Hairy Situation: Jeff Cunningham’s Mohawk Brings Big Luck at bestbet

By Sean Chaffin

The mohawk is a new addition for Jeff Cunningham and stands out among the final two tables in the WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble. After leaving his regular job of 13 years for a new career as a full-time poker player, it seemed like a fitting new hairstyle. But Cunningham is not the type of guy who just adds a mohawk. His unique look includes a blue version of the ‘do, complete with a blue beard to match.

“This is me finally,” he laughs about the mohawk. “It’s just one of those things that I’ve always wanted to do, and I figured now with the poker lifestyle I can do whatever I want.”

So far the new style seems to be bringing some nice vibes to his poker game, as well as his Spider-Man “Venom” hoodie he’s worn throughout the event. Could that be a new poker nickname?

“Well most my friends call me ‘Luckbox,’ but Venom works too,” he says. “Either that or the vegan degen.”

Cunningham, who lives in Troutman, North Carolina, previously worked as a Best Buy Geek Squad home theater installer while playing cash games on the side for the last three and a half years. He’s married with two children, 4 and 9 months, and decided recently to give poker a shot full time. The move was fully supported by his wife.

“She loves it,” he says. “Because realistically, even though I’m gone this week, I’ve got all the rest of the time at the house and I get to spend more time with kids – it’s way better than working that normal job grinding. I’ve managed my bankroll fairly well and the cash games have been very juicy.”

Some recent nice tournament finishes motivated Cunningham to jump in more events, including here at the WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble. In August, he finished seventh in a $400 Monster Stack at the WSOP Circuit stop in Cherokee, North Carolina, for $14,137. That was actually the first live poker tournament he’s ever played, and he followed that up with a cash in a $570 event here at be

Cunningham enjoyed his time at bestbet so decided to give the WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble a shot. So far that has been a wise decision as he battled it outamong the final 16 players remaining in the field.

“When I came down here, I really liked the action,” he says. “Jacksonville has a lot of action in the cash games and tournaments, and I wanted to take a stab at a big tournament like this.”

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.