Cookie Monster wins

As I said in my last blog, I had the privilege to do commentary on the very first World Series of Poker (WSOP) Seniors High Roller final table with the legendary Lon McEachern this year. That means I also had the privilege of bearing witness to an epic final table and the maiden bracelet of the colourful and charismatic Mark “Cookie Monster” Checkwicz.

few could dispute his likability and high emotional intelligence

On his way to victory, Mark dominated not only the play but also the table talk, guiding it away from the irascible irritation we sometimes see in Seniors events towards a gentler kinder more whimsical banter. Whatever one thought about his actual poker skills, few could dispute his likability and high emotional intelligence as he perfectly assessed the mood and psychology of his opponents, and used them to his advantage to navigate the win.

As a commentator I tried to stay neutral, but in truth I found myself rooting for the Cookie Monster, initially because he was the only one I have interacted with on social media, but quickly more because of his table presence.

An important victory

When I met him a couple of days later for breakfast in Caffe Bottega, he was still buzzing from the win, and it was clear that the personality we saw on display at the table was genuine and natural. He told me how much it meant to him, not just to win, but to do it in a style that brought fun back to a game that is often too serious and unnecessarily confrontational. He said it wasn’t just signifianct to his life, but also to the family he so clearly and dearly loves. He told me he promised his wife, a school teacher for 24.5 years with nine more years to work before retirement, that if he won this tournament, he would buy her a year more of retirement. This seemed to make him happier than the bracelet.

He talked openly about his life as a house painter in New England, a job he derives immense satisfaction from. “When I drive around I see houses that I did a very good job on, that look great, and it makes me happy. I know I’ve made my mark”

I didn’t order a single drink on the final table because I had only two dollars in my pocket”

A senior he may be, but Mark has got this far into his life and retained the infectious exuberance and enthusiasm of youth. He openly admitted he had to sell a lot of himself to be able to play the event, and that he had only two dollars in his pocket when the final card that gave him the bracelet fell.
“If you look back, you’ll see I didn’t order a single drink on the final table because I had only two dollars in my pocket and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to tip. After the win I finally got a water, and tipped the two dollars.”

We talked about a common attitude we share that poker should be fun, and a force for good, but of course one of the things that is appealing about poker is the diversity of its demographics and ideologies. The day before Mark’s victory, a darker figure who has often propagated toxicity in poker had triumphed in the Player’s championship. Mark’s pinned tweet at the time of his victory was a heartwarming response to one of those propagations, a humble attempt to restore balance to the poker world, to counter gloating  ugliness with humble decency. It was therefore symbolic of the eternal Ying and Yang of poker that Mark should steal the headlines the very next day with his own victory.

A standout American

At his bracelet ceremony, I was joined by two mutual friends, Luke Vrabel and Soheb Porbanderwala. It’s rare to see crushers show up when a recreational wins a bracelet unless it’s a whale they hope to continue to fleece. But with Mark making plans outside poker for much of his winnings, this was not the case here clearly. Both were genuinely delighted for their fellow New Englander for purely unselfish reasons, as he stood proudly for the American national anthem, a near perfect embodiment of the qualities that made the rest of the world admire America and Americans for so long. That admiration may have slipped a little in recent years, but as long as there are Cookie Monsters out there, charming and beguiling those they meet in whatever their field of endeavour is, it will never disappear entirely.

his first major encounter with Vrabel which saw him defend 23 offsuit

At breakfast, Mark was honest about his own unorthodox approach to the game, and told me about his first major encounter with Vrabel which saw him defend 23 offsuit, call Luke all the way to the river with bottom pair, and win the pot so much to his opponent’s disgust that he instantly blocked him on Twitter. The fact that Luke not only reversed that decision but ended up friends with Mark says a lot about the charisma of the Cookie Monster. Perhaps the best summation for him came from something he told me another young pro in the games he plays back home relayed to him second hand summing up the attitude of his peers to Mark:

“He’s a fish. But a good fish.”

So here’s to the Cookie Monster, a man who didn’t need to win a bracelet to be a winner in life, but did it anyway.