Vegas Poker Blog

David Williams, age 26, has had one of the most meteoric rises in poker. At his first WSOP, in 2004, he qualified via an online poker room and went on to place 2^nd �.walking away with $3.5 million big ones.

Sounds lucky, right? Of course, there had to be a little bit of luck, but Williams is one of the smartest players on the circuit. He entered university at age 16 majoring in math and by the time he was ready for graduate school, every Ivy League school was after him. He enrolled at Princeton, but decided to go back nearer home in Dallas�. studying economics at Southern Methodist University there. Quite simply, hes brilliant and hes a perfectionist.

Interestingly, Williamss first love was for Magic: The Gathering where he played worldwide tournaments and was very well known in the game, but switched to poker after an accusation of cheating during a tournament. Reading the details of the allegation, its still up for debate, but Williams backed away from Magic professionally. His great analytical skills transferred perfectly over to poker, and although he still plays Magic for fun, poker has become his livelihood.

It was at a Bodog table where he earned his 2004 qualifying seat at WSOP and hes now been signed on with them �joining Evelyn Ng and Josh Arieh. Williams is a very serious player who sets very high goals for himself, and as one of the truly elite African American players, its hard not to compare him to Tiger Woods. Poker is his personal challenge and hes determined to be as good at it as Woods is at golf. The focus he brings to a table is certainly comparable to the way Woods plays golf. The combination of intellect and focus make him a very interesting player to watch.

Hes done plenty of television stints and, of course, can be found at Bodog too. Apparently, in the trivia department, theres still a bit of gossip about a porn video he appeared in years ago. Woo hoo �hes cute too!

Theres a lot of speculation about whether Williams will stay with the game or whether hell go on to other pursuits, but from what Ive seen and read about him, I think were pretty lucky to get to watch him �even if its for just a while.

Josh Arieh is a player who you might learn a lot from playing against, but you might want to observe him first. He is one tough customer!

The Atlanta-based Arieh started out playing in the back rooms of pool halls when he wasnt a courier for a law firm, and became a professional because he stayed so passionate about the game. He admits to becoming obsessed! He never stops trying to understand the game and it makes him a very dangerous opponent because he has so much in-depth knowledge and experience.

He refers to himself as a ˜new breed of player who plays with extraordinary aggression backed up by both skill and intuition. With his constant and subtle gear changes, he keeps his opponents guessing so much that the winnings keep amassing. Career wise, hes up to almost 5 million right now. Hes got bracelets (the first in 1999) and hes a familiar face on television.

Ariehs philosophy is that you should be more serious about the game than your opponent is and play aggressively. One of his favorite expressions is œprey of the week�. Scary! And, Arieh isnt an ˜all talk kind of player. He puts his philosophies to use quite well by putting enormous pressure on other players �especially the weaker ones at any table.

Not all for Josh Arieh has been so rosy thought �hes been caught in a couple of poker fracas, which cost him big in the nice guy department. He once criticized an opponents losing hand for which he apologized, but he also has been caught saying some pretty rough things not knowing there was an open television mike nearby. Even with apologies, its meant Arieh has a tough reputation for other than poker. Whether or not the unsportsmanlike conduct has cost him in fans is unknown, but it hasnt affected his game. Hes a street player and a trash talker and he uses it to his advantage. Oddly enough, hes popular with other pros on the circuit.

His favorite game is a No-Limit Holdem and is deadly at that one. He plays upwards of 50 hours a week online plus tournaments and a Team Bodog contract, so hes a busy guy these days. If you think you can stand up to Arieh, he even has his own table at Bodog.

Playing Arieh might take some guts, but its tempting, isnt it?

A poker table was once an all male domain, but not anymore. More and more women are playing serious poker, and one of the top players period is a beauty by the name of Evelyn Ng.

The 31-year-old Toronto native started shooting pool at age 14, and grew up to work as a blackjack and poker dealer in Las Vegas. But, once there, she was always keeping her eye out on the game itself. Her first tournament was a satellite World Poker Tour womens event, and she came in second. Because of her looks and abilities, the media attention began and it hasnt stopped.

Her great looks may deceive some guys, but not those who have sat across a table from her. Shes a tough player with four money finishes in the World Series of Poker and three on the World Poker Tour. Even Evybabee (one of her nicknames) describes her style as œselectively aggressive�. Shes a sought after player and has recently signed with Bodog, who is heavily touting her on their new Wild Card Show, which is airing on U.S. television. Because shes such a strong player she has quickly gained respect throughout the poker world. She is frequently coached by Daniel Negreanu, which says a lot right there!

Ng has a great personality and sense of humor so has been sought after for quite a bit of color commentary on television. Beyond that, she can be colorful at the table too. Shes got some old dealer tricks with the chips that are well known, too. Her most famous is called the ˜butterfly trick and involves a very ambidextrous flipping of four chips. Shes deceptive because of her good looks (after all, how many poker players can be found in an online video looking great in a bikini??) but the word is out on her. Shes simply great. With so many attributes aside from her playing abilities, shes also becoming a great icon for women players.

This year, her earnings are up to $150,000 already so that makes her pretty and formidable. As she says, shes making enough to live on now. Good for Evybabee and lucky for poker to have something as good and easy on the eye as she is!

Watch out for the pretty ones, guys �they can be really really good.