Don’t Let Appearances Fool You – There Are Good Players Everywhere

December 2009 - by John Wenzel

Looking through the cast of characters in this issue, one is struck not only by how different they are from one another, but also by the fact that despite their differences, they are all successful at the poker table. The modern-day baize is fraught with perilous land mines, and no longer can you look at a player and know instantly whether he or she is shark bait.

Deception and misdirection are crucial to good poker, and today more than ever before the most dangerous player at the table is rarely who you expect it to be. Take Johan Storakers (page 18), who answers readers’ questions this month. To look at his picture, you would think he’s crazy as a loon. In fact, though, he is as solid as they come.

And how about the November Nine? Did that go as you expected?

But there is no better example than the Girly Grinder (page 28). Hot blonde Katie Dozier uses a "ditsy skill set" to disguise the fact that she is a sit-n-go expert, and happily flirts her way to the money both online and live.

Just within the pages of this month’s magazine, we have a feature on Karl Mahrenholz (page 30), a member of the HitSquad and a well-respected player in these parts. Then you have Lee Davey of Wales (page 34), an amateur trying to build a bankroll. A student won the Irish Masters, and the International Poker Open (page 44) was taken down by a German who had never cashed in a significant event. Kenna James (page 48) is very aggressive, but for most of his career he looked like a singing cowboy with no more gamble in him than a stray tumbleweed.

EPT London (page 54)was won by a young American online pro who defeated WSOP World Champ Peter Eastgate. At GUKPT Thanet (page 60), an amateur satellite qualifier (and IT consultant) beat World Heads-Up Champ Jeff Kimber – heads-up – to take the trophy. UB’s big Aruba event (page 64) was captured by an unlikely 20-year-old kid swimming in a final-table pool of bracelet winners. A French businessman took down EPT Warsaw (page 70).

Kids. Girls. Qualifiers. Businessmen. In poker these days, where you don’t have to learn the hard way in the smoke-filled back rooms, anyone could be hiding dangerous skills. So watch out for that old lady sitting next to you – she just might be hiding the teeth of a shark behind her sweet sweet smile.