New Year’s Resolution Time for the Poker Community

09:10
10 Jan

Image courtesy of PokerGO.com

The New Year is well underway and people around the world will already be having second thoughts about their resolutions for 2023. The poker community is no different even if many of the traditional changes usually come in the form of a prop bet for added motivation.

Some of the biggest names in poker have been chatting to PokerStake to reveal what plans they have in store for the next 12 months.

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Phil Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth is now well-known for his “Positivity” catchphrase and New Year is the perfect time to instill a bit of that into our lives. The “Poker Brat” has taped his resolutions to his bathroom mirror and it’s clear that he is setting the bar high on the poker side of his life.

“In my book #POSITIVITY (8 Life Tips), one of my tips is to write down your yearly goals and tape them to your bathroom mirror. Here are a few of the 2023 Goals that I will have taped to my bathroom mirror: Get good time with my family, get good time with my friends… win three WSOP bracelets and win two World Poker Tour tournaments.”

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Daniel “Jungleman” Cates

Jungleman is always full of interesting ideas and we expected no change with his goals for 2023 which certainly look a little different from everybody else’s.

“I have three new resolutions this new years. 1) Conquer any excessive sexual desire, which I believe has perniciously reduced healthy behavior in myself as well as the world. 2) I would like to play the 4th note on the flute 3) Convince @ikepoker of divine providence”

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Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu is another top player who usually sets the bar high with his goals, but this year he could only come up with a single minor resolution, or more likely, he isn’t telling just yet. After taking down the Super High Roller Bowl for $3.3 million last year he is probably feeling that the pressure is off for now.

“My 2023 resolution is to take down my Christmas tree so that I can eliminate the hex when I’m all in,” he tells us. “It’s been up since November 2021!”

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Niall Farrell

Niall Farrell is Scotland’s greatest ever tournament player, and it’s not even close. In recent years, though, his young family has taken priority over his poker career which is not really much of a surprise if we’re honest.

This year, however, is the year that Farrell intends to move some of his focus back to getting his name mentioned among the biggest poker heavyweights in the world. He is one of only nine players to have won the “Live Triple Crown” of wins in the WSOP, WPT Main Event, and EPT Main Event in the same year.

“I have a real [intention] of getting back in the conversation of top players. The wee man is off to nursery now, so no more excuses for not having time.”

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Josh Arieh

Josh Arieh sounds like a man who is content with his life, both personal and professional. Three WSOP gold bracelets and a WSOP Player of the year title in 2021 show a career that has reached highs unattainable for most players.

This year, though, the focus is on moving away from poker goals, particularly money.

“I have a couple goal. First and foremost, I turn 50 and am getting married in 2024; I am going to focus 2023 on getting in the best shape of my life. For the past four years, my life is really coming together. I’m proud and thankful for the relationships that have grown over this time, and I look forward to making more meaningful relationships and focusing less on money.”

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Matt Salsberg

Canadian TV writer and producer Matt Salsberg has had an impressive poker career for a guy whose primary focus in life isn’t the game. He won the World Poker Tour Player of the Year title back in 2012 and has his eyes on major event glory once again. Salzburg also aims to improve his cash game record on Live at the Bike.

“I guess my New Year’s Resolution is to try and get even at The Bike lifetime, so I’ll probably need to win the Legends Main and 3 Mega Millions.”