We learn from them, we grow as players with them, and time and again, their passion for the game refuels our own. As fans, the only way we can give back to our favorite poker influencers is by showing them our appreciation and respect. And the ultimate recognition is induction into poker’s most revered institution: the Poker Hall of Fame.
Hailed as a pioneer of French poker, @Bruno Fitoussi is one of those influencers to whom the international poker community is greatly indebted. 'The King' is a living legend in France where he is honored as one of the 'founding fathers of poker' in the country and has been a role model and inspiration for players of all generations. But he is also among the first - and rare - Europeans to build a reputation for himself and gain the respect and admiration of American players, as well.
Says @Daniel Negreanu, "he qualifies on all the criteria, but mostly it's his contribution as a pioneer in spreading the game globally and getting Americans to make the trip over to Paris before the inception of The World Poker Tour. He was instrumental in poker becoming more of a global game." (Poker Hall of Fame, 9 Sep 2014)
Just before his own induction in 2014, Daniel Negreanu urged for 'de-Americanization' of the Poker Hall of Fame and named Bruno Fitoussi as the worthy European HOF candidate:
WSOP: If you could change just one thing about the Poker Hall of Fame, what would it be?
Negreanu: Well, it’s way too American-centric. The Hall of Fame should reflect the growth of the game and the influence of other players, like overseas. So many people have done so much.
WSOP: So give us a name or two of people from overseas who you think deserve to be in the Poker Hall of Fame?
Negreanu: Easy. Bruno Fitoussi is the first. He’s done so much in France and all over Europe for poker. Everyone loves Bruno and respects him. He was one of the first people to bring Americans over to Paris to see the poker scene there.
In 2014 RankingHero was among the initiators of a campaign to nominate Bruno Fitoussi to Poker Hall of Fame and the fact that he has been shortlisted for induction for two consecutive years only comes to confirm the enormous respect he commands in the world of poker.
Asked what he loves most about poker, Bruno once said:
"The players themselves. They are incredible people; probably some of the most interesting people on this earth."
Now HoF Nominations are open to the public and players can give back some of this love.
vron12 12 Nov 2016
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LivingItLovingIt UK Ltd have partnered up with European poker heavyweights, @Bruno Fitoussi and @Robert Yong, to create a home for European poker players in Las Vegas this summer. The 7 table poker room will run 24 hour cash games for a variety of games but specialising in favourite games that are harder to find in Vegas poker rooms such as 5 card PLO, Mixed Games and Chinese.
There will also be an exclusive 4 table VIP area in the high roller pit for big games and LiLi are offering an FX service to provide players booking through the website www.bookvegas2016.com the best available rates. All of the best European poker has to be complimented with the best European Soccer so there will be a dedicated VIP reserved area for all cash game customers in the Breeze Bar at TI which will show every live game of this year’s European Football Championships.
Neil Barrett, Managing Director of LivingItLovingIt explains the rationale of the concept. 'A few years ago we were in Vegas and struggled to find venues to watch the England games at the World Cup and did not want to miss out on the Euros this Summer. The Vegas poker rooms are so much bigger and NLH focused than European venues, we felt there was a gap in the market for a more personal experience to play the games Europeans love to play. TI really lends itself to deliver a warm, friendly atmosphere and the combination of football and poker just came together naturally in this idea.'
Aside from the expertise of Bruno and Rob, LivingItLovingIt have partnered with organisers and industry members from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and a number of online sites to make TI the hotbed of European poker this Summer. TI have hired a number of experienced high stakes floor managers and dealers in addition to their existing staff to deliver the ultimate player experience.
Drinks inside the poker room are free and food credits are earned based on level and time of play alongside a number of free drinks promotions around the football for cash game guests. All of the information on the project can be found at www.bookvegas2016.com which has fantastic hotel deals at Treasure Island and the Palazzo available through LivingItLovingIt who have been bringing players successfully to Vegas for the last 9 years.
Annie RKH 3 Jun 2016
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Time and again the poker community and its top influencers and philanthropists have shown our readiness and willingness to give back. Now there's a great opportunity to 'do good' simply by playing a game-for-good!
http://www.megamification.com/dementia-research-needs-you-donate-2-minutes-of-playtime/
To play or not to play on PokerStars - that seems to be the (ex) SuperNova Elite question these days. High-stakes pros were hard-hit by the dissolution of the program on PokerStars and by the new rake policy, and public boycotts were organized to protest against the changes. When @Justin Bonomo won an EPT side event last week he decided to take the opportunity to draw more attention to the problem. And he certainly succeeded - even if he did in the end have to do that miserable winner's photo.
1. Justin Bonomo ended up playing heads-up in Event 47, EPT Grand Final Monaco on May 3rd. He made a deal with @Ahmed Abd El Fatah, agreeing to less prize money (110K vs 120K), but ultimately winning the title and the trophy.
2. Bonomo then refused to do the winner's photo as he did not want to help promote a company that had in his opinion commited a number of financial and ethical violations of its commitments to its players.
3. Under threat of a permanent ban from all PokerStars online and live events, Bonomo struck a grudging pose for the camera.
Lee Davy spoke for many when he shared his doubts about Bonomo's chosen course of action and whether he went far enough:
I think Bonomo’s stance is admirable, in particular, the lengths he went to try and increase awareness of behaviour that apparently goes against his values and those of his peers.
But for me, it keeps coming back to the same thing, and that’s taking 100% responsibility for your life. Complaining about the way PokerStars treats its customers, and then playing on the site, because you need the money, is not doing that. It’s passing responsibility. There is a lot of money in the world. There are a lot of ways to get hold of it. PokerStars don’t hold the near-monopoly on all of it.
As a self-reported "flawed human who cares what other people think", Bonomo objected to Lee Davy's "one-sided article" and defended himself on TwitLonger:
And this is not just about money, it's about ethics too. Personally, I have always been on the fence about whether or not it's a good thing that the online poker industry is thriving and legal. With the predatory nature of Stars, I can no longer in good consciousness say that the success of the industry leader is a good thing. I sincerely hope that I will have reason to change my mind about this in the future, but for now, I can only hope for change. Our best chance seems to be if David Baazov goes to prison and Amaya is forced to sell Pokerstars, possibly to 888. When that day comes, I want the new owners to be in a position to say, "Let's get the pros back on our side and work together with them to rebuild PokerStars' forsaken trusted image.
This, in a nutshell, is how the photo shoot escalated into a shootout and poker forums and media are still debating PokerStars tournament entrants' contractual obligations in general and Bonomo's own 'rights and wrongs' in particular.
Annie RKH 16 May 2016
Just realized Justin won another Event 47 a year ago, in EPT Malta! This was simply irresistible:
Winner's photo from https://www.pokerstars.com/en/blog/ept12-malta-side-event-results.shtml
Adrien Bacchi 16 May 2016
He's been brave enough... and should win a prize for the most creative poker winner pic ;)
Bejing 2008 olympic gold medalist with the Dutch field hockey team, law graduate, singer @Fatima Moreira De Melo is one of those fascinating, multi-talented, and positively sparkling #womenINpoker we just love to cheer for!
The PokerStars Team SportsStars pro is playing at the feature table on Day 3, EPT Grand Final Main Event! Follow her profile on RankingHero and watch her on Twitch or Pokerstars TV!
The Macau Big Game has long captured the imagination of poker fans all over the world and @Paul Phua is one of the iconic figures of the Macau high-stakes scene. In an exclusive interview for PokerNews he talks about the allegations that he is the world's biggest bookie and a Triad member, as well as about his passion for poker!
Read the full interview on PokerNews:
And a funny video that some of you may remember from our Goldfish Awards:)
Tournaments have been called 'the poker equivalent of playing the lottery' (@Alec Torelli) and a few years ago, the world's best online MTT player, @Chris Moorman shared his opinion that 'the best cash game players are better than tournament players'.
The best cash game players are better than tournament players – they are better at playing postflop. Even in an event like the WCOOP main event they have an edge. That’s a tournament but it plays like a cash game because it’s very deep stacked. Even if you’ve had a lot of success in tournaments you’re still going to be in a coffin if Phil Galfond is put on your left!
The first London edition will be hosted by the legendary @Aspers Casino - Westfield Stratford City and cash gamers will be spoiled for choice in terms of variety of games and stakes (see our posts about Sviten Special and Six Plus Hold'em).
For added thrill of competition, the organizers propose an original format today and tomorrow: a Cash Game Tournament. And if you’re wondering what it might be, it’s basically a normal Cash Game but it runs over a limited set of time (2 hours) and with a small sidepot put aside to the eventual tournament winner. There will also be some nice added prizes from Cash Game Festival’s partner companies NordicBet, Guts.com, 888poker and OlyBet to the tournament winners.
The game starts at 18:00 sharp on March 30 and March 31 so players are advised to register at the casino well in advance both days.
More info here.
We look forward to welcoming the cash gamers who will be joining our community from Aspers during the Festival and will be watching the action on the London Cash Game Festival page and on Twitch!
Well-done and GL to our latest winners!!! As for the rest of us, looking forward to getting together on Twitch on Sunday :)
The RankingHero Cash Game Festival Line-Up: May the Best Killer Move Win!
London Cash Game Festival 2016 on Rankinghero We are happy to announce the RankingHero cash game specialists who rose to the challenge and have earned the chance to test their killer moves against our two pros @Lucille Cailly and @Pedro...It has come to us from Macau and last year was promoted by none other than Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan! In February 2016 Six Plus Hold'em became available online in poker rooms on the iPoker network and will of course be spread during the Cash Game Festival in London!
Test yourself with this short quiz before you sign up!
Find the rules on the Cash Game Festival blog and get some tips from the Six Plus ambassadors to Asia, Ivey and Dwan: