Daily 3-Bet: Absolute Retro, WSOP Requests, Selbst > Rafa

You can always make suggestions for future 3-Bet pieces in the comments section below.

In today’s 3-Bet we’ll take a look at that whole Absolute Poker disaster, WSOP canvassing Twitter and Vanessa Selbt’s heads-up performance against Rafael Nadal.

1) Look Back at Absolute Poker Disaster

Remember them?

 

Brent Beckley helped build Absolute Poker into a multi-million dollar company but at what cost to his future?

That’s the crux of an article on Montana Kaimin that was published late last month but still well worth a read, especially considering today is the three-year anniversary of online poker's Black Friday.

The long feature titled “Almost Billionaires” chronicles the journey of Absolute Poker from inception in the early 2000s to its eventual downfall in 2011.

The story provides an in-depth look at founders Scott Tom and Shane Barovich. Beckley was initially resistant to joining the company but eventually moved down to Costa Rica.

Tom called every day until he made one last offer — Director of Customer Service — and they would pay Beckley $1,200 to $1,800 dollars a month. Beckley had two weeks to get to Costa Rica. He sold his couch, TV, coffee table, clothes and everything else he wasn’t taking with him. He dropped his ‘88 Jeep Cherokee off at Missoula Federal Credit Union because he couldn’t finish making payments, and applied for an expedited passport.

While compelling the article has one glaring omission with no reference to the hole card scandal on Absolute Poker that rocked the poker world in 2007.

Seems pretty important.

2) WSOP Taking Requests Now

It’s hard to believe the the 2014 World Series of Poker is little more than a month away.

In fact Caesars is still fine-tuning a few of the tournaments on the schedule and tournament director turned to Twitter today to gauge interest in a few things.

Twitter Items for @wsop today: - 7 or 8 handed in 8 game/PPC - smoking area outside Pavilion - redraws in Megas close to $ Share opinion

It’s great to see the WSOP interacting directly with their players. Be sure to get your opinion in early if you want to see changes.

We have only one request, however. Bring back the WSOP Mixed Doubles. That event was the best.

3) Selbst Spikes Rafa in Heads-Up Showdown

Rafa Nadal may be the best tennis player in the world but he’s still a rookie in the poker world compared to uber-crusher Vanessa Selbst.

This weekend Selbst prevailed over Rafa Nadal in a special heads-up match that was set up PokerStars in Monte Carlo. Selbst is already off to Sanremo for the EPT event there while Nadal stays in Monaco to play the Monte Carlo Masters.

PokerStars just posted a little clip of the action, which you’ll find below: