In the twoplustwo weekly rumour mill, we dig out the funniest, wackiest gossip to grace poker’s biggest community.
Patrik Antonius has got a lot going for him. Dashing looks, a nice stake in Full Tilt Poker and a massive fan club (he even has an impersonator on Twitter). Oh, and he’s up over $3 million online in 2009. His latest $8/$16 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo strategy video on the Full Tilt Poker Academy has caused quite a stir, as he gives some interesting words of wisdom: ‘I think people play very bad’, ‘There is always some players that suck big time’. He goes on to accuse Gus Hansen and Phil Ivey of playing too loose, and Mike Matusow and David Benyamine too tight.
It’s not just the poker that’s drawing attention, as twoplustwo users allude to his ‘coated in baby oil’ look (as if he’s just come out of a trademark Scandinavian sauna), and his half un-buttoned shirt. To sign up at Full Tilt Poker and check out the video, click here.
The UK hasn’t taken too kindly to a gambling advert featuring Betfair pro Annette Obrestad, with the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) moving swiftly to ban it. The decision has prompted users to lambast the ‘nanny state’, saying the verdict is political correctness gone mad.
The problem stems from Obrestad’s online nickname - ‘Annette_15’, with the ASA stating the ad, ‘was likely to have particular appeal to children and young people, and that, by representing a successful young poker player with the implication she was 15 years old, it could encourage young people to gamble and was therefore irresponsible’. Betfair will take centre stage at the inaugural Caesers Cup later this month, when one lucky qualifier will line up alongside the likes of Peter Eastgate and Ziigmund in the Europe squad.
An intriguing poll – ‘list of countries which have the toughest/easiest players’, seems to suggest Scandinavian countries produce the strongest opposition. Some of the most feared players on the B2B / iPoker network are indeed Scandi heads up regulars, with Luke Schwartz calling Swede ‘blom90’ the best NL Hold’em player. Plenty of pros herald from the Viking states, including Patrik Antonius, Gus Hansen, and Ville Wahlbeck. As for the countries with the softest players, France and Italy shared the undesirable title.