ClaytonN
12-22-2004, 08:20 PM
Sammy Farha
Aggressiveness: 7
Looseness: 8
Short-handed: 8
Limit: 4
No-limit: 7
Tournaments: 6
Side game: 6
Steam control: 5
Against weak players: 7
Against strong players: 7
Best game: Pot-limit Omaha
Weakness: Any game except Omaha
Sammy may be the most feared short-handed pot-limit Omaha player in the world. He is so good that we only play Omaha with him in mixed-games with one or two other games added. Even though his fame came from his second place finish to Moneymaker in the 2003 WSOP finale, hold’em is not his forté. His fearlessness carried him through that event. A little known fact: Eight hands before the end of Day 2 in 2003, I drew out on Sammy and he got up from the table. He thought he was busted, but he had 5,000 more than I had. (80,000 was average at that point.) He said, “I’m leaving. I can’t do anything with 5,000.” I said, “Sammy, sit down and take a shot.” Sammy went all-in in the dark on the next two hands and doubled-up each time. Of the last eight hands played at our table that night, Sammy was all-in before the flop on seven of them. He ended the second day with 58,000.
_____________________
Most people would expect the famous players listed below to be snobby because of their lofty status in the entertainment industry. Just the opposite is true. These stars are people persons which I imagine is part of the reason they took up poker.
Ben Affleck
When Ben plays in a casino he is hounded mercilessly for autographs and pictures, but he is usually very accommodating. I wish people would just let him play. I have played in three tournaments with Ben and each time he played significantly better than the time before. As a matter of fact, the last time we played together he won the first prize of over $350,000 in a $10,000 buy-in event at the Commerce Casino.
René Angelil
René is such an agreeable person that he never objects to playing whatever game other players want to play. The Vegas pros took advantage of his good nature by introducing him to a new form of poker each month: first seven-card stud, then seven stud hi/lo, then Omaha eight-or-better, and then triple-draw lowball. They didn’t count on René being such a fast learner and he soon became competent at all of the games.
Jerry Buss & Frank Mariani
The Lakers co-owners are proof that you can be nice to everyone you deal with and still be successful in business. The only time either of them takes their card playing seriously is when one plays a few hands with the other’s money when he is taking a break or when playing tournaments. It then becomes apparent that these guys are very capable players.
Larry Flynt
Larry paid his dues playing against the top players, and when he is on his game he is an excellent seven-stud player. At the Hustler Casino, the poker manager convinced Larry to play in a $75-$150 game to help bring players into the casino. Unfortunately, he plays better than players at that level and within a few months the game dissolved with Larry being the biggest winner.
Gabe Kaplan
Gabe is the best poker playing actor, although Wilfred Brimley had his way with Gabe at the World Series a few years back. He has been seasoned by years of playing with top players. In a big tournament, I would rank Gabe in the top 20% of the field. I also consider him to be the best combination color/play-by-play poker announcer. Unfortunately, the networks usually stifle his creativity.
Toby Maguire
Toby is serious about his poker game. He is very sharp, but he seemed too conservative when I played with him. I showed him some play examples in my book, and (not coincidentally, I assume) he won the next tournament in which he played. First prize was over $95,000.
James Woods
James has only been playing for a couple of years, but he is very enthusiastic about playing and discussing poker. He will talk with anyone about poker, regardless of their play level. James is very keen on reading his opponents and if he senses weakness, he will reraise on a bluff.
Aggressiveness: 7
Looseness: 8
Short-handed: 8
Limit: 4
No-limit: 7
Tournaments: 6
Side game: 6
Steam control: 5
Against weak players: 7
Against strong players: 7
Best game: Pot-limit Omaha
Weakness: Any game except Omaha
Sammy may be the most feared short-handed pot-limit Omaha player in the world. He is so good that we only play Omaha with him in mixed-games with one or two other games added. Even though his fame came from his second place finish to Moneymaker in the 2003 WSOP finale, hold’em is not his forté. His fearlessness carried him through that event. A little known fact: Eight hands before the end of Day 2 in 2003, I drew out on Sammy and he got up from the table. He thought he was busted, but he had 5,000 more than I had. (80,000 was average at that point.) He said, “I’m leaving. I can’t do anything with 5,000.” I said, “Sammy, sit down and take a shot.” Sammy went all-in in the dark on the next two hands and doubled-up each time. Of the last eight hands played at our table that night, Sammy was all-in before the flop on seven of them. He ended the second day with 58,000.
_____________________
Most people would expect the famous players listed below to be snobby because of their lofty status in the entertainment industry. Just the opposite is true. These stars are people persons which I imagine is part of the reason they took up poker.
Ben Affleck
When Ben plays in a casino he is hounded mercilessly for autographs and pictures, but he is usually very accommodating. I wish people would just let him play. I have played in three tournaments with Ben and each time he played significantly better than the time before. As a matter of fact, the last time we played together he won the first prize of over $350,000 in a $10,000 buy-in event at the Commerce Casino.
René Angelil
René is such an agreeable person that he never objects to playing whatever game other players want to play. The Vegas pros took advantage of his good nature by introducing him to a new form of poker each month: first seven-card stud, then seven stud hi/lo, then Omaha eight-or-better, and then triple-draw lowball. They didn’t count on René being such a fast learner and he soon became competent at all of the games.
Jerry Buss & Frank Mariani
The Lakers co-owners are proof that you can be nice to everyone you deal with and still be successful in business. The only time either of them takes their card playing seriously is when one plays a few hands with the other’s money when he is taking a break or when playing tournaments. It then becomes apparent that these guys are very capable players.
Larry Flynt
Larry paid his dues playing against the top players, and when he is on his game he is an excellent seven-stud player. At the Hustler Casino, the poker manager convinced Larry to play in a $75-$150 game to help bring players into the casino. Unfortunately, he plays better than players at that level and within a few months the game dissolved with Larry being the biggest winner.
Gabe Kaplan
Gabe is the best poker playing actor, although Wilfred Brimley had his way with Gabe at the World Series a few years back. He has been seasoned by years of playing with top players. In a big tournament, I would rank Gabe in the top 20% of the field. I also consider him to be the best combination color/play-by-play poker announcer. Unfortunately, the networks usually stifle his creativity.
Toby Maguire
Toby is serious about his poker game. He is very sharp, but he seemed too conservative when I played with him. I showed him some play examples in my book, and (not coincidentally, I assume) he won the next tournament in which he played. First prize was over $95,000.
James Woods
James has only been playing for a couple of years, but he is very enthusiastic about playing and discussing poker. He will talk with anyone about poker, regardless of their play level. James is very keen on reading his opponents and if he senses weakness, he will reraise on a bluff.