READ MORE: I Served Shark Fin Soup to Gamblers in London's Elite Casinos They also have these little crackers that taste like pizza but they're just made of organic seeds and tomato. I have to be prepared because certain places in Europe aren't vegan friendly and if I don't eat I get hangry! So I pack protein bars and snacks from Go Raw like chocolate cookies made of coconut, dates, sesame seeds, and cocoa-everything's organic. Travelling to tournaments, it's a little trickier. They make me nut cheese out of cashews and crackers out of flax seeds and pumpkin seeds.

Now I know what I should be eating, it's just a matter of getting hold of it! At home in Vegas it's easy, I have two assistants who prepare healthy vegan meals for me. There was this idea that 'real men eat meat' and they'd eat piles of crap around the table, like mounds of dead animals every hour. When I became vegetarian, the guys in poker mocked me. I also talk to Fabian Quoss and it creates interesting conversation at the poker table. I call myself a student of nutrition, I read a lot online and take tips from vegan lifestyle site Raw Till 4. Aside from that, I had to do my research. I knew dairy was bad-nobody thinks dairy is a good idea-so that was a no brainer. I became vegan in 2006 when I started taking healthy eating seriously. I was living on cheese pizza so my diet was just as bad, lacking in fresh produce or anything nutritious but without the meat. I had no clue what I should be eating and there weren't many options for vegetarians back then, especially at poker tournaments. There was this idea that 'real men eat meat' and they'd eat piles of crap around the table, like mounds of dead animals every hour.Īt first, I didn't feel much healthier. I didn't want to blame the alcohol so I decided it must be the meat that didn't make me feel good and in 2000, I became a vegetarian. My bank balance was healthy but my guts weren't-I knew something had to give. READ MORE: Why Men Are Afraid of Going Veganĭespite the lack of brain food (or maybe because we all ate as badly as each other) I won the World Series of Poker in 1998. There was nothing fresh in my diet and I felt terrible. I ate the typical meat-heavy diet of most poker players in the 90s: burgers and steak, along with French fries, mash, and a bucket load of wine, beer, and vodka. I dropped out of school to play poker and at 21, I moved from Toronto to try my luck as a pro in Vegas. I hated it at the time but looking back, I'm glad. At school, my friends ate McDonalds at lunchtime but I had a packed lunch that my mother made for me. When it came to healthy eating, my parents did their best to set me on the right path.

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