Worst Pros To Play Poker With

7 years ago
Who Are The Worst Pros To Play Poker With?
08:43
30 Sep

The game of poker can attract some unique characters at the table who can’t quite be tagged as nice guys. Some of them are narcissistic who think they are much better than their foe, some are whiners who always blame luck for their poker failures while others… well… they just can’t handle that mix of rage and emotions we call TILT. And guess what? Many of them are professional poker players who earn a decent buck just by playing cards. So why are we telling you this? Because if you are planning to grind the live games, well, you’ll most likely encounter these types of players. And if you need some specific examples to have a better idea of what we’re actually talking about, we at PokerTube have come up with this list simply called Worst Pros To Play Poker With. Not because there are the best at what they do (although some fall into this category as well), but because they are such a big pain in the arse.


Hevad Khan

And how about starting this infamous list with a pro who actually pioneered a rule at the World Series of Poker almost ten years ago. Yes, he was a major grinder online back in the days but oh boy, Hevad Khan took the 2007 WSOP Main Event by storm with his over-the-top celebrations after each big pot he won. He shocked everybody at Rio with his “Bulldozer” scream making many wonder if he actually does this for show or if he has some kind of behavioral disorder. Watch out, the following video may turn out to be harmful for some of you:

After that year, the WSOP enforced a new rule called the “Hevad Khan Rule” that banned all boisterous celebrations on the live green felt during the biggest live poker festival of them all.

After 2007 however and his impressive Main Event run (he finished sixth), Khan seems to have calmed down and has stopped over-celebrating altogether. In the following interviews, the New York-based player with a rich gaming background was composed and much more in control. Just look at this 2009 interview to convince yourself:

Yes, maybe the 2007 episode was just an accident but just imagine for a moment playing with Hevad Khan and celebrating all his winning pots like it’s 2007 all over again. How would you feel to sit besides this type of pro?


Justin Schwartz

Fast forward in 2015, at the same WSOP Main Event, nice, likable Daniel Negreanu went deep into the money and finished just short of the final table, in 11th place. To achieve his performance, he also had to deal with one polarizing character called Justin Schwartz. Schwartz was also close to make the WSOP ME final table finishing in 14th place. However, the way he looked and behaved overall at the WSOP raised some mixed reactions among the poker community. He had problems with the law and drug abuse before having the run of his life in Las Vegas. At the poker table, one could clearly see those problems affected him strongly. And when the lights were brighter, he started displaying a socially awkward behavior including talking about the strategy of one of Negreanu’s opponents during a hand in which he wasn’t even part of.

Yes, he might have even angered Negreanu a little bit and what’s with the “I don’t do handshakes people” reaction at the end? Some of his reactions were clearly out of line and a big part of his chit chat at the table was inappropriate but as Schwartz wrote later on 2+2, it was all part of his strategy to get his opponents off. Now, imagine you are one of his opponents: what would you do if you had Schwartz at the poker table?


William Kassouf

And since we’re talking about general behavioral strategies at the poker table, why not mentioning British William Kassouf? Kassouf has quite a unique set of skills besides playing the game pretty wel


he likes to talk junk at the table and tilt his opponents off. To have a better idea of what you should be expecting if you have Kassouf besides you, how about showing you this video with him doing all the talk at the table:

All the talk paid off eventually with a magic Ace on the turn but in this year’s WSOP Main Event, his mouth actually brought him a penalty. In one of his many battles, he talked Stacy Matuson out of a pot that otherwise Kassouf would lost it. As a result, the floor manager enforced a one-round penalty for the British after that hand. You can watch the whole rant in the video below:

Negreanu didn’t agree at all after watching the action but many did and dismissed Kassouf’s antics. One of them even popped up an interesting question:

"Kassouf's antics are OK? You really want to spend days in a tournament with random shitheads constantly running their mouths?"

Would you? Don’t worry, if your answer is HELL NO, you’re definitely not alone!


Mike Matusow

Ok, enough with the whole Kassouf rant, why not giving the props to the poker pro who started it all? Indeed, we’re talking about Mike Matusow also known as ‘The Mouth’ and we’re pretty sure we don’t need to tell you why. But if you still want to have an idea of what you could face if you played Matusow at the poker table, well, here’s a glimpse:

Matusow is indeed the original trash-talker who blew up many times - beyond count we might add - on the green felt. He started his career like a true degenerate gambler, climb to the top only to hit bottom afterwards. Like Schwartz, he had several problems with the law because of his drug issues yet he managed a comeback every time. And every time he said he’s a changed man who actually enjoys life and doesn’t do the trash talking stuff at the poker table. But guess what? Almost every time, after a random bad beat on TV played against his longtime friends, Matusow proved people wrong. Even after all these years, he remains ‘The Mouth.’ Playing poker against him? Definitely not comfortable back in the days and probably not comfortable now.


Antanas ‘Tony G’ Guoga

Tony G may be a member of the European Parliament and a successful businessman but he can still put on quite a show on the green felt. He knows how and when to intimidate his opponents during a hand and also how and when to humble them after he won a big pot. He’s basically like a mean Russian mobster at the poker table; you certainly don’t want to mess with him. And if you don’t believe us, how about this for proof:

Yes, he’s the King of blowups and his rant is so aggressive that one time, TV poker commentator and pro Gabe Kaplan said:

"Tony G could singlehandedly reignite the Cold War.”

The quote was taken after Russian pro Ralph Perry called Tony’s all-in with a worse hand at the 2006 Intercontinental Poker Championship in Australia.After that move, Guoga started mocking the Russian and lectured him about the proper way to play the game.

Can you put yourself in Perry’s shoes? How would you handle such a situation in which Tony G was at your throat constantly mocking you? Would you have said something? Or adopt the silent, composed treatment like the Russian’s?


Phil Hellmuth

And how can we better end this list than with the Master of Blowups at the poker table, Phil Hellmuth? That’s right, the famous and infamous Poker Brat. He probably tops all poker pros in terms of ego: you now what he said after he got knocked out in the 2004 WSOP Main Event:

"If there weren't luck involved, I would win every time."

That’s the definition of narcissism in poker right there. And calling his opponents ‘idiots’ after he lost a big pot? It’s like he owns the word. Below you can see just a few of his blowups in front of the camera:

Yes, he’s a legend and an icon of the game but would you handle the pressure if the Poker Brat started tilting at your table? How would you react? Would you go in a rage war against him? Or just let him do his act? Please share your thoughts and add any other pro we have missed out in the comment section below.


For more blowups and poker pros going on a massive tilt you can also check this awesome compilation:

Good luck at the tables!


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Florian is a freelance journalist and avid poker player with a strong passion to create unique and appealing stories.He is an experienced researcher on various topics, from business and the financial markets to psychology and the gambling industry.He blogs at Florianghe.com.Read more

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