Shellac frontman, Nirvana/Pixies/Page & Plant engineer and US underground rock legend Steve Albini recently won $196,089 on June 17 after winning his second World Series of Poker.
Having previously won one of the prestigious, coveted bracelets in 2018, winning the Seven-Card Stud competition, Albini emerged victorious this year in the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event.
While many know of Steve Albini through his work with Nirvana and other big acts; music just is not the main-stay for Steve’s income. Steve Albini stated: “I play poker for money. It’s a fascinating game, and it stimulates my brain, but if I didn’t make money from it, I wouldn’t do it. It’s become a significant part of my income, and I rely on it as part of my livelihood. I don’t do it for amusement.”
Celebrating his win, Steve Albini was very happy to go more in-depth about what he focuses on in and out of the realms of poker and music and how the two come together in an odd way.
He continued: “Everything in my life comes in pieces, in parts. Poker is one part of my life. So when I’m playing poker, I try to commit to it. I try to take it seriously. I try to make sure I devote the attention to it that it deserves as an occupation. But it’s only part of my year. I only play tournaments at the World Series of Poker. I play cash games informally in Chicago. It’s a part of my livelihood, but it’s not my profession.”
Surely, Steve will most likely be getting some new gear into his studio with this incredibly huge win.
Special thanks to Loudersound.