With the advent of the world of Twitter, people can fill you in on their lives in quick, 140-character bursts. Poker’s royalty have taken to the medium to inform their fans of their latest activities as well as their views on different issues. Poker News Daily continually tracks these Tweets to let you know what the latest buzz is in the poker community.
Last weekend, poker players were torn between performing their jobs on the felt and following the end of the Winter Olympics. Of particular interest to many was the gold medal hockey game between the favored Canadian national team and the upstart Team USA. A week prior to the game Sunday, the Americans had surprised the Canadians by defeating them 5-3 in pool play and the gold medal match – which was also the last medal awarded at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver – was a chance at redemption for the boys from the Great White North.
As the game began on Sunday, poker players announced their allegiances across the Twitterverse. Unlike many who watched the gold medal game on television, poker player Terrence Chan was one of the fortunate who saw the game live at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver. “Sec 120 row 4 seat 106. Ten feet from (Canadian goalie Roberto) Luongo,” Chan Tweeted prior to the start of action, drawing a reaction of, “So jealous you’re there,” from fellow pro Shaun Deeb. Lining up on the Americans’ side were poker players such as Deeb, Eric Mizrachi, and Joe Sebok, while the Canadians held a rooting section that included Chan, Brad “Yukon” Booth, and Isabelle Mercier.
As the game played out, Tweets flew nearly as fast as the pucks and Canada moved out to a 2-0 lead. Playing in the L.A. Poker Classic at the time, UB.com pro Annie Duke took the time to jokingly Tweet, “LOL! I’m a little surprised team USA can’t find a goalie fat enough to block the entire net.” The Americans grinded their way back and, with less than 30 seconds to go in the game, tied the score at 2-2. Even L.A. Poker Classic tournament director Matt Savage was sidetracked by the gold medal game as he Tweeted, “Tournament room @LAPokerClassic went crazy when USA tied the game 2-2. @RealKidPoker (Daniel Negreanu) not happy!”
As the sudden death overtime period played out, many of the top names in poker were on pins and needles as the game continued. “High Stakes Poker” hostess Kara Scott alluded to this when she Tweeted, “Ugh, so tense with the Hockey. Come on CANADA.” After Canada’s Sidney Crosby slipped the game winner past Team USA’s Ryan Miller almost eight minutes into overtime, the victorious Canadian poker players/fans had much to say. “Yaaaaaaaaa!!!! What a game. Canada continues to reign supreme on the ice. Oh that was so awesome!,” Daniel Negreanu fired out over the Twitterscape after the win. “Poker2Nite” host Scott Huff was less than impressed when he Tweeted, “Oh come on. Canada celebrating winning the gold in hockey is like me celebrating paying my bills on time.”
Poker’s best also found some time to play in the L.A. Poker Classic while the Winter Olympics were wrapping up. Duke, who played deep into the WPT championship tournament, noted in her Tweet, “HowardHLederer just got drawn to my table. Luckily he’s on my right lol.” Adam “Roothlus” Levy admired the chip stacking skills of Full Tilt’s Carlos Mortensen in his Tweet and accented it with a picture, saying, “Carlos Mortensen’s stack. He should be an architect. Such vision.”
Negreanu lamented his table on Sunday when he Tweeted, “Brutal seat @lapokerclassic Steve Sung on my right Carlos Mortensen on my left, and to his left the guy who crushed me yesterday.” The table must have been difficult, as soon after “Kid Poker” came back and Tweeted, “Very disappointed on how I played the last hand. Going to cool off by chilling in LA for a bit. Weather is awesome. Should have shoved!” The pros didn’t do badly during the LAPC WPT Main Event, with Negreanu cashing in 66th place, Duke dropping out in 19th place, and Sung and Mortensen falling short of the WPT final table in eighth and ninth place, respectively.
On the lighter side of Twitter, players Lacey Jones and Alex Outhred bantered about Outhred potentially having to sit in for Jones on “Poker2Nite.” With Jones facing flight delays in Canada and potentially missing the taping of the popular poker show, Outhred volunteered to take her place. “@Poker2Nite get me a wig, razor, man-spanx, and make-up. I think I could double for @LaceyJones,” Alex Tweeted to the producers. Lacey was quick to fire back, “@alexpokerguy Ur a life saver. But don’t forget to stuff your bra! Haha.”
Twitter continues to provide entertainment for millions around the world and the poker community just makes it better. Poker News Daily follows poker in Twitter and adds to the enjoyment itself. Be sure to follow @pokernewsdaily on your Twitter account for all the latest news and information from the world of poker.
