Jackson Holliday claims "somebody owed Manny Machado $900,000" in blackjack debt, citing Matt Carpenter as source
Jackson Holliday recently talked about the high-stakes card games MLB players apparently partake in with teammates. Holliday, who also plays cards, claimed a person in San Diego owed a substantial amount to Manny Machado, the Padres' de facto leader.
The Baltimore Orioles rookie golfed with content creators Mason "Busta" Nutt and Cole "MadJack" Lantz, where Holliday was asked about the highest a player was owed after losing a card game. The highest he has seen firsthand was a player losing $4,000.
However, he also knew somebody, possibly a player from the Padres, losing exponentially more, as revealed by an acquaintance and three-time All-Star, Matt Carpenter.
"I think like San Diego. I heard like, uh, someone owed [Manny] Machado like $900,000. They kept an open tab all year. Matt Carpenter was telling us that. I've heard that those games are ridiculous, like they play blackjack with one deck, guys bet a ridiculous amount," said Holliday. [Timestamp 55:33]
Carpenter's best success came with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he was a three-time All-Star and a one-time Silver Slugger. The infielder spent the 2023 season with the San Diego Padres.
Carpenter often trains under Jackson Holliday's father, Matt, a Cardinals HOFer who played with the outfielder between 2011 and 2016, for swing improvement. Earlier this year, the 38-year-old was at the Orioles rookie's residence.
Matt Holliday was a seven-time All-Star and had won the Silver Slugger Award four times. Moreover, he was the NLCS MVP, NL Batting Champion and NL RBI leader in 2007.
Jackson Holliday reveals his favorite card game
Holliday revealed to Nutt and Landz that he played Bourre a lot. It is a high-stakes trick-taking card game similar to Spades or Hearts, played mainly in Louisiana. The game is popular among professional athletes in the U.S., particularly in the MLB and NBA.
Jackson Holliday also said his father Matt plays card games as well. Per the Orioles rookie, the highest his dad won was $20,000. Incidentally, Bourre is also the go-to card game of Austin Reaves, the LA Lakers shooting guard. Reeves had revealed it to Nutt and Landz when he golfed with them.
Holliday claimed even top athletes like Jayson Tatum and LeBron James use private planes to travel and play cards when they are at the players' hotel.