Tim Patrick Mendoza
Player/Coach, Las Vegas Stars
 Born:March 17, 1960 (St. Patrick’s Day)
Phoenix, Arizona
Resides:North Phoenix, Arizona
Player Rank: Veteran
Poker Experience:20 years
A fourth generation native of the great State of Arizona, Tim is an avid poker player that has exhibited his talents in the Southwest for almost 20 years. A strong, aggressive player in the higher limit games, he has the respect of many of the professional players in the area.
He and his wife of 16 years, Lauren Ann, own and operate Maverick Plumbing. “We are in our 14th year of business. We do only new construction in both residential and commercial areas. We chose the name ‘Maverick’ out of the dictionary. We were looking for a name that sounded western, for Arizona, and was descriptive of our personalities…well, maybe my personality. The listing in the dictionary stated, ‘One who is unorthodox in his ideas, attitudes.’ Lauren liked it and thought it described me perfectly…so the name stuck.”
And “Maverick” also describes his playing and coaching style. “Pro Team Poker is new for everybody. I think that a structured team strategy mixed in with an aggressive playing style will work for a while, but eventually more new faces from different parts of the country will perfect their style…and new methods of competition will have to be developed.
“I was hooked after playing in just one demonstration,” explained Mendoza. “I can’t wait try out some of my ideas in League play.”
Mendoza grew up in Scottsdale and attended Coronado High School. He continued his education at Scottsdale Community College and Northern Arizona University (NAU). He plumbed his first house at the age of 12. He started working during the summers with his Dad and a few friends doing plumbing work. His grandfather retired as a plumber after 50 years in the trade and his father retired from the plumbing business after 47 years. “I had good teachers,” says Mendoza. “My oldest son Dustin (step-son) worked for me for seven years and now has his own plumbing business. I’m proud to see him follow in my successful footsteps.”
Mendoza likes to play all different card games and enjoys the strategies of chess. He keeps in shape playing racquetball and in his spare time is developing a fire suppression system that is designed to stop a house from burning after being affected from any exterior blaze. He received his patent in 2002.
He collects wildlife artwork and has built up one of the largest Mitchell Mansanarez collections anywhere, which include 28 works by him and his brothers, and one from his father. He and Lauren enjoy cruises, especially to the Bahamas, to get away from it all. “We do it every year to celebrate our anniversary and this November we will be enjoying our 16th anniversary cruise.”
He and Lauren are building their retirement home on two acres located 13 miles from downtown Payson, Arizona, in the high country 75 miles from the Phoenix metropolitan area. They have three children and one grandchild; Dustin, 25, whose daughter is just two months old; Marissa 15 and Matt 14.
One of his most prized possessions is an autographed baseball by Curt Schilling, then a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks World Championship team in 2001. He received the ball from Schilling himself after working as a sub-contractor on the Schilling’s home in Paradise Valley. It is the ball that was used on the first pitch to open the contest of the seventh game of the World Series here in Phoenix and it commemorates Arizona’s first professional sports championship. “I know that this inspiring piece of sports memorabilia will help us bring the first All American Association of Pro Team Poker national championship to Arizona.”
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