I don’t think that women-only poker tournaments are anti-men. I know it’s kind of stupid that women have women-only events when people would be getting sued if there was a men-only event. The women-only events were created to increase the number of women playing the game because many women are less intimidated to play in women-only events, at least early in their career.
I think because of this – and a little bit because of tradition – there is reason enough to keep these events. They’re sort of a training camp or developmental league that women can play in until they decide to play in the open events. The best women players compete at the highest levels in the open events, and most top female players leave the female-only events to the new female players. They would rather play in the open events for the bigger and more prestigious prize pools.
While working towards an engineering degree at UCLA Allen Cunningham made the decision to drop out and become a professional poker player.
Allen burst onto the poker scene back in 1998 as one of the young guns and help revolutionize the game of poker with his talent and ambition. Currently with total winnings of $9,079,706, 15 first place finishes and 5 WSOP bracelets, at the age of thirty he is a forced to be reckoned with.
In October 2006 Allen became a full member of the Full Tilt Poker team and plays online poker exclusively at Full Tilt Poker.
Allen resides in Las Vegas with his girlfriend Melissa Hayden, who is also a professional poker player.
Thomas Austin Preston Jr., or “Amarillo Slim” as we know him, began playing poker at the age of 25 in 1953. Before the big tournaments like the World Series of Poker made poker popular, Preston travelled the country looking for high-stakes games with Doyle Brunson and Sailor Roberts.
He won the 1972 WSOP main event and added three other bracelets over the years, with his last coming in 1990. He hosted the Second Annual Poker Classic which became the now-defunct Super Bowl of Poker.
He’s had numerous television appearances which include The Tonight Show 11 times, Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, I’ve Got a Secret, The Tomorrow Show, Panorama, Georgia Today, and A. M. Los Angeles.
Slim’s autobiography entitled Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People was released in 2003 and chronicles his high-stakes games against the best and most famous players of the era.
There will always be young guns out there looking to become the next big thing in poker. The beautiful thing about poker is that age simply doesn’t matter. The young players can come up and try to make their mark, but it’s not like they knock old players out of the scene. This isn’t boxing or an athletic sport; Doyle Brunson can play with the best in the world on any day, and he’s in his mid-seventies. A poker player gets better with age, as long as they’re in command of their mental abilities. Experience is the key.
Young players like Hevad “Rain” Khan, who finished sixth in the WSOP Main Event last year, are not intimidated by the older pros they face on the tables. Nineteen-year-old European poker prodigy Annette Obrestad has a WSOP circuit event bracelet, and she has been dominating online for a couple of years now.
Jennifer Harman and her poker pro husband Marco Traniello have joined an elite group of sports clientele that the Prince Marketing Group represents. The Full Tilt Poker-sponsored poker players will join icons like Magic Johnson, Hulk Hogan, Dennis Rodman and Joe Frazier in promoting brands for the marketing company.
The couple is very popular with poker fans now that their first child has been born. They present a positive picture of a family that balances gaming and family life, with great success at both. Harman plays in the biggest poker games in the world and Marco has had numerous big tournament cashes over the last three years.
“The couple is widely recognized within the poker industry, with Jennifer the top women’s player and arguably the best poker player in the world, and Marco… top-ranked in Italy,” said a press release about the two hiring the marketing firm.
