Poker Player - Team PokerStars
PokerStars.com is one of the best and most illustrious online poker rooms on the internet, where poker can be played for real or play money. PokerStars.com differs from an online casino, because poker games are not played against the House, but are played against real players all over the world. The site is funded by taking a cut of the pot from the real money games, and this income acts as a compensation for the site hosting both the real and play money poker tournaments.
PokerStars was launched in September 2001. In early 2006, the site announced that it would hold a $1,000,000 weekly tournament online, the first to be held in history. In April 2006, the site registered it’s five millionth player, which has broken the record books once again. “Mr Five Million” was a chef called George Draper, who in honour of breaking the five million mark has been awarded entry into the annual PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker and also a main event prize package at the World Series of Poker!
One of the key things about the PokerStars site however is its Team PokerStars. Team PokerStars bring glamour and credibility to not just the site, but also the world of online poker. The team is made up of some of the most respected veterans in the poker world, and some of the newest up and coming stars. These players travel the world and play in the biggest poker tournaments at an international level, including the Worlds Series of Poker, the European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour. The players all play online poker with those who register with the site, and this gives poker players the world over the opportunity to play with the world’s best professionals.
The 2006 team currently consists of the following players:
Joe Hachem – Joe is the 2005 WSOP Champion who beat 5618 other players to scoop the $7.5 million prize. He has actually been a member of the site since 2001. He paid his own way through to the WSOP main event, but is still grateful to the site for giving him the opportunity to improve his skills and inspire him to play in the major tournaments. Joe was born in the Lebanon, but moved to Australia during the 1970’s and is the third WSOP Champion to join the PokerStars Team.
Greg Raymer – Greg is the 2004 WSOP Champion who gained entry to the WSOP main event through winning a $160 double shootout qualifier on PokerStars.com. Greg is well known under the name “Fossilman” which is also his screen name on PokerStars.com. A former patent attorney, Greg is now an ambassador for the game.
Chris Moneymaker – Chris is the famous 2003 WSOP Champion, who also won his entry to the WSOP through the PokerStars website. He had never played in a live tournament before, and yet still managed to take the WSOP title, using all the skills he had honed through online poker play.
Lee Nelson – Lee has the nickname “Final Table” and with good reason, making it to five final tables at the 2006 Aussie Millions tournament in addition to winning the main event. He started playing poker aged 5, and hasn’t stopped since!
Isabelle Mercier – known as “No Mercy” for her uncompromising style of play, the Canadian has a solid background in poker although she has only recently taken up the profession as a player. She has managed poker rooms in the Aviation Club de France that she was nominated twice as staff member of the year, has written poker books, commentates on the WPT in Paris and has won more than $250,000 in tournaments, despite the brevity of her playing career. She is also the winner of the WPT Ladies Night Out .
Tom McEvoy – Tom learned poker from his grandmother and is now an accomplished player and writer. In the past, he has won the World Poker Championship and three World Series of Poker titles, bringing a wealth of experience to Team PokerStars.
John Duthie – John is a UK television producer, who also happens to be a top poker player, and the producer and co host of the European Poker Tour, which launched in 2004. He won the 2000 Poker Millions on live TV which catapulted his long standing skills into the limelight, and also made it to the final table of the $3,000 No Limit Hold’em event at the World Series of Poker 2005.
Wil Wheaton – Wil is a writer and an actor, famous for his roles in “Stand by Me” and Star Trek: The Next Generation. He is also an extremely accomplished poker player who has recently joined Team PokerStars. He says “I’m just incredibly grateful, and I hope to play well enough to give PokerStars and EV on their investment in me. I hope to make the poker bloggers and everyone at PokerStars proud.”
Steve Paul Ambrose – Steve is the 2006 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Champion, taking a prize of $1.3 million. Steve has been concentrating on his studies of business and science, but practised his skills on the PokerStars website before trying his luck at the live tournament. He is now planning to continue his online play, and also tour the United States for tournaments.
|