Tony G. Official Poker Blog

WPT High Roller Event to Istanbul and Basketball

Tony G — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:06:12 +0000

I am in London and just made the final table of the WPT High Rollers Event. It was a very short field of 19 players but I’m very happy to be here. I’m on my way to Istanbul next. I’m involved with the Lithuanian Men’s Basketball Team by way of sponsorship with my sports betting company tonybet.lt. In my younger days I was a champion athlete in Lithuania and I love the competition and action of sports so I’m really looking forward to flying out to Istanbul to join the team and celebrate. Look for me here on another day, too much going on right now to stay, it’s time to play.

My A Game is On Full Throttle

Tony G — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 04:34:55 +0000

The WPT London Poker Classic is coming up fast, of course I’ll be playing, and while that’s running, the cash games at Crockfords will be thundering with the sound of chip chatter and players on their knees crying when they try to beat me. I’m in good poker form, running good, feeling good, and that means my poker mouth is running good too—watch out! Right after the WPT, the Party Poker.com World Open VI starts and I’ll be there too, working on sending everyone out looking for their bikes.

Right now I’m in Riga, Lativa. I’m going to do a new TV show here called the Baltic Poker Championships.

The Big Game Players

I just came from Las Vegas after playing in The Big Game for Fox. It’s a memory I’m going to keep for a long, long time. Phil Hellmuth no longer wants to play with me. I played against Daniel Negreanu too, if you remember the last time I was there I called him out for being a bike thief; if he wasn’t then, he may need to steal one now since I lightened his bankroll and he may not be able to afford to buy one. Poker can be so ‘crushing’ at times and I love the roll of CRUSHER! It was such fun, the best TV time I’ve ever had in my life. The show will be great, don’t miss it!

Tony G & Elizabeth

Along with the Big Game players, I was treated to Elizabeth, a ‘Loose Cannon’ that needed my expert guidance at the poker table and at the post show party at XS Nightclub at Encore. Life can’t get much better, beautiful women (she has a twin sister), everything going my way at the poker table, The Poker Brat crying, and more poker on the way. I was invited to the Raising the Stakes Poker Dinner that aids the Great Ormond Street Hospital (the world’s biggest children’s hospital) at Les Ambassadeurs at the end of this month. The Poker Brat is going to sit at my table. Such fun, such fun, even though it’s a dinner table and not a poker table, I’m sure I can make him cry.

Tony G Playing the game he loves

I just love to be in the game. Poker was created just for me. It’s fun when you’re running good and when that happens, even players like me can look like gods, at least for a short time. Even a god enjoys seeing The Poker Brat cry.

Staying off the streets of London

Tony G — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 03:43:25 +0000

I took down the $120K winner-take-all Poker Lounge in Cardiff at the end of July and had a great time doing it. It was a 6-seat sit and go for TV with a $20K buy-in. Jennifer Harman, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, and James Dempsey were in my heat. I ran over them and forced them to leave crying on the bike ride out. Mike Matusow and I ended up heads-up with The Mouth having a thin chip lead. It was an awesome repeat of the famous WPT Bad Boys of Poker finale. I crushed Mike then and I double crushed him again so bad that he had no tears left for the bike ride. The G is up and running in full form after taking some time away from the game.

I am in London right now enjoying life and played a pretty high stakes cash game last night in Les Ambassadeurs Casino and ended up just about even. I had a few side bets with Roland de Wolfe on odds of making a back door flush with one card gone. I am really weak at math but seemed to win from Roland on pure fact bets. It’s pretty silly as everyone knows I am a pretty major mug and should take me on with any bets and clean me out.

I am lining up for the big trip to Las Vegas this Tuesday where I will again get ready for the Big Game on Fox. I will play twice and am coming after Daniel to get some revenge. I will spend nine days in Vegas and then fly to Latvia where I play another TV event, the Baltic Poker Champs, that will be fun with all Baltic States playing. The PartyPoker World Open VI is starting, Phil Laak is the defending champion and confirmed to play but he took a bad tumble on an ATV and is in the hospital in Oregon with seven broken bones and a very bad injury to his right eye. Tough luck Phil, best wishes on your recuperation. I am also confirmed to play the World Open Vi and the World Poker Tour London that starts on the 29th of August. Busy times for me in the poker world right now but I am up for the challenge and filled with heart that the biggest donkey will win in the end. We all know donkeys can’t ride a bike!

So for now I am trying to stay out of trouble and off the London streets and pick a few winners – at least more winners than losers – in Aussie Rules Football. It’s been an amazing season this year. I just had my biggest bet of the year on Carlton vs. Essendon – go mighty blues!! How much do I bet on an Aussie Football League game? Well, it’s six numbers and I would bet more if they let me as I love to win.

One last thought – may your bike tires never go flat, may I never need to wonder if mine are.

Back to Poker

Tony G — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:21:43 +0000

I’ve been away and enjoyed every minute of it but I’m ready to come back to the world of high stakes heat, TV poker, and all the action anyone can throw at me. I will be playing the Poker Lounge in Wales on the 22nd. From there it will be the Poker Millions Event Heat 1 in London on 28th. It will be a busy day and a fair bit of poker on TV that day as I will be doing two shows that day on the Poker Lounge.

My next poker ventures will be the WSOP Europe, and WPT events as well as all the EPT events. I will focus on playing in London.

I sent my Angels out to bring you a report of the WSOP Main Event Final Players, enjoy the report as they find answers and news from each player that you won’t hear about anyplace else.

Tony’s Angels

Short and Sweet from Nida Lithuania

Tony G — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 03:57:32 +0000

The WSOP main event started without me and I’m sure they aren’t missing me at all and it’s probably more amplified from my side since I’m really glad I am where I am. I am doing great. I’ve been watching the soccer world cup. I love watching the game and the competition.

I have been spending time with my kids and really enjoying being out of poker for awhile – just taking it easy and relaxing. I won’t be playing poker until the WSOP Europe comes up and other EPT events in Europe.

Off to Europe

Tony G — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 07:14:58 +0000

I am back in London. I am really glad to have some time off and away from the WSOP. There are a few sites talking it up about me leaving the WSOP right now and even throwing in name calling. Guess what? I don’t care. I play when I enjoy playing and I do my best. I don’t have to play on their schedule or on their idea of how I should react. They seem to have forgotten that poker is a game and the player chooses the field of competition.

I am crushed that I could not make a final table or pick up a bracelet this year but I will most likely play the Main Event and take a crack at the WSOP Europe later on, I won’t give up trying.

The PokerStars Big Game aired on TV in the US on the 14th and if you missed it, you can watch it on the PokerStars Blog. The loose cannon, Ernest Wiggins, comes in with $100K and plays against the pros: Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Phil Laak, The G (me), and Phil Hellmuth. We play 150 hands and I’m the most aggressive according to the stats, 15 times more aggressive to bet or raise than call than the other players. I hate it when my secrets are given away. I did have a great time with the Big Game.

I’m always busy with my business and working on good health and enjoying life. I want to have a good time, no matter what I do – which includes riding my trike.

P.S. After playing the WSOP $10k PLO event all day and busting close to the money with Hellmuth at my table, the only consolation was that he busted before me. I went to Bobbys Room at Bellagio to relax and got into a 4K-8K mixed game. We played limit Deuce to 7 triple draw and 500-1000 PLO. Ivey was drunk, on my right, and there were some bets on him vomitting in Bobbys Room but it was all fun and games, no harm intended, just laughter and good times. The Ivey BBQ was on today and the big boys in the game were more than happy. Durrrr was in the game and so was Benyamine and the crazy Frenchy Ciryl. I managed to snag a few pots from Ivey and peddled my bike out to home, I was a very happy punter and more important, a winner.

Omaha Hi-Low Split 8 or Better Championship

Tony G — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:25:18 +0000

Tony spends a few minutes with Gloria Balding as she says this tournament is one of the easiest tournaments ever and Tony agrees by saying that he’s the best player there *note the laughter in the background* as Tony continues. He just put his shares up on ChipMeUp and they are sold out already. He’s trying hard, he hasn’t cashed yet at the World Series but he has won a tournament in the last week. He’s doing well, and having a good year, and he feels good about the $10K PLO Hi/Low tournament that continues again today.

He says he’s doing his best with his limited abilities, just plugging away and if he doesn’t final table in this event, it will probably be his last event until perhaps the Main Event.

He talks about the balance of poker and life and being able to step away from it for awhile to bring it back into the right focus.

He’s also sweating the Aussie Rules Football game and has sportsbets on it as he plays poker. He used to play the game as a kid.

He made a 100k bet with Phil Ivey on this game and talks about his last crazy bet with Tom Dwan in the Deuce to 7 Lowball Draw tournament.

He’s looking at houses in Las Vegas since he plans on buying a house in the area and says he’s in Patrick’s house right now and it was incorrectly reported that he was going to buy it, he’s still looking.

Away from the camera, Tony reports that he’s super motivated to do well in this event and he really enjoys the game and has done well in it over the years.

Playing the 2-7 low ball draw

Tony G — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:10:10 +0000

I got to the tournament area late, after the dinner break. I had business to take care of and this was going to probably be my last event at the WSOP this year. I haven’t decided if I will be back for the Main Event or not.

I had a last longer bet with Tom Dwan. If he outlasted me, I had to go over to his table and do 5 pushups, if I outlasted him, he had to come to mine and do 15. I lost the bet. Those 5 pushups were not easy, it’s much easier to ride a bike, but I have been working out with a trainer and it won’t be long before they are much easier. Losing the bet wasn’t easy either because I wanted to play and see if I could start moving up the ladder.

For now I’m going home to Europe soon. I want to spend time with my family and keep working on good health. I may return to the Series, I may not. I will be playing the Poker Lounge Show in Cardiff in the UK on July 21st, that is the only poker plan I have right now.

The WSOP – how do they choose a champion?

Tony G — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:59:08 +0000

Tonight I am playing the 2-7 Low Ball Draw, No Limit $10,000 buy-in Championship Event. I just busted from the 5K NL Event. Busting is such an ugly thing. I do play to have fun but I’m competitive and I enjoy being able to pick up chips and make a run at the big money and in this case, the Gold Bracelet. If I can’t put anything together in the Deuce, I will probably be leaving for Europe to spend time with my family.

I have a bit of burnout going on and I’m running bad. Three different times in the 5K I was good pre-flop and ran into bad endings that killed me. It happens, poker is a game and I am very aware of it. But when I am no longer having fun, it’s time to do something else and that will be leaving for home. I may not return to play the WSOP $10K main event. I am very unhappy with the way the WSOP is filling one of the 27 seats. I wasn’t asked and I’ve played all the high buy-in events, I’m very high profile and good poker show material as is evidenced by my recent appearances on the Doubles Championship, World Team Poker, and The Big Game, and I play poker across the globe, with many different people.

The list of players that have been chosen to play a ‘sudden death-playoff’ in a nine player sit-n-go tournament are: Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, Andy Bloch, Bertrand “ElKy” Grospellier, Gus Hanson, actor Don Cheadle, Sorel Mizzi, Michael Mizrachi, Liv Boeree, and Paul Wasicka. They are playing in this race to win a seat into the TOC and are chosen because they don’t hold WSOP bracelets. Who chose them? Why do they have priority over other players that don’t have gold bracelets?

Players are asking questions, including Annie Duke on Twitter: “Obviously, I love Don Cheadle but I think it is ridiculous he is playing in the 9 handed tourney for a spot in the TOC. Should all be champs” She has several solutions to filling the seat: “There would be an argument that spots should be for bracelet winners who don’t get voted in only. But certainly must have a major title,” and “Take the nine players who just miss in the voting and have them play for the seat.”

I feel some of the choices are good ones, others are just wrong, and I would like to know who made the choices and why they made them. The WSOP is being unfair with this decision and because of it I may just pass on the WSOP and the Main Event. I don’t believe I am the only one that is unhappy with the way this great event is being made into a mockery of a true Tournament of Champions.

Winning a gold bracelet

Tony G — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 02:53:24 +0000

Lynn Gilmartin talks to Tony about the 5K, Tony says Tom Dwan paid him off and Tom’s money is heavy and he just wants to get rid of it. Tony talks about getting healthy and fit and how Kirill, his best friend, has motivated him to do it.

Tony says he just got his first bracelet, someone told him he was going to win one and he went to the 64th floor of Wynn Casino and won some money in an invitational tournament and a gold bracelet. He said it was an easy event and it takes some of the pressure off by putting money in the bank. *His friends laugh* Tony thanks Party Poker for putting him into all these tournaments.

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