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Today we hit up an essential well with David “Raptor” Benefield (including his thoughts on durrrr), a surprising reveal from Jamie Gold and a reflection from Shane Schleger on a year that "kicked his ass."
1) Raptor Goes to the Well
Known to some as the “old roommate” of Tom "durrrr" Dwan, David "Raptor" Benefield is a certified high-stakes poker icon in his own right
And as is tradition with high-stakes poker icons, he’s now paying back the poker community on the 2+2 forums with a must-read “well."
For those unfamiliar with a well, it’s basically an open platform for anyone to ask any question and Raptor does his best to answer open and honestly.
So far in the well he delves deep into his poker past, his non-poker future, his thoughts on poker strategy, his favorite restaurants and, of course, durrrr.
Some highlights:
“I have made over 5m from poker. I don't know what peak net worth was, but I am not at it now. I invested the majority of my money in a variety of startups, so hoping one of them turns into the next google or I will have to find a job at some point.”
On his peak earnings:
“10k+ per hour. 2-4 and 3-6 PLO/NL HU. There are certain people I think I do really well against.”
On durrrr:
"I spent a lot of time with durrrr, and there were a couple of times where I would actually have more money than him, but he would be playing 5x bigger stakes, go on a superheater and have twice my net worth the next day. It made me feel like a bitch. Happy for him, but still a bitch."
"I met him through 2p2 then met him in person at PCA. I always thought he was a fish, but a really creative/smart fish."
Here’s the well.
2) Jamie Gold Coaching Jim Carrey?
In honor of National Card Playing Day on December 28th (who knew?) 2006 WSOP Main Event champ Jamie Gold sat down with gossip blog Wonderwall and broke down a bunch of celebrities he’s apparently played poker with.
Included in the list:
Jennifer Love Hewitt ("The first time I met her -- three years ago -- she was just learning the rules of the game. But I bet she can really play now."), Kirstie Alley, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Jon Hamm, Tobey Maguire and Anne Hathaway, among others.
Most surprisingly, maybe, Gold hinted Jim Carrey is both a poker player and on his way to taking the game more seriously.
"He's just beginning to play,” said Gold, “but I am dedicated to making him a great player."
We’ll keep an eye out at the 2012 WSOP.
Check out the full slideshow here.
3) Shaniac Humbled by 2011
We tipped you off to Tao of Poker’s year in review post on Tuesday, now we’ll ship you off for a retrospective from another of the most astute and cogent poker commentators out there, Shane “Shaniac” Schleger.
This isn’t a full "year in review" per se, but more a brief look back at how the year shaped up for Schelger and how it affected him in a few unexpected ways.
As always, it’s a clear and insightful read and yet another reminder how hard it is to keep poker and all of the other things in life in balance – especially when you live in the US and it’s how you make your living.
An excerpt:
“I am not feeling overly sentimental towards the year that has passed, because it feels just like a bridge in the ongoing arc of my life, just an arbitrary period of time that doesn't encapsulate anything in particular other than a fair amount of chaos.
“And it feels like 2011 kicked my ass. It was a humbling year, and I am just looking forward to moving on.”
Check out the full post here.
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