Daniel Negreanu: He’s Got ONE Friend Named Jesus

filed under Poker : Celebrities

Poker pixie Daniel Negreanu opened up a can of puritanical whoop-ass on his personal message board at Full Contact Poker when random posters started discussing the religious affiliations of certain poker superstars. One poster put forth a list of what was thought to be Jewish poker players causing Mount Negreanu to erupt:

That list is defintely not accurate. As for Barry, he is a devoted atheist as is Chris Ferguson. Although Chris is an atheist he signs autographs by adding in quotes “Jesus.”

I let him know one night that some people may find that offensive and he said he didn’t promote the nickname. He then said that he wouldn’t sign autographs like that anymore, but of course that was a lie. I’ve signed tons of hats and t-shirts since and have seen Chris “Jesus” Feguson on many of those hats. I can’t say that I was surprised to see that’s he’d lied, but it was a little disappointing. Why say you are going to stop when you had no intention to? Did he think I wouldn’t find out? His word holds little weight with me.

The fact that he is a atheist just makes it even uglier. He tried to justify the nickname by saying that many Mexican families name their children Jesus. However, with Chris, his use of the nickname simply mocks the majority of this country who believe that Jesus was our saviour and died a brutal death for our sins.

I’m not as offended by that nickname however as I am of Phil Laak’s use of the “Unabomber.” What next? We have people parading around with nicknames like “Hitler” and “Bin Laden?”

What the Unabomber Ted Kisinski[sic] did wasn’t funny. If I lost a loved one at the hands of the Unabomber I would be repulsed by the idea that people may be cheering “Go Unabomber.” Imagine for a second a mother watching that on TV? How would she feel about it? Exactly.

Daniel Negreanu: Voice of Reason, Christ, and Victims of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski Everywhere.

Is Barry Greenstein Jewish? [Full Contact Poker via Guinness and Poker]

Wil Wheaton: What It Feels Like To Be Floating

filed under Poker : Celebrities

Aspiring poker player and former movie star Wil Wheaton sums up his feelings about playing in the WSOP main event this year, thanks to the sponsorship from PokerStars:

Holy shit, it’s really happening

We think that truer words have never been spoken.
Event Forty-Two [Wil Wheaton]
Previously: Wil Wheaton: Bankrolled for the WSOP [Oddjack]

Annie Duke: Continues Riding Her Own Coattails

filed under Poker : Celebrities

The Annie Duke Express keeps on chugging along as the Miami Herald hops on and devotes many words to the poker playing doyenne. Duke is packing up her poker chips and moving from Portland, Oregon to the slimy streets of Los Angeles to capitalize on some of the fame she’s acquired on the World Poker Tour circuit. Duke, 39, and a divorced mother of four is currently playing in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and staying in an apartment with her children while she gears up for the main event. We can’t help but think that Duke is still trying to turn her life-story into a TV series or movie of some sort after the NBC pilot for All In starring Jeanene Garofalo a the Duke-ish character tanked. Maybe Duke could get Shannon Elizabeth to play her character now? Oh. But that would mean, we guess, that Duke would have to stop porking Elizabeth’s ex-husband.

Poker’s Annie Duke Is All In [Miami Herald]

Wil Wheaton: Bankrolled for the WSOP

filed under Poker : Celebrities

It’s official—Wil Wheaton has become a member of Team Poker Stars as the actor-cum-blogger-cum-author-is poised to have his burgeoning poker game bankrolled by the poker website. Wheaton will head to the Rio on July 6 to play in the WSOP main event and show the world that Gordie’s got game. Hopefully, on the way to Vegas, Wheaton will not stumble upon some dead kid by the side of the railroad tracks. That would probably play havoc with his concentration.

Wil Wheaton Joins Team Poker Stars [Poker Stars]

Greg Raymer: Won’t Be 2 + 2 Whipping Boy

filed under Poker : Celebrities

The 2 + 2 forums open up another colorful discussion about last year’s WSOP champion Greg “FossilMan” Raymer and his poker playing ability(or lack there of) and his overall likeability factor:

“some locals at foxwoods explain that raymer rarely wins inthose ring games. apparently he tries to give too much advice and ends up giving away his money!”

This comment results in a long debate amongst the riled up posters then, ultimately, the Fossilman awakens from his slumber and chimes in to defend himself:

Well, I won’t bother to say whether I’m any good or not. However, in 12 years of playing poker, I’ve yet to book a losing year. And I keep full records of every session of poker I play. And the last 6 of those 12 years were while I lived in CT and mostly played at Foxwoods.

Believe it, or not!

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

Is Greg Raymer poker’s equivalent of the Boston Red Sox Curt Schilling?

Raymer Not So Good? [Two Plus Two]

The Ken Adams Poker Primer for Absolute Drooling Morons

filed under Poker : Celebrities

Experienced poker writer Ken Adams mails in a list of the “best” poker pros in the world for CBS News that would probably get most poker nerds fuming. This is a major mail in—the stamp isn’t even licked. It’s mainly a list based on popularity than overall ability, but whichever. Maybe CBS is vying for WSOP coverage next year? It’s obvious Adams’ also listed every single person who was “nice” to him. His list includes the likes of Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, Chris Moneymaker, Jon Juanda, Phil Hellmuth, Gus “Hanson”(sic), Jesus Ferguson, Daniel Negreanu, Annie Duke, Jennifer Harmon, etc. Conspicuously absent from the list? Josh Arieh. We wonder why that is…

Top Hands: The Best Poker Pros [CBS News]

Wil Wheaton and Paul Phillips Make Blog Love

filed under Poker : Celebrities

Actor, blogger, poker fan, author, and family man, Wil Wheaton let former dot-com boomy and now quadruplitillionaire poker player Paul Phillips know about his raging man crush and wouldn’t you know Phillips blew the kiss right back?:

Readers inform that wil wheaton mentioned me in his blog today. This is great! Finally I can officially incorporate the “paul phillips / wil wheaton mutual admiration society” or PPWWMAS as it’s known to at least half its members

It’s so nice to these guys finally get that out in the open. I wonder if Phillips also likes the way Wil’s lip curls when he says “Indians”? (The two people who got that joke are laughing their asses off right now. Thank you.)

It’s blogcestuous [Paul Phillips]
Driver 8 [Wil Wheaton]

Phil Gordon: Lord of the Poker Sell-Outs

filed under Poker : Celebrities

The poker trend is now showing its weeds. According to an article in the Baltimore Sun, poker apparrell—hats, silk shirts— will soon be hitting stores everywhere, and, as the article so brazenly proclaims, “poker is the new pink”. It even quotes celebrity poker guru and aspiring giant Phil Gordon as some sort of expert on the fashion trend/trainwreck:

“These types of clothes identify the wearer as a poker player,” says Phil Gordon, the charismatic host of Bravo’s megahit Celebrity Poker Showdown. “And nothing in the U.S. is more hot than poker right now. When you see someone walking down the street wearing a [poker] hat, instantly that guy gains a bit of cool because people know that he plays poker.”

Raise your hand if you ever thought somebody walking down the street in a poker hat is kind of cool? Right. Thank you. We thought so. Now, please tell Phil Gordon that his sanity is on speaker phone and demands a meeting right away.

Poker’s Stylish Draw [Baltimore Sun]

WSOP: Odds on Affleck

filed under Poker : Celebrities

So, once again, a bunch of well-heeled celebrities will take on the pros and try to stave off humiliaton at the World Series of Poker. And, once again, Ben Affleck’s giant alcoholic head received some generous odds to win the tournament at 150-1. (Insert Ben Affleck Box Office/Acting/Relationship Odds Joke Here.)

Other celebs given minor respect:

Matt Damon: 250-1
Ed Norton: 250-1
Leonardo DiCaprio: 250-1

Hey, but where’s Tobey Maguire? Did his alleged donut gorging completely knock him off the board? Or maybe he can’t fit his chunky thighs under the table…

WSOP Champion Odds [CNW]
WSOP 2005 Champion Odds [Sportsbook]

Out of Work Comedians Try to Earn Cash From Poker Table

filed under Poker : Celebrities

Gabe Kaplan, what hath you wrought? On July 8, a group of comedians including Paul “Hey Pablo!” Rodriguez, Mark “I Used to Be Mr. Cooper and Now I Bang Fat Kirstie Alley” Curry, Robert “I had the Worst Series in HBO’s History” Wuhl and others well past their prime are joining up with the Game Show Network for the fourth installment of Poker Royale: Comedians Vs. Pros as part of the GSN network’s Casino Night, which is apparently Friday night, also featuring the always stultifying Celebrity Blackjack. Be sure to clear your social schedules this summer to spend Friday nights at home with GSN. Mmm-hmmm. That’ll happen.

Game Show Network [GSN.com]
GSN Antes Up Poker Royale: COMEDIANS VS. YOUNGBLOODS [Yahoo Biz]

Cameron Diaz: Trippin’ at the Bellagio

filed under Poker : Celebrities

From the cranky folks at 2 + 2… regular poster TylerDurden goes into oh-so-precise detail about his trip to Vegas, his meals, the hands he played, and his run-in with the Timberlake-humpin’ star of Charlie’s Angels:

I was in the 10 seat so I couldn’t see the cards too well till the dealer moved her hand but the Q8 guy yelled “fcuk” when the river fell and it was the 2c so I knocked him out. We were down to 8 now.It was about this time that Cameron Diaz walked by on her way to the cashier. She looks SMOKIN in person. She played 4-8.

I’ve dealt to her quite a few times. She’s a miserable bitch, was bad for the game, and stiffs every dealer and cocktail waitress she comes across.

In Vegas now—Bellagio tourney report [Two Plus Two]

All-OUT! Annie Duke’s Pilot Canned by NBC

filed under Poker : Celebrities

Oof. The NBC pilot “All-In” starring Jeanene Garrofalo as a mother who supports her family by playing poker, loosely based on poker diva Annie Duke’s life, has not been picked up. Duke’s public relations company said the show didn’t test well and NBC did not request any more episodes of the series. We have our own theory that Garrofalo did not enjoy eight hours a day in the make-up chair in order to get Duke’s acne scars just right.

Annie Duke’s Poker Show Goes Bust [Poker News]
Q&A Annie Duke [SI.com]