B - R - I - N - G _ I - T was the attitude that Aaron Jones would bang out on his keyboard to elicit feedback. Like Rocky standing toe-to-toe versus Clubber Lang, he would endure bloody beatings online in the poker forums, and then beg for more.
"They're all up in the suite," said Amnon Filippi at the base of the Bellagio elevator tower. I headed up the elevator to suite 24049. Steve Sung was playing online poker as I walked into the suite, while J.C. Tran was in a side room and Quinn Do walked out of another.
Michael DeMichele is regarded as one of the most talented cash-game players on the scene. He's well-versed in nearly all variations, and is only 23. He consistently plays and crushes the biggest games in the house, up to $1,000-$2,000 mixed and $100-$200 no-limit hold'em. He's adequately bankrolled for these games, so playing the 2008 World Series of Poker $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event was no stretch for him. He placed second in that event for more than $1.2 million.
Jeff Madsen introduced himself to the poker world at the 2006 World Series of Poker when he won two bracelets in no-limit hold'em events, broke the record for youngest bracelet winner, and made two other final tables, in Omaha eight-or-better and seven-card stud eight-or-better. Madsen talks about his start, and being a young pro.
When high-school senior year rolled around for Evan Parkes, graduation parties, Friday night sports, and prom night were the last things on his mind. His obsession was more about pot odds than muscle cars. And no by-the-book guidance counselor could sway his big dream of becoming a professional poker player. Parkes' parents were skeptical, as most parents would be. So, his father set out to teach him a lesson in money management.
The best way to get an audience with a member of Congress is to hire a lobbyist to go on the attack. Checks worth millions and millions of dollars are being written to Washington, DC, attorneys each year to do just that. It is what greases the creaking wheels of Washington.
The world of poker dimmed and became considerably duller with the recent passing of John "Bono" Bonetti at the age of 80. As a player, his place in poker history is secure. He did not start playing until he was 55, and then won more than $4 million in some 200 tournament cashes over the next 20 years, capturing a bracelet in pot-limit Omaha and two more in deuce-to-seven lowball, and finishing third in two World Series of Poker main events.
If you were to sit down at a tournament poker table with Lee Watkinson, you most likely would come away with the impression of him as a quiet and measured opponent who let his play do the talking as he relieved you of your chips. You might remember his piercing stare, which shouts focus and concentration, but otherwise gives nothing away.
David Oppenheim has been a profitable cash-game player since he was 19 years old. He lives in Los Angeles and plays in the biggest cash games he can find, though he tries not to play poker more than four days a week. Oppenheim recently began to play tournament poker, but cash games are still where he makes the most money.
Whether in a high-stakes cash game or vying for a world championship title, Patrik Antonius is a powerful presence at the poker table. He sits very still and soldier straight. Then, like a black panther stalking unwary prey, he eases chips into the pot - always taking the time to decipher each situation, regardless of his card values. Ready to pounce, ready to trap, he revels in the metagame and more often than not takes down elephant-sized pots.
