Even a heart attack isn’t serious enough to keep a poker pro out of the World Series of Poker Main Event, which opened July 3 at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.

Adam Rude of Clarksville, Tenn. told the Poker News website he was briefly hospitalized on Thursday, before Day 5, which he ended up arriving in time to play in.

Rude Awakening

On Thursday, the 40-year-old said, he woke up shivering and took a shower  to warm up. That’s where he collapsed as the alarm in his implanted defibrillator went off.

The instrument was surgically implanted due to a heart condition plaguing Rude since he contracted a virus similar to COVID-19 in 2014, he told Poker News.

“I went to the hospital and it was registering as a heart attack,” Rude said. “So, I mean, they didn’t see any damage, they did what they could do. They got my vitals, everything, looking good. And they gave me some strong medicines to get me through (Thursday).”

Is that dedication or ridiculousness? We can’t decide.

“I am getting a little negative feedback at the table,” Rude admitted. “One guy is a little outspoken that I shouldn’t be here. The reason I’m here — the only reason I’m here — is because I have two boys, and I want to give them $10 million.”

Unfortunately, Rude was robbed of what could have been the most remarkable story in the history of Main Event wins. He was sent to the rail in 194th place for $60,000.

Which should just about cover that hospital bill.

As of Friday, 160 players remain in the Main Event from a record field of 10,112. The final table is scheduled to start July 16.

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