Palisades High Grad Wins Poker Main Event in Atlantic City
Even as poker players go, Jeff Madsen is one cool customer. He is known to be at his best when the chips are down and he showed why yet again last Friday by winning the main event of the Borgata Winter Poker Open at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Madsen finished in first place out of 766 players in the $3,500 No Limit Hold’ em tournament, pocketing the winner’s prize of $625,006 to push his career earnings over the $3 million mark. “It was a long five days but I’m happy I came out on top,” said Madsen, a 2003 graduate of Palisades High who burst onto the scene four years ago when he became the youngest player ever to win a World Series of Poker event. “This shows me why I’m doing what I’m doing. When you get to the final table you really want to win.” Now 24, Madsen has a house minutes from the strip in Las Vegas. He splits his time between there and Los Angeles, where he used to live near Riviera Country Club. He will be playing the next few weeks in the L.A. Poker Classic at Commerce Casino in the City of Commerce. “I’ll probably play 80 to 120 tournaments in a year, depending on how much I win,” Madsen said. “I’ve played all of the best players by now and I hold my own. They’re my buddies. Sure, the more I play them the more they know me but I know them better too so it works both ways.” Madsen has enjoyed remarkable success so far, but he knows he must keep practicing so he stays mentally sharp. He began honing his skills during his freshman year at UC Santa Barbara, playing primarily at the Chumash Indian Casino in Santa Ynez where the legal gambling age is only 18. “It’s just like any other sport in that you have to keep improving and working on your game,” he said. “Especially now with the internet there’s forums, chat rooms and online poker so you’re always trying to stay one step ahead.” Madsen displayed veteran poise and patience last week en route to hitting his biggest jackpot since the two World Series bracelets he collected back in the summer of 2006 when he was just 21. Showing his usual calm under pressure, Madsen finished Day 2 with the most chips. He was fourth entering the final table and proceeded to take command, eliminating Borgata regular Al Grimes of Miller Place, New York and later Tom Marchese of Boonton, New Jersey on river cards. Madsen turned small pot after small pot into a huge stack going one-on-one for more than an hour and a half against eventual runner-up Sirous Jamshidi of Broomall, Pennsylvania. With only 10 big blinds left, Jamshidi, who had begun the second day as the chip leader, dumped his last 1.9 million into the pot. Then, after a brief count, Madsen called and won with a pair of kings. Despite all of the money and attention that has accompanied his success, Madsen does not take his good fortune for granted. He is among the most liked and well respected young players, often paying his own buy-ins and travel expenses and participating in numerous charity events. Winning the City Invitational Division baseball title at Dodger Stadium his senior year at Palisades remains one of the biggest thrills of his life. “I haven’t been back there [PaliHi] in awhile but it’s about time I visited,” he said. “Maybe I’ll have a chance on this next trip to L.A.” Madsen celebrated his latest triumph in Philadelphia, where he watched the Super Bowl at a friend’s house before catching a flight home the following day: “I was rooting for the Saints so it was cool to see them win. I’ve never been to New Orleans but it’s definitely on my list of places to see.” sports@palipost
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