Chris Fehn

Their motto is ‘People = Shit’. They are not averse to inhaling the fumes of a decomposing crow from a jar to spice up a live appearance. They sound like an accident in an abattoir. They are, of course, nineman circus-metal outfit Slipknot. But what you might not expect is that their ‘No. 3’ – a phallic-nosed psychopath who earns an honest crust suspended in mid-air on a flying drum kit – likes to unwind in the evening with a pile of chips and a grudge match on the baize. Dare you face Chris Fehn?

So you’re a fan of poker?
Love it. I started learning when I was six – we used to lose all our pennies to dad. But when we got a little older, the circle of friends I ran with played a lot. I had my $200 wages out on the table many times. But we’d take care of one another – if one guy won all the money, he bought the beers.

Are you superstitious?
I try not to concentrate on my seat at the table, the shirt I’m wearing – all that lucky stuff. For years I’d drive to the casino making sure I did all my turn signals so karma wouldn’t come back at me later. But I found that the more I let go of that trippy crap, the more I could concentrate on the game.

What are your favourite games?
5-Card Draw. I love the pot. We play a lot with wild cards, quick cash games.

Do you get a similar rush playing poker as you do onstage?
It’s a little more stressful at the card table. I’m a very competitive person and that’s one thing I love about Slipknot – we always strive to win, no matter what. I pull an adrenaline rush out of any game, but cards are special to me. It’s like a state of zen.

Ever had a fight over a poker table?
Yeah, mostly with my brother. We’ll just get cocky. It’s in the way you pull the chips back. Sometimes I’ll just take them back one by one, and he’ll shove them back at me, and suddenly it’s on. It’s funny, when you throw money in the mix with anything, it brings out the evil elements in people.

Do you play on tour?
I won a little over $30,000 off a guy – I’m not going to say who it is, but he’s a musician himself. He lost and he paid – and I have more respect for that person than you’ll ever know. With a lot of guys, they’ll almost make you feel you’re being a dick for taking their money.

Any big losses yourself?
Right out of high school, I was down $5,500 and did not have that money. I was telling the people at the table, ‘Hey, I’ll go get a loan at the bank tomorrow.’ The very next hand, I won that money back and left with $106. I was in my car shaking. I could not believe it had gone that far.

Have you played against any pros?
I entered one tournament in Iowa and came fourth. It went on for a whole day and I ended up sitting at the final table; I think I won a laptop or something. But I’d probably get smoked by the guys on TV. If I’m sitting across from Phil Hellmuth, he’s going to tear me apart. That’s his life. They can read you so well: ‘Oh, he moved his left hand, I’m folding…’

CHRIS FEHN LOVES…
VIDEO GAMES
I just got the Xbox 360. I haven’t played it much yet, but the first game I went and bought was Quake 4 – I love first-person shooters.

GOLF
Golf is a great gambling game. I don’t drink now, but it used to be great to play after about five or six beers. I’m definitely a better player now I’m sober though.

CHRIS FEHN HATES…
CRYSTAL METH
So good that it’s evil. You could play a lot of cards on this. You’d be the sharpest tool in the box for about 10 hours. And then you’d just feel like a pile of shit.