Can You Name a Player Who ... ?

Tom Simonson is one of the props at the Oaks Club in Emeryville, California, who keeps the $15-$30 hold'em game going there.


Not too terribly long ago, Tom started asking this question at the table, as a conversation starter:


Can you name a poker player who is a *better player* than he or she thinks he or she is?


(It's a terrific question, a real gear-stripper. During my week at the Horseshoe, at a talky satellite where people were asking the who's-the-best question, I posed Tom's question. One wag cracked the table up by immediately answering, "Phil Hellmuth!")

as crazy as this might sound i have a good friend who fits the bill exactly. i think some of it is playing crazy like a fox but he is truly self effacing about his poker skill and always says things like "i know i am not as good as some of the players, but i always give it a 100% effort." he also plays with some of the best players, the "name" players, and he always seems to get the money! i guess it makes winning ugly seem more pretty when you don't claim to be the best. i also think this role helps him in being underestimated by those around him, everyone except me. i have always thought this question is interesting and i wish i had more than one example, but to my knowledge there is only one out there! maybe image isn't everything. how about just getting the money, sometimes we all forget the target we are really shooting at! J.Brown