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...at the Seminole Hard Rock casino in Hollywood, FL. I was pretty shocked to see him there, especially the night before a playoff game, and to top it off, he was drinking. I ended up sitting at his $5-10 no limit table and played with him for about an hour before he left. He stayed pretty quiet and definitely looked like he was trying to go unnoticed-- he was sporting a bucket hat, big shades, and a bright red shirt Heat-colored shirt. He had at least a couple of glasses of red wine and sounded kinda tipsy as he playfully cursed out his friend for surprising him from behind as he was playing. Around midnight, right after he got me for $300, he pulled a little hit-and-run and said "all right guys, I gotta get some rest for the game tomorrow."

Anyway, I know it's not a big deal for players to go out and do whatever the night before a game but I just thought it was odd that he was there seemingly by himself, playing till kinda late, and having multiple drinks the night before a playoff game.

It was really difficult to snag a picture of him with my phone since I was sitting right next to him and trying to do so in a casino, where taking pictures is a big no-no, but I did manage to get one decent shot:

Well, it's not like he is going to have to put in a lot of work in this series.

Nice. Thanks for the post. Yeah, I'm definitely surprised he's drinking to the point of being tipsy the night before a playoff game. An 80's throwback. Maybe it shows his lack of respect for the Heat. Let's see how he plays tomorrow.

Captain_Caveman wrote:Well, it's not like he is going to have to put in a lot of work in this series.

Haha...to steal Larry Brown's quote about the Magic taking a day off before Game 2, "that's how serious they're taking us." I guess Pierce isn't too concerned about Game 3. I'm not a Heat or Celtics fan (Orlando, baby!) but I just thought you guys might be interested in seeing this photo.

BTW, I forgot to mention that it was surprising to see how little he cared about the Bulls/Cleveland game that was on TV around the table. He only looked up at the TV a few times during the last minute of the game and occasionally glanced at the Lakers/Thunder game when it came on.

In before any major criticism. There is no reason for worry IMO. Doesn't sound like he was real drunk, and at least he was concerned about getting rest for the game.

People love to ignore the positive effects of alcohol, too.

Plus, the poker savvy is encouraging. Picture Antoine at that table...

Eh, having some wine until midnight the night before a 7pm game is not a big deal.

If he was out till 4 am and got plastered, then I'd be worried.

cisco wrote:Eh, having some wine until midnight the night before a 7pm game is not a big deal.

If he was out till 4 am and got plastered, then I'd be worried.

Agreed, hes a veteran I think he can handle it

Btw great work getting a photo!

I am just glad to hear A. he is winning, B. doesn't have to play hands for $30,000, C. he can walk away from the table.

Exactly, Sully--look at all those chips in front of him!

The man is an adult. I would rather have him playing poker than out clubbing and chilling. The alcohol? If he is drinking wine then I don't think it's a problem, and kind of classy.

U said he was tipsy, I doubt it. Wine is moderation is excellent for your health. I don't think Pierce would get plastered on win. So he left at midnight to get rest for a 7 pm game?

Not worried, though he does look like inspector gadget in that hat. LOL.

doesn't seem like a big deal to me. guy has a couple glasses of wine, plays a small $ game, retires at midnight.

If this is how he relaxes, i'm cool with that.

He's got wayyyyyyyy more chips than you.. I love poker, first thing i noticed in the picture even before noticing paul was the gigantic stack of chips..and at the 5/10 table?? woo hoo!

A couple things:

That doesn't look like a wine glass in front of him, looks like a mixed drink. You're sure it was just wine?

I'm kinda surprised he'd be drinking AT ALL during the playoffs, but whatever, people cope and relax in different ways. I doubt it'll have any real effect on his performance.

That said, I have more of a Ray Allen paranoid obsessive compulsive personality, so if I were a professional athlete, I'd probably be the guy with a no-sugar diet who NEVER drank.

And am I the only one who's not 100% buying this story/pic? Not that I have any argument to make against it, or want to get into some big debate, but you can't trust everything you read. I'm taking it with a grain of salt.

Yeah, kinda irks me to hear that, but his demeanor is that of somebody at home in front of a lap top having a few glasses of wine. that picture doesn't come off as arrogant as throwing dice with a cocaine mustache, with a crowd cheering him on. Now THAT would be concerning.

threrf23 wrote:
People love to ignore the positive effects of alcohol, too.

I know right, hand sanitizer and alternative fuel for internal combustion engines and also gives you the courage to ask girls to do things to your penis

Devilzsidewalk wrote:

threrf23 wrote:
People love to ignore the positive effects of alcohol, too.

I know right, hand sanitizer and alternative fuel for internal combustion engines and also gives you the courage to ask girls to do things to your penis

I did not know that.

Not surprised you're an Orlando fan since that casino is less than an hour west of there, but what in the hell is Paul doing all the way up there from Miami. That's an over 4 hour drive. How is he up there without the rest of the team unless it was a team idea to stay away from Miami and stay in Tampa. The negativity in me can't help but question the reality of this topic.

Very nice story, OP. But this kind of behavior seems a little odd to me, too. Oh heck, now we now what Celtics players do in their free time. Antoine must have had a big influence on Pierce. He probably infected Pierce with the "crazy poker madness". What's next in Pierce's career? Taking 20 threes a game? Shooting 4's?

The guy called it a night at midnight. He doesnt have to be up til like noon lol. Thats an early night for an NBAer. I have played poker their nice place with tons of Night Clubs. If he wanted to party latenight he could.

Is this midnight + a 4 hour drive though? If so that's a 4 am or later night. I'm sure he wasn't doing the driving, but still. Perhaps the team is staying in the area instead and it was just truly midnight, or perhaps this whole thing never really happened and that's an old pic.