WATCH: Poker Player Michael Haag Breaks Up Fight in the Venetian Poker Room
Poker player Michael Haag hit a high-hand bonus making a queen-high straight flush at The Venetian, netting him $1,000. Before the paperwork was done and the payout had taken place, he took a break from playing and walked out of the poker room for a bit. Around the corner, though, he came upon a situation where he felt he needed to take action.
A guy and girl, presumably a couple, got into an altercation right next to the Venetian poker room next to an empty poker table, where the guy punched the girl in the face and ended up choking her. Haag, a jiu-jitsu expert, jumped on the guy's back and, in Haag's own words, "put him to sleep."
Jeff Boski, a Las Vegas vlogger, was the one that had invited Haag to play in the $2/$5 game and interviewed him about the whole ordeal right after it happened.
The video, including a reenactment of the situation (lead image) and shots from the fight itself, was uploaded on October 22nd. A thread on poker forum 2+2 followed soon after.
While Haag was afraid he would get banned from The Venetian following the fight, the contrary was true. His intervention was celebrated by the Venetian's staff, and they comped his dinner to show their appreciation.
Haag, who learned poker in prison, has $356,602 in lifetime tournament earnings, according to his HendonMob profile. His biggest cash came from winning a $400 No Limit Hold'em event during the Deepstack Extravaganza III for $55,018 back in 2014. Last summer, he cashed in the $1,000 No Limit Hold'em - Tag Team event at the WSOP, and he cashed in two MSPT events in The Venetian.
