|
June during the WSOP. I’m at the Ghost Bar in
the Palms Casino, blowing off steam with a few poker
players – amongst others Amir Vahedi, Mike ‘The
Grinder’ Mizrachi, Robbie Mizrachi, and John Phan
– when Scott Fischman joins us with a friend of
his I’ve never met before. A few of our group
turn to each other and whisper. One of them makes his
way over towards me and says, “That guy over there
with Scotty – you know who that is, right? That’s Gigabet!”
Gigabet’s real name is Darrell Dicken; it’s
in the cyber-poker world that he’s known by gigabet,
and anyone with a clue what’s happening online
realizes this guy has been just dominating, destroying,
crushing… pulverizing the online games. You don’t
believe me? Check your pokertracker stats. Maybe you’ve
been unfortunate enough to log in some serious hours
with this guy.
Darrell has recently brought his poker game into the
real world and his results speak for themselves. He
first appeared on the radar in April 2005, when he made
three final tables at the Mirage series.
Darrell has a loose-aggressive style that commands
a presence at almost any table. But don’t be quick
to think maniac, his game is lethal, highly flexible
and he’s capable of some of the most cerebral
and creative plays around.
If there’s any guy to hit the tournament scene
recently that you should keep an eye out for, it’s
this guy! While the rest of you had time in the last
two years for a girlfriend, families, or luxuries such
as sleep, Darrell was logging 18-hour days, polishing
his game to the sickest degree. If you don’t know
him yet, don’t worry. I think it’s just
a matter of time before he becomes a familiar face in
big buy-in final tables.
With so many new players coming into poker, I figured
I’d write a column highlighting some of the most
impressive but unknown talent I’ve come across
while playing the tournament circuit and side games.
These are the players to look out for. Each issue, we’ll
showcase a couple of these up-andcoming pros, give you
the inside scoop on who they are and how they’ve
come about. Whether a great cash game player, incredible
tournament player, or both, you can expect us to bring
you the next generation first.
Who is Ed Moncada? My nickname is ‘Bolivia’
due to my Bolivian decent. I’ve been playing poker
for about four and a half years, traveling the tournament
circuit for the last three, and I’m a 2005 World
Series of Poker bracelet winner in the $2k Pot Limit
Hold’em event. At a glance, it might seem like
I’m just a lucky neophyte bracelet winner, but
I hope my track record shows that I’ve been brewing
just beneath the surface for while, much like the players
we hope to profile in this column. When given the opportunity
to write this column, I chose the subject I found most
interesting: the best poker players you’ve never
heard of. Everyone knows the Phil Iveys, Doyle Brunsons,
and Allen Cunninghams, but there’s a new breed
out there, and we’ll bring you the low down on
these new and fresh faces to check for yourselves.
|
