Life and Death of Larry Flynt: End of Poker Era?
The founder of Hustler magazine and professional poker player Larry Flynt passed away in February 2021 at the age of 78. He was not only a controversial figure but also a symbol of an era in poker history. The article reviews Flynt's connection with poker, including his love for high-stakes seven-card stud, his conflicts with the WSOP, and his lifetime ban for cheating. The author believes that Flynt's death marks the end of a rough and discriminatory old era of poker, and the game today has become more inclusive and healthy.
For the younger generation of poker enthusiasts, Larry Flynt might be an unfamiliar name. But for players who lived through a specific era, he symbolizes a deeply ingrained chapter in poker history. Flynt's life was full of controversy — does his death have a positive impact on poker? Let's explore.
Larry Flynt was the founder of Hustler magazine, but he was also an avid poker player. In the 1970s, during the early days of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), Flynt wasn't in the spotlight but remained active on the fringes of the tables. He loved Seven Card Stud and had close friendships with legends like Danny Robison, Chip Reese, and Doyle Brunson.
At the turn of the millennium, Flynt opened the Hustler Casino in California, extending his poker ventures offline. But before that, he experienced the darkest moment of his life — in 1984, while running for U.S. president, he was shot and paralyzed from the waist down. Despite his misfortune, Flynt always argued that the shooter should not face the death penalty. The killer was identified years later and executed in 2013.
Flynt was well-known in the Las Vegas poker scene, often running his favorite high-stakes Seven Card Stud game with blinds of $2,000/$4,000/$1,000. Top players like David Benyamine, Barry Greenstein, and Phil Ivey participated. Greenstein actually won his gold bracelet in the Seven Card Stud event where Flynt came closest to a WSOP title.
However, Flynt was also banned from the WSOP for years due to cheating. In 1988, he tried to con Doyle Brunson into a bet of about $1 million to $10,000, claiming he could win the WSOP Main Event. He secretly paid off opponents to deliberately lose hands, allowing him to accumulate chips. When this was revealed, Jack Binion banned him for life, though the ban was lifted when Binion gave up control.
Flynt later returned to poker, but the game had changed. His old "rogue" image no longer appealed; the flash of the 1980s faded. Under the high-definition lens of the 21st century, Flynt seemed like a dinosaur, belonging to an old era where men played cards and women were eye candy.
We don't mean to celebrate anyone's death, but Flynt's passing reminds us: poker has become better. The era that tolerated Larry Flynt is gone. Women are no longer seen as mere eye candy. Their position at the tables and in the industry is far stronger than in Flynt's heyday.
In the future, Larry Flynt may be just a footnote, a fleeting image in poker history. Some will mourn his passing, or the end of that era. But the time that nostalgics long for will not return. Larry Flynt's era is truly over. And that's not a bad thing.
FAQ
- Flynt was an avid seven-card stud player who long ran high-stakes games, attracting many top players. He also opened the Hustler Casino in California, contributing to poker's promotion. However, he was also permanently banned from the WSOP for cheating, becoming a famous negative case in poker history.