In the second decade of the 21st Century, your heroes need not be unreachable demi-gods waving from ivory towers. It turns out that most of them are just ordinary people, who are more than happy to connect with the fans.
Twitter has brought plenty of previously aloof figures into the spotlight. It only takes a few keystrokes to send the finest poker players in the world a message they will almost certainly read. Who knows, if you’re interesting enough, a conversation between with the glitterati might even develop. To experience this kind of first hand interaction in days or yore, an intrepid fan would have to travel all the way to Las Vegas.
Of course, not all twitterers are made equal. Phil Ivey is somewhat renowned for his media-shy personality, so it’s no real surprise to discover that his various abortive attempts at twitter have been less than enthralling. To help you separate the wheat from the chaff, we’ve compiled a list of some of poker’s social media masters.
Daniel Negreanu
A less compassionate sole might say that Daniel is the sort of guy who like to run his mouth. Personally, I think he manages the almost impossible feat of remaining amiable and loveable while also unreservedly speaking his mind. Anyone who has ever read one of his rambling blog posts will attest to his penchant for making his voice heard.
Twitter lets Daniel ramble on all day long, equally free from restraint. To take one recent example, Kid Poker found himself at the table with Ali Tekimtamgac. The German pro was accused of cheating on the Partouche Poker Tour and Negreanu felt it was unfair of the WPT to allow him to play.
Matt Savage
Our next entry isn’t a player, but a tournament director. Adored by the pros for his legendary abilities, this former WSOP TD is an extremely active tweeter. That’s the real key to being someone worth following. Having a high density of interesting tweets is preferable to having the very occasional gem.
Savage is particularly interesting when answering questions about potential rules quandaries that crop up at tournaments around the world.
Doyle Brunson
You might not expect a 77-year-old Texan to be all that au fait with twitter, but Doyle’s taken to the social media world like a shark to felt. His Doylisms are a little corny at times, but he shows a genuine willingness to engage with this many fans and pours out tweets that back up his status as the Godfather of Poker.
He has a particular penchant for the odd blonde joke and isn’t afraid of getting mixed up in the controversy of the day. Just recently, he waded in with his take on Negreanu’s cheating accusations.
BJ Nemeth
Back to another non-player now in the form of BJ Nemeth, lead reporter for the World Poker Tour. Aside from having been a poker scribe since the days of yore, BJ is a fantastic tournament photographer. His words and pictures have graced the glossy pages of the internet for years and he continues to share his expertise on twitter.
Alongside poker news, BJ packs in plenty of tweets about his beloved pooch Rhapsody. Sadly his companion has recently fallen ill, which has lent a melancholy, if no less gripping, air to his tweets of late.
Tom Dwan
It seems only yesterday that the man known as durrrr was an unknown newcomer. Now even those forged in his image have become household names. Dwan is a vibrant figure on twitter, always ready to engage with the railbirds and happy to have a laugh at his own expense.
