Over the weekend, one of the big subjects of Tweets from poker players was the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rematch between defending welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck.
“Official weigh-ins start pretty soon, lots of people in here at Bell Center,” 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Jonathan Duhamel Tweeted on Friday afternoon. “We can feel the energy for GSP!” As the weigh-ins were conducted, Duhamel noted, “OMG GSP is so focus right now, Koscheck is gonna get kill 2moro, no doubt about it.”
When the bout rolled around on Saturday, it seemed that St. Pierre was getting the most backing from poker players. “So many people are picking GSP on Twitter and at the party I’m at, the anarchist in me is suddenly rooting for a Kos victory,” Eric “willing2die” Sonstegard Tweeted to his followers. Once the fight began, it was obvious that St. Pierre was in control. “20-18 through two,” Terrence “unassigned” Chan noted. “Those people who said GSP was afraid to strike after the Hardy/Alves/Serra etc. fights? Y’all can go home now.”
The fight went the distance, with St. Pierre battering Koscheck around the octagon for much of the evening. After St. Pierre defended the title by a unanimous decision, Chan and Gavin Griffin discussed the final outcome. “I wanna see pics of that eye the next 5 days, Urijah Faber style,” Griffin Tweeted to Chan about the damage Koscheck received during the fight.
The National Football League (NFL) is into its final month of the regular season and poker players were putting their bets down across the board. “Bet Packers (-6.5), Cleveland (Even), and Patriots (-3),” UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth Tweeted to his followers. “Bet over 38 points in Patriots/Bears game! On Thurs, late Titans score cost me $$$!”
Hellmuth got into the action on the Sunday night game as well, Tweeting, “I am betting Philadelphia (-4) over Dallas for game, and Phili (-3) for first half! @TexDolly bet Phili as well, and he is a sharp bettor!” For the record, Hellmuth lost his game bet on Philadelphia, but won the half. He also lost his Packers and Browns bets, but won on his Patriots wagers.
Those not betting on sports were watching with interest, however. “Watching the Packers lose to the Lions will soften the blow of watching the Bears get severely out-coached,” Tweeted Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin.
Another avid Bears fan, Joe Sebok, was stunned by the way the Patriots/Bears game played out, Tweeting, “wow. me + a bunch of my friends could play the Patriots better than this.” This prompted fellow poker pro Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar to respond, “That’s what the Bears thought watching the Jets.” Taylor Caby was at the game and all he could Tweet was, “What a miserable Bears game! Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself. Defrosting.” The Patriots have beaten the Bears and Jets in back-to-back weeks by a combined margin of 81-10.
Two new movies in the theaters captured the attention of the poker community. “Black Swan. Intense. Wow,” was all Sebok could say about one of the rumored favorites for the Academy Awards this year. After Absolute Poker’s Trishelle Cannatella asked him, “But do we like it,” Sebok responded, “Anxiety inducing and disturbing. It was very good.”
Another film, the new Mark Wahlberg boxing flick “The Fighter,” received approval from Annie Duke and Joe Reitman. “The Fighter is amazing,” Duke Tweeted after seeing the film. “Christian Bale does a much better Boston accent than DiCaprio in as much as he actually keeps the accent consistent the whole movie.” Reitman agreed with his paramour, Tweeting, “Bale was awesome in The Fighter, so I guess if he wants to be a pain on the set, I’d have to cut him slack too.”
For the best Tweets from the weekend, we’ll start with some philosophic thoughts from Marcel Luske: “Some people give, others drain… Select them carefully.” Bryan Devonshire was also in deep thought: “Why don’t more poker players live where they’re stoked to be alive? The freedom of this job is the greatest perk available.”
Finally, Cannatella got the first sign you’re getting older when she Tweeted, “Omg. Lol. Watched Paul McCartney on SNL with my nephews and asked if they knew him. They were like ‘Huh? Yeah we know Jesse McCartney.’”