You probably recognize Matt Affleck as that guy who had his pocket aces cracked by a Jonathan Duhamel suck out deep within the 2010 World Series of Poker main event. When you don’t remember the details, you'll be able to watch the hand online, however the gist of it's that Affleck was a 79-percent favorite to win a monster pot with one card to return and instead, the chips, and finally the title, were shipped to Duhamel.

ESPN captured the very memorable fallout. Once Duhamel made his straight, a stunned Affleck went from smiling to a glance of absolute dejection. The abrupt end to his life-changing tournament run caused a temporary, stunned silence, however the cameras caught Affleck within the hallways with what commentator Norman Chad dubbed a “delayed, understandable outburst.”

Affleck earned $500,165 for his 15th-place finish, and it has remained the biggest score of his career, but some have estimated that the beat cost him upwards of $3 million in equity. Despite his very public misfortune, the Washington native bounced back strong and has quietly prepare a solid, seven-year career in poker with greater than $2.1 million in live tournament earnings and another $1.7 million online.

Poker Beginnings

Affleck grew up in Mill Creek, Washington, a small community about HALF-HOUR north of Seattle.

“I played a large number of golf, especially within the summers,” Affleck recalled. “We would get dropped off on the course and just play always. There have been numerous sports growing up, including football and soccer. Then, in high school, I got exposed to poker. There have been probably six or seven people who would play $10 home games and within the cafeteria. Then we became real high rollers and would step it as much as $20 and even $30.”

Although he had a task on the local supermarket paying minimum wage, Affleck discovered that he was making $15 an hour playing poker and decided to devote more time to the sport after he enrolled on the University of Washington. It wasn’t much at first, only covering beer money, but by the point Affleck reached his senior year, he was bringing in cash that will make his tenured professors green with envy.

“My first big year was 2009. I had a $25,000 bankroll and ended up winning a satellite into this $3,000 buy-in PokerStars SCOOP (Spring Championship of Online Poker) event. I ATTEMPTED to sell some pieces, but I wasn’t getting any takers, so thankfully I had all of my very own action after I ended up chopping for $470,000. The web went out in my fraternity throughout the final table, so I needed to sprint across campus to the library to maintain playing. I couldn’t exactly celebrate in a library, so we went to a bar and ordered the most costly shots they'd. In fact in a school bar there’s not likely to be anything very expensive, so our entire bill came out to just a couple of hundred dollars.”

Mild celebrations aside, Affleck had no intention of throwing in the towel of faculty. In fact, Affleck continued to play poker in his spare time, racking up big scores while simultaneously ensuring he was prepared to graduate with some extent in finance.

He finished second in an EPT Deauville preliminary event for $48,649 after which third within the California State Poker Championship for one more $124,306. Later that summer, he finished 81st within the WSOP main event for $68,979. By the point his senior year had come to an end, he had already earned greater than seven figures and now had a large decision to make about his future.

“My original plan was to begin my very own business, or maybe go into the company world,” said Affleck. “But by the point I graduated, I knew I WISHED to take a shot at playing poker for a living.”

Shaking Off A NASTY Beat

Just out of school, Affleck returned to the WSOP and again made a deep run typically event. In fact, he had an excellent shot at making the November Nine before the infamous hand with Duhamel dashed his hopes.

“People still arise to me the entire time,” said Affleck. “It’s great to be recognized, but I don’t necessarily wish to be referred to as the fellow who took a nasty beat primarily event my whole career. I BELIEVE just like the longer I stay within the game and the more results I put together, the more distance I WILL BE ABLE TO put between myself and that tournament. That being said, it was still an excellent experience. I USED TO BE on the Rio this summer taking good care of some business and happened to catch a bit of the general few tables, and all of it came rushing back to me. There just nothing like going deep basically event.”

He would possibly not wish to be remembered for losing that pot, however the experience, and his affable personality, have made Affleck a player that others root for. Affleck has even had complete strangers wish him luck from the rail when he’s deep in an event. Just don’t tell him that he deserves a large win.

“People throw the word ‘deserve’ around so much on this industry,” explained Affleck. “That player deserved to win. This player is deserving of a bracelet. That’s a deadly option to think. If you’re a player and also you think you deserve anything, then you’re already starting out with a drawback. The truly great players are motivated to work hard, improve their game and not think they deserve anything.”

Racking Up The Scores

After earning $1.9 million between 2009 and 2010, Affleck suffered through a few sluggish years before finding his stride again. He won the 2012 Fall Pot of Gold main event and an event on the L.A. Poker Open. In 2013, he got another win on the L.A. Poker Open and cashed within the WSOP main event again.

In 2014 he took fifth within the Arizona State Poker Championship and in 2015, he made his first WSOP final table when he finished sixth in a $1,500 no-limit hold’em event. He also won the Coco Poker Open for $264,000. Most recently, on his 29th birthday, he finished third in a $1,500 event on the 2016 WSOP, earning $184,456.

“David Peters and that i had big stacks on the final table and that i more or less assumed we'd get to heads-up play against one another. He obviously won it, but I FINISHED up getting third. AN EXCELLENT finish for sure, but you usually want more. It was a pleasant birthday, however. My girlfriend Alexandria had ordered a custom poker cake in Las Vegas, so she just brought it to the overall table. We ended up cutting the cake and singing Happy Birthday within the Thunderdome while we were four-handed.”

Moving Forward

These days, Affleck lives along with his girlfriend in Brigantine, New Jersey, just minutes outside of Atlantic City. Along with the entire adjacent live poker venues where he regularly plays as high as $80-$160 mixed cash games, he has also started playing online again.

“In Washington, I USED TO BE driving an hour to the casino. But now I live ten minutes from Borgata, so I WILL BE ABLE TO actually leave my chips at the table and are available home for a fast dinner. It’s incredibly convenient and that i think the Northeast has the superior action in poker at the present time with all the options nearby.”

Even when he’s not playing poker, Affleck is also doing something poker-related. He’s recently started coaching new players to support the chapter he wrote in Jonathan Little’s book Excelling At No-Limit Hold’em and has a multi-year endorsement care for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

“I think I REALLY LIKE the sport greater than anybody,” he said. “I’ve seen players get suffering from burnout or the sport just isn’t fun anymore, but I rarely take breaks and I’m always excited for the following game or tournament. Even after a three-day break, I’m already itching for the following thing. To be honest, I’m seeking to force myself to take vacations that aren’t for poker, but it’s hard, because I LIKE to work. Hopefully that love for the sport stays with me my entire career.” ♠

Visit Matt Affleck’s website or follow him on Twitter @mcmattopoker.

Read More... [Source: CardPlayer Poker News]