|
July 2008
 Lee Watkinson: Living the Good Life
A shirtless man takes his position behind the panther and puts his arm around one of the two naked women at his side.
“Grab her boob like you mean it!” shouts his fiancé.
This is when most men might wake up. To say it’s another day in the life of a professional poker player, we’re sorry to
say, would be amisrepresentation. Especially when that player is Lee Watkinson.
Most people are used to seeing Watkinson as… Well, most people aren’t used to seeing him at all. That’s his style.
In an era when many tournament players will do anything to catch the attention of the television camera, from outlandish
outfits to running around with a chair on their heads, Watkinson disappears at a table. He’s the silent assassin, cloaked by a hooded sweatshirt
and sunglasses, who goes unnoticed until he’s announcing a reraise. Even those who have played regularly with Watkinson have
trouble distinguishing him...
 The Race for 2008 Player of the Year
Halfway into 2008, the race for BLUFF Magazine’s Player of the Year award has some serious contenders. By improving
the formula for 2008, the intent was to recognize more players for their play while creating an even more competitive and
more compelling race. We’ve got just that as the top three players are separated by only 60 points and any of the top 10
could still run away with the title.
#1 Men "The Master" Nguyen
702.55 POY Points
It should come as no surprise to see Men Nguyen sitting pretty atop the standings. The 54-year-old Vietnamese-born poker
pro is always in contention, thanks largely to his volume of play that sees him play tournaments all over the world.
Whether it’s a $500 buy-in event in Tunica, MS or any of the $10,000 buy-in Hold’em events that dot the poker calendar,
Nguyen is there, boarding pass and suitcase in hand.
His lead in this year’s race can be chiefl y attributed to Nguyen turning the L.A. Poker Classic in February into his
own little showcase. But it actually started in early January when he took home $51,300 and 37.5 POY points after winning
a $500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament at the World Poker Open in Tunica...
 Facing the Winds of Change
“There is nothing to fear but fear itself.”
Those immortal words were coined by none other than American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the more you consider
their meaning, the more they ring true. Knowledge is power and comes with experience, so the unknown is far more intimidating
than the familiar could ever be. That’s why you don’t see the shark for most of Jaws.
Change breeds contempt because we cling to the familiar. For all of the good change can bring, by its nature it breaks from past
security. We saw that in the poker community with the introduction of the hole-card camera; in a game where “keeping your cards
close to the vest” was the norm, the concept of sharing your tactics with a world of viewers was ludicrous. Since that idea’s
embrace, it’s made a lot of the doubters very, very wealthy.
On May 1, 2008, the World Series of Poker announced the single biggest innovation to hit poker since the hole-card camera,
with a press release that began as follows...
Look for the July issue in a book store
near you.
Click here to find
your closest location
|
