145 replies
I hope it's not only because I'm getting older or that the "poker boom" is behind us... What became of the many well-known poker players who appear to have faded away? For instance, I used to enjoy watching Jen Harman and now I hardly hear her mentioned. Which players do you find yourself wondering about?
When I first became interested in poker, I was very inspired by BarbaraEnright.
In my opinion, she's amazing. She is incredibly cool, and her climbing history is excellent. She is a professional player, she is the editor of a poker magazine and an ambassador for the world's largest women's poker organization: she has 3 bracelets won in the world series of poker (https://www.casino.us/poker/tournaments/wsop/). She is the first woman to receive membership in the Poker Hall of Fame. She is also the first woman to win a bracelet in an open tournament. and although I don't follow the poker industry news that much, I haven't seen any news about she in recent years.
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George Danzer, a German player. Used to see his face a lot when watching wsop (https://www.casino.us/poker/tournaments/wsop/), ept etc. Suddenly the guy disappeared. Probably quitted Poker completely by now.
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This is actually a tough one since I'm bad remembering names.
On the other hand some names pop-up out of nowhere (like in our podcasts) that I've never even heard of, and I'm thinking who the heck is this?
But as an answer I choose Randy "nanonoko" Lew. I don't recall his name popping up for ages.
I'm hoping it isn't just a function of me getting older or that the "poker boom" happened too long ago... What has happened to the many famous poker players that have seemingly disappeared? For example, I used to love to watch Jen Harman and I never hear about her now. Who do you wonder about?
I think it's a function of them getting older lol, most of the people she played with are no longer talked about either.
But was it full tilt that Conie Gowen was part of? guess she got old too. Love Kathy Liebert back in the day too.
but what happened to Annette Obrestad, who won the World Series of Poker Europe at 19 and had a thing about winning a tourney
without ever seeing her cards (online)? Everyone tried it. a long list, so many of them aren't around anymore, as far as I know.
When I first became interested in poker, I was very inspired by BarbaraEnright.
In my opinion, she's amazing. She is incredibly cool, and her climbing history is excellent. She is a professional player, she is the editor of a poker magazine and an ambassador for the world's largest women's poker organization: she has 3 bracelets won in the World Series of Poker. She is the first woman to receive membership in the Poker Hall of Fame. She is also the first woman to win a bracelet in an open tournament. and although I don't follow the poker industry news that much, I haven't seen any news about she in recent years.
View attachment 382092 (https://www.casino.us/cardschat/attachments/382092/)
Did you mention she was the first woman to ever make the main event final table, and still not many that I know of 😍
Did you mention she was the first woman to ever make the main event final table, and still not many that I know of 😍
she finished there at number 5, alas. But that was cool too.😍
But as an answer I choose Randy "nanonoko" Lew. I don't recall his name popping up for ages.
i mean, are you living under a rock?
she finished there at number 5, alas. But that was cool too.😍
cool lol, can you name another woman among the many excellent women poker players who did it? (ever)
I'm hoping it isn't just a function of me getting older or that the "poker boom" happened too long ago... What has happened to the many famous poker players that have seemingly disappeared? For example, I used to love to watch Jen Harman and I never hear about her now. Who do you wonder about?
Hi! Great topic, I also miss seeing some players from poker's "golden era" more frequently on the major international stages.
One name that always comes to mind for me when thinking about this, especially being Brazilian, is André Akkari. I remember like it was yesterday the excitement and pride felt throughout Brazil when he took down that WSOP bracelet back in 2011 – it was a massive milestone for our poker scene!
Besides that incredible achievement, he was one of the faces of PokerStars Team Pro for many, many years, representing Brazil all over the world, and he racked up numerous significant results and important final tables both online and live. He was fundamental to the growth and popularization of poker here.
Although I know he's still super active, mainly as an entrepreneur and with his projects like the Akkari Team, perhaps we don't see him quite as much at the EPTs or other major international tournaments as we used to back in the day. He's definitely a name I miss seeing shine on the global circuit as often as before, and one who inspired an entire generation here in Brazil.
He's one of the names I wonder about, in that sense of "disappearing" from the global spotlight.
Cheers!
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cool lol, can you name another woman among the many excellent women poker players who did it? (ever)
In fact, I think that Barbara is unique and few people can be compared to her, but if we talk specifically about the main event, there were not so few bright ladies there. I remember there was a Norwegian woman who even won a bracelet and she was then considered the youngest winner in the history of the main event, but unfortunately I don't remember her name...😱I just remember that she seems to be my age😆.
In fact, this is the topic of the vip program, so I can say that we have again chosen the wrong place for our eternal chatter. 😃I feel like we're going to get spanked soon.😆😆😆🙊
I used to love to watch Jen Harman and I never hear about her now.
Person in poker i hear about rearly these days is Jason Mercier was a big Pokerstars representative back in the day.
Also he was very good at many diffrent variants of poker and very successful at the WSOP.
Younger Jason Mercier
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Older Jason after taking many year away from the game to raise his family.
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Farther Time hit him Hard lol
My favorite poker pros when I started to play poker many years ago are still famous, like Negreanu and Ivey. I remember I used to like to watch the FT crazy cash game tables with Tom Dwan, Gus Hansen, David Benyamine... the last time I've searched about them a few years ago, I didn't find any recent news.
In fact, I think that Barbara is unique and few people can be compared to her, but if we talk specifically about the main event, there were not so few bright ladies there. I remember there was a Norwegian woman who even won a bracelet and she was then considered the youngest winner in the history of the main event, but unfortunately I don't remember her name...😱I just remember that she seems to be my age😆.
In fact, this is the topic of the vip program, so I can say that we have again chosen the wrong place for our eternal chatter. 😃I feel like we're going to get spanked soon.😆😆😆🙊
I mentioned her in my post, which was WSOP Europe. your age? in poker years you are old 🤗
what would you suspect the purpose of this thread is?
So the admin and moderators could get an update on famous poker players who have disappeared?
they just wanted to dump some VIP chips?
to provoke eternal chatter?
Howard Lederer....... and if it was worth it,
probably it was financially but was it really?,
..... yeah I'm still mad about Full Tilt😎👍
Howard Lederer....... and if it was worth it,
probably it was financially but was it really?,
..... yeah I'm still mad about Full Tilt😎👍
Blame the Department of Injustice, no one but Ray was ever going to cheat anyone.
Blame the Department of Injustice, no one but Ray was ever going to cheat anyone.
......I know he didn't cheat anyone.... but his insane business practices of not segregating player funds is what got Full Tilt busted...
plus his flagrant use of money laundering, making checks out like they came from golf clubs or whatever lol,
yeah I blame him for that.... if you know your business skirts the law don't be that dumb lol
Person in poker i hear about rearly these days is Jason Mercier was a big Pokerstars representative back in the day.
Also he was very good at many diffrent variants of poker and very successful at the WSOP.
Younger Jason Mercier
View attachment 382138 (https://www.casino.us/cardschat/attachments/382138/)
Older Jason after taking many year away from the game to raise his family.
View attachment 382139 (https://www.casino.us/cardschat/attachments/382139/)
Farther Time hit him Hard lol
He's been bald while playing the past few years.
Alan Cunningham
I prefer female players more than male ones. It's more enjoyable to watch a woman play and it's not so boring. 😉
I wonder where the guy who looks like two drops of water like jaymfc went🙂 I think everyone remembers him.
Johnny Lodden, Annette Obrestad, Viktor Blom, Erick Lindgren, Scotty Nguyen, Brad Booth and Gus Hansen. Are they (still) broke and pining for the old days or are some of them still gung ho?
Annie Duke. For good reasons.
Unfortunately, she is still fooling some people in other sectors outside poker.
I used to like Jen Harman back in the day, she was a good player and a good advocate for the game, I've seen her in a few spots were the boys were getting heated and she'd be the calm one talking sense.
Your post made me think of a few names that don't get mentioned much now, some for good reason.. Howard Lederer, Jamie Gold?
I know your post isn't particularly about lady players, but one lady I used to like to watch but don't hear much about these days.. Vanessa Rousso😍😍
I dont know why the first name who came to my mind was isildur1.The guy litterally took the poker world by storm just to lose the millions he won and dissapear into the sunset 🙂.One of the mega aggro OG thats for sure.
I wonder where the guy who looks like two drops of water like jaymfc went🙂 I think everyone remembers him.
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson ) Afte the FTP drama he fade from the mainstream
Haven't seen Gus Hansen for a long time.
dont hear much about isildur anymore
That girl with the second name Sebst
Johnny Lodden, Annette Obrestad, Viktor Blom, Erick Lindgren, Scotty Nguyen, Brad Booth and Gus Hansen. Are they (still) broke and pining for the old days or are some of them still gung ho?
Isildur is back playing - he played a lot of the wsop (https://www.casino.us/poker/tournaments/wsop/) series in 2023 & 2024 along with WSOP Europe (& had 10 cashes in 2024 WSOP series including back-to-back 3rd place finishes in the $50k & $100k WSOP High Roller events! ... & a 4th in a $1,500 Mixed Games (Dealer's Choice) event)
Brad Booth is playing again. He's currently residing in Oregon U.S.A. playing at some local casinos (https://www.casino.us/) (close to Portland), playing $1/$2, $2/$5 & occasionally a bit higher. He has aspirations of playing a full series at WSOP this year in Vegas & hopes to one day be back to playing the High stakes cash games.
Erik Lindgren never stopped playing. He's just been out of the public eye for awhile but he's played WSOP every year except during Covid.
Johnny Lodden - seems like he's playing a bit (had 2 EPT cashes in 2022, & took 2nd in a $5k just 2 weeks ago! (for $182k)
Annette Obrestad runs a Youtube channel called 'Annette's Makeup Corner'. And she competes in Scrabble tournaments in North America.
That girl with the second name Sebst
Vanessa..
I think she retired from the game.
I used to like Jen Harman back in the day, she was a good player and a good advocate for the game, I've seen her in a few spots were the boys were getting heated and she'd be the calm one talking sense.
Your post made me think of a few names that don't get mentioned much now, some for good reason.. Howard Lederer, Jamie Gold?
I know your post isn't particularly about lady players, but one lady I used to like to watch but don't hear much about these days.. Vanessa Rousso😍😍
Vanessa Rousso is gay & married to another woman. (no, I don't mean Vanessa Selbst... aka Doug Polk)
The sad thing is that many of my time have already died, 60s and 70s
Haven't seen Gus Hansen for a long time.
Gus is still playing, mostly smaller tournaments and cash games, I think but he recently posted a photo of vegas, so he might be playing the WSOP.
Antonio Esfandiari - The Magician used to be in every game- especially big/ 'popular' ones* IIRC at one point he was nb1 in live earnings... a very good and entertaining poker player and IMO the game needs more players like him, Gus Hansen, Isildur(to mention just a few names from previous posts...)
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Vanessa Rousso is gay & married to another woman. (no, I don't mean Vanessa Selbst... aka Doug Polk)
That's not enough to put me off🤣
..and now you mention I've never seen Polk and Selbst in the same room at the same time🤔
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I think a lot of these players are still around, but we just don't see them with less poker programming on tv.
There are so many players to wonder about actually. They just disappeared from the scene!
One who comes to my mind right now is Clonie Gowen. I remember seeing her very often on TV, especially on "Poker After Dark". She had scored some big winnings in tourneys and in cash as well. What made her stand out was her charisma and her composure at the table.
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I'm a big fan of André Akari in particular, but he's a bit missing or playing less than he should, either by choice or because of anything else... I really like his game! Or maybe I haven't been keeping up with him very well. But I don't think so. He's really missing.
i haven't heard from Vanessa Rousso for a long time.
Does she still play?
Gus Hanson, Tom Dwan, Vanessa Selbst, the majority of the Main event winners end up being one hit wonders, exception is Joe Cada.
jen harman comes to mind but also chris ferguson
jen is 60 now family is known for kidney disease....last i heard a lot of her was 2009 howard and her did a tourney for kidneys charity etc...put in hall of fame in 2015 shes a really cool person......honestly ive met a decent amount of pros in past so is many i think about and wonder what they are doing at times....but life health etc...drives everything....some just have downswings she still plays high stakes here and there ive heard....is always great to see danny doing well still in tourneys and some others who hit a couple times disappear make it back after a lay off etc...always cool to see
Once I played live poker on cash in my city with a good player named Andrew. But after authorities banned poker clubs in our city I've known nothing about Andrew for many years. Help me please! 😁
Once I played live poker on cash in my city with a good player named Andrew. But after authorities banned poker clubs in our city I've known nothing about Andrew for many years. Help me please! 😁
What is his surname?
What is his surname?
I don't know. We were not in close contact and did not introduce ourselves otherwise than by names.
I don't know. We were not in close contact and did not introduce ourselves otherwise than by names.
Oh well, one day you might bump into him on a FT somewhere 👍
I confess that I don't know many. But one of the Brazilians I accompanied was Akkari. He entered the business sector and at one time or another he appears in Live tournaments. There was another one I think was called Dean, something like that. I don't see any more news from him in the poker world either. That's right here in Brazil. In other countries I don't have the right to give an opinion.
Tony G
I think it's American poker pro Matthew Gonzalez.
This is Alexandre Luneau; after he chose to retire I haven't had any contact from him.
Decano from Brazil
Negranneu — is that the correct spelling?
Scotty wynn
Well, it turns out that everything passes: players who stop playing and new ones who begin to stand out, all tied to the poker boom — specifically online poker (https://www.casino.us/poker/), I think it will also fade, given the huge variance the game has. It’s extremely hard today to reach the ITM, so besides the professionals who end up being forgotten, online poker’s massive variance will gradually discourage these new players aiming to become pros. So I believe the dream of online poker will slowly end for many people; that’s my perception.
Regarding specific players, I honestly can’t name many — maybe Bonomo or Phil Ivey; I don’t know how much buzz they still have. I get the sense poker overall doesn’t have such high hype anymore, so I think it’s a general decline across the sport. It seems poker is currently waning; I notice fewer players in the rooms, anyway.
Maybe it’s because of the extreme variance online rooms have now, compared to when I started playing. Back then I made lots of mistakes and still reached ITM and won tournaments. Something changed and today that no longer happens in those poker rooms. No matter the effort, dedication, or study you apply, you lose to variance, and gradually that becomes wearing.
But that’s it.
Have not seen Jennifer Tilly in a long while, used to like watching her play on the baize.
sorry, I don't know any well-known poker players — just the bros and some of the Whanau. I only began watching WPT poker a couple of days ago.
I'm now on their site playing online poker and enjoying the experience.
Erick Lindgren!
Wow. Thanks for the memories. I was around 17 years old when Erick was at his best. This was when I just discovered the game. I believe he was Player of the Year at the time.
Erick won multiple titles, including 2 WPT victories and 2 wsop (https://www.casino.us/poker/tournaments/wsop/) bracelets. He was in the Money List Top 100 for years with over $10 million in winnings.
After searching his name, I sadly discovered that he got involved sports betting as well as other things which led him to filing for bankruptcy in 2012.
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One poker player you rarely hear about these days is Jamie Gold, who won the 2006 world series of poker (https://www.casino.us/poker/tournaments/wsop/) Main Event and took home $12 million — the largest first-place prize in WSOP history. After his big win, he was everywhere: interviews, poker shows, endorsements. But over time, his presence in major tournaments and poker media declined significantly. Many in the poker community debated the legitimacy of his play style, and he didn't follow up his big win with any other significant tournament success. While he still occasionally appears at charity events or private games, he's largely faded from the spotlight — a classic case of poker fame that fizzled.
Allen Cunningham.... A very soft-spoken, highly strategic player who consistently appeared to choose the correct move even prior to the major poker information boom.
To quote Daniel Negreanu: "John Juanda would argue one side, Phil Ivey would argue the other, I would usually be on Ivey's side and then Allen would give us the right answer"
Almost everyone lol . I play less poker nowadays generally , and I don't know the news of the old players that I used to like and follow on the past . Very rarely , by luck , I might read sth about them . For Doug Polk I haven't heard or read anything for a long time for sure
I recall two female players, Annie Duke and another named Annie Oberstad...
As I recently read that they shifted into creating online media content, writing, and similar activities.
I haven't heard anything about Annie Duke and Howard Lederer in quite some time. Some of the other players mentioned above include Chris Ferguson, who I believe performed well at the WSOP events a few years back. I've noticed Gus Hansen and David Benyamin competing in high-stakes cash games in the Resorts World private room recently. Also, Barbara Enright still enters many ladies' events...hoping to catch her later this month at South Point. She remains a real inspiration!
This is actually a tough one since I'm bad remembering names.
On the other hand some names pop-up out of nowhere (like in our podcasts) that I've never even heard of, and I'm thinking who the heck is this?
But as an answer I choose Randy "nanonoko" Lew. I don't recall his name popping up for ages.
he does commentary for Triton
I still haven’t heard anything from Annette Obrestad. She was an excellent online player. In one interview she mentioned she never deposited money on any poker site (https://www.casino.us/poker/); instead she began by entering free tournaments.
When I first got into poker, Barbara Enright was a big inspiration to me.
I think she's remarkable. She's incredibly cool, and her record of achievements is outstanding. She's a professional player, an editor of a poker magazine, and an ambassador for the world's largest women's poker organization: she has 3 bracelets from the World Series of Poker. She was the first woman inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. She was also the first woman to win a bracelet in an open event. Although I don't follow poker industry news closely, I haven't seen any recent updates about her.
View attachment 382092 (https://www.casino.us/cardschat/attachments/382092/)
she is only 2 years younger than me and has probably retired from poker,
Haven't seen anything about the whole Cardrunners crew. I learned the basics from their videos back in the day. I don't really follow poker news (https://www.casino.us/news/) much anymore though, so maybe they're still around?
It's been some time since I last heard about Isildur1 Viktor Bloom
One poker player you rarely hear about these days is Jamie Gold, who won the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event and took home $12 million — the largest first-place prize in WSOP history. After his big win, he was everywhere: interviews, poker shows, endorsements. But over time, his presence in major tournaments and poker media declined significantly. Many in the poker community debated the legitimacy of his play style, and he didn't follow up his big win with any other significant tournament success. While he still occasionally appears at charity events or private games, he's largely faded from the spotlight — a classic case of poker fame that fizzled.
I remember watching this main event. He would constantly tell people what he had or didn’t have, how they should play, etc. He ran like an absolute god in that tournament. There was a big controversy over believe with someone who helped fund his entry into the tournament. Apparently, they agreed to split the winnings, but Jamie didn’t hold up his part of the deal, which ended the two in court. I forget how it played out, but absolutely one of those big wins that amount to nothing. As far as I’m aware, he’s back in film production, which is what he did before poker.
Don’t know if they are still around but haven’t heard about Chris Ferguson or Chris Moneymaker (dldn’t he win the first WSOP?) for a long time. Please forgive my age.😮💨
Moneymaker didn’t capture the first WSOP Main Event, but perhaps the most consequential. When this Average Joe defeated world-class pro Sam Farha in 2003 among a field of 839 entrants, the poker boom began and everyone wanted to play. Today the Main Event can easily draw more than 8000 entries.
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson’s reputation was shattered during the Full Tilt Poker scandal. Alongside Howard Lederer he became persona non grata for several years. He appears to have been partially forgiven and still competes in high-stakes poker, but he rarely — if ever — receives invitations to televised poker programs anymore.
I haven't been following any players, particularly over the last 5-ish years, so I don't really know.
All I can say is that I used to watch nolimit_gg livestreams years ago; those streams are long gone now, but you can still hear about most of the people except Stefan Huber. He appears to have vanished, and I believe he was one of the founders of that charity initiative for poker players (REG) along with Liv Boeree.
Don’t know if they are still around but haven’t heard about Chris Ferguson or Chris Moneymaker (dldn’t he win the first WSOP?) for a long time. Please forgive my age.😮💨
Chris Moneymaker is an A.C.R. Team Pro (AmericasCardRoom)
Hi! Great topic, I also miss seeing some players from poker's "golden era" more frequently on the major international stages.
One name that always comes to mind for me when thinking about this, especially being Brazilian, is André Akkari. I remember like it was yesterday the excitement and pride felt throughout Brazil when he took down that WSOP bracelet back in 2011 – it was a massive milestone for our poker scene!
Besides that incredible achievement, he was one of the faces of PokerStars Team Pro for many, many years, representing Brazil all over the world, and he racked up numerous significant results and important final tables both online and live. He was fundamental to the growth and popularization of poker here.
Although I know he's still super active, mainly as an entrepreneur and with his projects like the Akkari Team, perhaps we don't see him quite as much at the EPTs or other major international tournaments as we used to back in the day. He's definitely a name I miss seeing shine on the global circuit as often as before, and one who inspired an entire generation here in Brazil.
He's one of the names I wonder about, in that sense of "disappearing" from the global spotlight.
Cheers!
View attachment 382128 (https://www.casino.us/cardschat/attachments/382128/)
Akkari is now focused on Furia GG Project and I think he's doing a great job by the way. He's associated with some poker stars as Rafa Moraes and Lali.
Furia has a lot of E-Sports and Conventional sports as such as, CounterStrike, League of Legends, Rocket League, Kings League, Formula and Brazilian Stock Car pilots Enzo and Pietro Fitipaldi are associated with Furia as well representing the Black Panther on the race tracks..
As for me, I never heard about Fedor Holz anymore. Not sure what happened to him.
Isildur1 Viktor Blom, I haven't heard from him in a while, he played with the best players in the world at the same time on Full Tilt Poker and beat them all.
In my opinion, there are many reasons why we don’t see poker legends, first of all, it’s physical condition, the game takes a lot of strength and energy, and players have no time to stop because of tight tournament schedules, the second reason is when a smart player, having earned enough, understands that health is more important and there are other entertainments in life.
Don't hear so much about Isildur1 Exploits anymore.
For more obvious reasons:
Howard Lederer
Chris Ferguson
Many don't remember Heinz's victory in the wsop (https://www.casino.us/poker/tournaments/wsop/) Main Event. However, he was one of the first Germans to make a name for himself when he won his second career 1000 ITM in 2011, for $8.7 million in the World Series. Since then, he simply decided to retire. He played in only nine events over the next few years, earning $9 million in live tournaments—his last was in 2016.
annie duke (https://images.app.goo.gl/vrHKt4on4LFyhKh38)
Annie Duke. For valid reasons.
Sadly, she continues to deceive some individuals in fields beyond poker.
This is very disappointing because I once liked her. and her brother the professor .
Victoria Coren Mitchell
(https://www.casino.us/cardschat/attachments/1745389353815-png.383497/)
I don't know why the first name that popped into my head was isildur 1. The guy literally blew up the poker scene only to lose the millions he had won and fade into the sunset 🙂. Definitely one of the original ultra‑aggro players.
The last I heard he won the partypokermillions in Rozvadov 2018
partypoker LIVE - partypoker MILLIONS Germany, No Limit Hold'em - Main Event: Hendon Mob Poker Database (https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=477985)
Poker database with tournament results, event outcomes, photos and player profiles
pokerdb.thehendonmob.com
Victoria Coren Mitchell
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A common example of how one can appear sexy without being conventionally beautiful.
Viktor Blom. An interesting, bright young player. A legend.
Wow! A real blast from the past, thanks guys.
I enjoyed reading about all my favourites.
Since I'm not following any specific person I'll stick with someone of my own nationality.
Luka Vidovic. He isn't a professional. I was once with him at the table 10+ years ago. He has two recorded results at Hendon Mob which were in 2010 and 2017 played locally in Zagreb.
a Brazilian I always followed and who encouraged me to play poker.
tiago decano.
(https://www.casino.us/cardschat/attachments/decano-jpg.383583/)
I recall the sole woman to win 2 EPT Main Events was Victoria Coren Mitchell.
Hi folks,
Around 20 years ago I became a fan of watching 2 hours a week of professional poker; most of the time I watched WSOP videos.
A man wearing a cowboy hat named Chris Ferguson was among the top-tier poker players. In recent years I haven't seen him on any poker tournament streams. Did he retire?
Greets
Hi folks,
round about 20 years ago i was getting a fan of watching 2 hours a week professional poker, most times i watched the wsop videos and
a man with cowboy hat named Chris Ferguson was part of the top lobby of poker players. In the last years i havent seen him anymore on any streams of poker tournaments. Did he retired?
greets
He isn't appreciated at the table anymore since his role at black friday.
Haven’t heard about SpaceGravy for quite a while.
Hi folks,
round about 20 years ago i was getting a fan of watching 2 hours a week professional poker, most times i watched the wsop videos and
a man with cowboy hat named Chris Ferguson was part of the top lobby of poker players. In the last years i havent seen him anymore on any streams of poker tournaments. Did he retired?
greets
Yes, he plays live still but the media don't touch him with another player, Howard Lederer, who were in at the deep end of Black Friday with FTP.
George Danzer, a German player. I used to see his face frequently when watching the WSOP, EPT, etc. Suddenly he vanished. He has probably quit poker entirely by now.
View attachment 382093 (https://www.casino.us/cardschat/attachments/382093/)
George is in family background—rarely seen
I love Jen Harman. She's a great player and really nice person who overcame diversity and significant health issues playing a man's game in a man's world. I just checked her X account. Her latest post was 2 years ago. Not sure where she's at these days but I wish her well. She was definitely a role model for me growing up as a wannabe poker pro.
The first player I think of is Phil Ivey.
When poker appears on German TV, it’s typically the World Series of Poker. I could be mistaken, but I haven’t noticed him on it for some time.
I remember the only woman who won 2 EPT Main Events Victoria Coren Mitchell.
I wanted to write something else about Liv Boeree, but I saw that she won the EPT and the WSOP))
Liv Boeree is a true favorite.
❤️
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Viktor Blom
Tod Brunson has been missing for some time. Mike Caro is another one! Both have been successful and are now taking it easy!
Doyle Brunson — rest in peace..
Players like Chris Ferguson or Tom Dwan used to be everywhere, but now you rarely hear much about them. Times change, and the spotlight moves fast in poker.
Gus Hansen — anyone know where he is these days?
I have no idea, I've never heard of them :v
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
God bless
I started playing poker in 2006 upon retirement. Those hot shots back then that have departed from the memory, Gus Hanson and Tom Dwan. Those two were more known for their wild aggressive play that worked until the other players adjusted. They are now on the missing list at most tournaments and wouldn't be considered threats to winning.
He isn't appreciated at the table anymore since his role at black friday.
I wish someone would have told me that before I picked him as one of my 5 players in the Cardschat wsop (https://www.casino.us/poker/tournaments/wsop/) Challenge...0 points.
Alexandre Gomes, Brazil's first WSOP bracelet winner.
Viktor Bloom, a legend.
Dan Bilzerian, the crazy one.
I've never heard of George Danzer, that German player, and I've never seen him at any tournament.
What happened to Tom Dwan?
Tom Dwan used to be incredible. He played with total fearlessness, bluffed relentlessly, and had that piercing stare—like he held his breath during the big pots (https://www.casino.us/poker/strategy/poker-hands/). I really miss watching him light up those chaotic high-stakes tables.
Is he still active anywhere—online or in live games? I haven’t noticed him around much lately.
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What happened to Tom Dwan?
Tom Dwan used to be an absolute beast. He played with zero fear, bluffed relentlessly, and had that intense stare—almost like he stopped breathing during big hands. I really miss watching him run wild in those massive high-stakes games.
Is he still playing anywhere—online or live? Haven’t seen much of him lately.
View attachment 389957 (https://www.casino.us/cardschat/attachments/389957/)
It’s easy to play fearlessly when you’re being backed and don’t have to risk your own money. Especially convenient when bluffing (https://www.casino.us/poker/strategy/bluffing/) costs you nothing. He vanished after 4/15/2011 when Full Tilt’s scam collapsed. He’s popped up a few times over the last several years but never made a major splash. Rumors continue that he owes millions to people.
Nicholas Dumont won EPT Paris roughly 6-7 years back. I never heard from him after that until the most recent WSOP series in Las Vegas, where I noticed him listed among the Main Event entrants. He didn’t place among the winners, however.
That woman whose surname is Selbst
Vanessa Selbst. I haven't seen her in quite some time.
I realize he's no longer here, but I'd really like to find someone similar to him (minus the drugs). Do you know anyone who could be another Stu Ungar?
That’s such a good question! I’ve thought about this a few times myself! It’s crazy how many familiar faces from the poker boom days just seemed to vanish from the spotlight. I was actually wondering about Ilari Sahamies not long ago. He used to be everywhere, especially in those wild high-stakes games, but it feels like he completely disappeared. Maybe he just decided to step away from the grind or focus on life outside poker.
Yeah Jen Harman was a good one. I used to like watching Eskimo Brad Booth but apparently he went broke years ago? Vanessa Rousso also stopped playing a many years ago.
Jen Harman — I hardly ever hear her mentioned these days.
Victoria Coren Mitchell, I remember her integrity during her time as a PokerStars ambassador.
Back when PokerStars was solely focused on poker, she was a very active and visible representative. But when the platform expanded into casino games, she chose to step down from her ambassador role. That earned my deep respect.
I haven’t heard much about her in recent years. Her departure from PokerStars was a rare example of someone putting ethics above sponsorship, and it left a lasting impression on me.
Has anyone come across any recent updates or interviews with her?
Alex Gomes, Brazil's first WSOP bracelet winner.
Thats a good one. A guy i completely forgot about was shawn buchanan. Now a few days ago a friend of me was with him on some table at GG and he has millions of winnings on the site.
I've never heard anything about George Danzer, that German player, nor have I ever seen him at any tournament.
Thus guy most likely quitted poker entirely. Read something so ectime ago but cant remember what he is up to nowadays.
You never seem to hear about guys like Gus Hansen or Andy Bloch anymore.
Players like Chris Moneymaker or Tom Dwan don’t show up as often as they used to. They were huge names back in the day, but now you rarely hear much about them — poker has so many new faces taking the spotlight.
I wonder whether some of the names we've listed are more prone to take part in private games. And there is less public display of poker games (https://www.casino.us/poker/games/) than there used to be.
Sorry — I need not speculate: I simply don't recognize famous players, likely because of limited media access where I live in a rural area.
I like playing poker, but I don't follow the events, I don't know the great poker players, but I do remember 1-2 names, for example Daniel Negreanu.
The Brazilian Andre Akari
Tony G where is this guy😔
Stu Ungar, the kid
Tom Dwan had been absent for many years.
Stu Ungar, the kid
This man has been dead for decades, yet people still bring him up anytime poker is played or talked about.
I'm not certain what you mean by “never hear about anymore.” I'm not sure.
I haven’t received any further updates about the recent Argentine player who used to rap, Papo
5 years
One player that comes to mind is Chris Moneymaker. He completely changed the poker world after winning the 2003 wsop (https://www.casino.us/poker/tournaments/wsop/) Main Event and helping create the poker boom, but compared to some other famous players, you don’t hear about him as much today.
Another name I think of is Tom “durrrr” Dwan. He was one of the most talked-about online high stakes players during the poker boom era, but he became much less visible compared to the past.
I think poker changes quickly, and many players who were stars in one era can become less talked about when new generations of players and new formats appear. It would be interesting to hear which forgotten poker legends other players remember.
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Isabelle Mercier in 2004 claimed victory in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Ladies' Night event and took the $25,000 top prize, where
Mike Sexton dubbed her "No Mercy" Mercier.
One player that comes to mind is Chris Moneymaker. He completely changed the poker world after winning the 2003 WSOP Main Event and helping create the poker boom, but compared to some other famous players, you don’t hear about him as much today.
Another name I think of is Tom “durrrr” Dwan. He was one of the most talked-about online high stakes players during the poker boom era, but he became much less visible compared to the past.
I think poker changes quickly, and many players who were stars in one era can become less talked about when new generations of players and new formats appear. It would be interesting to hear which forgotten poker legends other players remeLOLmber.
LOL . Both Dwan and Moneymaker are all over the news and streams .
Надеюсь, это не просто следствие моего старения или того, что «покерный бум» случился слишком давно… Куда пропали многие известных игроков в покер, которых раньше было видно повсюду? Например, я когда-то с удовольствием смотрел игры Джен Харман, а сейчас о ней ничего не слышно. А кто ещё, по вашему мнению, исчез?
Chris Ferguson и Howard Lederer, руководители Full Tilt Poker. После скандала с заморозкой средств эти игроки стали изгоями. Ferguson ненадолго вернулся на WSOP, но сейчас оба словно исчезли из поля зрения.
I didn't hear much about Huck Seed this year in the WSOP .He had one second place last year in a $1, 500 stud 8 event , and some other decent cashes .
One player I don't hear much about anymore is Chris Moneymaker. His 2003 world series of poker (https://www.casino.us/poker/tournaments/wsop/) victory changed poker forever by inspiring thousands of online players to chase their dreams. While he's still involved in the poker world, he isn't in the spotlight as often as he once was. It shows how quickly the poker landscape changes, with new stars constantly emerging.
One player I don't hear much about anymore is Chris Moneymaker. His 2003 World Series of Poker victory changed poker forever by inspiring thousands of online players to chase their dreams. While he's still involved in the poker world, he isn't in the spotlight as often as he once was. It shows how quickly the poker landscape changes, with new stars constantly emerging.
Chris certainly hasn't dropped his involvement in the live poker world, he has 5 Hendon cashes in 2026 and 14 in 2025 with 3 of them being 1st place finishes. He's also active on X with his ACR sponsorship and frequently replies to X posts.
A number of players who were big names in the poker boom are seldom mentioned these days.
I particularly miss updates about some of the old-school online grinders who vanished from the public eye.
Poker evolves quickly, and fresh names constantly seem to take the place of the veterans.
Tony G from the Big Game at PokerStars
I didn't hear much about Huck Seed this year in the WSOP .He had one second place last year in a $1, 500 stud 8 event , and some other decent cashes .
Extremely likeable character but also gave out one of the worst poker advices i ever read about.
That was long ago but his advice was basically to fast before and during tournaments because a "hungry dog hunts best". I was hmm ok when i read that and after trying it a few times came to the conclusion its nonsense, at least for me playing online.
Stu Ungar was probably the best card player—poker, gin, and so on.
I was telling Jennifer Harman and Cathy Liebert about who I was when I began playing poker.
Victoria Coren Mitchell
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Ah, here’s a player I used to admire. She was always calm, composed and collected. A fantastic player to watch.
Honestly, I think poker has shifted so dramatically that many former stars no longer occupy the spotlight. I also recall watching Jen Harman, and I wonder what became of Chris Ferguson—he was a major figure during the poker boom, but these days I seldom hear about him. It really highlights how much the poker scene evolves!
I don't believe most of the old poker stars vanished — they're simply less prominent than they were during the boom.
Broadcast coverage shifted, and several players gravitated toward private cash games or chose to retreat from public attention.
Jen Harman is an excellent example.
There are certainly some boom-era players I’m curious to know the whereabouts of!
Alexandre Gomes is the one I think of. He became the first Brazilian to secure a WSOP bracelet back in 2008 and followed that with a WPT victory, which effectively brought Brazilian poker into the spotlight. He used to appear in the media constantly, but these days Gomes maintains a far lower profile.
Definitely some old-school poker legends! ♠️ Players like Tom Dwan, Gus Hansen, Patrik Antonius, and Viktor Blom were huge names during the poker boom, but you don’t hear about some of them as much in mainstream poker discussions these days. Some are still active, just less visible than before.
Who do you guys miss seeing at the tables the most? 👀♦️