The first time I met Terrence, we were on the Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure cruise in 2004. I had just quit my job as a poker dealer and was trying out this whole professional poker player thing. I finished just outside of the money in the main event, which was a huge deal for me because the money would have done a lot for my situation. I was on my way out of the poker room when I saw that Chris Moneymaker and Vince Van Patten were playing in a game. I decided to go grab some money from my room and play. The game was 50-100 hold em and that was a little high for me, but I decided to play anyway. It turned out to be a great game and I was 2 seats to the left of the best player in the game, Terrence. Since then, both he and I have come a long way in the poker industry. Terrence is well-known as one of the best heads-up and short-handed limit hold 'em players in the world and as such, he doesn't get a whole lot of action these days. He's decided to take up getting beat up for a living and he has to be one of the most financially well-off amateur MMA fighters in the world.
I like to joke with Terrence about his emotional detachment when he does Jiu Jitsu. All of these other guys you see in the gym have a look on their face like they want to kill someone or rip their arm off and they seem to always be giving maximum effort both mentally and physically. Then you see Terrence. No matter what position he is in, the look on his face is so serene. He just seems as though he is out on a Sunday stroll without a care in the world. Really, he's probably at risk of having his elbow dislocated or doing the same to someone else. This emotional detachment is certainly one of the reasons he has done so well as a poker player. He can coolly and calmly determine what the correct course of action is in a given hand or in a heads-up match with seemingly little to no effort. Don't mistake it though, whether he's playing poker or jiu jitsu, he's working hard and his aim is clear. He's going to win, you just don't know it yet.
Terrence also has this super easy-going attitude about almost anything and I think that's why we get along so well. Things don't generally get us too out of whack. He was recently one of the groomsmen at my wedding and he will continue to be one of my best friends both in the poker world and outside of it. Not only that, but I admire him so much for his rise to the top of the limit hold'em world and his humbleness while doing so. Most of my success as a poker player has come in large chunks and I admire the fact that Terrence wins his money and recognition one bet at a time.
Gavin Griffin, Hero Poker Pro
| Event | Place | Prize | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38th Annual World Series of Poker Event #30 - WSOP No Limit Hold'em Short Handed |
2nd | $287,345 | Jun 18, 2007 |
| 41st World Series of Poker 2010 Event #12 - WSOP Limit Hold'em |
3rd | $83,185 | Jun 4, 2010 |
| 37th Annual World Series of Poker Event #13 - WSOP No Limit Hold'em |
8th | $74,175 | Jul 7, 2006 |
| APPT Pagcor Chairman’s Cup APPT No Limit Hold'em Championship |
4th | $71,500 | Mar 20, 2010 |
| Caribbean Poker Adventure PokerStars EPT Season 5 No Limit Hold'em |
5th | $70,000 | Jan 8, 2009 |
| World Poker Finals / WPT Event Season 8 WPT No Limit Hold'em Championship |
18th | $31,553 | Nov 5, 2009 |
Hero Poker: Most memorable hand?
Terrence: Probably '07 WSOP, $2500 short-handed NL event, heads-up for a bracelet for my first time ever. I raised with A2s, Hoyt Corkins made a huge re-raise all-in with KT, I tanked and eventually called, Hoyt hit a king and won the bracelet.
The other hand that is very memorable is this hand, albeit for a totally different reason: http://terrencechan.livejournal.com/150667.html. Yup, he went four bets on the turn with a gutshot, and four bets on the river with second pair.
Copyright © 2010-2011, HeroPoker.com. All rights reserved.
