[johnf]

My choice would be Phil Ivey.He's one cool player.I like the way he play the game.FYI he's nickname is "Tiger Woods of Poker".So that says it all how good he is playing the game!

[autumn]

Of the women, I like Annie Duke and Jennifer Harman...men, Phil Laak, Ben Affleck..

[DeepBlue]

Hehe.. no prizes for guessing why. I agree on the comments about Ivey - he just seems... untouchable at the moment. I'm sure we'll have more young guns emerging with a fresh face on things, but he is definitely the man of the moment.

And Annie Duke? Theres one of few women I'd turn down at being at the table with

[autumn]

Yeah...I imagine Annie Duke is too assertive! Not particularly feminine, but an excellent player from what I read. But then again, I doubt if you'd find many "ditzy" blondes at the poker table..

[DeepBlue]

It's a great look to have though.. how many blokes think they aren't intelligent players, go all in because they've made a bad call or two and get royally done over when they produce a full house

She comes across as confident, from what I can tell though I've not seen too many of the tournaments televised as although it's gaining popularity over here, we still only get the occasional big tournaments or celebrity showdown.

[autumn]

Yes, she had an interesting background. She had almost completed her graduate studies and decided to leave the East Coast, move to Montana, I believe..where she played with a few guys in a local bar. She and her husband decided to pack it up, kids and all, and went to Vegas...and the rest is history...as they say!

[DeepBlue]

Hehe, I bet her parents were cursing that decision... for a while at least. Mind you, I would be a little dubious - my kid quits college late on in favour of becomming a professional gambler. Not exactly what you want to tell the neighbours is it!

[autumn]

True enough, and in her case, her father was a professor, a whole tradition of formal education in the family. Her brother, Howard Lederer, also a professional poker player, went for the same thing. Not sure if he completed his education, however. Guess it really doesn't matter, the money is good..just not easily accepted by the family, I'm sure.

[DeepBlue]

Well I bet they've got no gripes now she's made herself famous for what she does, though I'll bet they weren't entirely convinced when she threw her college books away.

Either way, I wish I could play for a living - be a lot more interesting than a 9-5 day job eh?

[autumn]

Oh, I have often wished I had some sort of money-making talent, like poker, tennis, golf, etc., etc. It does take a lot of courage though to jump out there and risk it all...especially in playing cards. I like to win, but not really sure how well I would like to lose. It seems like a lot of money upfront, with not much guarantee of good results. But, if you think you're good, you probably are!

[DeepBlue]

Who knows, your poetry writing might make you a few bucks here and there someday

So far I'm limited to cooking and web work, though one of these days I will look at getting one of those monotonous day jobs... perhaps then I can move up in the world from 1/2 and 2/4 tables

[autumn]

I have made a few dollars with my poetry, no book published yet, and I've neglected it for a while, doing other things. However, I will get back to it.

[DeepBlue]

A few dollars with your poetry? You've done pretty well then, I thought a lot of authors were poor until they reached 35 and finally get something published!

Article writing and the like are big at the moment if you can get your name down, though I think that poetry is a little more of a specialist subject.

[autumn]

You're right, the market is very good right now for internet article writing and the like. Poetry has always been a somewhat vague pursuit, which of course it's meant to be. There is not any particular artistry or creativity in writing content; however, writing skills and organization are important. The great poets actually were not too successful, while living. In any event, we gotta do what we gotta do..lol..go where the money is to survive!

[autumn]

Excerpts from an interesting interview with Annie...note the sunglasses comment..my opinion too!

"She's a graduate of St. Paul's School, has a degree from Columbia University in English and psychology, and had nearly completed her doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in psycholinguistics.

But, it's the "nearly completed" that changed Duke's life. In her recently released autobiography, she is candid about the recurring panic attacks, depression and other disorders that made her leave school and marry a man she had never dated.

Her then-husband was a recipient of a small trust fund from the Duke tobacco family. He was content to live off his $10,000 annual stipend in a Montana shotgun shack. Annie found herself bored and broke. Her brother, world class poker player Howard Lederer, taught her the game and she soon was winning against the local cowboys gambling away their retirement checks.

Next, Howard staked her in some Las Vegas games and a legend was born."

"Bankrate: You are constantly being urged to play in women's tournaments, but the money's not there. Any attempt on the part of the sponsors to sweeten the pot?

Annie Duke: I don't play in them for two reasons. First, the money. The other is I consider the tournaments an equalizer, with age, sex, background. The ladies' tournaments, it's segregation. It's a bad message to send, to say that women can only win in the ladies' tournaments. I mean, it's not the NFL, where men have more strength.

Bankrate: The women don't seem to come in with the hats and disguises that the men do.

Annie Duke: Well, they're wearing sunglasses now. They do that. Sunglasses should not be allowed. It's like playing with an aluminum bat. The eyes are the windows of the soul, to use a cliche. You have to learn how to conceal your emotions; it's one of the skills."