MGM National Harbor | Michael McQuaid dislocated his shoulder after being chased by a raccoon, but still won the poker tournament that night.

On August 11, 2026, PokerNews shared a rare poker championship story during the Potomac Summer Poker Open. Washington D.C. player Michael McQuaid encountered two large raccoons while walking his dog last month, one of which chased him. During the escape, he fell and completely dislocated his shoulder. After being taken to the emergency room, he went to the MGM National Harbor that same evening to participate in a poker tournament and ultimately won the championship.

According to PokerNews, McQuaid currently has $75,916 in live tournament winnings. Compared to his other achievements, this approximately $3,000 championship may not be the biggest prize of his career, but the series of events that occurred before the victory made it one of his most memorable tournaments.

Walking the dog and encountering two large raccoons

It happened on a sunny Wednesday morning.

McQuaid was walking his brindle pit bull on the boardwalk of Theodore Roosevelt Island when the dog suddenly stopped and barked at a nearby tree. McQuaid looked over and saw two rather large raccoons in the tree.

One of the raccoons then began to move towards the foot of the tree. McQuaid realized that there might be a conflict between his dog and the wild animal, so he immediately led the dog away along the boardwalk.

He recalled that he rushed forward at almost top speed, hoping to widen the gap.

Turning back to check if they were being chased, they accidentally fell and completely dislocated their shoulder.

As he ran, McQuaid looked back to see if the raccoon was still chasing him.

This movement caused him to lose his balance instantly, fall forward, and ultimately dislocate his shoulder completely.

McQuaid was immediately taken to the emergency room for treatment. Medical staff administered anesthesia and repositioned his dislocated shoulder.

Normally, after such an accident, most people would go home to rest; McQuaid, however, had a different idea.

His reasoning was quite simple: there was nothing else to do that day.

Having just left the emergency room, I turned and headed to MGM National Harbor.

After completing his treatment, McQuaid decided to go to MGM National Harbor.

That evening, the venue was hosting a Wednesday tournament with a buy-in $200, and he chose to enter directly.

Despite his shoulder having just been repositioned, McQuaid stayed at the poker table all the way to the final stage of the tournament and won the championship through a chop, taking home approximately $3,000.

What happened to Michael McQuaid that day?

He won the championship, but his shoulder injury still requires surgery.

Although McQuaid was able to sit at the poker table and finish the game that night, the injury caused by this accident was not just a common sprain.

He told PokerNews that the fall caused a torn labrum in his shoulder joint, and he will still need to undergo surgery.

Therefore, from a medical perspective, this was actually a rather serious accident.

McQuaid recalled being chased by a raccoon and described it as a very tense moment—after all, the one chasing him wasn't a pet, but a real wild animal.

The "Jimothy" meme unexpectedly turned into a joke on social media.

Although the incident itself was serious, after treatment and confirmation that both the person and the dog were safe, McQuaid and his friends quickly began to joke about the experience.

Coincidentally, around the time of the incident, a raccoon named "Jimothy" was trending on social media. This round raccoon, who lived in Seattle and suffered from short spine syndrome, was gaining a lot of attention online at the time.

McQuaid's friend then sent him a picture of Jimothy, jokingly asking, "Is this the one that was chasing you?"

McQuaid said that it was indeed an unfortunate accident, but since it has already happened, sometimes it is necessary to look at it with humor.

$75,916 in career prize money, plus one more championship that is hard to replicate.

Michael McQuaid currently boasts $75,916 in live tournament winnings, and the approximately $3,000 he earned at this $200 Wednesday Championship is not his most outstanding achievement in terms of numbers.

However, considering the context of the competition, this championship is almost impossible to replicate.

He was chased by a raccoon outdoors in the morning and fell while running away, dislocating his shoulder. After receiving anesthesia and having his shoulder reset, he went straight into a poker tournament that night and eventually won the championship.

PokerNews visited McQuaid at MGM National Harbor during the 2026 Potomac Summer Poker Open, the same casino where he achieved this special victory.

In the world of live poker, bad beats, short-stack comebacks, and river knockouts can happen every day, but a pre-tournament experience like "being chased by a wild raccoon, dislocating your shoulder, ending up in the emergency room, and then winning the tournament that night" is quite rare, even among the many poker oddities.

For Michael McQuaid, the approximately $3,000 prize money may not be the biggest cash he's ever won, but the story behind the championship will likely last longer than the prize money itself.

If you want to learn more about Texas Hold'em, you can continue reading：

The Origins of Texas Hold'em: Why is it the World's Most Popular Poker Variant?
Texas Hold'em Hand Rankings and Showdown Rules (Beginner’s Essentials)
Texas Hold'em Betting teaching: Check / Bet / Call /Raise and Betting Strategy Analysis
The importance of Texas Hold'em position? Why is the back position more advantageous?
How to play Texas Hold'em? Novices learn Texas Hold'em rules, processes and betting teaching in 10 minutes
Texas Hold'em Starting Hands Strategy Guide: Which Hands to Play?
Texas Holdem Starting Hands Chart Tutorial: Complete Starting Hand Chart and Position Strategy
How to play Texas Hold'em? Complete rules and a hand's flow (Preflop / Flop / Turn / River)

Hunter Poker offers comprehensive tutorials, hand analysis, and strategy sharing to help players upgrade from simply "reading the cards" to understanding the range . This allows you to make better decisions in every hand.

▶️ In Facebook Follow Hunter Poker.
📘 In Youtube Follow Hunter Poker.

Want to learn more about Texas Hold'em gameplay and strategies?

Online Texas Hold'em free tournaments typically have no entry fee, making them ideal for beginners to familiarize themselves with the rules and for advanced players to test strategies and gain experience. View full brand profiles to learn about each platform's free tournament schedule, features, and target audience.

Go to learn more