Top Ten Poker Players to Watch on Television Part 1
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I enjoy watching poker on television because of the pros. Watching amateurs bore me. There’s nothing to learn from those players and most aren’t too interesting. Occasionally there are some intriguing characters though. Although I enjoy watching the pros, not all the pros are worth skipping work or canceling a date to watch. Here are the first five players on my list of favorite poker players to watch on television. The top five will be posted tomorrow.
10. Humberto Brenes
It was tough call for the number 10 spot. It was either Clonie Gowan, Phil Laak, Jennifer Harman, Antionio Esfandiari, or Humberto Brenes. I went with the latter. The first time I watched Humberto Brenes was during an old World Series of Poker broadcast on ESPN. I’m not sure which one it was, but I think it was in the late 90’s. Humberto is just one of those players that likes to have fun playing poker. He is a bit condescending and arrogant to his opponents, but there is still a sense that he’s not taking it too seriously. It’s interesting because he’s not very fluent in English, yet he talks so much and isn’t intimidated by anyone.
9. Doyle Brunson
Doyle Brunson is a sentimental pick for me. I find him hard to watch. It’s tough watching him lose and he feels out of place amongst the younger players nowadays. While I have a hard time watching him, I do feel compelled to watch him play and hope he continues to prove his greatness.
8. Dan Harrington
I put Harrington on my list because he plays solid steady poker. His two final table appearances in 2003 and 2004 solidified that for me. That’s a pretty amazing feat in the continually growing size of the Main Event. I like that he doesn’t trash talk and just plays the game.
7. Shawn Sheikhan
When I first watched Shawn Sheikhan, I didn’t like him much. It was during the 2005 WSOP and he and Matusow were going at it. Shawn Sheikhan reminded me of Josh Arieh clone. Maybe it’s because they look similar in a very vague way or something. But the more I watch Sheikhan, the more I like watching him, but mostly because of his banter with Matusow. Without him, Sheikhan is much less interesting to watch.
6. Phil Ivey
What can I say about Phil Ivey other than the fact that he’s the best poker player around. It’s like he’s barely trying. Half the time he seems bored as hell playing tournaments. That’s one of the reasons why he’s great to watch, but also one of the reasons why I don’t like watching him. He’s not that emotional. The one time I remember him getting pretty emotional was when Moneymaker beat him in the 2003 WSOP. I’m not sure what the hand was but I think Moneymaker cracked Ivey’s set of 7s or something. I can only imagine what would’ve happened if Moneymaker didn’t luck out on that hand.
top ten, poker, Phil Ivey, Humberto Brenes, Doyle Brunson, Shawn Sheikhan, Dan Harrington
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April 2nd, 2007 at 4:53 pm
[...] Yehuda wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptAlthough I enjoy watching the pros, not all the pros are worth skipping work or canceling a date to watch. Here are the first five players on my list of favorite poker players to watch on television. The top five will be posted tomorrow … [...]
April 2nd, 2007 at 5:39 pm
A couple of months ago I began having insomnia, so started watching the reruns of the World Poker competitions for the past few years. Talk about hooked! I’d never played Poker before in my life, but I have now entered into three tournaments. I made it to the finals table in the one last week. It paid 6 places and I came in 7th, but hey, I was tickled pink!
A couple of other faces I like watching are Ferguson and Lederer. Especially the latter.
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:28 pm
Wow, congrats on the tournament success. Tournaments are tough to win, so getting to the final table is pretty awesome, especially on your first three tries.