Shirtless Poker Champion Wins Beer for a Year in Hoops Contest
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Two-time World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) ring winner Joe Rice went viral on Friday for his shirtless celebration after winning free beer for a year in a basketball contest.
The contest took place at a college basketball game between Siena and Saint Peters in New York’s MVP Arena. To win a 30-pack of Miller Lite every month for a year, Rice needed to make a lay-up, free throw, and two three-pointers in under 30 seconds. He did it in 11 seconds.
An excited Rice, who has $428,101in Hendon Mob earnings and won the 2022 WSOP Circuit Turning Stone Main Event for $238,870, ripped off his shirt and smacked his chest in a clip that ESPN SportsCenter picked up for commentator Scott Van Pelt’s “Best Video Available” segment.
“I just kind of blacked out,” Rice told PokerNews in an interview.
“The Beer Was a Bonus”
The father of three was at the MVP Arena for his son JJ’s church ball league game. Afterward, he was watching Siena and Saint Peters warm up when a promoter approached him.
“I was sitting by myself watching the guys warm up, and hey was like ‘Hey, do you want to be in a contest in the second half?’ “And I said ‘sure, I’ll do it.”
Rice texted his friends and joked that he would be on ESPN. “And I was just kidding around, obviously, at that point.” He then called his wife, who told him he “better do good and show the boys how good you can actually be.”
Rice, who “played basketball when I was younger,” did just that despite not having shot a ball in over a year. He first made the lay-up with ease before intentionally banking in the free throw shot. He made the first three and felt no pressure as he banked the final three ahead of his viral celebration.
“I think the fact that I went four for four I think is why I kind of blacked out and celebrated and took my shirt off and kind of went crazy for a second,” he said. “When you go four for four, it just kind of puts you over the top. The beer was a bonus.”
Losing His Wedding Ring
Rice is a regular in New York poker circles and is friendly with top New York crushers like Shaun Deeb and Jesse Lonis.
“I play locally because I have three kids; I have a 10, 8-year-old and a 2-year-old right now,” he said. “Anything (at) Turning Stone or Rivers I play, basically.”
Rice is a two-time Circuit ring winner both of which he won at the 2022 WSOPC Turning Stone stop. He first won Event #1: $400 NLH for $27,372 before his six-figure Main Event score, an event that his friend Deeb would go on to win the next year.
Rice lost a different kind of ring during his celebration. He noticed sometime afterward that his wedding ring was missing. Thankfully, a cleaner at the arena found it. “So I’ve got to go pick that up on Monday,” Rice said.
Connor Richards is an Editor & Live Reporter for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for two Global Poker Awards for his writing.
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