December 27, 2005
He has amassed almost $500,000 from his finishes in 2005 and is ensconced in the Top Fifty in the Player of the Year race. While he caught some flack from texas holdem poker message boards for his demeanor at the World Series, Todd hasn't let that slow him down. If he can continue with his growth in his overall game, Witteles can be a serious threat to many tournament titles in 2006 and beyond!
While he goes against the trend towards the younger generation taking over the game of texas holdem poker, it wouldn't be out of the question to see Smith continue his excellent play and capture a major WPT or World Series title himself in 2006. His steady game and steel nerves have placed him in the Top 25 in this year's POY race and he is not intimidated by either the professionals or the young guns that he runs into. I watched him play during the L. A. Texas Holdem Poker Classic and was truly impressed with his decision making at the final table and, with a few breaks, he can turn those skills into a fantastic 2006.
Tilt is not nearly as over-the-top as Playmakers was, and the acting is superior.Eddie Cibrian is believeable as the young hotshot texas holdem poker player, and partners Kristin Lehman and Todd Williams play their parts just as well. Madsen is perfect in the role of the Matador.
Whereas Playmakers portrayed football players as cheaters and philanderers, chances are there won't be too many professional texas holdem poker players complaining about being portrayed as beautiful, well-dressed, well-meaning people trying to take down the bad guy.
1. John Smith - The quiet man with the simple name and the big game is potentially one of the mysteries to many that only get their texas holdem poker information from the WPT or WSOP broadcasts. Picking up the game seriously only a little over a year ago, the fifty-something highway contractor from La Habra Heights, CA, has definitely made an impact! Not only has he captured two preliminary championships in 2005 (at the L. A. Texas Holdem Poker Classic in February and the Legends of Texas Holdem Poker, both at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles), he has been on the verge of making a serious breakthrough all season. At the Bally's WSOP Circuit Championship Event in November, he more than held his own against a final table that contained not only World Champions Scotty Nguyen and Joseph Hachem but also WPT champions Mihn Ly and WSOP Circuit champ Doug Lee.
2. Joseph Hachem - This was a borderline call. While he truly made his breakthrough with winning the World Championship at this year's World Series, he (much like 2004 World Champ Greg Raymer was in Connecticut) was a known quality player in his homeland of Australia. Hachem toiled in the relative (and literal) outback of texas holdem poker for a couple of years before crashing the party in Las Vegas this summer and since then has demonstrated that he is going to be part of the game for some time to come.
After sadly bowing to pressure from the NFL and scrapping its successful Playmakers series last year, ESPN is done licking its wounds. At 9 p.m. Thursday, it gets back into the business of the episodic series with Tilt, a drama based around the texas holdem poker world (of course).
Without NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue to deal with this time around, ESPN has crafted an edgy, dark but highly entertaining look at texas holdem poker players in Las Vegas, hoping to cash in on the game's recent rise in status and popularity.
After watching an advance copy of the first episode, it's clear ESPN will get two things out of its latest effort - a hit, and more controversy.
The controversy will come from two scenes, neither of which forwards the plot of the series at all. In one, the series' main character, Don "The Matador" Everest (played by Michael Madsen), engages in a sex act in the bathroom.
In another, an underground texas holdem poker game among black players immediately turns into a gun-pointing near-shootout, while all the other games featured among white players in the pilot are calm and civilized events.
Created by Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Rounders), Tilt shows a lot of promise.
Set at the fictitious Colorado Casino in Las Vegas, the series revolves around the efforts of three young, beautiful (it's called artistic license) professional players who are backed by some syndicate hellbent on bringing the well-connected and dastardly Matador down at the upcoming World Texas Holdem Poker Championships.
A small-town cop is also on the Matador's trail after being cheated at a game.
Both scenes are pointless and could be deleted without harming the quality of the episode. Unless, of course, the whole idea is to inject something into the show that will get the critics in a lather and create some press. In that case, job well done.
