The Oldest Player in the WSOP
Victor Goulding defies the odds
Of all the players who compete in the World Series of Poker, only one can claim that he is the oldest: Victor Goulding. At age 91, he's back for a second try last year, again staked by an investor who has enough faith in his ability to pit him against the best players on the planet.
In 2005, the feisty senior lasted for a whole day, but was suspended at one point for swearing at the table. ESPN commentators noted, as he was escorted out, that Victor was an attorney, saying, "Maybe he should fight that." Last year, Goulding said he won't change his strategy, but will try to restrain his emotions.
"My goal is to beat out my son and my grandson, who will be playing with me this year," he says. "I understand that this will bee the first time that three generations have played in the World Series of Poker."
The nonagenarian was born in 1915, back when there were two types of poker players: Respected gentlemen and the rounders who made a living cheating them. Born in Detroit, he can't remember exactly how he learned the game, but recalls his father playing at home. At age 18, Victor joined the Army combat engineers and was sent to New Guinea. He dodged bullets to play against the Air Corps boys, who were easy pickings back in the day.
Returning home, he worked at the Ford Motor Co. to put himself through law school, all the while playing poker. He remembers Las Vegas when it was just a gas stop for GIs and recalls the day he beat 1972 WSOP champ Amarillo Slim Preston. "We were playing Texas hold'em. There was a king on the flop and Amarillo took a card out of his hand. It was a king and he laid it down on the table. Everyone folded except me. I raised him $20 and he folded. I out-bluffed him! I had nothing. That surprised me because he's a conservative player. When he raises, you can rely on what he's got.
Goulding doesn't rely on studying books and systems. They mean nothing to him because he doesn't believe in experts. His technique is simple. He says, "You get the cards you win, you don't, you lose. When there are ten players, someone's got an ace, someone's got a queen, someone's got a king. If you have a 7-3, throw it away. If you win with that, it's a miracle.
His most memorable poker moment is truly miraculous. It was a big hand in the '50s with $200 in the pot. The betting was tense. His opponent kept raising, but Victor wouldn't give in. He knew what he had. Finally, it was time for the showdown. "The other guy had four kings, so I could see why he kept betting. But I had four aces. I'll never forget it," he says.
Whatever Victor's outcome this year, it won't affect his love of poker. If he doesn't win, he'll just keep on playing. Next year, he'll be back again.
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