My how things have changed since nearly 7,000 people descend on Las Vegas for the biggest poker event in the world.  TV cameras are always present and the media wants to interview all of the stars at the Main Event.  With all of this going on, it’s pretty clear that Doyle Brunson wouldn’t be able to get away with faking illness because everyone would then know about it.

To get a glimpse of how big the WSOP has gotten, consider that only 839 people entered the Main Event in 2003 when Chris Moneymaker maker won it all.  Last year, over 6,900 people attended the Main Event in hopes of taking home the big prize.  And the big prize is yet another indication of how huge the Main Event has gotten since Moneymaker took home a then record $2.5 million while 2008 Main Event champ Peter Eastgate hauled in over $9.1 million for his win.

It’s unclear as to how much bigger the WSOP will get, but I suspect that the numbers will only go up.  This is especially true if the United States ever decides to lift the UIGEA that they imposed in 2006 since it will attract more casual players to the game.

Even Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss was in attendance, and he fought his way to a respectable 36th place finish in the tourney.  However, the big story of the H.O.R.S.E. event was that David Bach won his first WSOP gold bracelet. 

Many people who are well versed in poker know David Bach, but he is a virtual unknown outside the game, and has yet to make a major name for himself despite $2.4 million in career earnings.  But after winning what many consider to be the toughest tournament in the world, Bach has certainly made a name for himself now.

What’s really interesting about Bach is that he used to be a professional bowler before he decided that poker was his true calling.  After making the switch to poker, Bach is definitley glad with his decision since he’s now $1,276,802 richer after beating John Hanson in a tough 7 hour session.

Other notables who cashed include Vitaly Lunkin, Gus Hansen, Huck Seed, Erik Siedel, David Chui, Tony G, and Freddy Deeb.

And this was definitely a legitimate fear too since automated tables have several advantages over tables with live dealers.  For one thing, there isn’t going to be any mistakes in the deal unless an automated table breaks down.  Another advantage is that more hands can be played at an automated table since they deal faster than live dealers.  One more big thing is that an automated table won’t bitch about tips either when they’re not being given which may delight players more than anything.

However, people in major casinos haven’t been delighted by automated machines at all really as can be seen by the fact that yet another major casino in Las Vegas’ Excalibur took out their automated machines recently.  The reason given is that customers admitted that they would much rather play at a table with a live dealer than at one with a computer screen shuffling their cards.

I think another main reason for this is that casinos are finding out that automated poker tables just aren’t as big of money makers as slot machines.  Whatever the case is, I’m definitely a fan of the live dealers and can dealing with the gripes about tips as long as the live experience is still there.

5. Men Nguyen

This is the second Nguyen to make the list, and for good reason too.  Whether Men “The Master” Nguyen is starting a verbal fight at the table or being accused of training other Vietnamese poker players to help him rig games, Men is definitely not a liked man in the poker community.

4. Mike Matusow

Not only does The Mouth have major money management issues, but he has also battled drug problems throughout his entire poker career which may explain his abrasive personality.  His awful segment on CardPlayer.com hasn’t helped his image much either.

3. Tony “G” Gouga

Tony G is always an entertaining person at the table, however, a lot of the players can’t stand him.  He constantly gives other players advice while berating them at the same time during big hands.  Tony’s rants have even become YouTube sensations over the years.

2. Phil Hellmuth

Many consider Hellmuth to be the most annoying poker player alive, and he certainly backs this billing up at the table with his over-the-top rants directed at other players.  The only reason Hellmuth doesn’t make number one on this list is because most of his rants seem fake these days and are only a means of self promotion.

1. Sean Sheikhan

From getting busted for messing around with underage girls to taunting poker legends like Doyle Brunson for no reason, there is little to like about Sheikhan.  About the only thing cool about Sheikhan is that he has had some great verbal fights with Matusow.

Seeing as how there are so many different players to hate on, here is the first part of a two-part segment on the most hated poker players.

10. Layne Flack

Some people attest to the fact that Layne Flack is not so bad when he’s sober.  However, it’s hard catching Flack when he’s sober since Layne is typically an 8 o’clock drunk.  During these binges, Flack is very obnoxious and has a very weird sense of humor which can rub people the wrong way.

9. Annie Duke

Annie might be the most popular female player on the live poker scene, but her tendency to wanna take everything over on the Celebrity Apprentice 2 was no mirage.  She really is as difficult to deal with as seen on TV.

8. Todd Brunson

Unfortunately, Todd Brunson will never be liked as much as his dad Doyle because he is so pessimistic and is one of the biggest whiners in the game of poker.  He really has nothing good to say.

7. Dave “Devilfish” Ulliot

Speaking of whiners, Devilfish definitely ranks up there with Todd Brunson since he goes off on rants every time he loses a major hand.  Everyone from the players to the staff is a target which makes this guy a drag to be around.

6. Scotty Nguyen

Scotty Nguyen was once a well-liked player when poker first started getting big on TV.  Then everyone started seeing how he really acted at the table which was best documented by the YouTube video of him at the 2008 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. championship.

And these Texas Hold’em games are completely free meaning that there are no violations being committed or gray areas to deal with like what online poker rooms have to constantly worry about.  At least that’s what I thought anyways….

A new problem has arisen for Facebook in the form of people building up a large amount of poker chips and then selling them to people for real money.  Apparently this is just as illegal as the things the government claims people are in violation of when they play real online poker.  In essence, Facebook and the payment processor AlertPay claim that this is illegal online gambling.

But to me, this is just more nitpicking and a way for Facebook to clear itself from any possible reverberations that could come with being associated with online gambling.  The same thing has been done for years with the computer game World of Warcraft where people build up large amounts of gold and then sell it for real money to other players.  I would hardly call this online gambling, and there are even companies that deal in this very trade. 

Unfortunately, since the Facebook thing involves poker, this is an easy target to point at and claim illegal online gambling.  Frankly I’m surpised that Facebook would be so quick to cop out of this situation, and I even hear they’re closing the accounts of those involved.

But while these two are great players, I don’t see Griffin and de Wolfe forever being the only two triple crown winners in poker history.  That’s because there are several players nipping at the heels of a triple crown themselves.

Antonio Esfandiari is one of these players since he already has a WPT and WSOP title under his belt.  Esfandiari makes frequent trips to Europe to play in the EPT as well and he made a strong run at winning the EPT Monte Carlo tournament last year before falling short.  If he can hold on to this lead next time then we could be seeing another triple crown member.

Dave “Devilfish” Ulliot is another person who could win the triple crown since, like Esfandiari, he already has a WSOP bracelet and a WPT title.  An EPT victory is all that evades him, but Ulliot will have plenty of chances to take a title here as well since he is a regular in the EPT circuit.

One more person who I think can definitely make a run at the triple crown is Carlos Mortenson.  Mortenson has already won the two biggest events in poker in the WSOP Main Event (2001) and the WPT Championship (2007), and it’s not inconceivable to see him winning an EPT tournament at some point.

I must admit that I’d like to get my money out of a couple of rooms including Full Tilt Poker, but I’ve heard that checks are currently bouncing which is an issue. This whole thing has me wondering whether the account freezes done by the federal government is going to keep people from playing or make the players more bitter causing them to band together in this matter.

One thing is for sure and it’s that groups like the Poker Players Alliance are not backing down from this challenge, and they’re encouraging players to do the same. Of course groups like the PPA are comprised mostly of people who have a large stake in online poker, and would hate to see anymore trouble arise for the industry.

Personally, the way things are going makes me believe that the UIGEA will be lifted soon, and laws will be back to the way they were before the sanctions were imposed. Of course, some might think that this as wishful thinking seeing as how the UIGEA was rumored to be on the verge of extinction earlier this year.

Whatever the case is, I don’t want my bank account frozen, and I also do not need my money right away so I’m leaving it in the bank for now.

Swank Poker recently found this out when one of their ads was considered a little too racy for the websites and magazines housing it.  In the advertisement, a young woman is cupping her boobs while saying, “Will you hold this pair for me?”  I must admit that I would definitely hold the pair for her, but the Advertising Standards Authority (first time I ever heard of that) does not share my point of view and has had it pulled from various magazines.

Of course the hold my pair line was not the only clever innuendo featured in the ad campaign since Swank also has another ad which promises that “your favortite girl will play as you tell her too” while showing an extremely provocative picture.  I knew that some poker room would eventually take the extreme sexual angle in trying to attract players, and it’s no surprise that this pioneer is suffering the consequences from the almighty ASA.

Of course I think in 10 years from now there will be niche poker rooms using completely nude girls to either push their ads across or entertain their exisiting members.  But we’ll have to wait a while to see if this prediction ever comes true.

Unfortunately, I think that the amount of slang in the game of poker today is getting a little out of hand as everyone is trying to contribute their own little piece to the puzzle.  Just recently I made the mistake of reading a whole article about what the term “Hollywooding” means and how it’s used to describe somebody who’s taking too long to make a decision (whatever).

I mean some of the slang is cool and all, but I don’t wanna feel as if it’s a requirement to visit a poker glossary and read it top to bottom just to feel as if I’m in with the cool crowd.  One site I visited had an extensive poker glossary with over 500 words and most of it was complete bullshit.  Some of the terms seemed as if they were just made up by one of the popular players and everyone else decided to go along with it even though it was so stupid.

This whole poker lingo thing kind of reminds me of that VH1 show “The Pick-Up Artist” where these guys in goofy outfits are shouting out all kinds of terms like I.O.I, S.O.D., kino, etc. like everyone in the audience knows what the hell they’re talking about.  All I can say is that I’m glad the announcers on televised poker events don’t get too into the slang or the shows wouldn’t be attracting much of a general audience.