Any suggestions for a future 3-Bet, feel free to drop a note in the comments.
Today in the 3-Bet we find Phil Ivey taking to Twitter to answer fan questions, Sam Trickett stacked to the nines with 100k plaques in Macau and a 206-page deposition blowing the seal off the underground Hollywood home game circuit.
1) Phil Ivey: Answer Man
Known for being one of the most reclusive poker pros on the planet - and especially since the Full Tilt scandal broke out last year - Phil Ivey has never been one to seek out fan attention.
With online poker legislation around the corner and a resurrected FTP on the horizon, however, the great one is coming out of his shell a bit again via his Twitter account.
Or at least someone who represents Ivey is, anyway.
We want to believe it’s actually Ivey himself tapping away on his smart phone but the tone and style of his tweets smacks pretty heavily of a PR flak/friend of some sort.
Still, it's a welcome glimpse into the Life of Ivey for his fans. "The account," as we'll call it, has even decided to answer fan questions on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Tuesdays on Twitter and Thursdays on Facebook.
We assume the answers will actually come from the real Phil Ivey, whether it’s him typing or not. But who knows?
If you have a question for Phil, there's still time to get them in for #AnswerTuesdays here.
2) Sam Trickett: My Bankroll is Much Bigger Than Your Bankroll
We love good chip porn, but recent $10m winner Sam Trickett may have taken it to the next level with this shot from his seat in the nosebleed games in Macau.
He tweeted the pic below last night, saying he "wasn't even a winner" in the game:
Each plaque is $100,000HKD (£8k) Ill let u guys do the math :) and not even winning today,haha #anotherdayattheoffice twitter.com/Samtrickett1/s…
— Sam Trickett (@Samtrickett1) August 14, 2012By a fan’s count it looks to be about £800k or around $1.2 million USD.
Rich Kids of Instagram level? Pretty close.
Sickest poker photo of all time? Might be, might be.
If anyone can think of one better, let us know in the comments.
(But don’t bring us any of that “Phil Ivey with a wad of cash by his shoeless-feet” jazz. It’s a solid photo, but it’s no $1.2 mill in plaques.)
3) Ruderman Deposition Exposes Hollywood Games, Outs Maguire
Not "out" outs. Outs as a poker shark, outs.
The much-publicized "Hollywood Home Game" scandal of last year has surfaced again in the form of a 206-page deposition from "victim" Bradley Ruderman.
In a new post on the New York Times pop culture blog, Vulture, more revealing details about the game have been highlighted including some of the juicier "who and how much" parts. Cliffs:
An excerpt:
"As for the poker, there was no limit, so the pot could reach into the hundreds of thousands, Ruderman told FBI agents — he once saw it hit $950,000, but was not personally staked in it.
"... But if Ruderman was the easy pickings, then the real talent at the table was always Tobey Maguire, who claims he only ever won $187,000 but is believed to have walked away with as much as $1 million a month off these games."
Lots of surprising things there, but really? Kenny Tran? Who knew?
Bonus 4-Bet: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom No Longer Team PokerStars Pro
In a case of news that sounds big but really doesn't have too much consequence, PokerStars and Viktor "Isildur1" Blom have decided not to renew their Team PokerStars Pro sponsorship agreement.
Blom will go back to focussing more on poker now, he says, telling PokerNews today:
"I’ve enjoyed my time as a Team Pro and I wish everyone at PokerStars the best.
"Now I just want to concentrate on playing poker."
Outside of the rather pedestrian Superstar Challenge, not too much will be missed with Isildur1's departure.
Interviews and fan relations have never been his bag, so to speak.
Expect to see him in deep at the high-stakes games on the new FTP when they get rolling, however.
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