Congratulations to Matt Matros — Winner of The Washington Post’s Election Prediction Contest

If you’re a serious poker player or fan of the game, then you probably already know the name — Matt Matros.

He’s won three World Series of Poker gold bracelets.  I was privileged enough to be at tableside with him during each one of them.

Matros’ specialty is Limit Hold’em.  But he masters just about any game that’s based on numbers and percentages.  He’s also extraordinarily gifted as a writer — having written at least one book (I believe he’s just finished another, which is a work of fiction).

I knew Matros before he was somewhat famous.  When I resided in Washington, DC — Matros contacted me out of the blue because he was looking for a poker game to play in, and he figured I might know the local scene.  Matros wrote about that experience and the game he ultimately found in his excellent book titled, The Education of a Poker Player.

I don’t do very well at making predictions.  But I knew one thing the first time I met Matros — an initial instinct confirmed by more conversations and e-mail exxchanges with the Yale graduate, who now lives in New York City.  And that was Matros was considerably smarter than me, and no doubt far more disciplined in just about everything he does.  But he’s never one to behave as though that’s the case, with anyone.  Matros initially thought he might learn something from me when contacting me about poker years ago, perhaps as someone a little older and more experienced in the business.  But the more I have gotten to know Matros, I’m the one who has become the dedicated student.