Anthrax's Scott Ian: Poker Prodigy or Rock Star?

Scott Ian, the guitarist of the heavy metal band Anthrax, has a unique claim to fame: he played online poker during concerts. Ian admitted to this unusual habit, which he picked up after winning VH1’s Classic Rock’n’Roll Celebrity Poker Tournament in Las Vegas in 2006.

Ian told PokerNews that he even played while on stage. Occasionally, he let other people ghost his account during a deep tournament run. “I would be in a Sunday tournament and I’d be going deep … and then it’s time for the band to go on stage, and I’m like, ‘What are we going to do?’” he said. “So, I would literally bring my laptop on stage, I’d be up there playing (guitar and) my laptop would be right over there on the side, wherever my guitar tech was set up … and then I would run back (and ask) what happened (in the tournament).”

The VH1 tournament included other rockers including Godsmack lead singer Sully Erna, Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul, and late KISS guitarist Ace Frehley. Ian didn’t grow up playing poker and knew little about the game as the VH1 event approached. He prepared by watching episodes of the high-stakes cash game show Poker After Dark. The cram session paid off and the rocker went on to top Erna in heads-up play. Ian scored $25,000 for charity and also earned a trip to the 2007 Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic. Ian continued playing in the event for several years and even snagged an Ultimate Bet sponsorship in 2008. That included poker coaching from Hellmuth and Annie Duke, both of whom also represented the band at the time. Over the next few years, Ian launched into both the live and online game, playing as many as 20 tables at a time on Ultimate Bet when at home in Los Angeles.