Antonio's bad attitude

[brassnuts]

I liked the way he played but IMO he seemed a bit too snobbish for my taste. A few times during the course of the final table he smugly turned his head away from Bill Gazes and gave looks to the other players that communicated something to the effect of "This guy's an idiot."
He also seemed like a poor winner, ie not congradulating the oppenents he just defeated.
Eh... I'm probably just reading too far into this like I do a lot of things. Maybe I should start a website for everything I read too far into.

[SaintAces]

classic /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Army Eye]

I agree, he had an attitude, but Gazes was being pretty annoying. Might've been more of the sames on untelevised hands too, I don't know.

[Stagemusic]

[ QUOTE ]
liked the way he played but IMO he seemed a bit too snobbish for my taste. A few times during the course of the final table he smugly turned his head away from Bill Gazes and gave looks to the other players that communicated something to the effect of "This guy's an idiot."
He also seemed like a poor winner, ie not congradulating the oppenents he just defeated.
Eh... I'm probably just reading too far into this like I do a lot of things. Maybe I should start a website for everything I read too far into.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes Antonio is brash and exuberant. However, I think this is great for the game. He actually showed a lot of class on the thrashing he took early when nothing he held stood up for a number of hands. He just kept on coming. Vinny Vinh was another player that I enjoyed. He was still talking smack when he was literally drawing almost dead right at the end.

I think that the last thing the WPT needs this season is 6 battle scarred veterans sitting around a table putting slick moves on each other. A more exciting and "common man" approach is going to do far more for the show and the game. The show last night might have been the most fun to watch yet. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

The show last night might have been the most fun to watch yet.

I agree. However, these were all veteren players, even the "amateur" for whom lat night's tournament was the 3rd WPT event in which he finished in the money.

[Richie Rich]

n/m

[Richie Rich]

I don't think the kid plays with any class. And that "poker wave" has got to go... /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[wm r the rake]

i agree that wave is very annoying!!! I know that we couldn't see all the action that was going on but come on...calling time on someone...how immature is that

[Richie Rich]

Apparantly that's his "trademark"...when he knocked Helmuth out of a final table in a SF Tournament, last year, he did the same annoying gesture. Helmuth mumbled to him, "Be a gentleman about it and shake my hand." Or something close to that...

[toots]

He called time on someone who was grandstanding forever, calling a raise, then putting on a 15-minute tap dance before mentioning how much the raise was going to be.

Yeah, I agree that Antonio was pretty hard to take, but that guy who tried for an oscar on every hand was even more annoying.

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]
but come on...calling time on someone...how immature is that

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree in general, but Bill Gazes was acting particularly strange at that point in the game, and he was also annoying. He acted like he had called "raise", and then forgot what he was doing. If you watched Gazes' table camera both before and after that hand, his hand were trembling as he looked at his cards. And soon after that hand (soon in WPT time), he was wandering around the room when the action was to him, forgetting he was still in the game. And we don't know what else may have been edited out. Antonio may have just been trying to get him focused.

That said, Antonio is equally annoying and often juvenile, and no one I'd want to go out for a few beers with after the game, but a good mix of different types of players makes for an interesting game. And guys like Antonio are like pro wrestling characters; you can immediately take a strong emotional stand of rooting for or against him. You know the old saying (that I just made up): there's no business that's not show business.

[symphonic]

Antonio is great, he makes watching them play alot more fun.

[TimTimSalabim]

He is great for the game. He will bring more people to poker who think "any two can win". When you make the game appear to be lots of fun, you only help it. Personally, I can't wait to see people doing the wave at my table and raising with 72o, while I quietly rake in all the chips.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

calling time on someone...how immature is that

Wait a minute. Gazes says "raise" and then sits there like a statue and you think Antonio acted badly?

[el_grande]

Gazes was the most annoying guy I've seen on there since that Tony guy in Paris. The way he would say something then stare at Antonio was driving me nuts. Yeah.. we know you are trying to get a read.

Antonio is a sleazy little guy, but I like the way he plays at a final table.

[SossMan]

I've played w/ Antonio a couple of times. He was alway very nice, down to earth, humble.
I think he was very, very excited to make the final table in the largest WPT to date. There was literally hundreds of thousands of dollars riding on every card, so I think that's what got him so amped. I know he comes across like an attention whore, sleazy, classless player on TV, but I can say that it hasn't been the case every time I've played at his table.

[ncskiier]

Missed the first half because the OC was on. What I did see was the most entertaining event so far. I agree that Antonio can be a little over the top some times. But so can Phil H, Scotty N, Layne F, etc, etc. I agree that the diversity is what makes it sooo goood.

[thirddan]

i haven't seen the episode as i don't have tv in my apt /images/graemlins/frown.gif, but i think that having a variety of different more outgoing personalities is great for the show and for poker...if all the players were the more serious "thinking" lederer/ivey types then new viewers would only have to watch one episode...from a non poker players point of view i would imagine that the poker part of the show seems relatively similar for all the shows, its the characters that will bring them back to watch the show again and take some active interest in poker...

[brassnuts]

[ QUOTE ]
Missed the first half because the OC was on

[/ QUOTE ]
You should be ashamed of yourself.

That being said, I agree with the majority that he does make for a good viewing experience. But, like someone mentioned earlier, the wave has got to go...

[pokerexplorer.com]

Yess

[AnyAce]

He seems to be aware that his displays are a little over the top. In the profile of him in Cardplayer he talks about wanting to be thought of as a "classy refined player"

http://www.cardplayer.com/?sec=afeature&art_id=13905

"At dinner, he showed his humility and explained that he had learned so much in his short time of playing poker. What he had learned was how to behave in a tasteful manner. He told us stories about winning hands and cheering for himself in a way he wished he could forget. He remembered playing with the classy Phil Ivey, and winning a pot and behaving in an embarrassing manner. T.J. Cloutier took him aside and told him that he was behaving inappropriately. When a champion like T.J. tells a kid he has behaved badly, it is memorable. Antonio decided then that he always wanted to be thought of as a classy, refined poker player."



Not sure he's quite there yet (though I may just be jealous of his succcess /images/graemlins/frown.gif)

[toots]

I all fairness to the guy,

While his behavior did annoy me (especially the Poker Wave), I really have to ask myself exactly how I'd comport myself if I was winning a million+ for the first time.

I suspect that I'd have an excess of exhuberance, and probably not enough self-control to keep from displaying some of the inappropriate expressions. I mean, winning $1.4mil really is a big deal (or it would be to me).

And you can bet your bottom dollar that absolutely every example of someone acting like this is going to be shown, because this is television, and that's the sort of thing that the directors figure will keep people watching. And they're probably right.

I think the real question is whether, after the novelty of winning a WPT table wears off, he learns more appropriate behaviors.

[wm r the rake]

what is wrong with sitting there and thinking about that??
The hand you were talking about was on a different call and he paused like 6 seconds to make the raise...Plus you can tell he was very nervous in the first place since his hands were shaking most of the time he was there!!! IMO i would since Antonio was obvious getting pissed at him kept doing whatever it was to keep annoying him to try and put him on tilt....at that point in the tourney he was on a losing streak and what better way to get him out /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[curtains]

I agree that he was completely obnoxoius. My girlfriend, who knows nothing about poker, was disgusted by his behavior....kept calling him a pompous a-hole.

[theBruiser500]

[ QUOTE ]
He is great for the game.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm tired of this bullshit attitude, Antonio pisses me off and I don't care how many stupid amateurs like him.

[theBruiser500]

[ QUOTE ]
While his behavior did annoy me (especially the Poker Wave), I really have to ask myself exactly how I'd comport myself if I was winning a million+ for the first time.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is a bullshit answer too.

[toots]

Ok, so how did you act when you won your first million dollar tournament?

[TimTimSalabim]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
He is great for the game.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm tired of this bullshit attitude, Antonio pisses me off and I don't care how many stupid amateurs like him.

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't say I liked him, I just said he was great for the game. There's a reason why there's a poker explosion right now and not a chess explosion. He might piss me off a little too, if I was playing at his table, but part of winning poker is not letting a guy like that get under your skin.

[ncskiier]

[ QUOTE ]


I'm tired of this bullshit attitude, Antonio pisses me off and I don't care how many stupid amateurs like him.

[/ QUOTE ]

How do you really feel?

[Daliman]

he acted the same in the WPT tourney he DIDN't win b4, and right from the beginning so again, the "First time winning a million" means nada...
He's an embarrassment...

I'm in total agreement with your impression of Antonio the other night. The first time I saw him do that gay wave in Helmuth's face, right after knocking Phil out, I thought, "Holy Sh**, what a classless thing to do (even if it was done towards a not-so-always-classy guy)". I mean here you are feeling like sh** after being knocked out, and now you've got some jerk rubbing it in your face just to get a rise out of the audience.

Anyway, I figured that when Antonio saw how it looked on t.v. that he would class his act up. Well, I think he did a little. He seemed to at least wait for the loser to leave the general area before doing his little fluffer move.

[Cornbread Maxwell]

[ QUOTE ]

I agree that he was completely obnoxoius. My girlfriend, who knows nothing about poker, was disgusted by his behavior....kept calling him a pompous a-hole.

[/ QUOTE ]

hehe 69 lolz

[2DAXTRM (Jeff)]

i think 69 is kind of a dirty raise cuz 69 is a sex thing so he probz did raise to 69 on purpose thats pretty kewl and unkewl in different ways but it raelly maeks u think but all i know is wpt rox and mike sexton rox and vince van patten rox and shana hiat kewl will u marry me rotflmao 69 69 69 69! THE END.

[2DAXTRM (Jeff)]

Has anyone noticed that Antonio has a really disturbing unibrow? Not to mention it's super thick as well. I can honestly say that his head is about 30% eyebrow. I would just like to mention this.

[Tyler Durden]

Hahahaha.

[aaronjacobg]

what an idiot

[Nick B.]

[ QUOTE ]
I mean here you are feeling like sh** after being knocked out, and now you've got some jerk rubbing it in your face just to get a rise out of the audience.


[/ QUOTE ]

Or how about when Mike K. got knocked out and Antonio went and bear hugged Vinny.

[sublime]

[ QUOTE ]
Missed the first half because the OC was on. What I did see was the most entertaining event so far. I agree that Antonio can be a little over the top some times. But so can Phil H, Scotty N, Layne F, etc, etc. I agree that the diversity is what makes it sooo goood.


[/ QUOTE ]

Dude, why dont you just come out and say it?

/images/graemlins/grin.gif

EDIT: I am kidding by BTW. I find teenage soap operas quite appealing. As a matter of fact I am looking forward to the next 90120 marathon. Dylan is just such a stud.

[2DAXTRM (Jeff)]

im not an idiot that makes me sad when people can judge so quick /images/graemlins/frown.gif /images/graemlins/frown.gif /images/graemlins/frown.gif i think im smart and kewl and have heart of gold but maybe u dont like the 69 69 69 69 69 lol lololollol but its all good my kewl amigo i still think u rok even though u need to not jump to concluszions so fast. but all i know is poker rokx and i hope i get some kewl hands today and hope u do too like straight flushes would be kewl and maybe even a 4 of a kind lolrotomlao.. bye bye and good day.

[theBruiser500]

[ QUOTE ]
Missed the first half because the OC was on. What I did see was the most entertaining event so far. I agree that Antonio can be a little over the top some times. But so can Phil H, Scotty N, Layne F, etc, etc. I agree that the diversity is what makes it sooo goood.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't even compare Flack and Nguyen to Antonio [censored] Head. This happened on another thread where people said it's okay that MoneyMaker cheers himself after winning something, there's a big difference between what Ngueyn does and what Antonio or Moneymaker do. Nguyen is making a joke, having a good time and doing a little trash talking in a completely unmalicious manner. Moneymaker isn't being mean, but all he's doing is cheering himself on.

[JerseyTom]

[ QUOTE ]
i think 69 is kind of a dirty raise cuz 69 is a sex thing so he probz did raise to 69 on purpose thats pretty kewl and unkewl in different ways but it raelly maeks u think but all i know is wpt rox and mike sexton rox and vince van patten rox and shana hiat kewl will u marry me rotflmao 69 69 69 69! THE END.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is one of the funnier things I have read in a long while here...

[B Dids]

You're looking through some jaded glasses if you think there's much difference between Antonio and Scotty.

If Antonio wasn't 25, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be hearing any of this.

I thought given the nature of the folks at the table, he acted fine. I'm not sure where it was written that somebody shouldn't be happy when they win a big pot.

[theBruiser500]

No B Didds, you're wrong, Antonio sucks and Scotty Nguyen is awesome.

I just saw the WPT episode for the first time on rerun just now and couldn't help but come back to the computer because it was so outrageous. It was a circus, with the audience cheering and going wild, and the way it ended with Sexton yelling junk. It wasn't just Antonio either, that guy Vinny is a joker. You guys can't even defend their behavior by saying there was a lot of money on the line, it was just all so over the top, I hate their guts.

I loved watching the poker touranment that Fox showed with Cloutier battling Antonio. There were a couple of hands in a row where Cloutier tooled on Antonio. First he value bet him, then he bluffed Antonio out. I was like "YES! You suck Antonio, let's see your retarded 'wave' now."

[B Dids]

So beyond act excited about winning a lot of money, what did they do wrong?

Again- you obviously don't like the guy, but you're fishing for reasons why.

[MicroBob]

"If Antonio wasn't 25, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be hearing any of this."


so that retarded wave would look more appropriate from a 40-year old or a 70-year old??

actually, come to think of it....i would love to see Doyle Brunson or one of the old-schoolers do that ridiculous poker-wave. now THAT would be hilarious.


moneymaker's fist-pumps were out of pure excitement, and he always seemed to be reasonably polite and shake everyone's hand. i suspect that if he had gotten knocked out he would have been equally polite.

antonio has been to a final table before...and has commented that he KNOWS his behaviour has been inappropriate. yet he does that silly wave that seems to be more out of ill-will and shoving it in his opponents' faces more than anything else.


i would be pretty excited if i somehow made it to a final-table with that much money riding on each hand....there would be some fist-pumps and other displays of excitement....but the whole poker-wave thing seemed like an 8-year-old whining 'nyah nyah nyah....i'm better than you are...i'm better than you are.'

[B Dids]

I'm saying that there's a generational gap in effect. I'm a couple years older than Antonio, and I don't see the wave as some great crime against poker humanity.

I also thought that Terrell Ownen's sharpie was funny as hell. I thought it would have been even more amusing if he'd handed the ball the Sean Springs. I don't think I'm atypical of my generation. It's simply a different standard for ethics and good behavior.

I see nothing wrong with self-expression and self promotion. That isn't how I play, and I'm a pretty quiet winner, but I won't find fault in somebody who chooses to celebrate their sucess. It's not my place to try and enforce my sense of decorum upon them, or make judgement about their character based on very little information.

Lastly, while it might not be nice, there's nothing wrong with trying to tilt somebody at the poker table. Again, not something I do, but I won't think somebody is an dick for trying to get an edge.

[J_V]

where do you guys get this afterschool bullshit.

his waving and you making money aren't related.

[J_V]

No, winning poker has almost nothing to do with not letting this JAG annoy you. Your cookie cutter statements are [censored] annoying. And yes that's how I really feel.

[Slacker13]

[ QUOTE ]
He is great for the game. He will bring more people to poker who think "any two can win".

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with that. The funniest thing I saw so far at the local B&M was a guy who entered a $100 S&G who was dressed exactly like the unibomber, it just so happens that episode had just aired the previous week. The guy was out in 7 hands.

I TIVO all episodes and just finished watching last weeks and by far this was the most exciting episode in a long time.
I may not be a big Antonio fan and the wave thing does look ridiculous but the guy definately has talent.

[tewall]

I agree with you. I thought this last one was one of the better episodes. It was entertaining, and the poker was interesting too.

[TimTimSalabim]

[ QUOTE ]
where do you guys get this afterschool bullshit.

his waving and you making money aren't related.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, they are. I guarantee you that if every TV table was filled with Howard Lederers, poker would not be nearly as popular amongst the masses as it is now. (Nothing against Howard, I think he's a great player).