The Top Pros

sinkist said:

I've been playing in Vegas and for a while and have met and played with many professionals(mostly in tournaments). I've been successful enough to make a living at poker and am good enough to realize who is good and who is not. I consider myself to be a good player but not amazing, but I also think there are a number of names on this list that are not even good at No Limit Hold'em, or poker in general to be honest.

I'm not giving out my name FWIW for security reasons, but suffice it to say that I'm not famous enough that any of you would have heard of me. I play mostly cash games, tournaments are not really my specialty, which also makes it hard to get on tv.

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I live in Vegas most of the time of the year. I'm in NYC at the moment, took a job here for the summer and a few months afterwards, but I'll be back soon.

Anyways, I don't play poker for a living (mostly stick to 1/2 or 2/5), but I may have heard of you if you are one of the names in cash games. Where do you play most of the time? But if you don't want to give it out, no worries.

sinkist said:

He's also been playing for a while...
just play with him sometime, go to Vegas at the world series and watch how many hands he plays, he seriously is a complete nit. He's also annoying (I think he's nice, but that shark thing is really rude).

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I've seen him play. Yes he is more on the tight side, but he's not completely straightup ABC. He does make moves from time to time, most of the time when he is a bit short, but he does make plays when he has to. I think when he gets a bit bigstacked, he starts playing overly cautious, but you can't say the results have not proven he's one of the best in the wsop at least.

sinkist said:

Most internet pros have played many many many more hands of poker than professionals; you can play 8-12 tables at once online (sometimes even more), and get in many many more hands per hour at each one. Also, many internet pros specialize in one game, whereas live pros play a lot of different games.

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I know this fact. However, that's the reason why I said that that comment was hilarious. Most internet guys are specialists. Live pros play a lot of different games. Yes, maybe if we were talking about just HE, then it may be fine to say that, but we're talking about the best poker player (like you said before in one of your posts, seems like your contradicting yourself)--and because we're talking about the best poker players, I don't think most of these internet phenoms qualify. Some of them may.

sinkist said:

Just look at the results from a couple weeks ago, when Brian Townsend, an admittedly inexperienced live player, took Sam Farha for more than 1$ million over two days.

Matusow is down almost 1$million on Full Tilt, and is deeply deeply in debt. He is not a winning player. He is good enough that he could beat 10/20NL and maybe 25/50NL live (or probably 3/6NL online) if he could just keep his head, but he plays in stakes that are beyond what he can afford and that are beyond his skill level.

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Townsend v. Farha, and taking him for $1 mil, isn't much to talk about. Farha isn't one of the best poker players in the world. If Townsend had taken Ivey or Reese or Negreanu for $1 mil, in a variety of HU games, then I would say that is something to talk about.

And Matusow, is not considered one of the top pros.

Sinkist is my gimmick account on all forums, so yes I will not be revealing myself since I post on this account with express intentions of disguise.

Anyways, Townsend and Patrik Antonius are more or less even with Ivey online from what I understand, perhaps even up against him. I know Ivey is a winner at the highest stakes online, but not necessarilly against other top players (ie SBRugby/Luigi/Durr/OMGCLAYAIKEN etc.)

I have to agree with sinkist here estelle, I enjoy reading your posts but there are a lot of internet pros that are not given enough credit.

Brian Townsend is a great player, better then alot of the pros you guys mention all the time. I have wached Brian play a lot on his videos and his thought process is amazing.

also people like Rizen, anette, etc are amazing players and are just not given credit unless you read a lot of poker magazines that do online reports. Hell go to pocket fives and look at their rankings or just go to poker db and search them. They cash like daily in tourneys, Brian plays 200/400 online against the pros that you mention.


Brian Townsend does all different games I have seen the videos.


This list is bad list.

stormswa said:

I have to agree with sinkist here estelle, I enjoy reading your posts but there are a lot of internet pros that are not given enough credit.

Brian Townsend is a great player, better then alot of the pros you guys mention all the time. I have wached Brian play a lot on his videos and his thought process is amazing.

also people like Rizen, anette, etc are amazing players and are just not given credit unless you read a lot of poker magazines that do online reports. Hell go to pocket fives and look at their rankings or just go to poker db and search them. They cash like daily in tourneys, Brian plays 200/400 online against the pros that you mention.


Brian Townsend does all different games I have seen the videos.


This list is bad list.

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Oh no worries storms. I see the point. I was just stating that most of the top internet pros, besides for a few exceptions, are specialists in one area--thus they can't be considered one of the top poker players, because they don't play enough games at a high level.

Also, I didn't make that list. I agree, it is a bad list. I was just making a case for some of the names on that list that sinkist disagreed with. I think a few of the names do belong there for sure.

sinkist said:

I'm not giving out my name FWIW for security reasons, but suffice it to say that I'm not famous enough that any of you would have heard of me. I play mostly cash games, tournaments are not really my specialty, which also makes it hard to get on tv.

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sinkist said:

Sinkist is my gimmick account on all forums, so yes I will not be revealing myself since I post on this account with express intentions of disguise.

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Welcome to the forums, secret agent man. What, giving out your name will start a national security breach? That is just hilarious.

oh God not this thread again.

stormswa said:

I have to agree with sinkist here estelle, I enjoy reading your posts but there are a lot of internet pros that are not given enough credit.

Brian Townsend is a great player, better then alot of the pros you guys mention all the time. I have wached Brian play a lot on his videos and his thought process is amazing.

also people like Rizen, anette, etc are amazing players and are just not given credit unless you read a lot of poker magazines that do online reports. Hell go to pocket fives and look at their rankings or just go to poker db and search them. They cash like daily in tourneys, Brian plays 200/400 online against the pros that you mention.


Brian Townsend does all different games I have seen the videos.


This list is bad list.

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annette is overrated. I dislike pocketfives, 2+2 and rpg are the only good strategy forums I've found (and even they are mostly fish giving bad advice)

no mention of Allen Cunningham ? This 'list' looks like it was copied and pasted from cardplayer or something

sinkist said:

annette is overrated. I dislike pocketfives, 2+2 and rpg are the only good strategy forums I've found (and even they are mostly fish giving bad advice)

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I have to disagree, I think she is rated just like she should be.

but we are both eintitled to our opinion.


I hate 2+2 because it just a pain to waddle through all the bs posts to find something worth reading.

I think that Phil Hellmuth will gain some position after his 11th bracelet

I think he is in the top 5

Danilang said:

I think that Phil Hellmuth will gain some position after his 11th bracelet

I think he is in the top 5

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I think this is supposed to be a "best all-around players" list, which Hellmuth would not make since all of his bracelets are in NLHE.

Ah ok;
I don't understand that it refers to all the kind of poker (omaha, stud and the others).

I'm relatively new of online poker and until now I only played at texas hold em;
I'd like to learn at least the Omaha bit maybe it's early for me

Oh! Old thread!

LOL.

mischman said:

Your 'best players at the moment' list is not correct at all.

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John Juanda quit poker? then why do i still see him on Full tilt playing?

Mischman you posted some of your thoughts on these players but I was wondering if you've been watching or keeping up with poker lately.

You said this about some players:

"6. Chris Ferguson Hasnt done much of anything lately.
9. Scotty Nguyen Hasnt done much of anything lately.
15. Erick Lindgren Hasnt done much of anything lately.
18. Erik Seidel Hasnt done much of anything lately."

Chris Ferguson is your current Heads Up Champion and the most winning Heads Up player there is.

Scotty Nguyen won the $50,000 HORSE Tourney in the WSOP.

Erik Lindgren is the 2008 WSOP Player of the Year.

Erik Seidel added a WPT title to his impressive resume this year.

If this is "Hasnt done anything lately" in your book then I hate to see what you think an accomplished poker player is.

Hope you guys know this thread is from 2007....

nc_royals said:

Chris Ferguson is your current Heads Up Champion and the most winning Heads Up player there is.

Scotty Nguyen won the $50,000 HORSE Tourney in the WSOP.

Erik Lindgren is the 2008 WSOP Player of the Year.

Erik Seidel added a WPT title to his impressive resume this year.

If this is "Hasnt done anything lately" in your book then I hate to see what you think an accomplished poker player is.

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This vvv

arkadiy said:

Hope you guys know this thread is from 2007....

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I think you gotta add the guy that layed down Jacks full and was right.

Antonius and Hansen just run like gods.

Matusow is my fav. dude is hilarious. check out the youtubez of him crying at the WSOP.

LMAO at any list with Farha on there. Maybe PLO but thats all. Hes donated so much to guys like Barry G over the years that its massively +EV to keep him in the games. Ivey is probably the best all around player, pretty sure hes a big winner in whatever games he plays. Matusow has one the best poker minds when hes on and not tilting away a ton of money. Pretty sure hes out of debt now, he won a bracelet and made a deep run in the ME.

I think efandiari is better than laak, he is a great player and doesn't catch the luck needed at times. i think laak is rated better than him just cause he's white. and i dont know if you people noticed but it makes me wonder if esfandiari and laak have this gay love thing goin, idk though just a theory .... lol..