Wicked Chops Poker

Looking at the past few years at poker’s biggest event, here’s what we know: 1) Moneymaker helped, 2) Raymer didn’t hurt, 3) Hachem didn’t hurt, either.

Moneymaker’s impact on poker has been so thoroughly discussed that we will not devote another word to it after this period. Greg Raymer, even with the goofy glasses, ended up being a remarkable ambassador for the game and has gone on to prove that he’s no fluke. Hachem, while maybe not the most exciting personality around, represented the poker world with class and dignity.

But you can’t make gasoline out of vanilla. There is nothing remotely controversial about Greg Raymer or Joe Hachem. They have little true star quality. And this is fine.

But Jamie Gold? People seem to enjoy talking about him as much as Gold likes talking at the table.

And after two years of vanilla WSOP winners, the shot in the arm Gold could provide poker is…dare we say…golden?

Jamie Gold is the Hillary Clinton of poker. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny he’s a force.

Yet, many players and observers are slamming his play – and for no good reason. We watched Gold connive, cajole, and clearly dominate the runners at every table he sat down at during the Main Event. The man has wicked poker chops. Give him his just due.

Too bad Gold’s poker skills don’t translate into selecting a skillful PR team. When news broke that Gold was allegedly welching on a deal made with Crispin Leyser for half of his after-tax WSOP winnings, a week’s worth of bad pub made Gold’s value plummet in the public eye. Finally his PR handlers got around to releasing a painfully generic boilerplate statement regarding the lawsuit, which further submarines Gold’s rep – as painfully generic boilerplate statements tend to do.

Gold’s way with words at the poker table is like nothing we’ve ever seen. Too bad his PR folks don’t know how to capitalize on the extalent agent’s talents to help sway the court of public opinion and save his reputation.

Stupak for Lt. Gov On November 7, 2006, the Nevada political landscape may change forever, as “colorful” and “flamboyant” gambler and poker player Bob Stupak finds out if his “campaign” for Lt. Governor turns up aces. Victory will not come easily. After close inspection of his website (http://www.stupakpoker.com/), we’re hard pressed to find an actual platform or even one single concrete stance on an issue – which probably means he’s a Democrat.

One thing we tell our current/first wives over and over again is this: No kid will stop us from playing poker, so if you want to have kids with us, then keep this in mind; now I’m off to play poker so I’ll see you on Monday. And they’re cool with that, because they’re cool.

Apparently, Brad Pitt has also hit the girlie jackpot with his baby’s momma, Angelina Jolie. A true role model for women everywhere, Jolie is attractive, talented, dedicated to improving world conditions, and greatest of all, doesn’t seem to mind that her man would rather spend his days playing poker with his Ocean’s 13 cast-mates than with his adopted kids, Maddox and Zahara. Yes, word has it that after dropping the kiddies off at day care, Pitt hits an exclusive on-set poker lounge with his co-stars George Clooney and Matt Damon (loved him in Team America). And as far as we know, Jolie is cool with it. Now, if only all women were as understanding, giving, and smoking hot as Angelina Jolie, then the world would truly be a better place.

You can tell the quality of a person by the enemies he keeps. And Wicked Chops has no shortage of enemies, or people who at least don’t like us very much. It’s not that we are looking for haters, it’s just a side effect of us being snarky bastards, even though it’s (mostly) in good humor. In the past, we’ve skewered the likes of Nickelback (and continue to face the rage of their fans), Steve Dannenmann (who we now count as one of our friends), and Anna Benson (who you know as the trashy hot, poker playin’, publicity-cravin’ wife of MLB-er Kris Benson). Unfortunately, Benson hasn’t taken too kindly to our past remarks, and recently told an online gambling news site that we are “nobodies” and our site is “garbage.” Over the next few months, we are going to make it our goal to turn Benson’s WCP frown upside-down. More details on our quest for redemption in upcoming issues.