Most Hated Poker Players – Gold, Hellmuth & Tony G

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Poker’s Most Hated

Poker isn’t a loving sport. Slowrolling, ratholing (sneaking a portion of chips from the table), performing a ‘hit and run’…there’s a whole lot of foul play on the green felt, and some really unsavoury individuals. Here at Mosesbet we don’t generally condone hatred…but here’s a list of poker’s most ‘hated’ pros anyway.

 Jamie Gold Hate

2006 WSOP Main Event winner Jamie Gold has been derided amongst poker circles ever since his record breaking tournament victory. The $12 million Gold scooped for besting an 8,667 strong poker field still stands as the largest ever, single tournament payout, but that hasn’t endeared him to poker fans. Obnoxious, arrogant and over-dramatic – all words used to describe Gold since his triumph.

Over the past few years, Gold’s image has been blighted by controversy, curious career moves, and his general antics at the table. Following his victory, Jamie Gold clashed with former work partner Crispin Leyser (Leyser and Gold had been recruited by poker site Bodog to seek out celebrities to represent them at the WSOP). Leyser claimed that Gold made a promise prior to the tournament to split his winnings 50/50, but Gold tried to pocket all of the poker winnings. An out of court settlement was eventually made between Gold and Leyser, and Bodog ceased their relationship with Gold.

 Gold’s poker playing abilities have come into serious question since his $12 million bonanza. The constant table talk that saw him steamroller a monster field of players at the WSOP hasn’t helped since, with Gold having a barren three year spell in tournament cashes. Gold’s appearance on GSN’s High Stakes Poker got off to a disastrous start, as he tried bluffing wily veteran Doyle Brunson in a big pot to no avail. Then there was the epic Gold-Sammy Farha confrontation with Sammy Farha, which you can see here.

 With Gold pocket kings, and realising that Farha has aces, Gold makes a cringe-worthy plea for Farha not to bet and retract some money from the $400k High Stakes Poker pot. Gold’s whole brash demeanour on High Stakes Poker was pretty cringe-worthy. 

 Gold has endured mix success in his business ventures as well, lending his name to several poker names. Gold was associated with Aced Poker for just three months. Gold isn’t all bad though – he is quite the philanthropist, having set up the Jamie Gold Charity Foundation and donating a significant portion of his poker winnings to people affected with Lou Gehrig’s disease (a disease his step-father died of).

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erNjXtuKawU

 Phil Hellmuth Hate

Poker aficionados just love to hate Ultimate Bet ambassador Phil Hellmuth. He may be a character, and a shoe-in for poker TV ratings, but Hellmuth’s arrogance knows no boundaries. Whether it’s because of his absurd WSOP Main Event entrances (where Hellmith entered the WSOP Event crashing an Ultimate Bet sports car and dressed up as an Emperor and flanked by Roman soldiers), or endless berating of opponents at the tables, there’s always trouble when Hellmuth is around.

Phill Hellmuth may have a record 11 WSOP bracelets to his name, but there is no modesty when Hellmuth claimed to be the ‘best No Limit Holdem player in the world’. After Hellmuth beat Mike Matusow’s pocket kings with the measly 72 on High Stakes Poker in a large pot, Antonio Salorio chimes, ‘Finally, you have respect right there’. Hellmuth replies sharply, ‘Respect? I crushed everybody in the world at No-Limit for 20 years and I finally have respect?’ Hellmuth isn’t afraid to reprimand fellow poker players, he can be seen here  launching a foul mouthed tirade at a Romanian amateur in the 2008 Main Event.

 Hellmuth’s claim to be the best poker player in No Limit Holdem doesn’t really fit, given his absence from the online nosebleed stakes. He may dabble in the High Limit games on UltimateBet, but Hellmuth’s refusal to mix it up with Full Tilt entourage, citing his conservative money management, irks many a railbird. If being associated with a site notorious for its super-user scandal wasn’t bad enough, earlier this year a $5k pot was mysteriously ‘handed’ to Hellmuth in a $100/$200 Limit game, despite the 11 times bracelet winner Hellmuth holding the worst hand.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWNDhuetDOw

 Tony G

 ‘Come on Russian, get out’, ‘Bye bye Devilfish’, ‘You are a terrible player’, are just some of the obnoxious jibes that spout from Antanas Guoga, otherwise known as ‘Tony G’. The prickly Australian is known for his ridiculing opponents at the tables, although ironically enough, he is said to be one of the most amicable players away from the tables. His grudge against Russians no doubt comes from the days of when Tony G played in underground card clubs in Moscow (where he is rumoured to have squared up against former KGB members). Highlights of Tony G being at his smug, aggressive best include the WPT, where he encourages opponents to ‘get some heart’ otherwise he is going to ‘rip them apart’.

 Underneath the cocky exterior, however, Tony G is a very talented poker player. With over $3 million in live tournament winnings, Tony G has cashed three times in this year’s WSOP 2009, making two final tables. Tony G seems to have matured over the past year or so, as he looks to promote his staking business ‘Chip me Up’, part of Pokernews. You can see classic Tony G clips here:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtE5Hx740Pc