In the twoplustwo weekly rumour mill, we dig out the funniest, wackiest gossip to grace poker’s biggest community.
Can Howard Lederer beat NL200 ($1/$2)? Opinions are mixed. Lederer’s game has been described as weak, tight and scared on Poker after Dark Cash Game, and it seems he’s a bit out of his depth with the likes of Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan at the table. He seems a bit overawed by the relentless aggression of the younger generation.
But would a man with $5.2 million in career tournament winnings, and a nickname of ‘The Professor’ for his deep insight into the game really struggle to beat the mid stakes? Probably not – even though his game isn’t as strong and unpredictable as other nosebleed players, he is solid enough to beat NL200 (not that he needs to – Lederer is one of the major shareholders in Full Tilt Poker). Lederer’s performance hasn’t been all that shambolic on PAD, as he made a good lay down with 8
8
when Phil Ivey shoved all in with pocket nines.
The PKR heads up Grand Slam draw has been released, and the prospect of Tom Dwan meeting fierce rival Luke ‘FullFlush’ Schwartz in the semi finals is mouth-watering. ‘Nerd’, ‘gay’, ‘cringe-worthy geek’ are just some of the jibes the trash talking Schwartz has fired at a player he considers to be fake and fishy.
Both Dwan and Schwartz face tricky first round matches however, with durrrr squaring up against PokerStars pro John Duthie, and FullFlush facing shrewd Russian Yevgeniy Timoshenko.
Online gaming company Boss Media, which houses sites such as Pokerheaven, has introduced fines for its skins that rely too heavily on rakeback (from its high stakes regulars) and don’t invite enough losing, recreational players, or ‘fish’.
The new rule, which will apply from November, may fine sites between half and 3.75 times their average daily gross rake. All this is possible via the Webdollar payment tracking system Boss Media incorporates. So, by the end of 2009, the Boss Media tables may be fishier than ever!