xTonyGx

More Business and Future Poker Horizons

2010-03-21T15:23:31Z

I have a new side to my business. I work at a variety of projects and try new ideas to see what works and what doesn’t and I keep reevaluating what I have accomplished and where I’m going. My latest business project is focusing on consulting and helping poker all over the world. I got a very good result in Lithuania where poker is now a sport and I feel I had a part in making that happen. I am proud that poker has a different status than casino games.

Domains are being blocked in Estonia but the good news is that it’s not hard to get a license and become legal in Estonia. I am in the process of setting up PokerNews Consultation and will help out gaming companies in this region, making it profitable to operate a business there.

I am passionate about poker and I believe everyone has the right to play.

I also believe everyone must prepare for a bike ride now and then…have you had yours today?

Come play with Tony G at http://www.partypoker.com

Lithuania

2010-03-09T19:56:50Z

I am in Lithuania right now having a good time with work. Most of you probably think of work as a task or something that you have to do to make your poker buy-in and pay the rent, but I enjoy work, especially if it is all about poker and the internet. It’s challenging and fun because it’s more like solving puzzles and fitting the pieces together to accomplish what I want. Along with work, I’m also enjoying family and friends and the feeling of home since I travel so much.

I will be going to France soon and play poker as well this month. There is a heads-up event I want to play in. I wasn’t good enough to get an invite to the NBC Heads-up so I hope to win this event to prove them wrong for not wanting me at the Heads-up competition. I want to teach other players to get ready for the Bike Ride and what better way than in a heads-up match?

Over the next few months I will be really focusing on my business and see just how far I can go with it. I won’t be playing much live and will reserve most of my playing time for PartyPoker. I hope to see you at the tables.

Come play with Tony G at http://www.partypoker.com

NAPT Venetian $25K High Rollers

2010-02-24T20:50:30Z

I’m in Las Vegas for the PokerStars NAPT $25K High Rollers event. There will be 49 players and the line up is pretty tough. I will be specifically looking for Daniel Negreanu. I had my bike shipped from the M Resort and was told it was on the way and should be at the Venetian by the time I arrived. My bike has gone missing. I am sure that Daniel took it since he is a bike mechanic. Until I find the bike, I won’t know where it went missing and if Daniel really had something to do with it.

I was asked before the High Roller heat started if I knew who was at my table. My reply was that I really didn’t want to know. Poker is still a game to me, I spend more time working on the business of poker and putting my contacts and knowledge of online poker to work for me than I do playing at the table. I want to enjoy the play of the game and if I have to spend every day grinding, I can’t, so I choose to work with poker in other ways that suit me and play when I want to play, that way I can laugh and enjoy my time with the game and the people I’m playing with.

But this is the line-up of the tables:

Table 1

1. Joe Sebok
2. Phil Laak
3. Justin Bonomo
4. David Williams
5. Joe Cassidy
6. Yevgeniy Timoshenko
7. Tommy Vedes

Table 2

1. (Satellite winner)
2. Dario Minieri
3. Tony G.
4. Alec Torelli
5. Isaac Haxton
6. Daniel Alaei
7. Peter Eastgate

Table 3

1. Chris Moneymaker
2. Keith Gibson
3. Joe Cada
4. Jason Mercier
5. Hasan Habib
6. Matt Glantz
7. Ashton Griffin

Table 4

1. Andrew Robl
2. Lee Markholt
3. John Hennigan
4. Phil Galfond
5. Alex Kamberis
6. Brett Richey
7. Daniel Negreanu

Table 5

1. J.C Tran
2. Joe Hachem
3. Annie Duke
4. Jennifer Tilly
5. Vanessa Rousso
6. Di Dang
7. Faraz Jaka

Table 6

1. Scott Seiver
2. Brian Rast
3. Chau Giang
4. Bertrand Grospellier
5. Antonio Esfandiari
6. Sorel Mizzi
7. Barry Greenstein

Table 7

1. Phil Hellmuth
2. Adam Richardson
3. Hoyt Corkins
4. Greg Raymer
5. John Duthie
6. Hevad Khan
7. Steven Paul (a.k.a. Steve Paul-Ambrose)

I have been skiing at Brian Head and only flew into Vegas late yesterday afternoon. I am tired but ready to play. After the High Rollers event I will be going to London and after that, returning to my home in Lithuania where I will spend time with family and relax for a bit. I am still working on my health and will continue to do that.

I will also work on my poker game as time permits and I will definitely work on finding out if Daniel is the one who sent my bike out of action. You can’t mess with Tony G’s bike and just walk away thinking there is no consequence. Consider this a bike warning to everyone!

Come play poker with Tony G at http://www.partypoker.com

Back in L.A. - The Premier League Starts soon

2010-02-05T21:54:15Z

I have been in L.A. for a few days now after catching a direct flight out of Melbourne. The flight only took 13 hours and I’m staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel - it is very nice.

Somehow, I managed to catch a cold but I can’t remember looking for it to begin with - or it caught me. I’m a bit under the weather due to circumstances beyond my control. Jogging and exercise are out of the question right now, I’m just taking it easy for the time being, acclimating myself to the climate and area after being in Melbourne for the Aussie Millions.

I’m going to spend the next few days seeing myself take the title of the Party Poker Premier League this year. It’s a very tough line-up Luke Schwartz, Daniel Negreanu, Vanessa Rousso, David Benyamine, Phil Hellmuth, JC Tran - last year’s champion, Yevgeniy Timoshenko, Roland de Wolfe, and Doyle Brunson is in it also. It’s going to be tough, and sick competition, and fun. I can’t wait! I love that event!

Staying with the positive thought that I will win the Premier League event, after I take it down I will be playing a PokerStars special invitation event that has a 25K buy-in and only 36 players in a shoot out. That is the 23rd at the Venetian, after the NAPT I believe. To warm up for that event, I will also be seeing myself winning it, devoting my energy to a lot of positive thought, and by the time I leave L.A. I should be finished with the cold that caught me and I will be ready to go skiing (I’m definitely considering skiing) as I head to Las Vegas and the PokerStars event.

As I end this post, one word of advice, never go looking for a cold, it’s sure to find you if you do. Do look for your bike when you are at the table with me; it definitely beats walking and may prevent a cold from catching you.

Come play poker with Tony G at http://www.partypoker.com

Party Poker is the BIG NEWS!

2010-01-22T18:44:18Z

I have just signed with Party Poker. I’m excited and happy to be part of the team. For a more detailed statement on my new adventure visit the Party Poker Blog. I’m playing the Aussie Millions and enjoying family time and friends and the excitement that being part of the Party experience will bring. I’ll have more updates soon.

Come play with Tony G at http://www.tonygpoker.com

Day 1C $1,100 Opening Event Aussie Millions

2010-01-17T19:05:07Z

Tony’s greeted by Lynn Gilmartin and she asked him how today was going. Tony said things were good, he showed up about four hours late for the tournament and then he busted out when he pushed with K-2 and ran into Queens. He’s still in the holiday mode, having fun, and gearing up for the 100K event which he will be really focused on but in the meantime…he’s just having fun. To quote, “I’m just a fun guy!” *It’s a Tony G thing - he likes to have fun*

Tony had a party at his house last night. Tony is at the top of the world with the time he spends in Australia and time with his family, he’s happy, and says it’s nice catching up with all the people, it’s like his hometown “it’s the best place in the world.”

But in the middle of all the fun, it’s time to play poker - time to focus. He’s playing the $100K and the Main Event but he’s undecided on what other events he will play. Tournament listings are up on ChipMeUp and you can be part of the action. Tony played the Opening Event as a random choice, his brother was playing also. Tony laughs and says his brother “is about 10m-to-1 but you never know.”

The conversation goes to Tony’s brother - watch the video.

Lynn asks about Christmas in Melbourne, Tony says it just went by, they weren’t celebrating, and it was “just a day.” And since he celebrates every day, Christmas wasn’t that important. New Years was spent with the kids and it all “sort of flew by.” It’s all about the ‘barbie.’

Tony made New Year’s Resolutions about three years ago and he’s working on strengthening the vows this year. He wants to be fit and healthy - he talks about staying with Lee Nelson and his weight loss and overall health for life goals.

Just as the conversation is ending, Tony’s brother shows up, busted out of the tourney. They are on their way to another barbie.

Closing out 2009

2009-12-24T18:48:04Z

I am in NZ and have taken some great walks in the Abel Tasman National Park (Nelson) NZ. This is an amazing experience, it’s all so fresh. I am staying at the Split Apple Retreat with Lee Nelson who is also providing me with a very healthy diet. The pictures show everything here is like pure magic.

As for my personal deal, all the final steps have been taken - so stand by for an announcement in regards to TonyGPoker.com and a little personal deal for me which will be fun. The deal will not be associated with Pokernews and will not stop me or pokernews from being totally independent in terms of content and articles that we produce as we go forward.

Isilidur1

I have had a few conversations over the phone with him and I really love the kid. He is like me 15 years ago. I just wish I had as much talent as he does. He can play the world’s best on eight tables and he only learned PLO about eight months ago. Anyway, it is likely I will stake him in some big cash games in the future, this is what I do after all. I like to give people a chance in life to do well. That is why I got involved with ChipMeUp and I love to stake lots of people there. I am proud that I could stake 20 people this year at the WSOP main event and I hope I can stake even more of them in 2010. One thing I will be doing more of in 2010 is playing more WPT and EPT events for sure.

I want to close the chapter with Isildur1, I know who he is, no doubt. I also have to say that earlier I was guessing and I will never reveal who he is from here on out. I think it’s more exciting for everyone, leaving the mystery as a mystery.

I can see how people attacked Full Tilt Poker on 2+2 – calling for lawsuits, etc., but this is not what Isildur1 really wants. He wants to enjoy his life and move on. This is what he needs to do. He is a brilliant player and with a little bit of hard work, he will build back up to a multimillion roll. It’s clear he is a favorite of the railbirds and guys, please do support him as he is the biggest thing that has happened in poker for a long, long time. The matter of the 4Million dollar loss to Hastings is now behind us, sure it was controversial but many things are. They don’t get reversed like the winning goal Thiery Henry scored against Ireland, it might be luck that the ref did not see it happen but the result stands. We all shout but it’s important to move on and enjoy the future.

Good luck, Ilsi in 2010 and the most important part is enjoying life.

I wish everyone a massive 2010, with great holidays, and hope you all enjoy life.

Full Tilt is under fire

2009-12-21T17:34:49Z

The world of poker is a very complex structure built around players, the online poker sites and casinos that provide the games, the limits and games played, rake, backers, and a lot more, and in the end, trying to provide the best game possible that helps everyone. The entire situation with Townsend, Hastings, and Cole involving their combined knowledge and play against Ilsuldur1 leaves a bad smell in the air for everyone, especially for Full Tilt since Townsend is one of their Red Pros.

As a player, I would like to see Townsend be more committed to giving his attention to doing what being a Red Pro demands at Full Tilt. Townsend has put his hands up as the guilty boy and received his penalty, the matter is now closed and we must move on, though most of us will remember it with a shadow on how he handled his role. He explains his actions in his blog post.

Cole South posted this:

Hi everyone,

I’d like to try to help clear up some issues on my side. There has been a lot of intelligent debate that I would be happy to answer.

1.) Full Tilt very understandably did not want us to comment during an ongoing investigation, and they have found that I did not breach the site’s rules in any way.

2.) A shared hand history database seems to be the main issue of contention. I have discussed many difficult hands from play against Isildur with Brian Hastings and Brian Townsend, posted on pokerhand.org where we can give each other feedback. I have never sent or received raw hand history data to Brian Townsend or Brian Hastings (or anyone else for that matter) — reports of a “conglomerated” database of all of our hand histories from play with him are absolutely false. My hand histories showing Isildur’s mucked cards are in only my possession, and I don’t have any hand histories from Brian Hastings or Brian Townsend’s matches, such a database is not possible.

3.) Team play is another point that has been brought up. I have never played on Brian Townsend or Brian Hastings accounts, used a program to see their screen or let them see mine, nor have I been in their presence while any of us played online poker since a Cardrunners meeting about a year ago. Never have I asked for or been asked for strategy advice during a hand. I’d like to reiterate, the one-player-to-a-hand rule was never broken here.

4.) I’m not going to get into finances, but I have never played a single hand at a table with a player who I have had a piece of. That’s the only issue I could think of that would be relevant with regard to action sharing.

Cole

I believe it’s clear that Cole South is completely innocent. He is entitled to have a share of Hastings play (but this should be made public in my opinion) if he thinks there is value, he is happy to have a stake in Hastings.

As for Hastings, he should just tell everyone his side of the story. Townsends post tells us something but it still leaves an air of doubt in my thought. What Cole South did making his statement is very positive, and for me, has cleared his name.

I’ve had a look at the 2+2 community and the posts are pretty damaging, Full Tilt has made a statement on how they are handling the situation with an explanation. Giving Townsend a one month suspension may solve any future problems with Townsend, we have to hope so. Many wonder why Townsend is still part of the Red Pro team since this isn’t his first infraction with Full Tilt Poker Rules but only Full Tilt could answer that. Full Tilt has tried to be fair and handle a bad situation since they are more like a referee in this and what has happened is going to be a learning ground for anything that might come up in the future with their team and their players. It’s a difficult situation for everyone to be in and like most things in the poker world, we wait for the next hand.

The bad part of it all is that there appears to be no answer to help Isildur1. A Red Pro getting a penalty doesn’t change the matter of his poker losses and the fact that he was at a disadvantage with all of it. I believe he can come back because he is a young kid and lots of talent. It has to be a huge learning tool for him.

Let’s all hope that with each step we take in the poker world, we leave a clean footprint and the game improves for all of us.

Come play poker with Tony G at http://www.tonygpoker.com

Losing Big Money Can Be Tough

2009-12-21T17:33:50Z

So right now I am busy in New Zealand working on my personal health. I have been doing a lot of hiking, fishing and just in general spending some quality time at the beach.

While spending time on the beach and enjoying the outdoors, I’ve also been putting thought into what’s going on with the big games and some of the controversy going on since Brian Hastings big win of $4 million over “Isildur1,” I have heard some rumblings about a potential controversy and I have to comment on it. From what I understand, Viktor Blom who I am sure is “Isildur1″ is about to process a formal complaint to Full Tilt Poker about his session with Brian Hastings. Blom believes that Brian Townsend and Cole South provided Hastings all of their personal hand histories from sessions against Isildur1. Don’t get me wrong, I think Brian Hastings is obviously a very talented player, and so are Townsend and South. Cole South personally crushed me in the 3rd round of the 25K buy-in PLO heads-up tournament recently, and the way I rate players I would put South and Townsend right at the top, I wish I could have that kind of poker talent.

I was however shocked when Brian Hastings sat down at those tables. It felt like a trap, this is not a regular player at that level of play. Regarding the allegations coming from Isildur1, I would probably say Hastings did probably talk at length with both Cole South and Brian Townsend, and sure it is possible they shared hand histories. I’m sure these things happen all the time, especially when the stakes are as big as they are. I think it is a little bit strange that Hastings did not declare when asked who his backers were, and I think it would go a long way to clearing the air if Hastings made it clear who his backers were and made a firm declaration that he did not use hand histories from either Townsend or South. I really do love the way he plays the game at such a high level, and there is nothing negative from me, I’d just like to know the facts.

Anyway I urge Brian to sit down for another interview with PokerNews to discuss this all and clear the air. Being a Full Tilt Red pro carries some serious weight, and it’s probably natural there is more scrutiny on them than most players. I for one just want the games to be heathy and fair, which I am sure once the details are out we will see that they were in fact just that, healthy and fair. I also urge Isildur1 to sit down with PokerNews for an interview. There are tons of curious people out there that want to hear from you, email our editor at editor@pokernews.com and we will set it all up.

What an exciting world we live in right now. Even I have become an online poker railbird, as I can not even compete with these guys right now. But, that won’t stop me from taking a crack every now and then.

Come play poker with Tony G at http://www.tonygpoker.com

The Lithuanian Dream

2009-12-13T19:23:13Z

Today’s blog is going to be a little interesting perhaps for some.

I want to share some of my past with you. I think I remember my childhood from about the age where my grandmother died. I was about 3 three years old and it was an interesting day for a small kid as she was close to me. I remember her coffin being carried by 4 men down from our fourth story apartment in Kaunas, Lithuania. I was in the Soviet Union and living in a very interesting family, I think you could say our family were speculators.

My dad would buy fur and then process it and sell it. He was a Kolukio Pirmininkas (leader of a state run farm). We were well off and it was fun to be a kid my age, I can’t complain too much. The only thing is, this was the Soviet Union and on the first day of school, when asked what I wanted to be, I said, “You know what? I want to be a priest.” Now what I did was a big no, no. It was not something for a kid to say that had parents who were well do to and within the working system. Maybe that triggers it all off but I will go into more detail later.

Anyway I had a bit of a winge today. Well I am sitting on a balcony, overlooking a great ocean and the view is amazing. I went kayaking today and did about 5 miles of walking in a jungle, it was incredible fun. I then had a great dinner that I call value food made with love and it was really nutritious - amazing value I would call it. Later I will share this location with you.

Anyway I was thinking about what went down just last week and this went down in Vilnius Lithuania. As most people know, I am a pretty crazy guy. I give everyone a chance in life. I love new opportunities. I love to stake people in poker games tourneys and in business ventures. Although most of it turns to shit, it’s life and I love and live for it. I am out there - I make fun of people, I get made fun of, I attack them when we play, but I love them all, even if things turn to shit.

Anyway my thought is about Simonas Pocius (lol the name is no big deal but it’s Lithuanian).

This is one of the young kids that is up and coming in Lithuania. I bought my office from him in Vilnius and I was thinking then, “This is an OK guy.” I am sure he wants to be a minister one day and be patriotic for his country.

Anyway, it’s all cool. A bit later, a few years after I bought the office from him and his dad, he comes to me and introduces his good friend Andrius Profis (not his real full name). Anyway this guy is into sports betting and has a sea of specialists that work out prices. Being the crazy cat that I am, I eat it up and since Pocius made the recommendation, I give this guy the capital to bet with and win more. Obviously I am greedy to make money but I also always feel that it’s going to be a system of balances; the money does not really belong to me. All I have to do is find the best way to use it once I have it. So Pocius made the connection and being a guy that wants to govern, you would think he would have at least some responsibility for his actions. I am not saying he has to give me the money back if I get ripped off or defrauded or taken advantage of but you’ve got to say, “Tony I am sorry I let you down. I feel responsible, let’s sit down and talk this out.”

You know what this guy said, “I am not responsible in any way.”

I just hope that this is not what Lithuanian Parliament Candidates have preset in their heads.

Growing up in Australia I know how different the thinking is and I hope from the bottom of my heart that in time, us Lithuanian patriots also feel the same way and take responsibility. Anyway this might have been a con all the way. If so kudos to those two guys. They got me for $200,000 and I hope they live in peace. This is not the last 200k I am going to lose. It hurts but I have forgiven them and moved on. It’s sad but it’s life and I am still going to give others a chance whether they are gay, black, Arab, Chinese or whatever. I think I love them all even if they want to fuck me over every now and again.

I’ve got to talk about one little patriotic thing I feel proud of, The Lithuanian National Basketball Team. They got the wild card to play in the World Championship in Turkey and I will be joining them. I love basketball and personally know many of the greats from all eras. Several have been to Australia to visit me and I hope I am strong enough to help basketball in my country of birth although I am a spirit of the whole world.

I feel this time I made an impact when I arranged for one of the sponsors to cover a small part of the 500k euro Lithuania had to pay to get the invite. Did I take a risk doing it? For sure! Will it work out? Who knows? Time will tell though. But I know the country does not have much going for it and I know that as a kid basketball for me was one thing we could do to show everyone who Lithuanians were - we are warriors and we fight to the end even though there are just 3 million of us.

Come player poker with Tony G at http://www.tonygpoker.com