Warning: Undefined array key "post_type_share_twitter_account" in /var/www/vhosts/casinonewsblogger.com/public_html/wp-content/themes/cryptocurrency/vslmd/share/share.php on line 24
Image courtesy of PokerGO Tour
Last week, Kristen Foxen won Event #4 of the U.S. Poker Open on the PokerGo Tour, and the players she bested weren’t exactly PokerGo tourists.
Besides Foxen, the final table for the $10,100 No Limit Hold’Em tourney comprised Jeremy Ausmus, Sam Soverel, Brock Wilson, Brandon Wilson, Michael Rossito, and Nate Silver, who strangely had predicted that Hillary would win. I guess old habits die hard.
Congrats to Foxen for taking down the first prize of $198,000, plus the Golden Eagle Trophy, her second. It was especially nice to see, given that the last time she made headlines, it was for the storm of criticism she received for how she had played a hand earlier this month at the Triton Series in Jeju, South Korea.
As you may recall, most of the drubbing she took for this was on the anti-social media platform formerly known as Twitter, where she was pilloried for what was widely seen as a mistake.
Preflop, facing an all-in and a call with a player still to act behind her, she elected to fold pocket kings. Many, maybe most players would have called and, given what her opponents actually held, pocket jacks, pocket tens, and a suited QJ, it was very easy for hindsighters and second-guessers to make noise:
The sexist tenor of many of the remarks was in keeping with the bylaws of The He-Man Woman-Haters Club, founded by charter members Spanky and Alfalfa for the purpose of excluding girls.
Some in the “clubhouse” even used the occasion to recall Foxen’s ill-timed all-in with just 13 players remaining at the 2024 WSOP Main Event.
That hand was perceived as a misstep of aggression rather than passivity, and caused an even greater uproar. Waiting for an accomplished female player to make a mistake, which is inevitable for all players, so you can attack her as unworthy, wreaks of jealousy or, worse, misogyny.
In the He-Man Woman Haters Club, Spanky was the true zealot, whereas Alfalfa secretly longed to be with Darla. These two camps correspond nicely to the two types of detractors who attack Foxen online, the true woman-haters and the bozos who only wish they could breathe the same air as her.
Thankfully, just as in the case of the WSOP hand, Foxen had her defenders about folding the kings. Among them, the best players in the world. In other words, her peers. Both Daniel “DNegs” Negreanu and Scott Seiver released thoughtful but tough statements about anyone who drank the Haterade on Krissy.
Anyway, hats off to Kristen Foxen on her first-place finish, her seventeenth at a major event, according to the Hendon Mob/GPI.
Get in Line To Play Online
It’s been a big week over at Pokerstars Exclusively on Fan Duel. Besides the recent return of the Sunday Millions to the United States of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan, this week, they began their Ignite Series.
There are a lot of nicely priced tournaments, starting at just eleven bucks. It’s tempting for me, but once I include the cost of moving to PA, NJ, or MI, playing on Pokerstars/FanDuel is beyond my bankroll and all reason.
That’s right, the site is still only available in three states. Maybe instead of a rakeback, they can offer a relocation fee. Let’s call it $15,000.
Believe it or not, it could be worse. Drinking alcohol is, of course, legal in every U.S. state, but within those states, there are still some dry counties.
The entire country tried Prohibition from 1919 to 1933, but 300-plus counties loved abstaining so much that they remain dry to this day. So, you could theoretically live in a state with legal online gambling but be in a county that prohibits it. So, county your blessings.
If you are lucky enough to live in New Jersey, PA, or Michigan, you will now, under the new PokerStars/FanDuel partnership, be competing in one combined pool, rather than just against the players in your own state. I wonder who will do better, players from Michigan, Pennsylvania, or Jersey?
Wait, here’s an idea: for those of us unable to play in the Ignite Series exclusively on PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel, let’s create a Polymarket where we can bet on which of the three states will win the most tournaments.
Is it any crazier than people betting on what will happen at the Straits of Hormuz?
By the way, a Strait of Hormuz always loses to a Flush of Hormuz (Thanks to Jonathan Katz for that joke).
So, which state do I pick?
New Jersey seems like a favorite because Atlantic City has historically been the center of East Coast poker and probably has the most talented player pool.
Pennsylvania could be good, too. They’ve got a chess and poker champion, Jen Shahade. I’m reading her excellent new book, Thinking Sideways, which is probably how I came up with this prediction market workaround.
Anyway, PA is a very educated state with a smart, tough, Jewish governor. Remember, he reopened that collapsed bridge on I-95 in two weeks, neither of which was Infrastructure Week. I like their chances.
The soft spot has got to be Michigan. And I love Michigan. My parents grew up in Detroit and met at U of M. I’ve spent tons of time there as a kid. It’s a great place.
But my wager, or whatever you call it on Polymarket, will be that Michigan Players on PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel will win the least number of tournaments in the Ignite Series. I will hedge by taking Pennsylvania to place one or two. This is a can’t lose.
I will report back at the end of the Ignite Series.
Have a great week.