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2011 Poker Hall of Fame Nominees

Posted by CarbonPoker on 7th October 2011

In conjunction with this years World Series of Poker final table celebration, two legendary poker players will take a huge step in solidifying their legacy in the Poker Hall of Fame. The 2011 nominees are impressive and really showcase a who’s who of both circuit and online poker players! As hard as it would be to pick a winner and not a decision I envy, I have three standouts I think have the best shot at being inducted this year.

Heading up this illustrious list of nominees is Barry Greenstein. Barry is fondly known as the “Robin Hood of Poker”, as his reputation of donating his winnings is well documented. His play has always been consistent, calculated and his three WSOP bracelets and $7.5 million dollars in tournament winnings speak to that. His reputation as a classy and respectful player make him a lock in my opinion.

Another pro up for the induction can best be described as a poker trailblazer. Annie Duke is easily the greatest female professional poker player of all time. While not only winning a WSOP bracelet in 2004, and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship last year, she has been a huge personality and presence as one of the faces of the poker uprising and a huge advocate for online poker. $4.2 million dollars in career earnings is a pretty impressive feat. With always being the center of attention throughout the poker media as not only a poker celebrity but poker pro, she has to come in as a heavy favorite.

Jennifer Harman-Traniello is also up for consideration. She started outwitting people out of their money in cards when she was eight. I’m pretty sure I was still learning cursive with a crayon in my eighth year as a human. What I like about Harman is the fact that she is virtually the only woman that frequents the biggest cash games at the Bellagio, which gives way to huge respect points in the industry. With two WSOP bracelets and $2.6 million dollars in tournament rakes to back that up, she’s going to make it tough not to vote for her.

Although Greenstein, Duke and Harman-Traniello are the top three I would consider inducting, the following list of professionals rounds out the nominees anyone could really argue deserves to be one of the two inducted this year:

Linda Johnson (WSOP bracelet 1997), John Juanda (5 WSOP bracelets), Marcel Luske (7 WSOP Final Tables), Jack McClelland (WSOP tournament director), Tom McEvoy (4 WSOP bracelets), Scotty Ngyuen (5 WSOP bracelets, trash-talking champion) and Huckleberry Seed (4 WSOP bracelets).

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Dutch Boyd relegated to $20 Poker Coaching

Posted by PokerPop on 29th September 2011

Dutch Boyd doesn’t exactly have the greatest track record when it comes to his fellow poker peers. After co-founding the PokerSpot online poker site, Boyd received a lifetime black mark when the room shut down, and over $400,000 worth of player deposits were never paid. Boyd has plenty of excuses why his site failed to repay the funds when it shut down in 2001, but the bottom line is that a lot of cashouts went unpaid.

Relating this all to the present, Boyd seems to be resurfacing in the poker news lately by offering 1-on-1 poker coaching sessions through Skype for a measly $20. You sign up for the sessions through his site, PokerClinic.com, and he works out the details with players from here.

The biggest thing worth pointing out with this story is how far Boyd has fallen in recent years to be offering $20 poker coaching sessions for half an hour. As stated on his site, he’s a two-time WSOP bracelet winner, and Boyd has over $2 million in career live tournament winnings. Plus people with half of his experience command much higher fees, so it’s surprising to see the low fees that he’s charging.

But even with this being said, assuming you pay Boyd’s fees and think that he is full of sh**, you can get a money back guarantee. Of course, it’s hard not to laugh at the irony here when looking at how the whole money back thing at PokerSpot worked out. But hey – at least he’s not asking anybody to leave deposits on his coaching site.

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Matt Giannetti wins WPT Malta

Posted by PokerPop on 25th September 2011

2011 is definitely shaping up to be the best year of Matt Giannetti’s life. After all, the poker pro already made the 2011 WSOP Main Event final table. The Las Vegas native will start the tournament in third place when action resumes in November.

Moving along, the 2011 November Nine member can also revel in his latest big accomplishment, which involves winning the 2011 WPT Malta Main Event. Giannetti was able to play his way through a tough 240-player field, and on towards the $273,200 first place prize; he’ll also receive a $25,000 WPT Championship seat along with the money.

For a while, it was looking like Giannetti would have no shot to win since Cecilia Pescaglini appeared to be a lock to become the first woman ever to win a WPT tournament. She opened the final day with a massive chip advantage over the rest of the field. However, Pescaglini ran into some bad luck against Giannetti heads-up. Even Giannetti himself admitted this after tweeting, “God damn, I am a lucksack, so mad how I played, way too much run good expended… Happy I won but feel like I don’t deserve it.”

As we all know though, there is plenty of luck involved in poker, and there’s no taking the 2011 WPT Malta title away from Giannetti no matter. But the way he won was somewhat lucky since he went all-in with a straight draw against Pescaglini’s top pair; Giannetti won when his straight connected on the turn.

Here is a look at the final table standings:

1. Matt Giannetti – $273,200
2. Cecilia Pescaglini – $159,412
3. Filippo Bianchini – $104,936
4. Simon Trumper – $72,985
5. Tristan Clemencon – $54,381
6. Fabien Sartoris – $41,977

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Does Phil Hellmuth ride Giant Hot Dogs

Posted by PokerPop on 24th September 2011

Here’s a universal question that must be asked: does Phil Hellmuth like to ride giant hot dogs in the water? Judging from the picture on the left-hand side, you would have to say that he does ride giant hot dogs on the water.

After all, the guy in the picture looks very much like Hellmuth, and he’s been known to do just as crazy stuff in the past. You might even say that some of his various WSOP entrances top riding the giant hot dog.

On the other hand, it’s pretty hard to beat riding a giant hot dog in the water just for the simple fact that who would think of such a thing. Perhaps this is Phil’s strange way of blowing off some steam after he narrowly missed out on a 12th WSOP gold bracelet.

Even if the guy in the picture isn’t Hellmuth (although it looks very much like him) or it’s a photoshop, this guy is still pretty cool by my standards.

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Jesus and The Professor booted from Epic Poker League

Posted by PokerPop on 22nd September 2011

While many people have criticized the Epic Poker League for taking it upon themselves to became poker’s new morality patrol, their latest decision seems to have been largely accepted by the poker community. The Standards and Conduct Committee for the Epic Poker League voted in favor of indefinitely suspending Howard “The Professor” Lederer and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson from future tournaments.

Once considered popular figures in the poker world, both Ferguson and Lederer have become a joke after their involvement in the Full Tilt Poker mess. After numerous news outlets reported on Full Tilt Poker being a Ponzi scheme, both Lederer and Ferguson were cited as dipping into the $440 million that was taken out by the company’s owners/pros; currently, many FTP members haven’t received their bankroll back. All of this combined to put both players’ character into question, and the EPL decided to suspend them.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this story is that Lederer’s sister, Annie Duke, had to sit in on the meeting to suspender her brother and Jesus. Perhaps she heard what Dusty Schmidt thought about the hypocrisy of previous Epic Poker League suspensions, and decided that she had better help do something about the matter, or risk damaging the newlyfound league’s already fragile reputation.

In any case, it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing Lederer or Ferguson in the Epic Poker League any time soon since they’re being targeted by a US Department of Justice civil suit. Perhaps they can both go have cocktails and swap stories with other suspended Epic Poker Leaguers like David “Chino” Rheem and Michael Devita.

Of course, if the Epic Poker League’s attendance doesn’t start increasing soon (97 of 200 invited players attended the last tourney), they won’t be missing out on much since the organization will be over with before it got started.

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Dusty Schmidt blasts Annie Duke

Posted by PokerPop on 20th September 2011

In a recent CardPlayer article, online poker pro Dusty Schmidt laid the smack down on the Epic Poker League and Annie Duke. Getting into the specifics, Schmidt had a problem with how the Epic Poker League took away a $20k seat won by online qualifier Michael Devita on the grounds that he was a sex offender (read about it here).

The former pro golf hopeful-turned-poker-star is basically fed up with all of the hypocrisy that exists in the poker world as he wrote the following:

The problem is there is no leadership. Leadership needs to start from the top. Sadly, just this week the Epic Poker League, which is essentially trying to become the PGA Tour of poker, stiffed a guy out of $20,000. Annie Duke (aka the Sarah Palin of poker) and her Epic Poker League told a winner of a satellite event into an Epic Poker League event that they couldn’t play the event itself because of a prior conviction as a sex offender. Not only did the league decide that this person should not be allowed to compete in the event proper, but also stole the $20,000 the man won fair and square. All they did was refund the man’s entry fee and tell him to go away, essentially. How much do you want to bet that had he not won, not in a million years could he have asked for his money back on the grounds that he shouldn’t have been able to play. They basically just free rolled the guy.

I’m glad that somebody agrees with my point of view on how it’s not the Epic Poker League’s right to turn people away based on prior convictions. Sure Devita may have been the biggest weirdo at the table had he been accepted into the Epic Poker League, but he still won the $20,000 seat fair and square.

But enough about my thoughts, and on to the last of Schmidt’s comments on the matter. He finished up by discussing some of the biggest hypocrites in poker, which includes Duke, and here’s what he wrote:

The irony in this is astounding. Annie Duke herself used to pimp UB which has stolen tens of millions (if not more) for a large fee (and to my knowledge has kept all the money) and rumor has it, has had a number of shady dealings in the past. Her own brother is basically the Bernie Madoff of poker. Yet she is the one telling others that they are too shady to allow a seat in her Epic Poker League, and stealing money from them in the process. Of course if you are on of her friends like Mike Matusow who is a convicted felon, then that is obviously not a problem. What a world we live in!

If you’d like to read the entire article, you can check it out here.

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Annie Duke appears on Late Late Show

Posted by PokerPop on 8th September 2011

Annie Duke has been a lightening rod for controversy and jokes among poker insiders over the past few years due to her outspokenness. And it certainly doesn’t help Duke’s case that her brother, Howard Lederer, is one of the key figures behind the Full Tilt Poker mess. But none of this stopped Duke from making an appearance on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson to hawk her new book, “Decide to Play Better Poker.”

Surprisingly, the segment with Duke was kind of funny, and she looked comfortable on the show – even getting a few laughs out of the audience. Of course, Ferguson played the part of the clueless-about-poker-moron perfectly with some of the jokes he made regarding bluffing and betting.

Some of the highlights of the show included the following:

- Duke said that she doesn’t play poker with her kids, nor do her kids know how to play.
- Both Ferguson and Duke played a “mouth organ” to close out the segment.
- Duke explained some signs to look for from bluffers such as pursed lips and the tendency to lick their lips.
- She mentioned the Epic Poker League at various points, although it seemed as if Ferguson wanted to talk about anything other than the Epic Poker League….much like poker players themselves.

Here is a look at the Late Late Show segment in its entirety:

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Patrik Antonius Poker Coaching costs $6k

Posted by PokerPop on 7th September 2011

Wouldn’t it be great to be coached by a poker player who boasts over $10 million in online poker winnings? Sure it would – especially if the coach was the dashing, world-famous poker pro Patrik Antonius. And what’s great is that you can retain Patrick Antonius’ poker coaching services for a mere $6,000 an hour.

Seeing as how it takes the average US resident over two months to earn this kind of cash, $6k might seem a little steep – even if the coaching is coming from Antonius. And PokerNews documented just how much Antonius’ fee compares to other professions in an interview regarding a new poker coaching company run by Brandon Adams. Here is an excerpt from the Brandon Adams interview:

For $400 an hour, Jeff Miron, a senior lecturer on economics from Harvard will be at your service to inform you of the latest policy conflicts worldwide. Or, for an unpublished fee, you can discuss marketing secrets with Daymond John, CEO and founder of FUBU. As for poker, you can pick the brains of some of the most accomplished players in the world. Patrik Antonius charges $6,000 an hour, while Tom Dwan’s price is a bit steeper at $6,500 an hour. The unique website is quickly gaining interest. PokerNews spoke with Adams about Expert Insight.

Interestingly enough, Tom Dwan makes even more than Antonius coaching players, despite the fact that he’s been far less successful in recent years. In any case, it’s crazy to see that Dwan and Antonius are out-earning many brain surgeons, CEO’s and top-flight lawyers with their poker coaching. And this is pretty impressive considering the fact that you don’t have to go to school for 10 years and be $400k in debt afterward.

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Greg Mueller beats down Robber

Posted by PokerPop on 5th September 2011

Live tournament pro Greg Mueller got the satisfaction of catching a robber who was trying to make off with his $5,000 casino chip last night. Fresh off a successful day at the Epic Poker League Pro/Am, where Mueller grabbed the Day 1 chip lead, he played some craps later that night at the Aria.

While Mueller was playing, there was a lurker hovering around the table just waiting for a chance to steal some chips. He found that target in Mueller, but unfortunately for the thief, Mueller’s friend, Kyle, saw his “flags vibrate,” which can only be deemed as a fancy term for somebody stealing a $5,000 casino chip.

After Kyle alerted Mueller, the former hockey pro looked down to see that his chip stack had been violated. So the two chased after the wannabe Bellagio Bandit, which resulted in Kyle tearing the shirt off of the thief. With his nipples exposed, the crook took off again with both Mueller and Kyle chasing after him again.

According to Mueller, the thief would turn and run the other way way like a scared little b**** when he saw Mueller; this gave Kyle plenty of chances to get his hands on the slippery varmint. Finally, Kyle wrestled the robber to the ground, which set Mueller up to deliver the following line, “Ship the flag right now, and nothing happens to ya.” The man then gave Mueller back the $5,000 chip.

Unfortunately for Mueller, he violated the criminal’s trust because Aria security guards showed up to take care of the rest; we’re guessing that this means some future jail time. As for Mueller, he is the Pro/Am tournament leader going into tomorrow, and he certainly has a good story to recite to fellow pros on the poker tables.

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Jamie Gold gets his own Poker Room

Posted by PokerPop on 29th August 2011

Jamie Gold hasn’t exactly lit the poker world on fire over the past five years since he has just $134k in live tournament cashes since 2006. However, this hasn’t stopped the 2006 WSOP Main Event champion from landing several sponsorship deals – the latest of which includes having his own poker site.

The site is called FreeGoldPoker.com, and it’s the latest “free” room we’ve seen spawn lately. Much like the Larry Flynt-owned Hustler Casino, Free Gold Poker charges players a subscription fee to play, rather than taking rake from poker hands and tournaments. Of course, this also means that players aren’t actually playing for real money, but novelty prizes and non-cash rewards instead.

Basically, Free Gold Poker is akin to pumping your money into carnival games in hopes of winning stuffed animals and other cheap thrills. Okay, so maybe the prizes aren’t that bad since cameras, electronics, UFC gear and event trips are on the line, but this site isn’t a whole lot better than Zynga Poker. And if you’ve ever read through our blog much, you know that we don’t exactly think Zynga Poker is the best form of entertainment when you can compete in real money poker games.

In any case, it will be interesting to see how this poker room does since Jamie Gold still has some mainstream appeal to poker players. After all, he holds the record for the largest cash in a poker tournament at $12 million, which is certainly impressive to some of the newer players out there.

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