Winding down after a busy Christmas day, I watched TV last night and saw an interesting story on Poker2Nite. The story revolved around 23 year old Thuy Doan, an up-and-coming cash poker player. Thuy announced in September that she had cancer. Since then she has lost her hair as a result of the treatment.

The story was about the Poker Pros and other well-known poker-world-related figures (like poker tournament reporter/photographer BJ Nemeth) who stepped forward to show solidarity by shaving their heads. December 15, 2009, supporters met at Phil Ivey’s home. In all, 16 shaved their heads. Among them Phil Ivey, Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, Eli Elezra, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Joe Sebok, and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier.

How it went down…

The 3 of Spades was drawn

To add some “gamble” and fun to the event, they decided to split into two teams; the Red team and the Black team. Then Thuy drew a card from a deck. The team whose color was on the card had to get their heads shaved and the other team’s members did not.

So what happened?
Poker Pros have big hearts…In the end, they all shaved their heads.

Thuy wrote about the head-shaving event in her blog on PokerRoad:

“It started a few weeks ago when Barry Greenstein called and asked me to come to Vegas. He was holding a head shaving as a show of support for my battle against cancer and resulting baldness. It sounded like a fun event, which it was, but I didn’t know what to expect. Never did I imagine the incredible turnout, outpouring of love, and level of compassion displayed by everyone there. It was a truly memorable night. A huge thank you goes out to Barry for organizing the event, Phil for letting us use his palace, the barbers from Presidential Shave, everyone who showed up, and all the positive messages in the forums.”

Watch the Thuy Doan Story on Poker2Nite. (On left, choose Episode 6, Part 3. It is the last story in that snippet.)

Watch Barry Greenstein being interviewed about the head-shaving event on CardPlayer.

• Follow Thuy Doan on Twitter @RealThuyDoan
• Follow Thuy’s progress on her blog
• Poker2Nite can be seen Wednesday nights on FSN
• Follow Poker2Nite on Twitter @Poker2Nite

Dec. 3 Andrew Feldman (ESPN Poker Editor) and Lance Bradley (Bluff Magazine’s editor-in-chief) published a list of The Top Ten Poker Players in a blog post entitled, Ivey at the Top. The Dec. 3rd list is the first of what will be a new monthly feature called The Nuts. Their intention is to compile a list of the top ten poker players each month based on current results, not on lifetime achievements.  Since this will be a monthly feature, I assume that the Dec. 3rd list includes the top ten poker players for the month of November.

Feldman and Bradley openly admit that it was difficult to come up with a list. Poker players play in multiple tours and they don’t all play in the same tours. Plus the mix of live cash games and online cash games, and live tournament play and online tournament play complicate matters. Here’s what they say about the new feature and the process:

In association with our good friends at Bluff magazine, Lance Bradley and I set out to discover today’s poker top 10 for a new monthly feature. We wanted the best of the best at the current moment and didn’t want the all-time rankings, which of course would include players like Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar and Chip Reese. These rankings are all about what is going on here and now. To come up with our rankings we asked a panel of poker insiders to weigh in with their thoughts. That panel includes the poker trio at ESPN.com (myself, Gary Wise and Bernard Lee), Bluff magazine’s editor-in-chief Lance Bradley and writer Michael Friedman, Poker News Daily’s Dan Cypra, and Poker Road’s and Pocket Fives’ tournament reporter Court Harrington.

We asked our panel to take into consideration online and live play as well as cash games and tournaments. Here’s a look at December 2009’s version of what we’re going to be calling “The Nuts.”

Later on in the post, they say…

These guys are the best of the best in our eyes, but of course, we’re interested in what we got right and what we didn’t and feel free to leave that information in the comments section.

And feedback is what they got. When I read the piece, 29 poker fans had left comments.  Some argued that one or two players didn’t belong on the list. Others were indignant because stellar players (in their humble opinion) had been ignored. General consensus was that there is Too much Ivey love, and the same burning question kept arising: 

“Is this list meant to be the ten best poker players in the world at the moment or who is running particularly hot at the moment?“

Frankly, I thought for a first attempt, it was a good list. It takes time to develop a solid formula for ranking, especially given the myriad of variations in play for poker. Also, I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to the online action, so, I wasn’t feeling that any online fav had been left out. I look forward to the upcoming top ten poker player lists.

In the meantime; the post is short and worth the read. The comments are here.

Enjoy!

What do you think? Did they get it wrong?  Use comments to let us know.

Thursday, October 1, 2009, Barry Shulman, father of 2009 WSOP November Niner Jeff Shulman, won the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event. He took down Daniel Negreanu after five hours of heads-up play. [Read about the action WSOP Europe: Shulman Beats Negreanu for Main Event Bracelet] at Bluff Magazine.]

Contemplating the adage, “like father, like son“, I wonder if Jeff Shulman is following in his father’s footsteps and ask myself, “Is Jeff Shulman destined to win the 2009 WSOP Main Event in Vegas?”  What’s fueling this father-son duo to burst into the limelight with such poker prowess in 2009? Is it the dis from the WSOP? Is this a case of … “Don’t get angry…Get even!” 

I don’t know, but I do know that Jeff Shulman has hired Phil Hellmuth to coach him…and, it is fun to think about… a father and son winning majors in the same year!   Sure adds to the excitement and anticipation.

Tell me what you think. Who’s got the best chances of winning? Take a moment to cast your vote –>

Other November Niners contending at the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event final table were James Akenhead and Antoine Saout. Good to know that they are keeping in competitive shape.

Woo Hoo! Bonus event at the 2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table!  I just learned that Mike Sexton will be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Rio in Las Vegas on November 7th when final table play resumes. From the World Series of Poker website:

The Induction Ceremony will be part of a special Hall of Fame dinner ceremony on Saturday, November 7 at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas during the dinner break of the Main Event Final Table.  more…

Congrats to Sexton!  Great choice! Love his work with the WPT and think he is one of the best ambassadors of the game off the felt, and I like his demeanor when at the table. In addition, Mike Sexton is a founding member of Poker Gives.

The contenders were:

1. Barry Greenstein
2. Dan Harrington
3. Phil Ivey
4. Tom McEvoy
5. Daniel Negreanu
6. Men “The Master” Nguyen
7. Scotty Nguyen
8. Erik Seidel
9. Mike Sexton

Tom “durrrr” Dwan received enough fan votes to fill the 10th spot, but was not included on the official ballot. The Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council said that he did not match all of the criteria; “We wish him well and expect he will again be considered once he has ‘stood the test of time.”

To be nominated into the Poker Hall of Fame, a nominee must recieve the vote of 75% of the selection panel. The 2009 selection panel was made up of 15 members of the Poker Hall of Fame and 15 media reps. Mike Sexton was the only nominee to receive 75%.

What do you think? Who would you have voted for on this year’s ballot?

Related Posts:

• CardPlayer’s Mike Sexton Profile
• Previous Poker Hall of Famers
• Mike Sexton Elected to Poker Hall of Fame
• Nine HOF Nominees Remain
• Hall of Fame Nominations Announced: All But durrrr Make the Cut

While watching the $40k No Limit Hold’em 40th Anniversary tournament on ESPN last week, I learned that between 40 and 80 poker pros live in the same complex in Las Vegas, the  Panorama Towers. I was curious to see what would draw the attention of two 23-year-old poker pros like Isaac Haxton and Justin Bonomo. My perception is was that they are all about the game and don’t wouldn’t care too much about their surroundings. <– My bad!

The Towers are high-rise residences located West of the Bellagio that offer spectacular views of the city, and the strip in particular. Taking a tour of the website, I began to drool, and my perception of what young poker professionals might look for in housing has changed. BONK!  (Learned that even I could afford to purchase there, although keeping up with everyday costs might be a challenge.)

So what draws these young poker pros to the same spectacular surroundings like Panorama Towers? comradery? site security? affordability? amenities? proximity to high-level games?

Take a look at the Panorama Towers and let me know your thoughts.

Thinking about moving in?  Check out the listings for Panorama Towers.

May 26, 2010, 23 year old Poker Pro Adam Junglen posted in his blog…

I arrived in Vegas Sunday night and have been spending the last few days getting settled. I’m living back at Panorama Towers in a one bedroom furnished apartment, just for the summer. I’m really happy with it, it’s a perfect nook for me during the WSOP.

Adam Junglen’s blog

Last night I was watching the 2009 WSOP $10K Heads Up finals and periodically checking Twitter to see what else was going on. Maria Ho was playing the $10K Limit Hold’em event and was seated next to Erick Lindgren. A Tweet by Maria Ho:

 Erick Lindgren is at my 10k limit hold ‘em and I asked him if the twitter account under his name is fake and he said yes.

There is an  Erick_Lindgren Twitter account with 12 updates. He’s following 17 and has 200 Followers. I only recognized 3 poker pros in the Followers…

I don’t think it is the real Erick Lindgren.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

Following your favorite poker pros on Twitter: the good, the bad, and the ugly

After watching their tweets for a while, you can’t help but feel like you know them. You learn about what is important to them. Some feel more like neighbors and people you’d like to hang out with, and, others…[pregnant pause] well, you find out that you want to distance yourself…a lot. 

The Good
Some poker tweeters demonstrate that they know what is going on in the world by referencing others, events, sending good luck wishes, and encouraging others to contact their Congress people about the Internet Gambling laws or to donate to worthwhile causes.

There are the ‘reporter’ types that post news about upcoming and on-going poker battles. You don’t learn about them personally, but you learn about what is going on, and amongst them, who is well connected.

The Bad
As in any Twitter community, there are those who post inane comments like, “Gosh, I’m so tired”, and “Just finished my vanilla latte”.  Who cares? Tweet intelligently or Get Off. Stop taking up space.

The Ugly
Then there are those who post just plain ugly comments and jokes. They berate others, put down genders and races, and post links to foul-mouthed, negative-based articles and videos. <–Their vision of the world, I guess.

I very recently started following about 65 poker-related pros on Twitter. Within 36 hours, I ‘un’followed 3. One I wasn’t familiar with, but several pros were following him/her, so I added the tweeter to my “following” list. [Learning experience - Remove]

Two of them – both late 20-something poker pros that reach final tables fairly frequently, one from North America and the other from Southeastern Europe - seem hell bent on creating negative perceptions of themselves. I was surprised to read the racist and gender-biased posts that they put out there for the world to see. One negative put down message after another.

And, both seem to have issues with females. One of these chumps thinks that a conversation with a female about politics is a waste of time. [How would that fly with your wife? mother? daughter?] And – the other chump? Well, instead of wishing his mother Happy Mothers Day, posted a comment about Mothers Day with a play on the word mother***k*r.  This guy’s mom plays on the poker circuit! Way to make mom proud!

Don’t these dolts have publicists to teach them about image, marketing messages and packaging? I know one at least has a stylist. Maybe they are suffering from the spoiled athlete’s syndrom: a  lot of money and a lot of people ready to  bow to their every need, telling them how great they are – and they’re believing it.  

Either way, I am grateful for free speech. I am grateful for Twitter. I am grateful for [Remove].

What types of people do you [remove] from your Twitter Following list?