October 2011

The World’s Ugliest Table

THESE AREN’T SLUTSKY’S USUAL BEAUTIES, THAT’S FOR SURE I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I am the worst Limit Hold’em player on the planet. Maybe I’m too aggressive, maybe I don’t read structured situations well, or maybe I simply try to rely on tactics that work in NL but don’t translate to [...]

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Same Bellande Different Day

Everyone who has met Jean-Robert Bellande in person has a story to tell. Mine goes all the way back to 2005, long before he’d been on Survivor or discovered Twitter. But it’s 100% Jean-Robert Bellande. Walking into the tournament area at Foxwoods on Day 1 of the World Poker Finals, I saw what was basically [...]

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Jean-Robert Bellande is … broke living

In 2011 America, times are tough. The subprime mortgage fiasco, the credit crunch and a stubbornly tough job market have brought pain and economic hardship to all quarters. Faced with dubious employment prospects, depleted savings, and the potential loss of their homes, many Americans are facing financial choices that seemed laughably remote four years ago. [...]

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The Evolution of Epic

It started out as a conversation between two friends. Less than a conversation, really. Just something exchanged in passing. One friend telling another, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if we did this?” Those remarks in passing became talks at coffee shops. Then a series of lunches and dinners, hashing out ideas and details. And finally, [...]

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Mass Exodus

In the aftermath of Black Friday, a lot of the initial outcry had to do with players losing their ability to make a living. With the World Series of Poker just weeks away, and many bankrolls replenished with refunds from PokerStars, a lot of these players decided to take one last shot at hitting a [...]

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“Pure Vida” And Poker

DAVID “THE MAVEN” CHICOTSKY UNVEILS TICOTOURS.COM The day started as usual, at noon with coffee and a pining for any news on when I could get back to work. For years, online poker was absolutely my real job – carving out a living, mentoring dozens of students, building a brand, and paying for more than [...]

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More To Life

IF THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN POKER, LET US IN ON IT Phil thinks maybe there is more to life than poker. When April 15 happened, I was desolate, but Phil was philosophical. “Maybe this is a good thing,” he reasoned. We emerged from the house, blinking in the light, like two subterranean creatures [...]

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