Is Tiffany Williamson qualified to write a poker column

betgo · #1 10-13-2005, 11:48 PM

I assume the main reason James McManus' poker columns in the NY Times have been so bad is that he doesn't know enough about poker to write them. The bridge, backgammon, and chess columns in the NY Times are all writen by top players. Someone who came in 5th in the US Open Chess Championship would have to be a very strong player, even if he was not a big name. The same is not true for poker.

McManus is a very polished professional writer. His book on his 5th place WSOP ME finish was well written, interesting, and entertaining, but very naive about poker strategy.

You have to pay to read back articles on the NY Times website, but the two ones posted here were atrocious.

His review of HOHv1 and SS2 just summarized the contents of each book. I never had seen a review like that. It appeared he read neither book. Any professional player would want to read both books anyway atleast once. Even someone with no familiarity with poker could see what was wrong with this review.

In his latest article, on AQ, he quotes at length weak/tight BS from Cloutier/McEvoy saying you should fold AQ in the first 5 positions and you shouldn't call a raise with AQ. Then he gives 2 examples of AQ allin preflop losing to Ax as a 3-1 favorite. There is no discussion of how AQ can be dominated, how you can make top pair and lose a big pot to a set, the problem you are in if you miss the flop, and how you are behind a pp and only slightly ahead of Kx. AQ article

Atleast McManus is an excellent writer. The same cannot be said of Robert Varkonyi who writes a column in Card Player. Varkonyi is a competent poker player, but his articles are not well written and have little content.
Varkonyi reveals his secrets to winning the WSOP

benkahuna · #2 10-13-2005, 11:56 PM

What does this post have to do with Tiffany Williamson?

betgo · #3 10-13-2005, 11:59 PM

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What does this post have to do with Tiffany Williamson?

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What do you think it has to do with Tiffany Williamson?

benkahuna · #4 10-14-2005, 12:01 AM

Forget it.

betgo · #5 10-14-2005, 12:03 AM

Tiffany Williamson finished in the top 20 in the WSOP with a much bigger field than McManus. Shouldn't she also be qualified to write a poker column for a major newspaper.

Leavenfish · #6 10-14-2005, 12:48 AM

If I hit the powerball this weekend, am I qualified to write about playing the lottery?

---Leavenfish

Sintax · #7 10-17-2005, 08:21 PM

What a stupid comparison. McManus is an author by trade, which is what qualified him to write an article. Placing in a tournament has nothing to do with it.

benkahuna · #8 11-04-2005, 03:23 PM

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Tiffany Williamson finished in the top 20 in the WSOP with a much bigger field than McManus. Shouldn't she also be qualified to write a poker column for a major newspaper.

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I find the notion of qualification to be inane used in this context. She can write and she's played poker, therefore she's qualified to write about poker. We're not talking open heart surgery here. Does she possess the same qualifications as her colleagues in bridge and other games? Clearly not.

Tiffany became extremely marketable and it almost doesn't matter if she knows even less about serious poker strategy than she appears to know. She will help the NY Times produce profit because of her high finish and her membership in two minority groups in competitive poker. It's only entertainment. She's payed to write, thus qualified.

I think she's as qualified as anyone to write about her own experiences in poker. And I could see those experiences being quite interesting and maybe worth my time.

From a strategy standpoint, she has credibility just based on her finish. I wouldn't listen to all of her advice based on her play of which I'm aware, but even in her musings, some innate sense of tournament poker is present when she talks about intimidation and aggression.

I don't find your comparisons particularly applicable to Tiffany mainly because I don't see writing prowess nor poker skill and achievement that important for someone to write a poker article, even for the pomposity that is the NY Times. They are features I prefer in a writer on poker, but it's pretty clear the poker world doesn't revolve around my desires which appear to be the same as yours.

P.S.

I knew who Williamson was (I was live for the AQ all in pf that sucked out on the guy's KK), was just waiting for you to get to the point.amson finished in the top 20 in the WSOP with a much bigger field than McManus. Shouldn't she also be qualified to write a poker column for a major newspaper.

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AustinDoug · #9 10-14-2005, 02:39 PM

I don't know if Tiffany is qualified to write a poker column. However, I do know that if she wrote one, it would take her a really, really, really, really, really . . . long time.

benfranklin · #10 10-14-2005, 05:05 PM

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I don't know if Tiffany is qualified to write a poker column. However, I do know that if she wrote one, it would take her a really, really, really, really, really . . . long time.

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Looking forward to Norman Chad's commentary on her play. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]