Poker Pros and their Adversaries

by Bodog Poker | Mar 13 2009

Like any competitive activity, poker has its fierce rivalries. Sometimes two personalities can’t help but clash on the tables, and with so many cameras around poker rooms these days we get to see a lot of these adversaries battle each other for championships and bragging rights. Some of these rivalries have become intense over the years, and some players just don’t like each other.

At the top of the heap the rivalry between Patrick Antonius and Phil Ivey is a battle for the label of greatest cash-game player on the planet. The two play in the highest stakes cash games available online against each other pretty much on a daily basis, plus they run into each other in all the live action games they play in Vegas. They routinely play hands in excess of a half-million dollars, and both want to be considered the best in the business.

Mike Matusow and Shahram “Sean” Sheikhan have been adversaries for years. They have verbally attacked each other on numerous occasions on camera, and both have nothing nice to say about the other when interviewed on the subject. Most famous is the heated argument on the second-to-last day of the 2005 WSOP Main Event. That battle put Matusow’s tournament in jeopardy because he had already been given a penalty for verbal abuse and swearing.

Because of his dazzling personality, Phil Hellmuth can be paired with numerous players that would be considered a rivalry. He had a bitter rivalry with Johnny Chan when they were considered the best players in the world. He’s also had run-ins with lots of young internet poker stars, and even amateurs who play poorly at his expense. His most recent adversary has been Tom “durrrr” Dwan after Dwan sucked-out against him during the National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Hellmuth got his pair of pocket aces busted and went into a fit which Dwan casually mocked. Hellmuth ranted about how bad Dwan had played and then challenged him to another heads-up match for $100K.

Poker rivalry was taken to a whole new level last month when Gus Hansen and rival Theo Jorgensen staged a boxing match to see who was the toughest. The two are Denmark’s most recognizable poker pros, and for some reason they thought that the match would help Hansen promote his new website. At least these two had it out, and they found out who the man was, which turned out to be Jorgensen, who gave Hansen a boxing lesson for three rounds. The best thing about that rivalry is that it seems to be over now.

And finally, poker bad boys Tony “Tony G” Guoga and Dave “Devilfish” Ulliot have had heated arguments in the past. They’ve clashed on the major poker tours and at international events many times, with both antagonizing each other as much as the rules permit.

The competitiveness of poker will always provide the fan with heated rivalries as the game’s best players challenge to come out on top. The rivalries are entertaining and good for poker, even if the rivals display behavior that sometimes crosses the line.

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