Poker Player Tweets of the Week: Tell me what you really think about Donald Sterling

Now that I've felt the grind of covering my first poker tournament, I feel I have a greater appreciation for the daily struggles of the common professional poker player.

It must be hard waking up every day at noon, throwing on a hoodie and taking the elevator downstairs to sit in a chair and play a game all day. It must be brutal figuring out where you are going to eat on dinner breaks during a tournament, or deciding which exotic destination you will travel to next.

And it must be especially difficult for poker players to craft a good tweet. Because, let's face it, if you follow hundreds of poker players on Twitter (like I do), you've seen some real stinkers.

That said, here are the five tweets I've selected from the pile of crap I waded through over the past week.

Friday, May 2: Matt "@msalsberg" Salsberg

Ran into the nuts more times in Monte Carlo this week than a James Bond villain. #GetMeHome

— matt salsberg (@msalsberg) May 2, 2014

As my colleagues here at Casino City will tell you, my cinema knowledge is lacking, especially when it comes to major American film series. I've never seen a "Star Wars" or "Indiana Jones" movie, for instance. And, no, I've never seen a "James Bond" film.

However, because of my interest in poker, I did catch one scene from "Casino Royale," which I believe Matt Salsberg is referencing in his tweet. This is arguably the worst poker scene in movie history.



Thursday, May 1: Ryan "@RyanRiess1" Riess

Bartender at California Pizza Kitchen runs out of Blue Moon mid pour so fills the rest of the cup with Sam Adams Summer Ale #WillTheyKnow?

— Ryan Riess (@RyanRiess1) May 2, 2014

Ryan Riess won $8.3 million for winning the World Series of Poker Main Event in November. And now: The 23-year-old is eating at California Pizza Kitchen.

My, how the mighty have fallen.

Thursday, May 1: Dutch "@DutchBoyd" Boyd

I wonder how different the Sterling reactions would have been if it had been the NSA who leaked the call.

— Dutch Boyd (@DutchBoyd) May 1, 2014

I don't know why anyone's opinion on Donald Sterling would have changed. Yes, Sterling's comments were made in private and were most likely recorded and made public without his consent. That is despicable, and nobody is denying that.

But Sterling still said the things he said. And those things, whether uttered in private or public, are unacceptable. It's okay to blame both Sterling and his girlfriend for being horrible people, and it would be okay to place equal blame on the NSA if it were involved as well.

Sterling is a racist and he does not belong in the NBA. It's pretty simple.

Wednesday, April 30: Lex "@RaSZi" Veldhuis


I have played 2048 for a couple of months now, and my best score just barely beats Lex Veldhuis' mark shown here. For a while, I thought it was impossible to have a tile greater than "4096."

But a friend of mine has reached the "65,536" tile like it ain't no thang. He is also studying for the bar exam, which shows that only someone with the ability to procrastinate so greatly can truly reach their potential in this game.

Tuesday, April 29: Joshua "@golferjosh" Arieh

Is Sterling being forced to sell team? I hope no one buys it and no one plays for him. LA already has a team. How can they force him 2sell

— Joshua Arieh (@golferjosh) April 30, 2014

Another #HotSportsTake from Josh Arieh. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can figure out what exactly his opinion is here.

It seems like Arieh somehow wants everyone in the world to boycott the L.A. Clippers, and yet he doesn't think the NBA should be able to force Donald Sterling to sell the team whose existence he so mightily opposes.

"L.A. already has a team" is the dumbest excuse to not have a franchise in a certain city. Should the Mets, Nets, Jets, Angels, Ducks, White Sox and Athletics all re-locate to terrible sports markets, too?