Card players usually conjure up a certain kind of image. Usually, it involves a suave, James Bond-type, black tie aesthetic born from popular culture. Yet occasionally, a true everyman breaks into the high-stakes games, shattering these perceptions. One of those people was Maryland native Darvin Moon.
Darvin Moon’s Background
Darvin Lived in Oakland, Western Maryland. In the shadow of the Backbone Mountain, his existence was a humble one, spent living in a trailer with his wife. Darvin was the owner of a logging company.
Living in and working with the great outdoors gave him the passion for his work in the forests of Maryland. When not out exploring, he was practicing the skills his grandfather had taught him and those foundations of poker would later lead to his success.
World Series of Poker
His break came at the 2009 World Series of Poker. This was just before the growth of internet casinos, and before online poker was available in Maryland. Today, learning your craft is easy due to the best poker sites offering easy entry offers along with help and tutorials. They also have a wide selection of games, allowing new players to try a variety of rules and variations. Yet Darvin put in the hours in retro fashion, losing two satellite tournaments before becoming victorious on his third $130 game. This allowed him access to the World Series of Poker.
His first few days at the World Series were extremely fruitful, or some may say lucky, as he was dealt pocket aces multiple times and had a series of great hands. He also eliminated several high-profile players on his way to the final two seats, where he lost to Joe Cada.
While his run was spectacular for an amateur player, he did have several critics due to his style of play and lack of experience. Much of this stemmed from a large bluff he had made to win a relatively small pot. Yet there were just as many people who congratulated him, finding his courage and dour working man persona refreshing.
After the World Series
After the tournament Moon went on record saying that he was done with the game. This then saw him conduct many of his poker game locally, and he preferred to play with friends than indulge in the bigger tournaments. He did carry on playing poker, though he never regained the same lofty heights in other tournaments. He took part in a few major events, notably at some of Las Vegas’s biggest casinos. His follow-up in the World Series 2010 saw him eliminated on day two.
In 2011 he signed a deal to become an ambassador for the Heartland Poker Tour. This was an internationally broadcast poker television programme, so he stood to become a household name. In fact, Darvin was the perfect fit for bringing poker into the living rooms of people around the world. The show’s tagline was “Real People, Unreal Money” and no pokers came more real than Darvin.
