When you are a poker pro who has the word “Mad” worked into their nickname, you can almost guarantee that the poker pro in question is going to be a bit of a character. This seems to be true of one of the sport’s most interesting poker stars. The origins of his “Mad” moniker came long before holdem, poker tournaments, and the WSOP were part of Marty’s life. Back whe he was just an average teen ager and football fan he ran afoul of supporter of another team. After being chased by fans of a rival club, he escaped his pursuers by jumping into a polar bear pit. While most would agree that football hooligans are unpleasant, few of them can do the sort of bodily harm that a mildly irritated or bored polar bear can inflict. This “mad” act was akin to leaping out of the frying pan and into something that Dante would appreciate.
After jumping towards the gapping maw of 1500 pound polar bear, Doyle Brunson suddenly doesn’t look so scary. The same moxy that drove him to his “Mad” leap so many years ago is probably one of the reasons he has been such a successful pro. Mad Marty has succeeded in every platform the game of Texas Hold’em and other forms of poker is played on. He has won hundreds of thousands of dollars playing in various poker tournaments. Has cashed and made final tables at the WSOP, and has made sort of fortunes that would earn the jealous ire of Midas himself by beating folks in holdem cash games. He has also managed to carve out a niche for himself as the poker coach to the stars.
In the past he has coached such celebrities and poker stars as Laura Prepon, Matthew Stevens, Barry Hearn, Phil "The Power" Taylor, Tom Cruise, Michael Greco and Helen Chamberlain.
“Mad” Marty Wilson has been one of the more interesting characters in poker and even though he is now participating in seniors events, we hope he doesn’t retire anytime soon.
