The World Series of Poker always attracts a number of characters. These players often times find a way to get themselves in front of the camera, and generally it is not because of their skills at the table. Interesting people are what make poker fun to watch on TV. If it wasn’t for the occasional odd ball, what would Norman Chad have to talk about? Sometimes these people are arrogant, sometimes they are just weird, and other times they are a combination of the two. A lot of these acts are put on in an attempt to earn a deal with a poker room or to gain some recognition in the poker community, and these stunts will typically do just that.
There are some poker players who have become largely disliked because of how they conduct themselves at the table. Take someone like Jamie Gold for example. He may have won the World Series of Poker Main Event, but he was far from a class act. This behavior at the tables is probably what cause him to largely fade into obscurity. Chris Moneymaker is hardly the best poker player in the world, but he has ensured a life time of poker fame and security because he knew how to act at the tables. Of course, it is hard to blame some guys for acting obnoxious when it is often those very players who become the most popular.
Which players do you think would be least liked by people who actually knew them in person? Maybe names like Phil Hellmuth and Mike Matusow come to mind, and with good reason. Players like this are always on TV and always have a spot reserved in the biggest games. They don’t need to be good at poker if their contracts with major poker rooms will earn them more money than poker ever could. Perhaps some credit should be given to poker players who manage to consistently act way out of line.
Players like Chip Reese are not the most popular, even if they are much, much better than almost anyone else. It takes more than just talent to win over the fickle hear of the public. Take a look at famous movie stars for more examples of this. Lindsay Lohan is not nearly as talented as some of her peers, but she gets much more press coverage than just about anyone else. These poker players probably know full well what they are doing and, after all, they did get me to write an article about them, so they must be doing something right.
#1 – Hevad Khan
Hevad Khan was so loud and boisterous at the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event that a rule was implemented in 2008 largely in his honor. He ranted whether he was winning or losing and was always sure that everyone knew how he was doing. Khan got an absolute ton of media coverage in 2007. He did end up making a very deep run, but it wasn’t without his fair share of luck. Regardless, Khan is a good player, so he deserves at least a little bit of slack. It really is amazing how much time Khan got on ESPN. He might not have earned more than a little bit of TV time if it wasn’t for his ridiculous antics, so his mission was definitely accomplished.
Khan is a well known online player, and this may have largely lead to his inability to remain calm in the 2007 WSOP ME. He was going nuts at times where there was really no reason. One of his favorite screams was “BULLDOZERRR!!” when he would scoop a pot. This phrase has actually become moderately popular in the poker world. Khan leaves his emotions on the table, that much is for sure.
After his run in 2007, Khan really began to calm down. Today Kahn is largely subdued at his tables. Both in person and on poker interviews, Khan seems like he doesn’t have an emotion in his body. Some have speculated that he is now on some sort of medication, but it may just be that he saw himself on TV and knew that he needed to really tone it down. Either way, the new Kahn is much more likable, but probably not as popular, believe it or not.
#2 – Jerry Yang and Lee Watkinson
Jerry Yang and Lee Watkinson brought a little Las Vegas Chapel to the Las Vegas felt in the 2007 WSOP ME. Both players seemed like they were convinced that God would be on their side in the tournament. As it turns out, Yang might have been onto something, seeing as how he was able to actually win the event. Watkinson, however, would see his prayers go largely unanswered:
It isn’t really fair to say that Watkinson was one of the participants in thee random religious bouts since it was his wife conducting much of the ceremony. Nonetheless, Watkinson is guilty by association. Yang, on the other hand, seemed like he had a prayer card for each and every hand that was played. Yang is actually very religious off of the tables, though, so don’t think that we are condemning him for his behavior, but still, it was a bit out of the ordinary.
#3 – Scotty Nguyen Drunk
Scotty is all in baby! Baby, baby, baby, you had way too much to drink tonight. This seems to be a running theme in The Prince of Poker’s career. Whether in person or on TV, there is a good chance that you are going to run into Nguyen when he is under the influence of one substance or another. Luckily for TV networks, drunk people are often quite the attraction. When you are playing in a tournament where hundreds of thousand, even millions, of dollars are on the line, you probably shouldn’t have the cocktail waitress on speed dial. Old habit die hard, however, as Nguyen added another chapter to the Alcoholics Anonymous poker book in his 2008 WSOP Horse demonstration:
The most amazing part of these antics? The fact that this was a $50,000 event. It was obvious that the other players wanted to keep him in his little zone, and they did a very good job of it. Nguyen’s emotions really came out with his alcoholic tirades, as he acted very inappropriately a number of times. Few players would get a pass for this kind of behavior, but he’s Scotty, baby!
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Written by Jonathan Wanchalk on September 2nd, 2010
hey… this post is awful for my cat lol