Top 5 for Poker in 2011
As the World Series of Poker(WSOP) shows soon culminate with the final table, let’s take a look at the top five things that have caught my eye and impacted poker and its future over the past year. 1. The Advent of Live WSOP Coverage For the first time ever, ESPN brought live coverage to the poker world. Up until this year, WSOP results were constantly being spoiled because all anyone had to do was go to the Internet to see results, and word-of-mouth took care of the rest. Now, with live coverage, followed by 30-minute tape...
Read MoreThe November Nine Preview: Two months Until History
These days, it seems like winning a poker tournament is as likely as a 21st Century Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl. There are just too many opportunities to drop the ball early or falter down the stretch. All it takes is one hand to fumble away your dream. But, nine lucky souls have the rare chance to win the most coveted title in poker: World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion. Whether it is by luck, skill, or a little bit of both, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter how they got here (even though the players...
Read MoreOne for the Ages
When you look at the greatest moments in sports and poker (some argue the two are the same) for 2011, guys like Dirk Nowitzki, Aaron Rodgers, Tim Thomas, Novak Djokovic, and Erik Seidel come to mind. Unlike the other sports, poker has many champions each year, but none stands out quite like Seidel in 2011. Seidel has won around $6.4 million dollars this year, and while a few main event champions have eclipsed that mark, none have ever had a more consistent and productive run than the eight-time bracelet winner....
Read MoreOne Man’s Rise and Fall
In sports and in poker, the rise and fall (and vice versa) of a player is the kind of story that really captivates America. After a great first event at the Epic Poker League (EPL), in which Brad Garrett energized a great charity event, it was the rise and fall of David ‘Chino’ Rheem that echoed sound waves throughout the poker community. You may remember Rheem for his work in 2008, when he rocketed onto the poker world with a Main Event final table appearance, as well as a World Poker Tour win. Since then, Chino has...
Read MoreAn Epic Start
If you thought the Epic Poker League (EPL) was solely a competition of the best poker players, think again. The league, hosted by the philanthropic Annie Duke, is full of good deeds and rewarding sacrifices. Accompanying each EPL event is a main event, preceded by a Pro/Am and a charity event. The charity event is what distinguishes this poker organization from the rest. The first charity event was hosted by “Everybody Loves Raymond” star and poker advocate/player, Brad Garrett....
Read MoreNine Chase the Dream, One Lives it
After 6,856 poker players saw their dreams fall by the wayside, nine remain. These souls form the November Nine, a group sent away from the felt for four months, only to return to the most revered final table in all of poker. Every year, the groups are unique, and carry their own storylines. While the 2011 version doesn’t have the big names (e.g. Allen Cunningham, Phil Ivey, Michael Mizrachi) or the controversy (e.g. Jamie Gold’s table talk that crossed the line and led to a lawsuit) that has encompassed the last decade,...
Read MoreLamb Looming, Epic Poker Booming
Despite the USA Online Poker crash (Bodog being the latest victim, effective at the end of the year), there are many great things going on in the poker world. Last time I left you, Ben Lamb was on the roller-coaster ride of his life, chasing phenom, Phil Hellmuth, for Player of the Year (POY) honors, amidst the thunderous crowds and bright lights of the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Well, Lamb hasn’t veered off the tracks once, as he’s automatically vaulted a car length ahead of Hellmuth in the POY race, just by...
Read MorePhilling It Up
In sports, the best in the world fall just short of the prize all the time. They only get one chance a year, and it comes and goes so quickly. However, in poker, you have the opportunity to contend for the top prize, a gold bracelet, 58 times. Indeed, there are 58 bracelet events at the World Series of Poker, (WSOP) a place like no other that gives professionals and amateurs, alike, the opportunity to change their lives and transition from a nobody into somebody. For most, poker is about the money. For the professionals, winning...
Read MoreA Lightning Rod to Success
I recently had the pleasure of talking with Rod Jahanguiri, a part-time professional poker player. Jahanguiri is a cash game specialist, but has enjoyed some tournament success of late. This includes a 3rd place finish at the Rio Deep Stack event for around $5,000 and 4th place in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) $550 6-Max event in January, where he pocketed over $8,000. At the six handed tournament, he got his pocket kings all in preflop against the second biggest stack, who happened...
Read MoreThe World Series of Poker Experience
As I walked through the long, winding hallways of the Rio, I could not help but notice the mammoth, life-sized posters of the poker greats that adorned the walls. I’ve seen them on television many times, but in person, I was awe-struck. Making my way past a Starbucks, I reached a room with poker memorabilia being sold on both sides, as well as a gold bracelet enclosed by glass and an elevated television in the middle of the room. I felt captivated by the moment, but that was just the beginning. Walking into the World Series of...
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