It has been 25 years since the September 11, 2001 attacks forever changed the history of the United States and the world. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, which had as their main symbol the destruction of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. However, amid so many stories from that day, there are also some little-known connections with the poker scene.
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Thus, one of them involves precisely one of the companies that would later transform online poker. On that September 11, 2001, PokerStars launched its beta version with play money games. The launch had already been planned and an announcement even appeared that morning. However, the attacks naturally put any other event in the background.
Additionally, the attack directly crossed the path of John Myung, who would later build a career in poker. Before that, he worked for Morgan Stanley on the 73rd floor of the World Trade Center. However, Myung left the job on September 1, 2001, just ten days before the attacks. After the tragedy, he left New York and, during this new phase of life, began playing poker.
However, another player experienced the horror of that day in an even closer way. Arthur Bressler was on the 82nd floor of one of the Twin Towers when the attacks happened. He managed to leave the building about 20 minutes before the collapse. Later, Bressler remained connected to poker and achieved results in tournaments held at the Borgata.
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PokerStars began its journey on the same day that changed the United States
However, although the coincidence marked the beginning of the room’s history, PokerStars was not yet operating with real money on that September 11. The platform was taking its first steps with the play money version. Later, the company would start real money operations and become one of the most important names in the history of online poker.
However, the stories of John Myung and Arthur Bressler show a much more human connection between poker and the tragedy. Myung left the job a few days before the attacks and later found a new professional path in the game. Bressler escaped directly from the World Trade Center and, years later, continued attending the tables, including winning titles in tournaments.
Finally, September 11, 2001 remains a date incomparably greater than any sporting or commercial event of that day. Still, 25 years later, these stories reveal how an event that transformed the world also crossed, in different ways, the trajectory of poker. Between a platform that was beginning its story and players whose lives changed profoundly, September 11 also left particular marks in the world of cards.
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