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Today in the 3-Bet we find public poker enemy Russ Hamilton reportedly resurfacing in Aruba, a great behind-the-scenes feature on former online wunderkind Steven “Zugwat” Silverman and John Juanda partaking in Jiro’s world famous sushi.
1) Russ Hamilton Now Consultant to Aruba Poker Room
In one of the stranger, investigative poker-related phone calls you’ll ever hear, Bryan Micon has confirmed UB superuser villain Russ Hamilton has resurfaced as a consultant to a poker room in Aruba.
Micon, who runs the Bitcoin-based poker site SealsWithClubs, heard from a “confidential source” that Hamilton had a share in a poker room and sportsbook there so put a call in to find out more.
The call pretty much speaks for itself (although you’ll have to filter through some standard Micon absurdities), so take a listen here.
The cliff notes: Hamilton – the current #1 suspect/scapegoat in the UltimateBet superuser scandal now has a share in/plays regularly at/consults for/turned around the poker room at the Occidental Grand Aruba Casino.
If you’re into getting some hands in/having a word with him, poker room cashier Christopher says Hamilton will be there next week and the room spreads $2/$5 No-Limit Hold’em and $5/$5 No-Limit Omaha.
More on the revelation as it develops here.
2) Teenage Prodigy Now Just Average, Rich Chemistry Student
Online poker fans will be very familiar with the nickname “zugwat.”
Another of online poker’s teenage prodigies, Zugwat – real name Steven Silverman – tore up the tables in 2008 with several high-profile tourney wins including an FTOPS title worth $350k.
Stepping up to the highest-stakes games online, Silverman had some major hits before a major downswing – and some internal soul searching – led him to drop (more or less) out of the poker world.
Now back at college, a new feature on Silverman was published in the Washington Post today covering his tumultuous journey. It’s a great read if scant on downswing details. An excerpt:
"When poker's the only thing in your life, your happiness is totally dependent on whether you're winning or losing," Silverman says, "which is basically out of your control."
Among other things Silverman also talks about his appearance on 2M2MM and living with Andrew Lichtenberger and Dan Smith.
Despite his trials, Zugwat's not entirely done with poker, either, as he came ninth in this weekend’s FTOPS main event final for $30k+.
3) Juanda Dreams of Sushi, Leaves Semi-Satisfied
If you haven’t seen the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi yet, drop what you’re doing right now.
It’s a super engaging and poignant story of modern sushi master Jiro Ono, his two sons and their three-Michelin-star sushi dynasty in Tokyo. It’s much, much better than that description, though.
One of the great perks of being a successful, globetrotting poker pro is the access you get to world-class restaurants and John Juanda is no exception.
Now a regular resident of Tokyo, Juanda got a chance to experience the legendary 20-course menu at Jiro's Tokyo restuarant first-hand yesterday. His surprising review? It's no Sushi Saito:
Fastest 20 course meal ever (17mins)! I think Jiro is awesome, but Sushi Saito is still #1 on my list. lockerz.com/s/269813329
— John Juanda (@LuckBoxJuanda) December 18, 2012Mbn, JJ, mbn. Check the trailer for Jiro Dreams of Sushi below:
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