If you’ve played a tournament in the South in the past three years, you’ve most likely come across Matthew Higgins or at least heard his infectious laugh cut through the room. He’s relentlessly built a resume in mostly mid-stakes tournaments and when returning to Day 3 of the World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship he’s already close to locking up his largest WPT main event cash to date [currently $11,420].
Higgins has $9,600 in the bag for returning as the third overall chip stack on Monday. But this situation gives him a touch of trepidation. “I made a deep run in this event two years ago and came into Day 3 as top five in chips and took a real bad beat to bust early,” he said. “It’s part of the game; I hope I get a new high score after this tournament.”
Higgins can also top his career-best cash with a fifth-place finish or higher, which would be a windfall for his family.
“It feels like I’ve been on the road for two years,” he said. “It’s brutal on my family. When I’m home I don’t play at all, when I’m home, I’m home.”
Calling out the players who duck their loans
Like many in the poker community, Higgins has lent money and done business with many players on the side. In the last month, he’s taken to social media to call out those that keep ducking his requests for payment.
“I think everybody should do it,” Higgins said matter-of-factly. “There are so many people in the poker community that don’t know each other, and they could be doing business with this or that guy they don’t really know.”
“Recently, I loaned a bunch of money to someone who had always done the right thing. He swore on everything that he would pay me back as soon as we got home and it’s been crickets,” he added. “Once I started calling people out, I’ve had a bunch of people reach out and start a payment plan. It looks like it’s working out.”
Tournament of Champions diminished
As a five-time WSOP Circuit ring winner, Higgins also had strong feelings about the decision to move the Tournament of Champions to the Commerce just before the start of the Series.
“We had already lined up our Las Vegas Airbnb to be there at the beginning of the summer,” he said. “But I do like that they’re keeping it before the Series. Two years ago, they had it at the end and it was brutal. Once you bust the Main Event, you just want to go home.”
“They’ve diminished the tournament somewhat with all the online ring and bracelet winners already,” Higgins said. “You’ve got people winning rings in fields of 50 or 60 people and it doesn’t seem fair.”
While Higgins embodies the grinder lifestyle, he’s careful not to get burnt out. He hasn’t set a schedule for the summer and said, “I’m just going to play it by ear. We’ve been here since April 4th and I’ve only played five tournaments. If I had played anymore, I’d be ready to jump of the parking deck.”
Higgins buttoned up the interview in his trademark Southern ease, “the variance either loves you or hates you. Some days you’re the windshield and some days you’re the bug.”
All photos courtesy of the WPT - shot by Joe Giron
