With all the controversy surrounding PartyPoker.com’s Tony G, Daniel Negreanu and Andrew Robl at The Big Game there is someone who has yet to have their say on what went on. In a special blog post Vancouver’s Elizabeth Houston, the amateur player and Loose Cannon gives her side of the story.
I remember the first time I met Tony G I was a nervous wreck. Like millions of others I’d seen his antics on TV, read the stories of his escapades and heard the whispered rumors about his mouth and his attitude.
He’d just finished filming the episodes with Phil Hellmuth (which I always loved watching) and I remember wondering as I approached him after the game if he was as confrontational in person as he was on TV.
Tony was the calm during the storm
What I encountered was a charming, charismatic gentleman with the friendliest of dispositions.
It’s hard to sit at table full of stars on TV and not freeze up completely. Lucky for me though I was gifted with having Tony G the lion there to guide and protect me while I got a front row seat to watch him devour the competition.
Where there are some players like Daniel Negreanu who seem like they’re always trying to shake you by getting you to count down your chips or making comments under their breath about time running out, Tony was the calm during the storm. Always quick with a smile and words of assurance he helped me to relax ,made me feel welcome and because of him I was able to enjoy the experience to it’s fullest.
Kind hearted Tony didn’t stop with the game either. After the game I was gifted with more good fortune when Tony invited my sister Victoria and I to the night club XS. A VIP table in the best club in town on my first trip to Vegas with my favorite poker player was more than anything I could have imagined. In the end the entire experience was a dream come true and I owe a lot of that to Tony G. Now not only is he my favorite poker player but I have the honor to call him my friend.
He bit off more than he could chew
There’s been a lots of people passing judgement about Tony’s actions towards Andrew Robl during the game. Tony G only goes after people who either attack him or those who have a big ego. Robl knows who Tony is and he knows his reputation so what did young Robl expect to happen when he sat down at the table and declared his intentions to bluff Tony and “make him fold like a little girl”?
Sounds like a throw down to me. Unfortunately for Robl he bit off more than he could chew when he decided to take on the lion that is Tony G. This is an obvious instance of you mess with the lion and you’re going to get bitten. You DON’T mess with the lion, get bitten and then run home crying that the lion was mean to you.
For those of you who still think he was out of line consider that this is still TV and what you see in your living rooms is an edited version of what actually happens. Did Tony trash talk? Sure he did but that’s what he’s SUPPOSED to do. Why do you think at the beginning of the week Amanda Leatherman asks him who’s he’s going to go after?
It’s the same reason that Tony G is the most sought after poker player for TV shows all over the world. His larger than life TV persona and the excitement he brings to the game is the reason so many of you tune in to watch. Players like Tony G are the reason that poker is so popular.
If the table was full of Andrew Robl’s do you really think it would be entertaining to watch? Don’t hate on Tony for giving the people what they want because at the end of the day poker is business and Tony G is good for business.
