"Mr Smokey" takes down event #1

[George2Loose]

A changing of the guard perhaps?

Steve "Mr Smokey" Billirakis has taken down event 1 at just 21 years and 10 days old. A quite remarkable feat.

I read all the poker forums and a lot are believing that this will be the year of the internet pro.

Other "young guns"  predicted to cause a stir are Sorel "Imperium" Mizzi and Jared "The WacoKidd" Hamby. Both have had multiple 6 figure live scores.

Just wondered what other blondes think?  Are young internet whizzkids destined to rule the WSOP???

[byronkincaid]

I watched him play one of the $10K sngs in Monte Carlo last year and I thought he was the best player at the table.

[bolt pp]

where do all these nicknames come from? they used to mean something back in the day, people used to give you your nickname, do all these internet players sit around coming up with their own nicknames for when they go and play on the circut, loooooooool, doughnuts.

[dino1980]

A changing of the guard perhaps?

Steve "Mr Smokey" Billirakis has taken down event 1 at just 21 years and 10 days old. A quite remarkable feat.

I read all the poker forums and a lot are believing that this will be the year of the internet pro.

Other "young guns"  predicted to cause a stir are Sorel "Imperium" Mizzi and Jared "The WacoKidd" Hamby. Both have had multiple 6 figure live scores.

Just wondered what other blondes think?  Are young internet whizzkids destined to rule the WSOP???

It's been a gradual change over the last three years. It's getting more noticable now because all the kids who started playing online at 18 (or younger, JJ Prodigy et al) are now old enough to play live, and all have probably logged more hands online than Doyle has played in his lifetime, obv that doesn't give them Doyle's experience but the line betweeen internet and live player is becoming increasingly blurred. Scott Fischmann, Gank, Johnny Bax, John Friedberg,all have bracelets in WSOP events - in fact Gank IIRC has cahses in about six different discliplines. Bax and Mizzi are IMO the best examples of 'owning' live and online and of course The Waco Kid is on a sick heater atm. These internet whizzkids then gradually start playing less online poker and graduate to playing the circuit and the next generation come through.

The other advantage that the online guys have over the live guys is the experinece of playing in huge fields day in, day out. If you're looking to play an event to replicate the WSOP Main Event the Stars Million isn't a bad place to start - thousands of runners, a few hundred pros, thousands of no names and satellite qualifiers...

[dino1980]

where do all these nicknames come from? they used to mean something back in the day, people used to give you your nickname, do all these internet players sit around coming up with their own nicknames for when they go and play on the circut, loooooooool, doughnuts.

Most nicknames come from their online handle or their forum username on =4 or P5s, usually both are the same.

[Sark79]

I read a thing on another site the other day about Phil Hellmuths opinions of internet pro's.  He was talking about Justin Bonomo and said he would be no different to all the other internet Kids who come along in a flash and then are broke a few years later.  He may be wrong with Justin Bonomo though ,  he is brilliant.

[AndrewT]

I read a thing on another site the other day about Phil Hellmuths opinions of internet pro's.  He was talking about Justin Bonomo and said he would be no different to all the other internet Kids who come along in a flash and then are broke a few years later.  He may be wrong with Justin Bonomo though ,  he is brilliant.

You can be brilliant and still go broke.

[Royal Flush]

he would be no different to all the other internet Kidspoker players who come along in a flash and then are broke a few years later.