Play with the Pros? (1 Viewer)

fish72s

fish72s

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Curious to know if anyone here has played with any of the pros?
By 'Pro' I mean well-known pro; someone famous or recognizable from TV.
Negreanu, Ivey, Hellmuth, Laak.....

What were your impressions?

Or maybe someone here is a famous pro? Time to come out....
 
I very, very, very rarely play tournaments in casinos, so my experiences have been limited to low limit cash and therefore to low level poker pros, but i've played with the following (name, game, location) (in order of "fame"):

Amnon Fillipi - $5/5 PLO - Borgata
Scott Fischman - $2/5 NLHE - Parx
Bart Hanson - $2/5 NLHE - Parx
Jamie Kerstetter - $2/5 NLHE - Borgata
Mike Dentale - $2/5 NLHE - Borgata

I'm sure I'm stretching the meaning of "known pro" on those last two, but they've gotten fairly regular coverage and I've played many times with both of them, so whatever. All of the above were very nice people in-game except for Mike Dentale who is basically just an asshole 24 hours a day. Some people find it charming. I've always just thought he was a cock. He's basically the real life version of an online poker chat box.

I've also played with a bunch of guys who were "famous" for like a month after they made asses of themselves on the WSOP broadcasts or went deepish and the random scumbags who make short-lived names for themselves on 2+2 by doing something horrible.
 
I played Magic with a number of them back "before they were famous" - David Williams, Brock Parker, Noah Boeken, Eric Froehlich, Gary Wise (now ESPN poker columnist,) I'm sure some others who've had success in poker. Williams especially I knew well and played with a lot - great guy and exactly who he comes off as on TV (minus the bling, I'm not really sure what's up with that.)
 
I played with Paul Magriel (quack quack guy) at a Bellagio 1/2 table when I was in town for my Buddy's bachelor party about 5 years ago. Real nice guy, was surprisingly aggressive, but I had position on him and was able to take a bunch of pots off him playing tight, solid poker (I know, right?) He definitely did the $22 quack quack bet a couple of times. Was surprised he was playing down at our level, but the rest of the people at the table were pretty bad, so I guess it makes some sense if his bankroll needed boosting.
 
jbutler said:
All of the above were very nice people in-game except for Mike Dentale who is basically just an asshole 24 hours a day. Some people find it charming. I've always just thought he was a cock. He's basically the real life version of an online poker chat box.
Click to expand...

The only place I know that name from is some huge thing on 2+2 a few years back where he had done something-or-other that was inexcusably awful as a human being (stiffing somebody on a staking agreement or something.) IIRC he was just some random schmuck who had done something awful - so now he is a "known pro?"
 
Ben said:
The only place I know that name from is some huge thing on 2+2 a few years back where he had done something-or-other that was inexcusably awful as a human being (stiffing somebody on a staking agreement or something.) IIRC he was just some random schmuck who had done something awful - so now he is a "known pro?"
Click to expand...

Check the sentence directly before the one you quoted where i say obv i'm stretching "known pro". The only reason he came to mind is that he was recently on Poker Night in America and he runs around with better known pros who retweet him or make fun of or argue with him on Twitter or 2+2.
 
jbutler said:
Check the sentence directly before the one you quoted where i say obv i'm stretching "known pro". The only reason he came to mind is that he was recently on Poker Night in America and he runs around with better known pros who retweet him or make fun of or argue with him on Twitter or 2+2.
Click to expand...

I getcha - I just meant that at the time he definitely wasn't any kind of "pro," just some douchebag. If he's made it to Poker Night in America, it would imply that he has somehow profited from his douchebaggery, which is pretty saddening.
 
Ben said:
I getcha - I just meant that at the time he definitely wasn't any kind of "pro," just some douchebag. If he's made it to Poker Night in America, it would imply that he has somehow profited from his douchebaggery, which is pretty saddening.
Click to expand...

Honestly I think he was only included because Matt Glantz was brought in and Glantz is friends with Mike which is insane since the few times I've met Glantz he's been pretty nice and Dentale has been either non-verbal or a complete dick 100% of the time I've ever played with him.
 
At Foxwoods, probably somewhere around 2006 I played a $600 Omaha hi/lo tourney during their WPT series of events. Mike "The Grinder" Mizrachi showed up at the table about an hour and a half late, seemed pretty disinterested in the game and busted pretty quick. Was quiet for the most part, this was back when people were really clamoring for Cardplayer POY points I guess why he was playing such a smaller buyin.

Also had Paul Darden at the same table, he didn't seem too friendly. Same tourney I stood in line for the bathrooms on break and had Men "The Master" in front of me, dude is shorter than me (and I'm mighty short). Although I thought he had been caught in a cheating ring at Foxwoods tourneys, maybe that was later rather than prior to this event, don't recall.

I've played online against well-known pro's like Jenn Harman in a 50/100 limit O8 cash game (I'm sure there were other pro's there too, just remember her)

Oh, and Mike Cappelleti (I believe he's passed now) who wrote strat books on O8 games, played 4/8 Half Kill O8 at Foxwoods and he was on my right chomping on an unlit cigar.
 
I played with Joe Hachem NLHE tourney at Casino du Liban. Everybody was calling him with weak / crazy hands, to have a chance to exit him and brag about it.

Once out, he set-up a sit and go with some players for $10,000, which obviously he won :)
 
I lived in vegas for a while and played with a bunch of them.

Broke Living JRB(Bobby Bellande) Many cash games at aria when he was playing lower limits like 5-10 or 2-5
Complained the whole time every time about how bad he ran

Huck Seed at a 30 - 60 limit mix
Quiet and solid

Sam Stein a bunch of times
Surprisingly funny, runs amazingly good. Has great poker strategy insight when talking to him

IEric Baldwin - Quiet and Niitty as hell

Norman Chad - Hilarious, did a play by play for nearly every hand

Lon Mceachern - Made fun of Norman and did his own play by plays

Todd Brunsen - Mostly quiet other than ripping on his friends

Jen Harmen - Wore headphones

JJ Liu - wore weird glasses, i was on the other side of the table so no real conversation

Bart Hansen - His website is created and updated by a friend of mine so Bart comes and plays at the local games from time to time. Hes really nice and is as equally confused by some of the people we play with as I am.

Im sure there were others.


Sat down the Isle from Negreanu who never shut up. Him and Shannon Elizabeth made me put in my headphones.

Antonio Esfandiari followed my wife around Whole foods until I showed up. I think he was trying to figure out how to talk to her.

I have nearly been run over by Doyle on his scooter on many occasions. He gets on that thing and flies because he doesn't want to deal with getting mobbed.
 
Only at home games:

Michael & Nick Binger. (Their other brother is my neighbor). Heard some good stories from 2006.

Chris Bell lives down the street, but I haven't had a chance to really meet him. Will invite him to my game.
 
Over the years, we've had a lot of famous players participating in BARGE/ATLARGE tournaments. Most came to be guest speakers and played a few tourneys; others have been regular or semi-regular participants.

These have included Chris Ferguson, Greg Raymer, Erik Seidel, Howard Lederer, Mickey Appleman, Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, David Sklansky, Doyle Brunson, Andy Bloch, Phil Gordon, Mason Mallmuth, Mike Caro, Paul Phillips, Linda Johnson, Matt Matros, and this year Jennifer Shahade.

Nolan Dalla (WSOP PR man) and Bill Chen (Mathematics of Poker, High Stakes Poker) are regular attendees.

Also busted Paul Darden out of an AC tourney once. Enjoyed it -- he's a miserable sob.

My roomie from my first ATLARGE won the Foxwoods WSOP Circuit main event this year, too. Something must have rubbed off... :cool:
 
pltrgyst said:
Over the years, we've had a lot of famous players participating in BARGE/ATLARGE tournaments. Most came to be guest speakers and played a few tourneys; others have been regular or semi-regular participants.

These have included Chris Ferguson, Greg Raymer, Erik Seidel, Howard Lederer, Mickey Appleman, Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, David Sklansky, Doyle Brunson, Andy Bloch, Phil Gordon, Mason Mallmuth, Mike Caro, Paul Phillips, Linda Johnson, Matt Matros, and this year Jennifer Shahade.

Nolan Dalla (WSOP PR man) and Bill Chen (Mathematics of Poker, High Stakes Poker) are regular attendees.

Also busted Paul Darden out of an AC tourney once. Enjoyed it -- he's a miserable sob.

My roomie from my first ATLARGE won the Foxwoods WSOP Circuit main event this year, too. Something must have rubbed off... :cool:
Click to expand...


When in vegas I accidently wandered into a Barge cash game at Binions. Those were some crazy fun games you guys play.
 
pltrgyst said:
Over the years, we've had a lot of famous players participating in BARGE/ATLARGE tournaments. Most came to be guest speakers and played a few tourneys; others have been regular or semi-regular participants.

These have included Chris Ferguson, Greg Raymer, Erik Seidel, Howard Lederer, Mickey Appleman, Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, David Sklansky, Doyle Brunson, Andy Bloch, Phil Gordon, Mason Mallmuth, Mike Caro, Paul Phillips, Linda Johnson, Matt Matros, and this year Jennifer Shahade.

Nolan Dalla (WSOP PR man) and Bill Chen (Mathematics of Poker, High Stakes Poker) are regular attendees.

Also busted Paul Darden out of an AC tourney once. Enjoyed it -- he's a miserable sob.

My roomie from my first ATLARGE won the Foxwoods WSOP Circuit main event this year, too. Something must have rubbed off... :cool:
Click to expand...

You have played with me; you didn't mention me:)
 
fish72s said:
You have played with me; you didn't mention me:)
Click to expand...


Actually that leads me to another thought. A theory ; a conjecture that I will propose to be true.
It's not unlike that other postulate involving Kevin Bacon.

Call it the 6 degrees of Fish72s and it is true for every poker player in the world.
A poker player is connected to Fish72s if he/she has played with a player who has played with a player...(4 more degrees) who has played with me.

:)
 
Last edited:
Jeff Madsen at 8-16 O8 at Venetian.

Stealthmunk (Justin Schwartz) at Foxwoods 2/5.

Darvin Moon and Moneymaker at a Eastern Poker Tour event at Foxwoods. Moneymaker busted and played 1/2 a cash all night with people, hammered as hell and yakking it up. Looked like fun.

John Dolan (folded QQ to my AA after I 4bet him pre), Jaaon Senti, and Jonathan Duhamel at another EPT event at Foxwoods (2011).
 
Haven't played poker with any pros (except Moneymaker, quite a bit lately online) but I've played backgammon with several, long before the poker boom -- when we were all playing on the backgammon pro tournament circuit many years ago: Paul Magriel, Erik Seidel, Jason Lester, Phil Laak, Gus Hansen, and probably a few others I've since forgotten (never had the pleasure of meeting or playing with Dan Harrington).

Bob Ciaffone (RROP) was one of my early backgammon mentors -- he owned and ran the Cavendish Club (cards/backgammon) in Detroit before moving to LA and becoming a poker pro and author. Andy Glazer was also a long-time close personal friend.
 
Only Kirk Morrison - Home and Casino games

Funny story one player didn't believe he was a WSOP bracelet winner, the look on his face when it was produced was so funny
 
Not me but a friend who I used to play a ton of poker with was a prop player in Russ Hamilton's home game here in Detroit before Russ moved to Vegas and won the 1994 WSOP. It was in the 70's and I guess several Detroit Lions used to play in the game for fairly high stakes at the time. Of course Russ went on to all sorts of infamy in the whole Ultimate Bet scandal, but word has it he was ALWAYS looking for a way to cheat!
 
Played with-
Mimi Tran and Barry Greenstein(same table) 20/40 Omaha at the Rio.
Jeffrey Lisandro, Mike Matusow, and Chau Giang in a 100/200 Limit mixed game at Aria this year.
Moneymaker at a 2/5 RxR when he was touring with the playboy poker tour.
Negreneau, Hellmuth, Raymer, Hachem and several others at various WSOP events.
Ryan Riess, at some home games and when he made the final table we had a game of open face chinese going.


Dealt to-
Freddy Deeb(total tool)
JRB(as above)
Bobby Baldwin(same)
Brian Rast(same)
Doyle(yes, the same)
Ben Lamb, couldn't have been nicer, great guy and George.
Sam Farha, seemed like he was only there to complain and have someone listen to him, but seemed nice and was a decent tipper.
Phil Ivey, stiff
Patrick Antonious. Before I dealt heard he was a total JO, but was very pleasant and good George.
Gus Hansen. Nice guy, always seemed to be on something though. good tipper and very easy to deal to
Several others, those are just ones I can remember.
 

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