Towards the end of 2008, it seemed like all we heard about was US swimmer Michael Phelp’s foray into the poker world. Phelps was playing cash games and tournaments in Las Vegas, hanging out with poker greats like Doyle Brunson, and teasing multiple poker rooms into thinking he would sign with them. Then Phelps went back into preparation for the World Championships of swimming and has yet to be heard from as far as poker goes.
However, that hiatus has ended since Phelps was recently seen playing in the Borgata Winter Open in a $2,000 heads-up event. Phelps was one of 64 people who played in the tournament, and he beat a couple of well-noted pros in Adam Gerber and Paul Wasicka. Unfortunately, Phelps run came to an end when Jeff Madsen defeated him in heads-up play.
Phelps best poker finish came back in 2008 when he made the final table of a $1,500 buy-in event at the Caesar’s Palace Classic. He was able to maneuver his way through a field of 150 players to finish in ninth place and cash for $5,000.
Many believe Phelps has cut down on his poker playing because he’s trying to shed a bad boy image that formulated when he was pictured smoking out of a bong at a party. He was also photographed in strip clubs, and was rumored to have invited strippers over to his house to dance for money.
Another reason for Phelps’ absence in poker is definitely the amount of time he dedicated to training for the 2009 World Championships of swimming. He lost his first race to Germany’s Paul Biedermann before going on to win 5 straight gold medals. Phelps is best known for his performance at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics where he won a world-record 8 gold medals.
With his second place finish in the Aussie Millions $100,000 AUD buy-in event over the weekend, Phil Ivey surpassed Mr. Peanut, the Monopoly man, Mr. Burns, and God as poker’s all-time tournament winnings leader, with over $12.6 million highlighting his illustrious career. The title was previously held by Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu, who relinquished the title back to the pro poker community from 2006 World Series of Poker champ Jamie Gold before he fell into obscurity.
“Hey Petr, Vlad and Yuri! Get your chips, we’re going to the casino!”
In a town built on losers, it seems even Las Vegas locals can’t hide from the recession. After accumulating $870 million in debt in the midst of economic turmoil, Planet Hollywood (PH) has been acquired by Harrah’s Entertainment, a ball in motion since they bought off some of PH’s arrears after defaulting on loans last September.
That headline makes sense, right?
Another report from Shane down at the Aussie Millions with CarbonPoker Players
Some successful poker players like to re-invest winnings back into their bankroll, some like to gamble with winnings, some like to party, and a few will save up their money. But rarely do players – or anyone for that matter – donate a large portion of their money towards a charitable cause.
Pew! Pew!
Rob “bigdoggy1234″ Ludlow
Dustin “DrextheTex” Drexel
When hearing the term “leverage”, you might think of trying to gain an advantage while buying a car or a house. However, the concept of leverage can also be applied to poker since it will gain you a big advantage over opponents. But in order to gain this advantage, you must first understand what leverage is in regards to poker.
