Archive for the ‘Most Famous top-100’ Category

Hi Poker friends!

It’s time for another update on my Most Famous Poker Player top-100 list. It’s been a while, I know but I was very busy. First I had a student internship for two weeks. Besides that I was beaten up once I came back from a drink and stayed in the hospital for 4 days with two broken ribs, a tough concussion and face fracture. As that was not enough my girlfriend decided to leave me for my best friend after four happy years and my dog died, when he commited suicide by jumping of the bridge right on the railway. But the most important and time-consuming reason for my absence is that I was occupied every day by playing an Online Poker Tournament.

For now, let’s meat the following two players of my list, which are two old school rocks, being regulars at the High Stakes Cash Games

(18)   =>   ELI   ELEZRA

> Eliahu Ilan Elezra

> born 24/12/1960, Jerusalem (ISR)

> resides now in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) with wife and 5 kids.

> Nickname: ‘ Mr. Vegas ‘ or ‘ Wizard ‘

> won 1 Bracelet (’07 WC Seven Card Stud Hi-Low)

> won 1 WPT-title (’04 Mirage Poker Showdown)

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker

> has Live Tournament Winnings of almost $ 2,000,000 (until 2009)

Eli is a former lieutenant in the Golani Brigade of the Israelian Army. He began playing poker after a leg injury. He also worked in Alaska for several years. He says he’s more a family man than a poker pro. He owns the successful Vegas nightclub Seven and several retail stores. Eli is very well-known for many years as a Regular in ” The Big Game” in Vegas. He also appeared during different seasons of Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament and GSN’s High Stakes Poker, sometimes together with his good, old friends Barry Greenstein and Doyle Brunson. Mr. Elezra won his first Bracelet after beating Scotty Nguyen heads-up in the World Championship Seven card Stud Hi-Low. He won even more, $250,000, in a side bet with Barry after he made a $25,000 bet laying 10:1 that Eli couldn’t win a WSOP Bracelet in 2007. Eli’s appearance is always recognizable because of his Maffia look and accent, which makes him a perfect and fearless poker character.

(17)   =>   BARRY   GREENSTEIN

> born 30/12/1954 in Chicago, Illinois (USA)

> resides now in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

> has 2 children and 4 stepchildren, incl. Joe Sebok

> Nickname: ‘ The Robin Hood of Poker ‘ or ‘ The Bear ‘

> won 3 Bracelets (’04 NL 2-7 Draw/ ‘05 PLO/ ‘08 Razz)

> won 2 WPT-titles ( Fifth Annual Jack Binion World Poker Open/ ‘06 WPT Invitational at Commerce Casino)

> plays online at PokerStars as member of TeamPokerStars.

> has Live Tournament Winnings of almost $7,000,000 (until 2009)

Barry earned a bachelor degree in computer science from the University of Illinois and studied for a PhD in Mathematics. He started to play poker then but he took a job for Symantec because of it would improve his chances for adoption, in stead of playing poker. He retired there at the age of 36. He also started PokerRoad, a poker website, with his stepson Joe Sebok, who’s also a very good and respected professional poker player. Barry is a well-known and respected Big Gun who’s one of the most successfull and fearless high stakes cash game players. He showed that with his appearances during different series and seasons of Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament and High Stakes Poker. But he also showed he can be a great tournament player. He won 2 other special events at the WPT, besides his Bracelets and WPT-titles. Mr. Greenstein is the author of the 2005 book: ‘ Ace on the River ‘, which is one of the most successful and best poker books out there. He gives a copy to every player that busts him out of a tournament. Another famous fact about him is that he taught former girlfriend Mimi Tran how to play poker in exchange for her learning him to speak Vietnamese. Barry has some famous oneliners such as ” LOL, Donkaments“, which gave him $10,000 after a bet from 2+2 Poker Forums, and ” Math is idiotic” after his well-known 550k suckout win against Tom Durr Dwan during High Stakes Poker. But as of 2008, Barry began to donate his net winnings to charities, primarily Children;Incorporated.

So we’re yet a step closer to the top Ten. I’ll make a quicker update this time, regardless any set-backs. Btw If you’re looking for fish, come play at Everest. I’m just playing there for a month and I’ve already doubled up my stack. Just by playing in the lowest PLO Cash Game, waiting for the hand and the moment and the fish will donate you easy money. Hehe, Life is good !

Cheers,

J.M.

Hi poker madness,

Something really strange happened to me the other day…

I was playing in a big cash game, blinds $50/$100, with some of the best players of this country. It was in a dark , underground room where only the greatest may play and the hottest girls can look. The whisky and cigar smoke was as natural as the blue sky outside before I got a suited Queen-Ten in the cut off and raised three times the big blind with only folding people in front of me. I only got a call from the big blind who was well-known as a fearless, dangerous and agressive player. I nipped a little whisky before the flop came J-9-4 rainbow and he checked. I bet small and he instantly raised me as I expected, and I called. The turn was the Ace of spades and he made a big bet and I called, hoping for a 8 or King. The pot was already over $5000. The tension was high with every stare at the table. Before the river came, I saw here. She was gorgeous as hell, long curly red hair, a black dress which suited her voluptuous perfectly. She really took my breath away as she nodded secretly towards me as I was stunned and not even noticed the 8 of clubs on the river. He went all-in for another $8000 and I immediately shipped my stack in and turned over the absolute nuts. She came to me and gave me the most perfect kiss ever as I don’t even cared about the money. Which is why playing poker is clearly a game of skill !

I’ve never had a better sleep for a whole week ! But there was work to do as we are down to the last twenty players in my list. From now on I’m going to present them with only two at the time. So it’ll get more exciting and I’ve the opportunity to say more about each player. Let’s meet them…

(20)   =>   ERICK   LINDGREN

> Erick A. Lindgren

> born 11/08/1976 in Burney, California (USA).

> resides now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

> Nickname : ‘ E-dog ‘

> won 1 Bracelet (’08 Mixed Hold’em)

> won 2 WPT-titles (’03 Ultimate Poker Classic/ ‘04 Party Poker Million III)

> was named season 2 WPT Player of the Year and 2008 WSOP Player of the Year.

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker as a member of TeamFullTilt.

> has  almost $7,400,000 in Live Tournament Winnings (until 2009).

Erick was a excellent football and basketball star in high school and he’s a former blackjack dealer at the casino. He has Swedish ancestry, regarding both his first and last name. Erick is well-known as one of the best tournament players alive. He has already 23 cashes in the WSOP and 16 cashes in the WPT with 5 WPT final tables and as I’ve mentioned earlier 2 World Poker Tour titles. He also won Professional Poker Tour in 2005, the Full Tilt Poker.net Poker Pro Showdown event in 2006 and the big hold’em event at the Aussie Millions in 2007. Erick wrote his own book on poker : ‘ World Poker Tour, Making the Final Table ‘ . Besides playing live, he’s a very good online player which he proved as being the first Full Tilt Pro who won a FTOPS event. Mr. Lindgren is a very friendly, sportive, funny and calm person following the words of his peers.

(19)   =>   SAM   FARHA

> Ihsan Farha

> born 1959, Beirut (LIB).

> resides now in Houston, Texas (USA).

> Nickname : ‘ Mister Cool ‘

> won 2 Bracelets (’96 Pot Limit Omaha/ ‘06 Limit Omaha 8/B)

> became 2nd at the WSOP Main Event in 2003 after losing in heads-up against Chris Moneymaker but still won a cool $1,300,000 with his second place.

> won over $ 2,300,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009).

Sammy graduated with a degree in business administration from the University of Kansas before moving to Houston to work for his brother. He decided to become a full time Poker Professional in 1990. He moved to the USA after the Lebanese Civil War. Sam is also a former pinball and Pac-man specialist. He appeared at the first four seasons on the GSN series High Stakes Poker, but he was refused for the fifth season. A great shame because he was one of the most popular and extraordinary character in the game who always was ready to gamble and very agressive player at the table. He likes the big Omaha cash games the most and he’s working on a book, televised poker series and a video game. Besides all that Mister Farha is a spokesman for Harrah’s casino in Las Vegas and he made a cameo appearance in the poker movie ‘Lucky You‘. Sammy is probably wildly known for his appearance. He’s always dressed nice in a suit, looking very cool and smooth with his unlit cigarette and maffia hair style backwards.

So that were the two players for this week. I didn’t run that good on Everest NL Hold’em cash games in the beginning, losing all my stack even playing the smallball poker strategy. But now I switched over to the PLO game and I make profit every day, almost back at my starting stack. I’m really starting to be good at the Pot Limit Omaha game and there are indeed a lot of fish. Just wait for your moment, only playing the nuts or second nuts and play it very agressive and You’ll win most of the time. See You next week !

Cheers,

J.M.

Welcome Poker people !!

Before I’m going to present you the next five players of my list, numbers 25-21, yes indeed, we’re reaching the top-10 very close now, I’ve made a big decision first. From now on I’m going to explore all the online poker sites out there and play all those bonuses and first deposit offers free, so I’ll have a really big and nice bankroll. I’ve decided that my first stop is at Everest Poker. I’ll probably only play the cash games and remain playing tournaments at PokerStars. But I’ve heared that there is many fish out there on Everest, so hopefully they’ll help me building up my bankroll . Maybe I see you soon, I’ll try to play the $200 bonus free as soon as possible. But for now let’s start with the highest ranked female player…

(25)   =>   JENNIFER   HARMAN

> Jennifer C. Harman – Traniello

> born 29/11/1964 Reno, Nevada (USA)

> resides now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

> married to fellow poker pro Marco Traniello and they have twin boys.

> won 2 Bracelets (’00 NL 2-7 Draw / ‘02 Limit Hold’em)

> won one Poker After Dark title

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker as member of TeamFullTilt.

> has Live Tournament Winnings of almost $ 2,400,000 (until 2009)

Jennifer started to play poker at the age of eight. She later graduated from the University of Reno, before playing poker full time. She had issues with her father for years because of her professional poker career but they resolved it later. She also had inherit problems with her kidneys and she took a year off from the poker world in 2004 for a transplant. She had excellent results after her comeback, 2nd at the WSOP Circuit Championship Event at the Rio, 2nd in the inaugural WSOPE HORSE Event in 2007 and made 2 WPT final tables.  She won her first Bracelet in 2000 and it was a special one because she had never played 2-7 Draw before and she got a quick lesson from Howard Lederer five minutes before entering. Jennifer wrote the Limit Hold’em chapter in Brunson’s Super System II and she played on different seasons of High Stakes Poker. She’s an active fund raiser for different charities and even has her own tournament for charity.  Jennifer is wildly considered as a great person and as her good friend Daniel Negreanu said : ” one of the best poker players in the world, cash and tournaments, online and live, and not only as a female “. She proved that as being the only woman to hold 2 Bracelets in WSOP open events, the only woman to be a regular at the Big Game at the Bellagio and she ranked fifth on the all time female ranking of tournament winnings.

(24)   =>   HUCK   SEED

> Huckleberry Seed

> born 15/01/1969 Santa Clara, California (USA).

> resides now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

> was the 1996 WSOP Main Event World Champion

> was 6th at the WSOP Main Event in 1999.

> won 3 other Bracelets (’94 Pot Limit Omaha/ ‘00 Razz/ ‘03 Razz)

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker as a member of TeamFullTilt.

> won over $5,300,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009).

Huck is a former Electrical Engineering student and he was a member of big college basketball teams, even featured in 2006 documentary Quantum Hoops about him being a star player on the famous Caltech’s team. He’s considered as one of the best heads-up players in the world, which he proved when he won the 2009 NBC Heads-up Poker Championship and cashed in every single edition. Mr. Seed is an enigmatic character at the table, talking rarely or very quiet and he’s over 2 m. tall. He’s well-known as a very good tournament player in all the games, notably Razz and for his famous sick prop bets with Phil Hellmuth.

(23)   =>   JOHN   JUANDA

> Johnson Juanda

> born 08/07/1971 Medan (INDO)

> resides now in Los Angeles (USA).

> Nickname : ‘ Luckbox ‘ or ‘ JJ ‘

> won the WSOPE Main Event in 2008.

> won 3 other Bracelets (’02 Triple Draw Lowball A-5/ ‘03 Seven-card Stud Hi-Lo Split/ ‘03 PLO)

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker as a member of TeamFullTilt

> has over $9,700,000 in Live Tournament Earnings (until 2009).

John is ethnically Chinese and arrived in the US in 1990 when he was accepted at Oklahoma State University. He was a school track star and he did sold bibles from door to door. John became the 2001 and 2002 Card Player Magazine Tournament Player of  the Year. He’s wildly honoured as a calm and friendly player at the table and considered as one of the best tournament players alive. Here are some results to prove that: he won the World Poker Open Championship title, the inaugural Professional Poker Tour Event in 2004, the Monte Carlo Millions Consolation tournament in 2005, Crown Australian Poker Championship in 2006 and he became 2nd at the EPT High Roller Event London in 2008. Besides that he won 2 Poker After Dark titles and made 6 WPT final tables, but haven’t won one yet.

(22)   =>   MARCEL   LUSKE

> born 20/03/1953 Amsterdam (NED).

> still lives there

> Nickname : ‘ The Flying Dutchman ‘

> became 10th in the WSOP Main Event in 2004, the year Greg Raymer won.

> won the Hall of Fame Poker Classic Paris in 2005.

> plays online at PokerStars as a member of TeamPokerStars.

> won over $3,700,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009).

Marcel had an illegal casino in Amsterdam in the 80’s and his brother Bertus was shot there in 2003. He’s very famous for wearing his sunglasses upside-down and always wearing a suit at the table. He’s a true gentleman singing and sitting at the poker table who loves the attention and media circus and is a controversial player, like a European version of Phil Hellmuth but with style. He’s considered as the best Dutch poker player in tournaments with his 20 cashes at the WSOP and made 3 EPT final tables. He was rewarded two times as European Poker Player of the Year in 2001 and 2004. He’s a good friend and mentor of Noah Boeken, and they’ve made different poker television shows together in The Netherlands. Marcel is also well-known as the mentor of David Williams and Kirill Gerasimov. Mister Luske holds a black belt in karate.

(21)   =>   GREG   RAYMER

> Gregory Raymer

> born 25/06/1964 Minot, North Dakota (USA)

> lives in North Caroline with wife Cheryl and daughter Sophie.

> Nickname : ‘ Fossilman ‘

> became the WSOP Main Event World Champion in 2004.

> wears always opaque holographic sunglasses during a hand and has a small fossil as his card protector.

> plays online at PokerStars as a member of TeamPokerStars

> won around $6,850,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009)

Greg majored Chemistry at the University of Missouri and graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School. He worked as an attorney for Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company before becoming a full time poker professional in 1999. He won the WSOP Main Event in 2004 after beating David Williams in heads-up play and won $ 5,000,000. Greg won his entry fee by winning a satellite tournament at PokerStars. He finished 25th at the World Series of Poker Main Event the year after his win which was an extraordinary achievement. He appeared on Poker Superstars III and represented his country as Team Captain USA in the World Cup of Poker. Besides live poker, Mr. Raymer has excellent online results in big tournaments, even winning the PLO event at the WCOOP of PokerStars. Greg is a perfect ambassador for poker as he’s a friendly, well-respected guy who’s very accessible and patient and he said once during a EPT event that he’s allergic to alcohol. Raymer also considered running for Vice-President of the US in 2008 as a candidate of the Libertarian Party.

So, now we are down to the last twenty players !! See you next week for the next post and the following five players because I’m going to play at Everest now.

Cheers,

J.M.

Welcome again poker people !

Today I’ll continue with the next five players out of my list as I’m preparing for the WBCOOP Main Event tonight. I’ll report about it in a couple of days but I’m more than satisfied right now with already three tickets in the pocket. I’m also going to insert a brand new poll on my site, so let me know who do you think should be my number one or is the most Famous Poker Player for you. I’ll give you a choice between ten players. Those are also my absolute top-Ten, so you have a little idea than about where the list is going to. But for now I’m going to start with number 30…

(30)   =>   ANNIE   DUKE

> Anne LaBarr Lederer

> born 13/09/1965 in Concord, New Hampshire (USA).

> lives now in Los Angeles, California and has 4 children.

> Nickname : ‘ The Duchess of Poker ‘

> won 1 Bracelet (’04 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or better)

> was 10th in the 2000 WSOP Main Event

> is the sister of  ‘ The Professor ‘ , Howard Lederer.

> plays online at UltimateBet

> has Live Tournament Winnings of $ 3,700,000 (until 2009).

She studied psycholinguistics until 1992, when she decided to play poker full time, with the support and knowledge of her brother Howard. Annie is an excellent tournament player, which she showed in 2004 when she won the WSOP Tournament of Champions. She was eight months pregnant when she became 10th in the 2000 WSOP Main Event, the year that Chris ‘ Jesus’ Ferguson won. She holds the women’s record for the most money finishes in the WSOP, 37 cashes. She won the WSO Rock, Paper and Scissors in 2006, hosted by Phil Gordon where she received a free entry for that year’s WSOP Main Event. Annie ranked 2nd on the Women’s All Time Money List, after Kathy Liebert. Annie is also well-known for her TV appearances in different shows such as 1 vs. 100, Deal or No Deal, Poker After Dark and Celebrity Apprentice. She’s a very multifunctional woman, always having a very active life besides her four children. She was the tutor of actor Ben Affleck, she raises money for different charities, she writes about poker in articles and her autobiography and she’s a teacher at the WSOP Poker Academy. Annie Duke is wildly considered as the best female poker player in the world.

(29)   =>   MEN   NGUYEN

> born in 1954, Phan Thiet (VIET).

> resides now in Bell Gardens, California (USA).

> Nickname : ‘ The Master ‘

> won 6 Bracelets (’92 Seven-card Stud/ ‘95 Seven-card Stud Hi-Lo/ ‘95 Limit Hold’em/ ‘96 Omaha Hi-Lo/ ‘03 Seven-card Stud/ ‘03 A-5 Triple Draw Lowball)

> became 4th in the 1996 WSOP Main Event, when Huck Seed was the winner.

> won about $ 9,200,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009).

He left school in Vietnam at the age of 13 and became a bus driver to support his family. Men came to the USA in 1978 and played poker for the first time in 1984. He lost a lot in his first years of playing until he won his first tournament in 1987. Men Nguyen became one of the best tournament players alive. He has 65 cashes in the WSOP, he made 4 final tables at the World Poker Tour and he already won more than 75 tournaments in his poker career. He always donates a portion of his winnings to different charities in Vietnam. He’s also well-known for tutoring other poker players, mostly form Asia such as David Pham. Men was the Card Player Magazine Player of the Year in 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2005, so four times !!! There were some allegations against him about Nguyen’s possible involvement with tournament cheating, but nothing has been proven yet.  He likes to smoke and drink  and isn’t always a true gentleman at the table, as he spit beer over the table one time.

(28)   =>   DAVID   ULLIOTT

> born 04/04/1954, Hull (ENG).

> still resides there in Kingston upon Hull.

> was married for two times and has a total of 7 children.

> Nickname : ‘ Devilfish ‘ or ‘ The Clock ‘

> won 1 Bracelet (’97 PL Hold’em)

> won 1 WPT-title (Jack Binion’s World Poker Open)

> is the highest-earning British poker player in the circuit.

> plays online at his own site DevilfishPoker

> has Live Tournament Winnings of almost $ 5,700,000 (until 2009)

He likes to wear orange-tinted prescription sunglasses and gold knockleduster rings reading ‘ Devil ‘ and ‘ Fish’. David was a real thief between the age of 19 and 28 with several armed robberies, fights and safe-cracks. He spent a couple of years in prison until he met his wife and he went straight. He travelled across England in the 90’s with his good friend Gary Whitaker and made a lot of money in different cash games, often wearing a gun to be sure he got his winnings. Gary also has given David’s Nickname ‘Devilfish’ during a heads-up battle between Ulliott and Men Nguyen. He’s a special poker player, but a very good and respected one. He won the first serie of Late Night Poker, the first poker show to use hole cam technology. He played in different Tv shows such as Poker Nations Cup, British Poker Open and Party Poker Premier League.

(27)   =>   JOE   HACHEM

> Joseph Hachem

> born 11/03/1966, Lebanon.

> resides now in Melbourne (AUS), with wife Jeanie and 4 kids.

> Nickname : ‘ Diamond Joe ‘

> winner of the WSOP Main Event in 2005.

> won 1 WPT-title (’06 Five Diamons Poker Classic)

> ranked 6th on the All Time Tournament Money List

> plays online at PokerStars as member of TeamPokerStars.

> has Live Tournament Winnings of over $10,800,000 (until 2009)

Joe moved to Melbourne, Australia at the age of six. He started to play poker in 1995 after he couldn’t continue his job as a chiropractor because of a rare blood disorder that affected his hands. Hachem is very well-known as a player of great grace and class, being an excellent tournament player. His big victory was of course his win as a world champion at the WSOP Main Event. He won $7,500,000 with that win after he beated Steve Dannenmann in heads-up play.  Joe was the first Australian to win the Main Event and his victory was followed by a big poker boost in his home country Australia. Joe has been associated with the famous phrases : ” Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi ” and ” Pass the Sugar” after winning a pot. Besides that he won some other tournaments such as the 2007 PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour Tournament of Champions and one Poker After Dark title. He appeared in Poker Superstars III and the fifth season of High Stakes Poker where he proved that he’s no fear to play in the big cash games. He also produced his own reality show, ‘ The Poker Star ‘ where he’s the poker mentor for a group of contestants with finally one winner. Joe operates a mortgage company, enjoys playing golf and is good friends with fellow poker pro Greg Raymer.

(26)   =>   DAVID   BENYAMINE

> born 05/07/1972, Paris (FRA)

> resides now in Henderson, Nevada (USA) and in France.

> engaged with fellow poker pro Erica Schoenberg and has one daughter.

> Nickname : ‘ Napoleon ‘ or ‘ Degenyamine ‘

> won 1 Bracelet (’08 Omaha Hi-Low Split)

> won 1 WPT-title (’03 Grand Prix de Paris)

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker as a sponsored Pro.

> has Live Tournament Earnings of almost $ 3,500,000.

David is a former professional tennis player but he had to retire because of a shoulder injury. Besides tennis, he’s also a very successful top ten billiards player in France. He learned the game of poker when he was just 12 years old. He was departed from the USA during 2004 for not having a work permit. Despite of his excellent tournament results, reaching 3 WPT final tables and winning the WPT Battle of Champions II invitational event and one Poker After Dark title, Mister Benyamine is more known as a marvellous and fearless cash game player who plays at the Highest Stakes in Las Vegas and online and likes to gamble. He showed that in different seasons of High Stakes Poker and Million Dollar Cash Game. He’s also well-known as a Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) specialist. He has never read a poker book or magazine and his fiancee Erica has played in a featured strip poker game.

I’m still in the WBCOOP right now, reaching the last 200 players so I’m going to play further now. Wish me luck and see you again soon !!!!

J.M.

Good Evening Pokermadness !

I’m sorry it took so long before I got back but I had some work for school and different examinations to deal with. I’ll post the next players quicker, so that we could reach the number one in a couple of weeks. I’m running extremely bad the last weeks, especially during live play than. I’m so carddead sometimes that it’s very hard and frustrating to deal with. Last week we played a nine handed cash game for about 6 hours, my best hands were 4x pocket Deuce , one time my favourite pocket fours and one big Ace, Ace-Jack. I played with a dozen of suited connectors but missed like every flop. I only won pots when I bluffed at it, and I know that’s not yet my best game. Online I’m more on a rollercoaster, running over and under the 330$. I play good and with patience, following the Smallball Poker strategy, looking out for pot control and keeping the pot small, especially with overrated hands like Ace-Queen or Pocket Nines. But the biggest problem is that I certainly don’t win too many coinflips for the moment. I’m going to stop complaining right now and start with number 35…

(35)   =>   DAVID   WILLIAMS

> David Anthony Williams

> born 09/06/1980 in Arlington, Texas (USA).

> resides now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

> became 2nd in the WSOP Main Event in 2004, losing to Greg Raymer.

> won 1 Bracelet (’06 Seven-card Stud)

> plays online at Bodog Poker as a member of TeamBodog.

> has Live Tournament Winnings of over $ 6,300,000 (until 2009).

David is a very smart person, which he showed when he scored enormous on his scolar tests at high school and could choose any university he wanted. He chose Southern Methodist where he studied Economics. Before poker, David was a big star in the game ‘ Magic : The Gathering ‘ but he was suspended  from the game in the late 90s after he’ve marked the cards during a big tournament. He started to play online poker during his suspension and never left it because of the money. He still plays Magic: The Gathering when he wants some fun. David was being mentored in poker at the beginning of his career by Marcel Luske. His second place at the WSOP Main Event in 2004 is still the best finish ever in the Main Event for an African American. Despite of his interest in fashion and bling bling, David Williams is an excellent tournament player. He made three final tables at the WPT and had some great results in high rated televised poker shows such as High Stakes Poker, Poker After Dark and King of Vegas.

(34)   =>   JAMIE   GOLD

> born as Jamie M. Usher

> born 25/08/1969 in Kansas City, Missouri (USA)

> based in Malibu, California.

> Nickname : ‘ Golden Boy ‘

> is the 2006 WSOP Main Event winner.

> ranked 3th on the All Time Money List

> won over $12,200,000 (until 2009) in Live Tournament Play.

Jamie holds a bachelor’s degree from State University of New York. Before his famous poker victory, he was a talent agent and worked as a manager of Lucy Liu and James Gandolfini. Jamie has being tutored in poker by Johnny Chan and Chris Ferguson, who’s his neighbour. He won the biggest cash prize ever with his win in the WSOP Main Event in 2006, after beating Paul Wasicka heads-up. During the tournament he became very well-known for his table-talk, telling the truth about his hands all the time and he had a rare gameplan which is still causing a lot of controversy about his pokerskills. He also likes to eat blueberries during a tournament. He featured in Poker After Dark and season 3 and 4 of High Stakes Poker. He had a controversy after his big win with Bodog Poker. Because he partnered with Crispin Leyser and they had a deal for the half of Gold’ winnings at the WSOP but Jamie refused to give Leyser $6,000,000 after he won the Main Event. Finally he sorted it out with Leyser after different causes, but he ended his contract with Bodog. Jamie now still plays poker but not all the time. He’s also a businessman, television producer and president of Buzznation.

(33)   =>   GAVIN   SMITH

> born 04/09/1968 in Guelph, Ontario (CAN).

> resides now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

> Nickname : ‘ Caveman ‘ or ‘ Birdguts ‘

> won the WPT Mirage Poker Showdown Championship event in 2005.

> was the WPT Player of the Year in season 4.

> won 3 Poker After Dark titles.

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker as a sponsored Pro.

> won over $4,800,000 (until 2009) in Live Tournament Play.

Gavin is a former poker dealer, taxi driver and golf course employee. He’s a very agressive player, doing a lot of talking and drinking (was one time very drunk on Poker After Dark !) at the table but also likes to laugh and joke. He’s a very successful player, making three other WPT final tables. Besides that , he won a lot of other big tournaments such as the B.A.R.G.E Main Event in 2004 and the World Pro-Am Challenge in 2006. Gavin has many famous and funny prop bets with his good friend and fellow Poker Pro Joe Sebok, e.g. Gavin has a tattoo with the initials J.S. after he lost a bet against Sebok. Gavin acts as the co-host of Pokerroad Radio show along with Sebok and The Voice of Poker After Dark, Ali Nejad. Smith is also a good friend of Erick Lindgren, who’ve helped him building up his bankroll.

(32)   =>   ALLEN    CUNNINGHAM

> born 28/09/1977 in Riverside, California (USA).

> resides now in Las Vegas with fellow Poker Pro and girlfriend Melissa Hayden and their dog Muffin.

> Nickname : ‘ Clever Piggy ‘

> won 5 Bracelets (’01 Seven-card Stud/ ‘02 2-7 Draw/ ‘05 NL Hold’em/ ‘06 NL Hold’em w Rebuys/ ‘07 PL Hold’em)

> became 4th in the WSOP Main Event in 2006 (when Jamie Gold won).

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker as member of TeamFullTilt.

> has Live Tournament Earnings of almost $10,400,000 (until 2009).

Allen studied Civil Engineering until he was 18 before dropping out and play poker professionally. He is famous to be a quiet, peaceful and focused player who’s playing the game with an analytical vision. Allen earned the title ESPN/Toyota Player of the Year in 2005 and was voted by his peers as the Best All Around Player under 35. He joined a small group of players in 2007 who’ve won a WSOP Bracelet in three consecutive years. Allen is a great tournament player, he won one Poker After Dark title, the National Poker League Vegas O.C. Main Event in 2007 and the WSOP Circuit Event in 2008. He ranked 8th on the All Time Money List.

(31)   =>   ERIK   SEIDEL

> born 06/12/1959 in New York City (USA).

> resides now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

> Nickname : ‘ Sly ‘

> won 8 Bracelets (’92 Limit Hold’em/ ‘93 Omaha 8 or better/ ‘94 Limit Hold’em/ ‘98 2-7 Draw/ ‘01 NL Hold’em/ ‘03 PL Omaha/ ‘05 NL Hold’em/ ‘07 WC NL 2-7 Draw Lowball w/Rebuys)

> became 2nd in the 1988 WSOP Main Event and 4th in the 1999 WSOP Main Event.

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker, part of design team.

> has Live Tournament Winnings of over $9,800,000 (until 2009).

Erik is a former professional backgammon and stock market player. He worked on Wall Street before playing poker full time.  He’s one of the famous players from the Mayfair Club, including Howard Lederer and Dan Harrington. He reached the final table in his first big WSOP event in 1988 when he lost to Johnny Chan heads-up. The final hand of that battle was featured in the famous pokermovie ‘ Rounders ‘. Erik is a great tournament player, not only did he won 8 Bracelets but besides that he won the 2008 WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic and he finished 2nd twice in a big event at the Aussie Millions in 2007 and 2008. He ranked 9th on the All Time Money List. Erik is very well-known as a big music fanatic, listening to a very wild range of different genres of music. He has a special tab on his website where you could find his favourite music albums. He likes to play tennis when he has some time left.

So next time we dive into the top-thirty of Most Famous Poker Players.Watch out for the bad beats and only go All In when you have the best hand!

Cheers,

J.M.

Good Evening pokerworld !

I wish you all the best for the next year and let’s make 2010 a good pokeryear with some extraordinary suckouts and sexy flops !  I’m hoping that smallball-poker is getting bigger this year with more partners and visitors. You really could help me with that pokerfriends. Here are now the next five players…

(40)   =>   CHIP   REESE

> David Edward Reese

> 28/03/1951 – 04/12/2007

> born in Centerville, Ohio (USA).

> lived in Las Vegas, Nevada.

> Nickname :  ‘ Chip ‘

> won 3 Bracelets (’78 Seven Card Stud split/ ‘82 Limit Seven Card Stud/ ‘06 H.O.R.S.E World Championship)

> was 6th in the 1979 WSOP Main Event

> has Live Tournament Earnings over $ 3,500,000

His mother learned him the game of poker, together with some other card games, when he was just 5 years old. He played football, was in debate teams and good in economics. He reached the final table of one WPT event and he was the former cardroom manager at the Dunes Casino. He became the youngest living player ever in 1991 to be induct in the Poker Hall of Fame. He had the longest heads-up battle ever in 2006 when he won his third Bracelet against Andy Bloch. It was also back then the largest buy-in WSOP Event ever. Chip wrote the seven card stud chapter in Brunson’s famous book ‘Super/System‘ and Doyle thought that Chip was the best seven card stud player ever. David ‘Chip’ Reese died in Vegas, on Pneumonia or by a gastric bypass, which is still not sure but he’s wildly considered as one of the best cash game players ever.

(39)   =>   ANDY   BLACK

> Andrew Black

> born 20/07/1965, Belfast (NI)

> resides now in Dublin (IRE)

> Nickname : ‘ The Monk ‘

> was 5th in the 2005 WSOP Main Event in the year that Joe Hachem won.

> plays at Full Tilt Poker as an official Pro.

> won over $ 4,100,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009)

Andy is an excellent tournament player, which he proves with his results. He reached one final table at the EPT, won the Premier League Poker II in 2008 after beating Roland de Wolfe heads-up and finished 2th in the PLO Event and 3th in the NL Hold’em Main Event during the 2007 Aussie Millions. Besides that, Andy is also well-known for his famous blow-up during a tournament overplaying his hand and losing a lot of his big stack. He discarded all his possessions in 1998 after another unlucky tournament, travelled to England and lived in a semi-monastic Buddhist environment for five years. He returned very successfully to poker in 2004, dominating some Irish Tournaments before achieving his marvellous 5th place in the 2005 WSOP Main Event. He’ve never forgotten that period and it still helps him. Andy likes to meditate during the breaks of a poker tourney.

(38)   =>   PETER   EASTGATE

> born 13/12/1985 in Dalum (DEN).

> resides now in London (ENG).

> Nickname : ‘ Icegate ‘  or  ‘ Isser ‘

> was the winner of the 2008 WSOP Main Event after beating Ivan Demidov in the final.

> plays at PokerStars as a member of TeamPokerStars.

> has over $ 10,600,000 in Live Tournament Earnings (until 2009).

The young Peter Eastgate won more than 9 million US Dollars with his fantastic win of the WSOP Main Event in 2008. Back than at the age of 22 he was the youngest winner ever, surpassing Phil Hellmuth’s age of 24. But Peter was surpassed this year by another young gun Joseph Cada at the age of 21. Peter proved in 2009 that he does have some excellent poker skills after another great run in the WSOP Main Event, 78th place, and after his second place in the EPT event in London. He ranked 7th in the all time Money List in Tournaments.

(37)   =>   HUMBERTO   BRENES

> born 08/05/1951 from Costa Rica.

> resides now in San José (CR) with his wife and 3 kids.

> Nickname : ‘ The Shark ‘

> became 4th in the 1988 WSOP Main Event

> won 2 Bracelets (’93 Limit Hold’em – Pot Limit Omaha)

> made 3 WPT Final Tables

> plays online at PokerStars as a member of TeamPokerStars.

> has Live Tournament Winnings over $ 5,500,000 (until 2009)

Humberto started to play poker in 1974. He has a recognizable look, easy to spot, always wears a bright tracksuit, two pair of glasses on top of each other and a visor. He’s very famous for his toy shark as a card protector which he uses a lot at the table to influence the cards and the dealer. Humberto also has two brothers who are successful in the pokerworld, namely Eric and Alex. Humberto is wildly considered as one of the most popular players in the circuit. He’s a former entrepeneur in different businessregions such as hotels, construction, tv stations and many more. He has a former success in baccarat and holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Costa Rica.

(36)   =>   JENNIFER   TILLY

> Jennifer E. Chan

> born 16/09/1958 in Harbor City, California (USA).

> lives together with her boyfriend and fellow Poker Pro Phil Laak

> resides now in Texada Island (USA).

> Nickname : ‘ The Unabombshell ‘

> won 1 Bracelet (’05 NL Hold’em Ladies)

> won the WPT Ladies Invitational Tournament in 2005

> has Live Tournament Winnings of over $ 500,000 (until 2009)

Jennifer was formerly married to Sam Simon, one of the producers of The Simpsons and the voice of Bart. Tilly appeared in different televised pokershows such as Poker SuperStars, Poker After Dark and Celebrity Poker Showdown. Nevertheless Jennifer is probably the most famous as an actress. She played in Bound, Liar Liar, The Getaway and she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Woody Allen’s Bullets over Broadway.

That was it for now my dearest friends. I’m going to play some sit and go’s I guess and probably getting some more bad beats because it’s getting really worse again the last weeks. Sometimes really sick to see how people can play rubbish hands and still manage to get lucky. I have the best hand for about 85 % of the time when I go all-in but I only win around 35% of the time. That isn’t normal?  I hope you run better.

See you next time or maybe sunday for the 1/4 Sunday Millions on PokerStars.

Cheers,

J.M.

Hello pokerworld,

I hope you have a splendid holiday with hopefully some more snow to come. It’s not only romantic and nice to watch, but it gave you a reason more to stay inside and enjoy the hearth and Christmas sphere inside your house. And what’s even more fun to combine with that? Yes, you know it. Log on to your favourite online pokersite and play poker online.  I’m still running superbly on PokerStars with a massive run the last comple of months. I hope you could also avoid the beats and I wish you all the good luck you need. But for now, let’s rejoin the action with the next 5 players….

(45)   =>   TONY   G

> Antanas Guoga

> born 17/12/1973, Kaunas (LIT).

> resides now in Melbourne, Australia.

> Nickname :  ‘ The Australian Airbag ‘

> won the Asian Poker Tour event in Singapore.

> made two final tables on WPT circuit and has 15 cashes in WSOP.

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker

> won almost $ 4,000,000 in Life Tournament Play (until 2009).

When he was younger, Tony G was the Rubik’s Cube champion of his country before moving to Australia when he was 11. He’s a real businessman nowadays, he’s the owner of different high poker information sites, such as Pokernews.com. But he also has his own poker play site online at tonygpoker.com. He received the Shining World Leadership Award in January 2008. Tony G is very well-known as a trashtalker at the table, by using some very agressive play combined with intimidation and verbal assaults against his opponents. But he’s known outside the table as a true gentleman which he showed when he donates plenty of his winnings to different charities in Asia, Australia and Russia after winning several big unknown tournaments throughout the world. He also won the WPT Bad Boys of Poker Two event after beating Mike Matusow with his favourite hand, 10-8, in heads-up play. Tony G was wearing a kimono throughout that event to promote poker in Japan.

(44)   =>   SHAWN   SHEIKHAN

> Shahram ” Shawn” Sheikhan

> born in 1969 in Iran.

> lives now in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) with his wife and daughter.

> Nickname :  ‘ Sheiky ‘  or  ‘ The Iron Sheik ‘

> was 11th in the WSOP Main Event in 2005

> won 1 Poker After Dark title.

> has Live Tournament Winnings around $ 1,500,000 (until 2008).

Shawn owns several tattoo and tobacco stores in the USA. He’s well-known for his trashtalk and frustration explodes at the table which has resulting in a lot of famous incidents, e.g. with Phil Hellmuth on Poker After Dark. Shawn is a bad winner but a worse loser. But he has proved that he can be a good player too, when he made the final four in NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship in 2006. In addition to that he played several seasons on High Stakes Poker, as he’s being a fan of the big cash games. Sheiky did also break one pair of Matusow’s sunglasses during High Stakes Poker. But he was also two times in the news in a negative way. First in 1999 whe he lost control over his car in the rain and caused an accident with one deadly victim. Besides that he was arrested in 2007 and faced deportation because of sexual handlings in 1995 with a 17-year-old girl while he was in immigration status.

(43)   =>   VANESSA   ROUSSO

> Vanessa Ashley Rousso

> born 05/02/1983, White Plains, New York (USA).

> lives now in Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada.

> married to poker pro Chad Brown

> Nickname :  ‘ Lady Maverick ‘ or  ‘ Pokerness ‘

> has several finishes in WSOP, WPT and EPT.

> won the 2006 WPT Borgata Open.

> plays online at PokerStars as a member of TeamPokerStars.

> won almost $2,400,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009).

Vanessa has two nationalities, the French and the American. She studied Law at the University of Miami and did softball, basketball, swimming, lacrosse and chess on high school. Nowadays she still keeps her physical fitness, which she showed by appearing in the 2009 Sports Illustrated. Besides that she does have some excellent poker results. She became the youngest woman ever to reach the final table at a WSOP circuit event when she was 22. She finished 2nd in the 2007 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) on PokerStars. She appeared on several episodes of Poker After Dark and won one. She was 2nd in the 2009 NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker, after losing to Huck Seed in the final. She ranked 4th on the Women’s All Time Money List.

(42)   =>   JASON   MERCIER

> born 11/12/1986 in USA

> is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

> Nickname :  ‘ treysfull21 ‘

> won 1 Bracelet (’09 Pot Limit Omaha)

> won 1 EPT-title (’08 San Remo)

> was 4th in the WSOPE Main Event in 2009

> plays online at PokerStars as a member of  TeamPokerStars.

> has Live Tournament Earnings of over $4,000,000 (until 2009).

Besides playing poker online and live, Jason likes to play basketball and he hangs out a lot on the beach when he want some fun and entertainment. He only plays for two years at the high level and he has already very exceptional results. He showed that in 2008 when he won the EPT 1 Million High Roller Showdown event in London after beating John Juanda in heads-up play.

(41)   =>   PHIL   GORDON

> Philip Stewart Gordon

> born 06/07/1970 in El Paso, Texas (USA).

> resides now in Las Vegas, Nevada and has one son.

> Nickname :  ‘ Tiltboy ‘

> became 4th in the WSOP Main Event in 2001.

> won 1 WPT title (’04 Bay 101 Shooting Stars)

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker as a member of Team Full Tilt.

> won around $2,200,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009).

Phil graduated from Georgia Tech in 1991 with a degree in computer science. He was already a millionaire before he started to play poker because of his jobs as a software engineer. He was a former referee on the World Championship of Rock Paper Scissors. He’s 1,98m tall and is a former bridge champion. He’s wildly considered as a very kind, warm person which he’ve showed for several years now by supporting the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation with his winnings. Phil have been very successful in poker. He made several final tables on the WSOP circuit, but hasn’t yet a magical bracelet. He did win the Full Tilt Poker Poker Championship at Red Rock in 2006, after beating Roland De Wolfe in heads-up play. Phil also likes several random activities besides playing poker. He’s a poker commentator for many years now for the Celebrity Poker Showdown episodes. In addition to that, he’s also a writer of columns for poker magazines and he’s the author of three books on poker. His Dvd about ‘Final Table Play’ has also been rewarded.

That was it people, we’re getting closer to the top ten. I’m hoping you’re still as curious as at the beginning. See you again for the next five players and some more poker news .

Cheers,

J.M.

Hi Pokeraddicts !

It’s time for the sequel of my Most Famous Poker Player top 100 list. I hope you were all waiting for it, because from now on I’m going directly to Number One and the players will only get bigger and greater. Smallball-poker is getting bigger and wildly spread with new viewers every day so I’m going to start right now with number fifty…

(50)   =>   DANIEL   ALAEI

> Daniel Christopher Alaei

> born in 1983, from Sante Fe Springs, California (USA)

> resides now in Los Angeles, California

> Nickname :  ‘ Daniel ‘

> won 2 Bracelets (’06 NL 2-7 Draw Lowball / ‘09 WC Omaha Hi-Lo 8-or-better)

> plays online at PokerStars.

> won over $ 2,300,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009).

In spite of his two Bracelets and his 25th place in the WSOP Main Event in 2007, the year Jerry Yang won, Mister Alaei likes the big cash games even more. He enjoys the action which he showed in the first three seasons of High Stakes Poker. Daniel is someone who always behave properly at the table, a real gentleman who doesn’t like the theatrics around the table and the lack of poker etiquette of the young online wizards irritates him a lot.

(49)   =>   JOHNNY   MOSS

> born 14/05/1907 in Marshall, Texas (USA)

> died peacefully at 16/12/1995.

> Nickname :  ‘ The Grand Old Man of Poker ‘

> won 3 times the WSOP Main Event (’70, ‘71, ‘74), a record next to Stu Ungar.

> won 9 Bracelets in total (’71 Limit A-5 draw, ‘75 ‘76 ‘79 seven card stud, ‘81 seven card stud Hi-Lo, ‘88 A-5 draw)

> has WSOP Tournament Earnings of $ 850,000.

Johnny won the very first WSOP Main Event in 1970 and didn’t miss a single one until he died. He won in 1970 when his peers voted for him as the best player and he took the trophy back home without any prize money. Mister Moss became a member of the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979. Johnny learned the game when he was very young and soon he decided to cross the whole country and he became a road gambler. In that time, the years ‘30-’60, he always had a gun in his pocket because it was very dangerous with all the gambling and the unfair sharpers. Another very remarkable story about Johnny Moss appeared in 1951 when he met Benny Binion. He arranged a marathon heads-up pokergame between Johnny Moss and Nick The Greek Dandalos that lasted for five months ! Johnny won around $4 million (which is now worth around $50 million) before Nick The Greek said the following famous words: ‘ Mr.Moss, I have to let you go’. The Texas Hold’em starting hand A10 is nicknamed ‘The Johnny Moss’.

(48)   =>   TODD   BRUNSON

> Todd Alan Brunson

> born 07/08/1969, El Paso, Texas (USA)

> resides now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

> Nickname :  ‘  Darkhorse ‘

> won 1 Bracelet (’05 Omaha Hi-Lo Split)

> became 13th at the WSOP Main Event in 1992

> plays online at Doylesroom and PokerStars

> has Live Tournament Winnings over $ 3,300,000 (until 2009).

In spite of his famous father Doyle ‘TexasDolly’ Brunson , Todd learned the game of poker on his own when he studied Law at Texas Tech University. Todd is very well-known as a big cash game player, playing regurlarly in the big games at the Bellagio or in the famous televised pokershow High Stakes Poker. Although he’s focussing more on the tournaments the last years, which he showed when he won the Poker Superstars 3 Grand Final after beating Antonio Esfandiari heads-up. Todd also wrote the chapter about 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or better in his fathers book ‘ Super System 2‘.

(47)   =>   ANDY   BLOCH

> Andrew Elliot Bloch

> born 01/06/1969 in New Haven, Connecticut (USA)

> resides now in Tacoma Park, California.

> Nickname : ‘ The Rock ‘

> was the second season winner of the Ultimate Poker Challenge

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker as a member of TeamFullTilt

> won over $ 4,200,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009)

Andy made two final tables at the World Poker Tour in his first season playing, which was very exceptional. He also played in the longest recorded heads-up beattle in the WSOP history when he lost the H.O.R.S.E. event in 2006 against Chip Reese after playing 286 hands. Bloch was also the runner-up to Chris Ferguson in the 2008 NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Andy prefers the mathematical vision when he plays poker, probably because of his education and his 2 electrical engineering degrees from the Harvard Law School. He’s a good, wise man because he donates all his online winnings to various charities around the world. Before playing poker, Bloch was a member of the MIT Blackjack Team , being a good player calculating the cards. He also wrote a book about blackjack and he was a former world champion in ‘ Paper-Scissors-Stone ‘.

(46)   =>   CHRIS   MONEYMAKER

> Christopher Bryan Moneymaker

> born 21/11/1975 in Atlanta, Georgia (USA)

> lives now in Nashville, Tennessee.

> married and has one daughter Ashley.

> Nickname : ‘ Money ‘

> was the 2003 WSOP Main Event winner after beating Sam Farha heads-up.

> plays online at PokerStars as a member of TeamPokerStars.

> has Live Tournament Earnings of almost $ 3,000,000 (until 2009)

There was a massive change in the poker world after Chris’ win in the WSOP Main Event in 2003. The Moneymaker Effect was born. A poker boom in the whole world appeared after his win because an amateur had won the biggest tournament alive playing his first live tourney and of course, now everybody believed they could achieve the same. But Chris played very well and he proved later that he wasn’t just a one hit wonder when he became second in the 2004 Shooting Stars event of the WPT. Later he wrote an autobiography about his great WSOP victory. Chris holds a master degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee. Many people think that his last name ‘Moneymaker’ is just an imaginary nickname but it’s his real last name given by his ancestors.

So people, we’ve just started the second half of my list. I hope you still enjoy it and can’t wait for more. Please don’t bother at all to shout your opinion. I’m glad to hear from you.

See you soon,

J.M.

Hi Donkaments !

Today I’m going to present you the last 5 players before I’m going to take a short break in my Most Famous Poker Player top-100 and will show you some special hands again like I told you the last time. Afterwards I’ll continue automatically with the last 50 players.I’m playing my A-game online for the moment at PokerStars. Since October I’ve made a profit of almost  150$, which is pretty nice for my low bankroll ^^, meaning almost a doubling of my starting bankroll at the beginning of the month. I hope it will continue like that for the last two weeks, but for now I’m going to present you the next group of players, starting with the nice lady on number 55…..

(55)   =>   CLONIE   GOWEN

> Cycalona ” Clonie ” Gowen

> born 06/11/1971 in Florida (USA).

> lives now in Dallas, Texas

> has 2 children

> won WPT Ladies ‘ Night event in 2003.

> has Live Tournament Winnings of over $ 1,600,000 (until 2009).

Clonie is a former basketballplayer, high jumper and she was the Miss Teen Oklahoma in her youth. She owned a travel agency and she likes scuba diving all over the world. Clonie has played several different roles in the pokerworld : she was a guest commentator, a columnist for All In Magazine,  a host for tourneys and charities and as a partner in a poker school. Gowen won already three Poker After Dark titles, only Johnny Chan could achieve that same result. She was a former member of ‘ Team Full Tilt ‘ at Full Tilt Poker but they got into a twist about a breach of contract which resulted in a $ 40 Million Lawsuit against Full Tilt Poker.

(54)   =>   JOHN   PHAN

> Bon ” John” Phan

> born 10/10/1974, Da Nang (VIET).

> resides now in Long Beach, California (USA).

> Nickname :  ‘ The Razor ‘ .

> won 2 Bracelets ( ‘08 NL Hold’em / ‘08 2-7 Triple Draw)

> won 1 WPT-title (’09 Legends of Poker).

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker

> has Live Tournament Earnings around $ 5,400,000 (until 2009) .

John won several other big No Limit Hold’em tournaments (e.g. LA Poker Classic) and he made four other WPT final tables. He reached a fabulous achievement in 2008 when he became Player Of The Year for both Cardplayer Magazine and Bluff Magazine. One weird thing about his poker career must be the fact that his family and parents first didn’t approve his pokerdream, but with his phenomenal results he made it very clear that he made the right choice. John supports them now very frequently when he visits Vietnam. He also does a lot of social work there, along with his good friend and fellow poker pro Liz Lieu.

(53)   =>   LAYNE   FLACK

> born 18/05/1969 Rapid City, South Dakota.

> lives now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

> Nickname :  ‘ Back to Back ‘

> won 6 Bracelets (’99 PL Hold’em /’02 NL Hold’em- NL Hold’em /’03 Omaha Hi-Lo Split – Limit Hold’em Shootout / ‘08 PL Omaha).

> won 1 WPT-title (Invitational Tournament).

> plays online at PokerStars.

> won +- $ 4,300,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009).

Layne began in the big poker world as a casino worker and he got his nickname as he was the first person in 2002 to win back to back a WSOP event at the same game. He was mentored through out his career by Huck Seed and Johnny Chan. Flack began with recreational drug use enjoying the great life but he couldn’t quit and searched for help in rehab, after his good friend Daniel Negreanu paid for it. Layne signed a deal with Poker Icons, just like Jamie Gold, Kathy Liebert and Annette Obrestad, which is an agency in Scandinavia that helps the player managing and promotes poker in Europe.

(52)   =>   GABE   KAPLAN

> Gabriel W. ” Gabe ” Kaplan

> born 31/03/1945 Brooklyn, New York (USA).

> resides now in Los Angeles, California.

> won 2 Poker After Dark titles

> won over $ 1,500,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009).

Gabe is a former baseball player, bellman, stand-up comedian and actor for several movies and TV series. He’s probably best known for his role in the 1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. Kaplan made several final tables in the Super Bowl of Poker and the WSOP. Gabe is very well-known in the whole world as the co-host on High Stakes Poker, together with A.J. Benza , where he had a role that suits him perfectly, regarding his former stand-up comedian acts. He’s also a poker commentator for shows such as the WSOP events (earlier), National Heads-Up Championship and the Intercontinental Poker Championship.

(51)   =>   JEFFREY   LISANDRO

> born in 1966 in Perth, Australia.

> resides now in Salerno (ITA).

> Nickname :  ‘ Iceman ‘ .

> won 4 Bracelets (’07 7-Card Stud / ‘09 7-card Stud – 7-card Stud H/L-8 – Razz)

> plays online at PokerStars.

> has Live Tournament Winnings over $ 4,000,000 (until 2009).

Lisandro was nominated as the 2009 WSOP Player of The Year after his three Bracelet wins and his good run in the Main Event. Jeff is a cash game specialist, but proved this year he can play excellent tournaments too. He’s regarded as one of the best Seven Card Stud players in the world, which he proved this year when he became the first player ever to win the three different Stud games at the WSOP in the same year. Lisandro has some other great wins, such as his win in 2005 at the NL Hold’em WSOP Circuit Event at Lake Tahoe where he defeated Phil Ivey heads-up. Jeff made also a remarkable 2006 WSOP Main Event. Not so much by his excellent 17th place but through a heavy incident with Prahlad Friedman when there was a great misunderstanding about the antes and Prahlad called Lisandro ‘ a thief’ and then Jeffrey went crazy. Lisandro is a good friend of fellow poker pro J.P. Bellande. Jeffrey likes chewing gum at the table saying that ‘ it’s ideal to reduce tells’.

See you next time for the special hands,

Be There !

J.M.

Good Afternoon dearest Pokerfriends !

Here I am with the next five players out of my famous pokerlist ! It will be a good mix between old, respected rocks and dangerous young guns, from all over the world, like you’ll see following the next information. I just want you to know that I collected and experienced some exceptional hands and boards the last weeks, which I’m going to share with you after I’ve showed you number 51 out of my Most Famous Poker Players top-100. After those posts about the mysterious hands, I’ll naturally continue with the last 50 players, until we reach the Number One.

(60)  =>   TOM   McEVOY

> Thomas K. McEvoy

> born 14/11/1944 in Grand Rapids, Michigan (USA).

> resides now in Las Vegas, Nevada and has 3 kids.

> Nickname : ‘ Pokerchump ‘

> was the 1983 WSOP Main Event Winner beating Rod Peate heads-up.

> won 3 other Bracelets (’83 Limit Hold’em / ‘92 Limit Omaha / ‘06 Razz).

> plays online at PokerStars as a representative.

> has Live Tournament Winnings of around $ 2,900,000 (until 2009).

Being an accountant first, Tom was the first winner of the Main Event ever, earning his buy-in through a satellite. He won the Professional Poker Tour in 2006. McEvoy was also very famous for his severe attitude against smoking at the table. He proved that by convincing the Binion’s in 2002 to make the World Series of Poker (WSOP) a non-smoking event. Tom was the 2009 winner of the WSOP’s first Champions Invitational event, winning a sweet classic 1970 Corvette. Besides playing poker, Tom McEvoy is also very famous as an author and co-author of many books on poker, together with players like T.J. Cloutier and Max Stern. Tom is also a columnist for CardPlayer Magazine.

(59)  =>   ROLAND   DE  WOLFE

> born 1981, London (ENG).

> still lives there.

> Nickname : ‘ The Sheep ‘

> won 1 Bracelet (2009 PLO Hi-Low Split 8 or better)

> won 1 WPT-title (2005 Paris)

> won 1 EPT-title (2006 Dublin)

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker.

> has Live Tournament Winnings of over $ 4,500,000 (until 2009).

He was a former poker editor for Inside Edge, a British gambling magazine. Roland was also the second person ever, besides Gavin Griffin, to complete a hattrick in poker with tournament wins in World Series of Poker (WSOP), World Poker Tour (WPT) and European Poker Tour (EPT).

(58)  =>   TED   FORREST

> born 24 /09/1964 in Syracuse, New York (USA).

> resides now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

> Nickname : ‘ Professor Backwards ‘, ‘ The Suicide King ‘, ‘ Spooky ‘, ‘ The Hitman ‘

> won 5 Bracelets (’93 7card Razz – Omaha 8 or better – 7card Stud / ‘04 7card Stud – NL Hold’em)

> won 1 WPT-title (2007).

> plays online at Full Tilt Poker.

> won over $ 5,700,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009).

Ted was the 2006 NBC’s National Heads-up Poker Champion after beating Chris Ferguson in the final. He’s a very well-known high stakes gambler, which he showed during two seasons of High Stakes Poker and by many, many proposition bets. Forrest is also considered as one of the best Stud players in the whole world. His first three World Series of Poker Bracelets were stolen. You maybe wonder why Ted Forrest is so low ranked in my list, well I could give you an answer to that question. I just can’t stand the guy in total, his face, his manner or his accent, just everything about this fellow makes me feel uncomfortable. I mean, the guy has 4 nicknames . I know I’m not the only one who thinks that about him. We aren’t his biggest fan, and never will be.

(57)  =>   BERTRAND   GROSPELLIER

> born 08/02/1981 in France.

> resides now in London (ENG).

> Nickname : ‘ ElkY ‘

> won 1 WPT-title (2008)

> won 1 EPT-title (2008)

> plays online at PokerStars as a member of TeamPokerStars.

> has Live Tournament Winnings of over $ 5,800,000 (until 2009).

Before playing poker, Elky was already an online game star as he was one of the top ranked Starcraft players. He even moved to South Korea for a while to play it full time and gaining a lot of fans and prestige. Bertrand made several final tables at the WPT and EPT. Besides his live poker achievements, Grospellier is very well-known as a big online gun. He was the first person ever to reach the Supernova and Supernova Elite status on PokerStars. Elky also made the Guinness World Book of Records with his exceptional performance for playing the most single Sit and Go’s in 1 hour, namely 62. At the World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP) in 2009, Elky won another 2 Bracelets.

(56)  =>   MIKE   SEXTON

> Michael Richard Sexton

> born 22/09/1947 in Shelby, Indiana (USA).

> lives now in Las Vegas, Nevada.

> Nickname : ‘ The Ambassador of Poker ‘

> won 1 Bracelet (’89 7card Stud split)

> plays online at PartyPoker.

> won around $ 3,700,000 in Live Tournament Play (until 2009).

Mike was a gymnast first and he holds a degree in public recreation. He was also a former paratrooper in the U.S. Army. Sexton was a good and close friend of the great pokerlegend Stu Ungar, but Mike is mostly famous for his promotion of poker events. He’s the main host and commentator, besides Vince Van Patten, of the World Poker Tour (WPT). Mike is also a spokesman for PartyPoker.com and National League of Poker. In 2006, Sexton won the WSOP Tournament of Champions after beating Daniel Negreanu heads-up. He donated then half of his $ 1,000,000 prize money to several charities, and plans to do the same in the future.

So people, that was that for today. It’s time for dinner now , I guess I deserve that but maybe Ted ‘Spooky’ Forrest will think otherwise about that . Com’on , the guy has 4 nicknames, do I really have to say more ? Well bye for now and see you next time for sure !

J.M.