PokerStars Castoffs Pro Roster
Most of us are aware now that Black Friday has always cast its spell by putting an end to, or weakening the careers of most of the poker players playing online in the U.S. It does not make a difference that whether the player is an amateur in the field or he is celeb professional who has earned his reputation by playing live. Certainly, there have been changes in the casinos; however, there are still a lot of live tourneys and cash knockouts where one can play. Now, it looks like, though, that some of the poker celebs might have to try a bit hard, since there has been a shortage as far as source of income is concerned.
If you take a look at the website Pokerstars.com, you would see that the world’s largest and the most sought after online poker website has split with its 3 top players in the US. There may not be an official statement or a press release, but you can make out the absence of Dennis Philips, Bill Chen and Tom McEvoy, whose name does appear as the members of the team. Due to less traffic, PokerStars are forced to pare down the roster, as it had to shut out its players from the U.S. So, one is not surprised at all that PokerStars had to take this step since it does not have the funds to pay to its players.
If we take a look further at the team list of PokerStars in U.S. and try and understand the roster, one would understand that the removal of its 3 players was a business decision that was based on market appeal. This judgement of ours is based on the fact, if one sees the team that exists is all young, hot and happening, or those who have achieved name and fame that goes beyond their age. Some of the names that exist are Vanessa Rousso, Jason Mercier, Joe Cada, Barry Greinstein and Chris Moneymaker. All these are expected that they still do or would retain their charm and appeal as far as non-US player is concerned. Wherein those chucked out are highly respectable customers and are liked by many, it is thought that they don’t have the same appeal and may not be in a position to enthral the prospective customers.
Tom McEvoy had won the WSOP main event in the year 1983. He had defeated Rod Peate (heads-up) in what was considered as the longest heads-up contest in the history of the World Series of Poker. He has been the first ever Main Event Winner to have earned his seat via a satellite. In total, he has won a total of 4 WSOP bracelets. Despite of all this, he has not been quite a visible player to the poker enthusiasts in the years gone by.
McEvoy is still being regarded as one of the greatest players ever whose contribution towards the game is highly appreciated. He has written over 13 poker books till date.
Bill Chen famously known as a “poker nerd’s” poker player got his Ph.D. in mathematics and has triple majored in physics, maths and computer science from Washington University. He is one of those players who have never played the game with the help of emotions, intuitions, and prayers.
Dennis Philips was initially not known in the circles until he earned a third place for himself in the year 2008 WSOP Main Event. People thought he was just a onetime wonder, but he proved them wrong when he finished 45th in the 2009 Main Event followed by his 3rd position again in the NBC National Heads-up Championship last year.
