Subscribe

Know the Pro: Jimmy Fricke

A Pup’s Best Friend

Topics: Jimmy Fricke, Know the Pro

For a guy who doesn’t move very quickly and devotes himself to tournament poker, Jimmy Fricke was hard to track down during the first week of July at the World Series of Poker. I texted him daily for nearly a week. “Are you at the Rio today?” “Can I grab a few minutes of your time today? Or tomorrow?” His responses didn’t indicate a lack of interest, simply a wrong-place, wrong-time scenario.

When I told him I wouldn’t desist until we spoke in person, he agreed to meet at the Rio when he registered for the WSOP Main Event. I got him.

Choosing carefully among Jimmy Fricke’s online and live poker accomplishments and what I know of his intellect, interests, and background, I chose an item of focus, a means to share insight on the enigmatic, brilliant young pro.

He declined to discuss my chosen subject on the record. “Then what would you want to talk about?” I asked.

“My dog.”

All my preparations went out the window. The only thing I know regarding Fricke and dogs was that I was now an underdog to get my story.

Jimmy offered me his story and proved good to his word.

We spoke about his dog, Oscar, and he lit up. Excitement came into his voice, and a smile was behind every word. He even pulled up his favorite Oscar picture on his phone and showed me. I recognized a source of great happiness in Jimmy’s life: Oscar.

The dachshund, otherwise known as a wiener dog, was given a somewhat obvious name. And Jimmy sought him out.

After growing up with dogs, Jimmy had a bad experience with the death of his last family pet. He left home in Illinois to play in the 2006 World Series of Poker, and the dog died suddenly with no preexisting condition of which the family was aware. It bothered him that he never got to say goodbye.

Several years later, living in a high-rise condominium complex in Las Vegas with a roommate, he made the decision to welcome a puppy into his life. “I didn’t want to be a half-assed owner,” Jimmy said. And with a roommate “to make sure I didn’t kill the dog,” he went on a mission. He read books, scoured the internet for information, and he chose a dachshund, who he named Oscar.

He has since tweeted about the dog, taken it to the homes of friends who also have dogs, and become a regular visitor to the local dog parks. Everybody says, “Jimmy really likes that dog!” And he replies, “But I do!”

When Oscar first moved in, Jimmy took a few months off from poker to stay home and get to know his friend. His roommate also got a dog, but he and that rather large yellow Labrador puppy soon moved out, leaving Jimmy and Oscar alone. The self-doubt in Jimmy surfaced when he said, “Oscar liked my roommate more than he liked me, but now I’m his only guy, so he’s gotta love me.”

As it turns out, the addition to his life has been positive. Jimmy has learned the sense of responsibility that he felt he lacked as a professional poker player. “I needed something grounding,” he admitted. “This has been helping a lot. It sucks in the poker world sometimes because you’re acquaintances with everyone but best friends with no one. At least that’s what it felt like for me. So to have something that I can pour my heart and soul into is really nice.”

The parenting from Jimmy must be rewarding for Oscar as well. Jimmy has proven in poker, that when he puts his mind and abilities to work, he can achieve great success. He has applied that enthusiasm and commitment to his best friend. “I feel like a real dog dad,” he said.

It’s not difficult to imagine that close friendships in poker can be difficult. The game is a solitary one, and no matter the amount of buddies one accumulates, there is a certain amount of isolation that can result from such a life.

Jimmy is not shy about saying so. “I’m not like very many other people in poker. I think it’s pretty easy to see that I’m a freak and a weird dude.” He smiled and added, “I’m happy with my life right now. Super happy with my life. I have no regrets.”

Sometimes, it’s best to make few plans but dedicate yourself to the most important ones.

As he and Oscar share a condo and walks at the park, Jimmy continues his life in poker and awaits the return of online poker to the United States so he can spend more time at home. And when that day happens, there is only one photo that will be Jimmy’s online poker avatar: Oscar.