Mike Caro, known as the "Mad Genius of Poker," said he often set $100 bills on fire at the poker table. He said this in an interview with Chad Holloway on the PokerNews Podcast.
Caro, now 82, said the stunt was not about being careless with money. "One of my quotes is in poker you should care about money but pretend not to care about money," he said.
Caro said burning the bills created an image of a reckless player. Opponents would see someone willing to throw money away, while Caro was prepared to wait for good opportunities.
"Burning $100 bills got attention," he said. "It's probably very cheap advertising for the size of games that were being played."
The article says Caro spent much of the last two decades away from poker after tiring of its attention. He bought 42 acres on Table Rock Lake in the Ozarks. He said he has been working on several books and a major poker software project, and plans to give seminars again.
Both parts of the interview are available on the PokerNews Podcast, sponsored by Solana. Part 1 covers Caro's tells, his work with Doyle Brunson on Super System, and his early involvement in online poker. Part 2 covers Brunson stories, an airport wager, being stood up by Donald Trump, and