Poker Tweets
Have ever wondered what poker players did in between folding hands at a tournament? You’ll be interested to know that a growing number of players have been sending tweets via Twitter. “Now what on earth are tweets and Twitter,” you may ask? So for those of you that don’t know, let us explore this latest online phenomenon and look at exactly why it is the next best thing…
Described as “the SMS of the Internet,” Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging facility which allows its users to send and receive text-based messages to or from others, known as “tweets”. These messages or “tweets” are then delivered to all the subscribers of the user’s profile, or “followers” as they have been dubbed in the Twitter environment. The messages or “tweets” can be restricted for delivery to selected “followers” only, or the user could choose to allow open access for all.
Twitter has become extremely popular since it was launched in 2006, that in February 2009 it ranked as one of the most popular website worldwide, apparently even growing faster than Facebook- according to Alexa’s web traffic analysis.
It is therefore no wonder that the poker fraternity has caught onto this new trend as well. This became eminent in the months building up to the 2009 WSOP. Seasoned poker journalist Brad Willis says, “Twitter has given the players an immediate voice. Two years ago, by the time a player did an interview about his play, he would've had hours to think about it, calm down, and think rationally. Now, anybody can be inside the players’ heads as they play and experience the moment almost as it happens.”
For the purpose of an investigative article, “Dr. Pauly” McGuire also recently followed the tweets of some of the poker pro’s. Here are some of the highlights…..
Barry Greenstein is generally regarded as very quiet at the poker tables, but on Twitter he displays a witty sense of humour… and a naughty side! He has been spotted using Twitter to stay in touch with his son, Joe Sebok….and also 7 very hot Asian ladies!
Even “The Grandfather of Poker,” Doyle Brunson has been using the new technology and uses Twitter to share his poker “pearls of wisdom.”
Phil Ivey has apparently taken a marketing approach to Twitter and has a dedicated person that updates his Twitter account on his behalf.
Annie Duke uses Twitter not only for talking about poker, but also loves sharing pictures of her food.
More poker players use Twitter as a means to share some of the most mundane details of their lives. It is through Twitter that many of us now know that Joe Sebok loves to listen to the Dave Matthews Band and that Norwegian poker prodigy Annette Obrestad’s kitten fell into the toilet!
However the platform has also led some players into trouble! “Kid Poker” Daniel Negreanu apparently called a player at his table a “whackjob surprise,” just to learn later that the player is the wife of Tom Scheider, 2007 WSOP Player of the Year!
But whether it is interesting or mundane, good or bad, Twitter has without a doubt become one of the best ways to share and discover what is happening right now…. even in the world of poker. So if you would like to get the most up-to-date poker information or follow your favourite poker players in progress too, then click here to join the All Africa Poker Communities on Twitter now.
