By Sean Chaffin
As a college and professional basketball player, Landen Lucas has learned the ups and downs that come with competition. He lived it first hand playing at the University of Kansas. He’s now finding success at the poker tables after a runner-up finish in the WPTDeepStacks San Diego on September 9 for $38,985.
“I decided to take a little break from basketball and travel a bit and play some tournaments,” he says. “That was actually the second tournament I traveled to. It was fun. It was my first time to be on a final table that was covered at all. I would have liked to have won it after going into the final table with the chip lead, but winning second was great.”
That run continued just days later when he finished eighth in a $1,700 WSOP Circuit Main Event at Thunder Valley for $14,682. Lucas now has more than $77,000 in live tournament winnings in a limited number of tournaments. On Friday, he was now hoping to keep the big run going in Day 1a of the WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble.
The 6-10 forward averaged 5.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game with the Jayhawks. Since graduating in 2017, he’s moved on to play professionally in Tokyo and Estonia. He also played in the NBA Summer League for the Boston Celtics, but has taken some time off after an injury. He says playing overseas for two years was an interesting experience.
“There are some benefits to it compared to the G-League and the NBA route as far as money and experience go,” he says. “But obviously most kids’ dream is to play in the NBA. You feel very far from that when you’re traveling across the waters and going through that experience, but if you embrace it, it can be fun. There are great fans and a ton of support because that’s their version of the NBA.”
The 26-year-old hopes to get back in the game after healing up, and is playing some cards in the meantime. He also has developed an insurance website called Seeker Insurance to simplify the process of purchasing. The company is also now working on an app for the service.
Growing up watching Phil Ivey playing on television in a basketball jersey inspired Lucas to start playing himself. He’d shuffle and deal with friends and even taught his parents to play. After turning 21, he began playing at casinos as well occasionally.
When not hitting the court or stacking chips, the Landen Lucas Foundation takes up quite a bit of his time. The group, which he founded with his mother, provides sports fees, equipment, and shoes for underprivileged students who can’t afford to participate.
The foundation’s website notes: “Landen knows the great value in the life lessons learned through sports and he wants to be sure that all students have the opportunity to participate and compete.” Lucas’s success at the tables also means some extra donations to the charity.
Looking forward to playing more tournaments and will be donating a portion of all winnings to the Sports For Life Fund, providing access & opportunities for underprivileged youth! @LLSportsForLife ♥️♠️♦️♣️ https://t.co/uO1ZOTTuOk
— Landen A. Lucas (@LandenLucas) September 11, 2019
When it comes to working on his poker game, Lucas has a bit of an inside track. He’s dating Kelly Minkin, who finished third in the bestbet Bounty Scramble last season for $146,973 and has $1.4 million in live tournament winnings.
With Minkin also now a bounty this year at bestbet, how will things go if they end up at the same table? He has no reservations and hoped to add his first WPT Main Tour cash.
“I’m taking her out,” he says. “I’ve already gone for her head once at the WSOP Circuit event when she was at my table. I didn’t get her, but I’ll try to take her out – for sure.”
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.