Scott Lazar: Where else but the World Series of Poker's main event can a man show tight, clever poker skills, go on tilt because of a hand he didn't play, self destruct in two hands, bust out in sixth place, and still walk out a millionaire? This is the story of Scott Lazar, former magician and budding poker pro, who was part of the last season's WSOP "millionaire's club."
Born in Woodmere, New York in 1963, Scott now lives in Studio City, California. Throughout his life he battled with alcohol, eventually destroying his marriage. Now sober and filled with a new appreciation for the good things in life, he stated in a WSOP interview that his kids are the most important things in the world to him now, and that all he really wants is to be there for them.
Before the WSOP main event, Scott worked as a production assistant in the independent film industry; his new found fortune may change that now. He is also a magician, having done quite a few shows for celebrity audiences, but seems to have stopped short of where he could have gone in magic. What was it that caused him to stop short? Why, poker, of course. Scott has said that his love for poker took up so much time that could have been spent practicing his sleight of hand that it curtailed his magic career. The results of the last WSOP Championship prove that time wasn't wasted, however.
As the saying goes; "Physician, heal thyself." Scott's ability to manipulate perception that steps from training as a magician also tends to foster a strong sense of discipline, something every poker player needs. However, perhaps exhausted from nine days of play, Scott's will failed him on one crucial hand. After folding pocket cards, one of which was an Ace, Scott watched two more aces show up on the flop. To make matters worse, the turn was the fourth ace, and the missed opportunities that come with quad aces got under his skin. He tilted, and admitted it later in an interview, so badly that he gambled away his chip stacks in the very next two hands.
Hopefully this magician and poker player will take that painful lesson to heart as he continues building a career for himself as a pro. One and a half million dollars should be enough to help ease the pain.
