Name the 3 best players on HSP thus far

[FGators]

How can we forget?

Daniel Alaei...

Then I have Ted Forrest and Doyle Brunson. I'm really not sure how Doyle played nitty. He gambled it up with some non suited connectors on a lot of hands.

[mephisto]

Daniel Alaei played GREAT poker, let's not forget him indeed.

I think Lindgren played pretty well for his first appearance. He made really good bets, took his time on his hands thinking things through and coming up with the correct decisions. His 95 sooted (or was it 96 hand) was very sick, but the genius of him was askling Gus to run it twice! Sure the deck was hitting him hard at times but the manner in which he played his hands, the thought put into his bets really stood out.

Laak ran well. Did he play well? Remember when he just got into the game just before his heater, he was being very tight/weak and folding all hands that didn't connect. So I don't know if this guy can really play if the cards don't come to him. Even though he's a big winner, I'll put him with Mimi Tran from last season where she also went on a sick rush playing typical TAG with every card hitting.

Antonio E. came to both seasons with some real serious game. Now HE is a player. If his BR management skills are as good as his poker skills, then I can see this guy making it to the very top of the game within 10 years. Talk about being gutsy. You knew from watching him that the money mattered a lot but he still found the courage to make the plays that he needed to. Much respect.

[Jocke_F]

Forrest
Antonio
Doyle

Creds also too Barry G that kept his composure after losing yet another monster pot with aces. He did this by playing a very tight short stack game that worked perfect at that current table condition
----------------------------------------------------
Worst player list
would be
1. Eli for beeing totaly crappy
2. Negreanu for his total lack of tilt control, he should really have taken a break or just quit since he obviously played like a donkey at times after the beats he took
3. MM get paid some dollars to stay when his guts told him to quit and then he lost it all Good decision mike

[Idiot Mike]

Over the first 2 seasons, here are the players I've been impressed with:

Ted Forrest
Freddy Deeb
Daniel Alaei
Jennifer Harman (Season 2 only)
Antonio Esfandiari
Barry Greenstein
Todd Brunson

[DougieG]

Phil Laak plays NLH cash games almost exclusively if I'm not mistaken. I think his style of play was more passive because he has less endorsements and is playing with his money. DN, Doyle, Lindgren all make money from endorsements so that if they didn't want to play any poker they wouldn't have to. Laak, to my understanding, doesn't have any endorsement deals and plays in general like a nit in the big cash games at the Commerce (see the most recent Phil Laak + Jen Tilly episode of the Circuit).

Perhaps we are impressed with some of these guys ability to get in there and throw money around, but they don't need the money anyway?

I think in the end part of the problem is that some of the players approached it like a cash game, while others approached it as a TV show. I dunno though, we really only saw a few hours worth of play. It's not completely fair to pass judgement on any of them for this small sample size.

[Keyser.]

Laak
Forrest
Freddy Deeb (haven't seen Deeb mentioned yet. I can't remember him ever making a bad decision during season 1)

Honorable mentions to Booth, Greenstein, Antonio

[xhawks]

Eli is definitely the worst player.
I think the Brad Booth doesn't really have enough hands in to qualify for the best player title.

Most disapointing, Doyle he wasnt even involved in a hand last night

[homeboy604]

I would have to say Harman for season 2. She was absolutely fearless, pouncing on weakness and exploiting it.
she played perfectly this season imo.

[KSOT]

Forrest
Deeb
Greenstein

[pindawg]

[ QUOTE ]
Forrest is number 1 by far.
Really surprised me.

Second and third is close between Harman in season 2 (just because she improved that much from season 1) and Esfandiari.

OPoyle played like a total nit, i am surprised you picked him.

The dissapoitments for me are Daniel "i will call huge bets even though i am beat" Negreanu, Eli "the donator" Elezra and actually Doyle "i am overrolled for the game but i am still gonna play nitty as it could get" Brunson

[/ QUOTE ]

There's nothing wrong with Doyle's tight style, especially with [donk payoff wizards] DN and Eli at your table. Obviously it is working for him.