Michael Phelps 'has a gambling problem and friends fear he could squander millions away'
Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps is obsessed with poker and could squander away millions of dollars in winnings and endorsements, his friends reportedly fear.
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Phelps, who is the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 medals, has been playing poker for years and claims to have met some of his closest friends at the table. But now they say that the competitive mindset that garnered him so much praise and success in the pool could be extremely damaging to his bank balance. 'All Michael thinks about is gambling,' a poker-playing friend told the National Enquirer (lolz so credible).
'Michael has a "don't quit until you win" attitude which was great while he was swimming but could be costly playing poker.'
Phelps has said he would love to be a professional player, but friends fear he cannot walk away.
The source added that Phelps has wagered 'hundreds of thousands of dollars on poker already, and now that he's retired from competitive swimming, everyone's worried he'll be betting millions more.' Phelps is worth around $45 million, but experts have predicted this fortune could triple with future endorsements.
He first learned to play poker online, and started with $1 and $2 games before graduating up to games with higher stakes. He now plays a weekly card game with a $25,000 buy-in, friends said.
'I love to play, it's fun, it's exciting,' Phelps said in a 2008 interview, adding that he was not drawn to the game for its competitive aspect, but more as an opportunity to unwind. 'It was more something so that I could have time to myself,' he said. 'I could relax, I could be myself, and I could have fun. It’s a place where I can be me.'
He went on: 'I’ve met some of my best friends at a poker table. Some of the kids I’m always with, who I talk to every day.'
He even lives with a professional poker player, Jeff Gross. But sources told the National Enquirer they fear these friends are not the best influence on Phelps, who has a reputation as a playboy.
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In 2008, he was photographed smoking marijuana at a party from a bong that had been given to him by Zachary 'Carter' King - a professional player who was later arrested for marijuana possession.
'This is not a good element for Michael to be hanging out with,' a source said. 'It's just going to get him in trouble - big trouble.'
It was not advice Phelps heeded last week when he took a deserved holiday with his poker-playing friends to the Maldives - where his aspiring model girlfriend Megan Rossee was nowhere to be seen.
The guys-only trip saw Phelps skip out early on the London Olympics and miss the closing ceremony in favor lounging around on white-sand beaches and working on his tan.
Now that the Olympics are over, Phelps will have time to work on his poker game - but also said he has plans to improve his golf handicap with Tiger Woods' former coach Hank Haney. He has also signed on with Louis Vuitton as part of the fashion brand's Core Values campaign.
the most credible source in the world
It's from the Daily Mail who got it from the National Enquirer so it's totally trueeeeee.
Reezy would never.
Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps is obsessed with poker and could squander away millions of dollars in winnings and endorsements, his friends reportedly fear.
Phelps, who is the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 medals, has been playing poker for years and claims to have met some of his closest friends at the table. But now they say that the competitive mindset that garnered him so much praise and success in the pool could be extremely damaging to his bank balance. 'All Michael thinks about is gambling,' a poker-playing friend told the National Enquirer (lolz so credible).
'Michael has a "don't quit until you win" attitude which was great while he was swimming but could be costly playing poker.'
Phelps has said he would love to be a professional player, but friends fear he cannot walk away.
The source added that Phelps has wagered 'hundreds of thousands of dollars on poker already, and now that he's retired from competitive swimming, everyone's worried he'll be betting millions more.' Phelps is worth around $45 million, but experts have predicted this fortune could triple with future endorsements.
He first learned to play poker online, and started with $1 and $2 games before graduating up to games with higher stakes. He now plays a weekly card game with a $25,000 buy-in, friends said.
'I love to play, it's fun, it's exciting,' Phelps said in a 2008 interview, adding that he was not drawn to the game for its competitive aspect, but more as an opportunity to unwind. 'It was more something so that I could have time to myself,' he said. 'I could relax, I could be myself, and I could have fun. It’s a place where I can be me.'
He went on: 'I’ve met some of my best friends at a poker table. Some of the kids I’m always with, who I talk to every day.'
He even lives with a professional poker player, Jeff Gross. But sources told the National Enquirer they fear these friends are not the best influence on Phelps, who has a reputation as a playboy.
In 2008, he was photographed smoking marijuana at a party from a bong that had been given to him by Zachary 'Carter' King - a professional player who was later arrested for marijuana possession.
'This is not a good element for Michael to be hanging out with,' a source said. 'It's just going to get him in trouble - big trouble.'
It was not advice Phelps heeded last week when he took a deserved holiday with his poker-playing friends to the Maldives - where his aspiring model girlfriend Megan Rossee was nowhere to be seen.
The guys-only trip saw Phelps skip out early on the London Olympics and miss the closing ceremony in favor lounging around on white-sand beaches and working on his tan.
Now that the Olympics are over, Phelps will have time to work on his poker game - but also said he has plans to improve his golf handicap with Tiger Woods' former coach Hank Haney. He has also signed on with Louis Vuitton as part of the fashion brand's Core Values campaign.
the most credible source in the world
It's from the Daily Mail who got it from the National Enquirer so it's totally trueeeeee.
Reezy would never.