Poker is a battle, it’s war – it’s life and death. We’ve heard all these clichés before, but in reality, it’s a game mostly enjoyed by people of privilege. Pros wax poetic about their challenges, bad beats, and the unfairness of overlapping schedules, but these are first-world problems.
“If you look hard enough, there’s always someone who has it worse off than you,” are words that Josh 'Crippled Action' Cranfill lives by.
Cranfill played nearly two full days at the $3,500 World Poker Tour Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open and busted just before the money late on Day 2. He caught a bad beat and couldn’t recover.
Cranfill wasn't given much of a chance from the start. He was diagnosed with Werdnig-Hoffman disease – a form of muscular dystrophy – at 14 months old. His parents, Renee and Shorty, were told he wouldn’t live more than 18 months.
Josh has been fighting that diagnosis and the disease attacking his body for 40 years. How does it feel to prove so many people wrong for so long?
“It feels great!” he says. “Most people with muscular dystrophy don’t make it past their 20s so I’m very fortunate and thankful.”
Cranfill turns 41 in February and plays when he can. He's played mostly in Florida, Cherokee, NC or Las Vegas, as the whole family needs to drive for the trip. His chair isn't airplane accessible.
A warrior on the felt
The last few years have been hard on him; the Covid pandemic affected the family especially hard. “As I’m getting older, and with the Covid pandemic, it limited my activity,” he says. “In the muscular dystrophy world, there is a saying, ‘If you don’t use it, you lose it’ and typically it’s like a train wreck.”
“Once it gets going, you can’t stop it, unfortunately,” he adds. “In the last few years, I’ve lost my ability to talk, which has been the hardest thing. At home, I have an eye gaze device called a Tobii Dynavox, which allows me to type out what I want to say, and then it speaks for me, but it’s not the same as being able to talk.”
Cranfill’s stamina also took a hit from the lockdown. He was used to going out every day and being active, but his doctors emphasized it was best for him to stay home.
Losing his ability to speak hurt Cranfill in a few ways; he spent several years as a public speaker. He also had to change how he played with assistance from his dad. “Now at the tables, Dad reads my lips and then confirms with me before making the bet.”
A bad day of cards is better than a good day of doctors
The act of simply showing up to play is a challenge most players can’t imagine – or would want to. “People don’t realize what it takes to just get to the casino,” Cranfill says. “It’s a process at the table. I have to manage my constant pain, and recently I have had to use my ventilator more because I have trouble breathing… all while trying to concentrate on playing poker.”
“It’s a lot, overwhelming at times,” he says. “My parents do so much for me; the list is endless. I appreciate and love them so much. I tell them every chance I get.”
The Cranfills relocated from North Carolina to South Florida three years ago. The unpredictable weather was difficult on Josh’s body, and consistent weather is beneficial.
The choice was between a cold or hot climate. “None of us like cold weather,” Cranfill says. “It was either Florida or Vegas after my parents retired.” Renee retired after 30 years at special needs school, and Shorty was a welder for the same company for more than 40 years.
Teamwork makes the dream work
“We are 100% a team,” Josh says of his parents. “We’re always open and honest about everything, the good, bad and ugly.”
“We all know the path muscular dystrophy takes,” he continues. “It’s beginning to get harder to accept as I’m getting older, all the changes that are happening to my body, but it’s reality.”
All three Cranfills come to the casino for Josh to play. While Shorty helps him play, his mom comes in during the breaks to administer medicine, gets him some food, and lets his dad get a bathroom break. “She’s always nearby for whatever I need,” Josh says. “She is the captain of the ship.”
Renee won't watch Josh play because she gets too nervous. But with all the time around the game, it begs the question: Who’s the best player in the family?
“I’m definitely the best player in my family,” Cranfill laughs. “After doing this for 25 years, Dad knows how to play but loves playing for me more.”
Cranfill served as a football coach for his high school alma mater and is a sports nut. He graduated from Elon University with a degree in Leisure/Sport Management and a minor in psychology. While there, he met poker industry insiders Donnie Peters and Rich Ryan, who have been friends since then.
The International Mind Sports Association recently granted poker the same Mind Sport status as chess or backgammon. A distinction that means a bit more to Cranfill than most. “I tell people that they can be the biggest and strongest person, but when they sit down at the poker table, it’s their mind against mine!”
Genesis of Crippled Action
In fact, that’s how he earned what might be the best nickname in poker – 'Crippled Action.' The story goes back nearly 20 years when he first went to Atlantic City to play poker legally.
“We sat at a $1/$2 table and as soon as we sat down, a guy had a problem with my dad helping me,” says Cranfill. “Nobody else had a problem – the guy had been there all day drinking, and he was down. The floor came over to enforce that we were doing nothing wrong.”
“He kept getting louder and more vulgar – enough for security to come over and draw a crowd,” he continues. “During one of his outbursts, he said, ‘I’m not going to give that crippled kid any action!’ After losing about $300 to me, he finally left, and the name just stuck.”
Cranfill started selling inspirational “Never Give Up” chips for $5 a piece, which helps with all of his medical expenses. “I had a friend design the logo for a good card protector. I made a few with my name, social media and 'Never Give Up' on the back. People started wanting them, so I had more made and started sharing them with people as a sense of inspiration.”
“I want people to know that I am just a regular guy,” Cranfill says. “Yes, I have a lot of challenges outside of poker, but I have a great family with unbelievable and loving parents. They do any and everything to help me overcome any obstacle WE face.”
“I keep the 'Never Give Up' attitude and am thankful for every day that I am blessed with,” he said. “At this point in my life, I want to enjoy the time I have left. Be kind, spread goodness, inspire people, and express how precious life is.”
Photos are courtesy of World Poker Tour and the Cranfill family.
