug.

Incredible that this autistic retard stalking her like mickeycrimm with legs tracking Chip Reese like a bloodhound around Binion's didn't permanently scare her off from coming to Vegas.

No better place for him to thrive than PFA.

[VegasSpider]

Yes, the "retiring" is stupid for the reasons you said. Unless the person is quitting poker altogether and permanently, there's no point to announce a so-called retirement. This is especially true if the person retiring has already dwindled down to very little play overall.

I can tell you that if I ever quit poker, you won't see a retirement message from me. And I could never see myself quitting completely.

Yes. Precisely.

Nice job with the Radio last night, BTW. I happened to be up betting Wimbledon and playing poker... and caught the broadcast. No idea how many people were listening, but the info was all very good and I agree with everything you said 1000%. I appreciate the confirmation actually, considering you'd think you were crazy listening to all the other reactions out there about it.