tournament of champions- classic

[jonnyz 0]

I saw the other post on this topic but that turned into a "who should and shouldn't be there" discussion and thats not what I wanted to talk about.2 things-1) It is amazing how different the play was with some of the top players. I thought it was awesome but it was probably pretty boring to the "non poker crazy" person. There were some great laydowns but unfortunaely that doesn't always make the best TV.2) The one exception to my first point was right at the end when Hellmuth lost. It was a classic moment as the camera is showing Annie all happy with the money you are hearing Phil shoot his mouth off with every second word being beeped out. I was laughing so hard I was crying. I t was like that scene in Happy Gilmour where the PGA chairman and the marketing person are in his office discussing how good Happy would be for TV ratings and in the background on a TV in his office you see and hear Happy throwing a fit and swearing his head off.Jon

[Guest XXEddie]

It was funny how phil went out bitching..though Annie did get a little luck in someways...(example phil flops top pair annie 2 pair...etc) But thats phil...alwyas upset when he loses

[Meotch08 0]

well cmon you guys.. if luck had nothing to do with it Phil would win every time. LOL

[jessy 0]

This is my favorite tournament to watch. not only because anne duke is one of my favorite female players, but because she is one of my favorite players!! She is in my top 10. I think when she showed the nine was the greatest thing ive ever seen. To see phill go on and on about that hand, she really seemed to get to him. It was beautiful. She is a great player, I hope that she always gets the credit that she deserves.

[fluxer 0]

I don't think Annie is that great of a player, especially when compared to the rest of the players in the tournament of champions.Early on, she bluffed a large portion of her stack off to Doyl Brunson and most of the time she was all in afterwards in order to get back in the game.She made a questionable call when she held pocket sixes -- Annie raised preflop and Howard went all in. At best it was a coinflip. Annie won that hand despite being a huge underdog preflop.Annie also gained a lot of chips because of two bad plays by Greg Raymer who apparently does not play so well after losing ONE big coin flip (which Raymer could have folded but Raymer never folds on coin flips).To be honest, I would agree with Phil that Annie was getting some great cards.Also, I thought it was hilarious when Phil bet the flop while holding a pair of fours and Howard called and caught a gutshot on the turn. Phil murmurs to himself and those around him, "It's the same thing that happens with the amateurs. Why always to me, how does this always happen."

[the_stein 0]

yea phil is awsome, the hand with howard where howard got his gutshot, phil made a great call with just a pair of 4s then when howard hit he was like "just like the damn amateurs hitting their outs" the whole table laughed at him but he was right, and he mucked top pair against annie heads up and he is like "I thought you got lucky n flopped 2 pair" which she did.

[deuxx 0]

Anyone have a copy of this tournamen, Championship Poker at the Plaza, and/or Showdown at the Sands? Please PM or Email me.Thanks

[Ramocita 0]

Come on.... Poor Phil just can't get a break.... I love him... I love Annie as well... Phil has just not played well lately.

[codyscherer 0]

Phil should have been knocked out earlier by Chan but caught a 2 outer I believe. (I could be wrong on that) But after that, you have to admit, Phil dropped some good hands heads up and you cant say you would have been frustrated if you had folded top pair 2 or 3 times and never saw what she had. She could have bluffed him every time. But since we could see the cards we know she wasnt. I mean, it was heads up, two people making top pair is not that common that many times. He made some great folds and that is one of the reasons he is one of the better players. It isnt like the olden days though when he was the aggressive young player, now there is a tone of them and he cant play the same style he used too and be as effective in NL. He still is solid at limit tourneys. I am by no means a huge Phil fan, but he is entertaining and everything he says and does, he does for a reason. When he ponders over and complains about a raise when he has nothing, he does it for a reason. To make someone think he will fold big hands. If Annie wouldnt of flopped top pair, the same time Phil did, that many times in one heads up match, with a better kicker everytime, Phil probably would have beaten her. Probably 7 out of 10 times Phil wins heads up against her. Annie is a good player, But Phil is more experienced in those situations I think. His rant at the end was classic though and the Happy Gilmore comment was right on the money. That is why Phil makes for great tv.

[GoBucksIndy 0]

"well cmon you guys.. if luck had nothing to do with it Phil would win every time. LOL "Absolutely classic quote..... And could have it come from a better source....

[faketree 0]

There is another Hellmuth moment in this tourney that I love. It wasn't as noticeable as the other in this tourney but still equally entertaining. A little bit after Howard caught his gutshot against Phil, Phil picks up J2 in the small blind and calls Howard in the BB. I forgot what Howard had but they were rags I believe. Howard checks. Flop was pretty plain with a 2 in it. Phil bets and Howard thinks for a little bit. As Howard is thinking, Phil goes 'I mean its unbelievable. This guy won't fold!'. This was just great because it was in the middle of Howards thought process and in the middle of the hand instead of after the hand when someone caught. Right in the middle of the hand he's critisizing Howard. I mean, I love watching Howard play and especially him as a broadcaster (Lederer is one of the best poker broadcasters around). But Phils antics are just too entertaining. He's definitely a 9 year old boy in the body of a 6"+ tall man.check out www.barrygreenstein.com and read what he wrote about Hellmuth. Also classic.