Those who play a Poker Expert on TV...

There’s a certain set of people who’ve been able to take advantage of the good ol’ days of poker when the game wasn’t nearly so tough.  Sure there have always been great poker players, but the 90’s and early 2000’s saw a number of people gain fame within poker that still carries over today.  Along with that fame, they were also able to build some huge bankrolls due to the fact that anybody with even a hint of poker strategy knowledge could steamroll their competition.

Of course today’s game is much different since there are literally millions more players in poker now.  The game is so much more popular because of the fact that anyone can pull up a cyber chair or research the best way to play AK in seconds through the Internet.  Seeing as how this is the case, the players in both live and online play are so much better today as well.

And this makes me wonder just how many of the famous players today are actually deserving of all the hype.  I surely respect all of the online players who’ve slowly built their bankroll and have become good live players in the process so I’m not talking about them.  However, there are quite a few people in the live circuit today who make me question if they aren’t still just living off of the fame and sponsorship deals they gained years ago.

I don’t want to go off naming names of everyone who I think actually sucks and just got in poker at the right time, but there are no doubt some people out there who are in this boat.  All I can say is at least players from the new generation won’t be able to squeeze by on name recognition alone; they’ll have to earn theirs.

Ever been beat by a Grandma?...

In the poker world, players come in all shapes, ages, and sizes.  From old legends like Doyle Brunson to the slick, classy players like Phil Ivey, poker is filled with all types of people.  However, one thing that you rarely see anywhere is an old grandma tearing up the poker scene. 

That’s why the story of Judyth Tinch of Summit County, Colorado caught my attention.  Though she doesn’t admit her age to anyone, it’s clear that she is no spring chicken due to the fact that she’s been retired for two years and is indeed a grandmother.  Seeing as how poker is already a male-dominated game with a few young women sprinkling the scene here and there, you can only imagine what players think when they see Tinch.

But anybody who underestimates Tinch will no doubt pay for it later since she is a very experienced player who claims to have been in “hundreds of thousands” of hands over the past few years.  Plus Tinch has been playing since she was in her 20’s so a lifetime of experience is under her belt too.

Players in the Denver area say that Tinch is one of the best around, and she has several wins to her credit as well.  She has yet to enter the WSOP though, but I’m sure it would make a great story if she does build the bankroll to hang with the big boys out in Las Vegas.  In fact, she’s currently playing in a tournament right now that will award the winner with a free seat in this year’s Main Event.

Even if she doesn’t ever go mainstream, Judyth Tinch can still make a good living hustling all those in the Denver area who doubt her skills based on appearance.

Best Poker Songs of All-Time...

The more I hear the Lady Gaga song “Poker Face”, the more I wanna shoot myself in the face.  Come to think of it, Poker Face doesn’t really have much to do with poker anyways and is hopefully not associated with poker by the people who actually listen to the words.  Rants aside, here are some decent songs about poker that won’t drive you crazy.

5. Bad Card

Whether you love or hate reggae (most people aren’t in between on this one), you have to appreciate Bob Marley’s poker song Bad Card.  Although this song had more to do with politics, Marley did show his understanding of how much bad luck plays into poker.

4. The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat is sung by a punk band by the name of The Clash, and it tells the story of a person whose life is all about cheating in poker.  Unfortunately, there’s nothing in this song about the cheat getting their ass kicked.

3. Ace in the Hole

I personally can’t stand country music, but this George Strait tune isn’t bad to listen to when you’re sitting at the poker table.  In fact, listening to this song during a long poker session sometimes even helps me semi-like country music.

2. Waiting on the Cards to Fall

Anybody who plays poker long enough will definitely experience the blues, and listening to the blues during these times is always appropriate.  Guy Davis’ song about how rough it can be when you’re waiting for decent cards to fall is definitely a classic.

1. Crazy Game of Poker

This is probably the most popular song about poker, and has also probably been the one song that has defined O.A.R.’s career more than anything else.  Crazy Game of Poker is always an uplifting song to listen to whether you’re on a hot streak at the table or just need something to pick you up after a bad session.

Lakers Owner skips Celebration in Favor ...

Last week the Los Angeles claimed what seems like their millionth championship in the history of the franchise after dispatching the Orlando Magic like they were some jayvee team 4 games to 1.  And, as is always tradition in the NBA, the LA Lakers had a parade thrown for them in downtown Los Angeles. 

What’s cool about NBA championship parades is that they are usually a great chance for the owner of the team to stick their nose in the action and pretend like they’re best friends with the players.  But the Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss wasn’t found sticking his nose in the action at all; in fact, Buss wasn’t even at the parade which is very rare for an NBA owner.

Instead, Buss was in a California dive called the Bicycle Casino playing poker at a table by himself 10 miles away from the parade route.  Luckily, the parade was shown on the TV right above Buss, but the weird thing was that he wasn’t even watching the television and was focusing on his cards instead. 

Those who are heavy into the live poker scene know that this behavior isn’t uncommon for Buss though since he has been an avid player for years now.  Buss’ best showing was without a doubt a 3rd place finish in the 1991 World Series of Poker Seven Card Stud tournament.  And he has been trying to improve on that finish for years now since he often plays in WSOP events.

Buss is pretty fascinating to me since he seems to have a true love of poker.  Most NBA owners would never skip a parade, and the attention that would come with it, to play poker.  Buss, on the other hand, continues to play the game despite the fact that he obviously doesn’t need to make any money and has the whole fame thing in check.  I’ll definitely be rooting for Buss to do well if he decides to enter any WSOP events this year!

Is Phil Ivey making a Serious Run at Phi...

Coming into the 2009 WSOP, Phil Ivey was already considered by some as the best all-around poker player in the world.  Ivey consistently crushes competition in high stakes games at Full Tilt and Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio leaving no doubt that he is in fact a great player.  However, his WSOP bracelet total was not quite up there with fellow top poker players like Erik Seidel, Johnny Moss, Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, and Phil Hellmuth.  5 gold bracelets is definitely a solid total, but it is far cry from 9, 10, or 11 bracelets which had people writing him off in the race to catch all-time leader Phil Hellmuth

But that has all changed since Ivey has already won two bracelets in this WSOP.  Ivey’s winning ways started with Event #8 when he took down the Deuce to Seven Lowball Draw tournament.  Not yet satisfied, Ivey went on to claim victory in the Event #25 Mixed Omaha/Seven Card Stud tournament.  This is where talks got serious about him possibly catching Phil Hellmuth in the future.

However, I think people are jumping the gun a bit since he’s still one behind Erik Seidel who is very active right now in the WSOP.  Of course there’s the all-time leader Phil Hellmuth who will no doubt add another bracelet someday (if not this year) to his total; Hellmuth has just been playing too good in recent years not to add another.  I don’t see Brunson or Chan ever grabbing #11, but that’s my opinion.

Getting back to Ivey, he’s definitely proved his all-around skills by picking up two more bracelets which is very impressive for somebody who plays so many cash games now.  But he’ll have to keep up his impressive play if he’s ever to catch a streaking Phil Hellmuth.