Jackpot Jay Good? (Fossilman or other's who have played with him)

[Phishy McFish]

Obviously based on two different columns Mr. Raymer (don't know him well enough/at all to call him Greg) has played against ESPNs poker guy. I'm curious to know opinions on his play. I find his articles entertaining regardless, but am interested to hear if his "trials and tribulations" have been able to give birth to talent.

[Greg (FossilMan)]

From what I've seen, Jay plays a pretty tight and solid game. Doesn't fish in with marginal hands like I do, doesn't seem to bluff much either. With that style, I haven't seen him play enough to know if he's a world class tight player (like Dan Harrington), or just a weak tight player in general. That's the thing with tight players, you don't see them play enough hands to tell the difference until a lot of time has passed.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[Woody09]

I think his colums are very entertaining. As for poker knowledge, there is a little, but I'm not really looking for any when I read his articles. AS they say, I like my red meat red, and my queers flaming. In other words, its good entertainment but probably sdhouldn't be looking for any poker "gems"

[scrub]

I played with him a few times in the 5/5 NL game.

He was extremely tight and extremely passive while I was at the table with him.

We only played one hand together that I can remember. He limped something like KJ from EMP and flopped broadway against my Ace + gutshot (I think I had AJs--it might have been AQ or AT). He bet about a quarter of the pot into me on the flop, then bet the same amount on the turn and a similarly small amount on the river. It was a really weird pot and I remember scratching my head about it afterwards.

I'm definitely not qualified to say if he's good or not, but I remember thinking he played that pot very strangely for someone who was apparently a winner.

scrub

[pshreck]

I have played a few hands with him a few months ago, when he was a rock. I think he is a slightly above average player. I think he is an outstanding satellite player.... his selectiveness and great understanding of the bubble (even over many winning players) have accounted for just about all they money he has won this year (which is from satellites). He doesn't seem to be a great cash game player, and right now seems like a tournament player who could go even money or worse on the pro circuit.

Apparently he has changed his game to be more aggressive... however from reading his articles he seems to place too much strength in his reading abilities. I think players who have played under a year and still figure out ways to fold KK preflop are probably outthinking themselves and are below the ability they think they are at.

I am personally unimpressed with his articles... I have seen many an average poster on 2+2 give me great insight on the game of poker... his articles are very bland.

In all seriousness... why didn't they give that job to a Greg Raymer, or someone like a Howard Lederer or Hellmuth. Being the only poker writer for ESPN is more prestigious than ESPN imagined, and quite frankly I think he is writing a boring and uninsightful column that is getting more readers than just about any poker column out there.

Give it to Greg.... then I would be really excited to read it each week.

[RowdyZ]

Giving it to Greg or any other of the pros you mentioned would defeat the purpose of the articles. To show a guy giving the poker dream a shot and tracking his ups and downs, successes and failures as he goes along, with a bit of humor.

[Phishy McFish]

The point of it is so we can hear....."I got played like a fiddle and here are the details." and think to a hand where the same thing happened to us on our journey to being better players. That and he throws in some jokes at himself and others make it nice bathroom reading material in my opinion. To be honest, I'm kinda surprised he doesn't post here.......I have emailed him telling him if he really wants to get better he should be.

[pshreck]

ESPN should have some more legitimate poker coverage. I know tons of people who flat out hate the column, and from looking at all his reader mail it seems that so does most of the nation.

I dont hate the column... I just feel its a little too boring. He has bits and peices of good stuff, but for the most part his columns are dry. His only really decent column I thought was "the commandments of poker". That had some pretty good, original stuff.

I think he can improve... as he continues to learn poker, but it's almost like I read his article every week to just see if he's figured out anything useful, with the answer being no for the past few months.

[M2d]

The column's on their Page Two, and is usually pretty buried there. It's not a "poker" column, per se, but a "slice of life" column built around the game.

I can't imagine someone hating a column enough to make all those mouse clicks to find it just to bag on it after reading it.

If someone doesn't like it, it's pretty easy to ignore.

[RowdyZ]

ESPN isn't interested in covering Poker, only the WSOP and related events, when the WSOP was going on ESPN did have good coverage, Sorry right now it is just WPT going on and ESPN probably doesn't want to advertise the competion. WPT does the same thing, I mean when Moneymaker was on they said he won a "major event" last year, well duh.. the biggest event of them all but probably not going to hear a WPT announcer mention the WSOP.

RZ

[B Dids]

If that's the intent- the they should have just staked Bill Simmons, or somebody else who can write something entertaining.

[pshreck]

[ QUOTE ]
If that's the intent- the they should have just staked Bill Simmons, or somebody else who can write something entertaining.

[/ QUOTE ]

B Dids is saying exactly what I think... Jay isn't a great column writer, he's not very funny and his anecdotes aren't very interesting. On the other side of it... he doesn't know all that much about poker, and the stuff he is learning isn't original or interesting to read about, because it's so basic to anyone starting out at poker.

Honestly... I think it's because he's so old, it's just hard for me to connect with him on these life/poker columns.

Please get someone in there to save espn's poker writing.

[SuitedSixes]

I'm going to stick up for the guy. He's "living the dream" and writing about it. Really now difference between what he's doing and davidross, schneids, et al. Page2 is my second stop of the night after 2+2, only to see if there's a new Jackpot Jay article.

[BlackAces]

[ QUOTE ]
If that's the intent- the they should have just staked Bill Simmons, or somebody else who can write something entertaining.

[/ QUOTE ]
I actually wrote Simmons an email to that effect shortly after he started writing for ESPN. He wrote back that it was something he'd thought about often, but couldn't get the guys upstairs to go along with.

[rickthekeg]

For the record, ESPN is not staking Jackpot Jay. I think a publishing company fronted him some money, not sure how much.

[Phishy McFish]

Interesting. But he's obviously a big fan. He gushes over you in almost every article.