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It is easy to underestimate Greg Raymer. Firstly, there are those
www.pokerstars.net commercials that he appears in. In the ads, he looks
directly at the camera and talks about how playing on Pokerstars led to him
winning the WSOP. He even recreates his victory celebration, and he
generally makes an ass of himself. (There is also the credibility matter of
a man who has won $5 million playing on a free online site, but I digress)
Then there is his appearance. To put it kindly, Raymer is a portly fellow. He
resembles the Pillsbury Dough Boy after a KFC binge. He also wears freaky
glasses that look like they came out of a bad acid flashback. When you see
Raymer at the table you can't help but chuckle to yourself. He does not
intimidate like a Phil Ivey.
On the other hand, there is much to like about Greg Raymer. He is a
friendly, kind man who has been generous with his time and money since his
big victory. He has been an ambassador for the game of poker and a World
Champion who understands the responsibility that comes with sudden fame. He
always talks to fans who approach him and he spends hours signing
autographs. He is also a regular contributor to the RGP message boards and
loves sharing his views on game theory.
Raymer is a former lawyer who got into poker almost by accident. Like most
people, he played for dimes during college, but he never thought about
playing professionally. In fact, Blackjack was originally his game of
choice. To supplement his income, Greg counted cards at Blackjack at local
Indian Casinos. When Casinos started to catch on to him, he decided to make
the transition to the poker games he saw going on. He started playing 3-6
Limit Hold'Em and found he had a natural affinity for the game. He bought
poker books and started absorbing any knowledge he could. Raymer did (and
still does) consider himself a student of the game. He moved up in the
limits until he became established as a winning player at the 150-300 Limit
at Foxwoods Casino. Then he won the WSOP, and now he can play in any game he
wants.
It must be said that Greg Raymer is a top player who has earned the respect of his fellow pros. During the telecast of the final table of the 2004 WSOP Championship, lady luck was definitely smiling on Greg. He busted one player when he held TT vs. AA and flopped a ten, and then busted another when his AT hit a straight to beat AK. He also seemed to win every coin flip he was involved in. But he had a huge stack that was never seriously threatened. He increased his chip count every day of the tournament, and he maintained his focus all week long. When the Main Event started he had the same amount of chips as everybody else, so he was obviously doing something right. Raymer also almost did the unthinkable by repeating as Champ in 2005.
He was the chip leader deep into the tournament and seemed to be a lock for the final table until he was crippled by a runner-runner flush. He finished an incredible 25th in a field of over 5600 and dispelled any notion that he was a flash in the pan. He also placed 6th out of a field of 2013 in an earlier 2005 WSOP event. This man slices through large tournament fields as skillfully as he slices through a slab of prime rib.
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