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Today in the 3-bet we find Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott losing his cool over a perceived Stapes snub, Colson Whitehead returns to Anhedonia and his stab at the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event and we meet the thrid-ever player to hit 10,000,000 VPPs on PokerStars.
1) Devilfish Catches Fire, Calms
It started, it seems, over a seemingly innoucuous "old" joke by Joe Stapleton on the EPT Grand Final live stream.
It ended with a 140-character peace offering and a sheepish apology that eventually saved Stapes, or "The Muppet" as he shall now be known, the indignity of a cracked beak at the hands of the Devilfish's brass knuckles.
In between, though, it was pretty f'ing hilarious:
The muppet Commentator said I'm so old my cell phone num was 7 he's about as funny as stone in your shoe 7 s prob is IQ
— David Ulliott (@devilfish2011) April 29, 2014This commentator never stops doesn't like any ones play and most important for tv isn't funny !! or is he ? Maybe im in a bad mood !!
— David Ulliott (@devilfish2011) April 29, 2014@Stapes Call your self comedian your as funny as a fkn stone in a shoe and if you say BURN again when I'm talking i'll set your head on fire
— David Ulliott (@devilfish2011) April 30, 2014@Stapes Hope you all let him know funny he is !! What a Muppet !!
— David Ulliott (@devilfish2011) April 30, 2014Seriously I like to think I've got a good sense of humour but this guy is just rude he even mocked phil_hellmuth play ( 13) bracelets
— David Ulliott (@devilfish2011) April 30, 2014@Stapes No prob was a bad day yesterday n mates text me winding me up over the verbal we're cool .
— David Ulliott (@devilfish2011) April 30, 20142) Colson Whitehead Returns to Anhedonia, 2011 WSOP
Remember this great series of articles writer Colson Whitehead wrote for Grantland about his experience at the 2011 World Series of Poker?
Turns out Whitehead was so enamored with the experience - and found so much good material - it's now about to be released in expanded, book form.
Titled The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky, and Death it's set to come out May 6 to join Isaac Haxton's Dad's upcoming memoir in the lineup of great new poker reads.
Filled with "personal digressions and heavy on pop-culture references," writer Anna Russell, who previewed the book for the Wall Street Journal yesterday, says, "it reads like a memoir crossed with a literary guide to the often bizarre world of casino-poker tournaments."
Bill Thomas, publisher and editor in chief of Doubleday and Mr. Whitehead's editor, describes it as "a book about poker and beef jerky, (but) also kind of a meditation on loneliness and existential dread."
Both sound pretty great to us.
More on the release and where you can catch Whitehead reading from it here.
3) Vladimir Shabalin, 10 Million VPP Man
One player in the history of online poker - Chris Moorman - has won $10m in tourney cashes.
Three have earned 10 million VPPs on PokerStars. George Lind, an unnamed player (PokerStars VIP club page is down right now, otherwise we'd look it up) and now 26-year-old Vladimir "shabalinvlad" Shabalin of Russia.
To try and wrap your head around it, says the PokerStars blog:
"Last year, Shabalin clocked up 4.5m VPP's playing high stakes sit & go's, which equates to 22.5m Frequent Player Points (FPP's) or, if you were to cash them in at the VIP store, more than enough to get seven Porsche Cayman S sports cars.
"This year he's already burned through more than 2m VPP, which is enough to get three more luxury cars."
On top of the bonuses, freerolls, $5k WCOOP tickets, Slyde watch (for hitting 5m VPPs) and flotilla of sports cars Shabalin also now gets an all-expenses-paid vacation of a lifetime. Past that his plans are even bigger though:
"My dream is to become a space tourist so I'm dreaming about sitting down in a shuttle and watching our Earth from there.
"I now have a chance to meet poker stars, but real stars are my goal."
Sounds about right for this guy. Read the full story on the PokerStars blog.
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