The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a pair of light-up shoes, a rubber utility ball and 20 mins of off-the-hook, heart-pounding afternoon poker news four-square.
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Today in the 3-Bet we find Dan Colman (and Olivier Busquet) getting as far away from a non-statement as possible in Barcelona, Mike "Timex" McDonald still finds a way to make Super High Roller profit and the poker vs. athletics debate gets another go-round.
1) Colman Gets Political at EPT SHR Final Table
Dan Colman's "Frown Heard Round the World" - otherwise known as his reaction to winning the $15m Big One for One Drop - is still making its Internet rounds but he's already in the process of creating his next big viral video still.
While most of the mainstream media glommed on to his sad-faced reaction as a lark ("drop the poker face, man, you won $15m" is the running joke) Colman, as we know, had his reasons for avoiding a showy picture and winner's interview.
He doesn't owe poker anything, thinks celebrating individual monetary success is bad and poker is a distraction from important issues.
One of those more important issues?
The centuries-old, atrocity filled conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Colman and his mentor Olivier Busquet, who chopped the event for roughly $1m apiece, wore t-shirts that said "Free Palestine" and "Save Gaza," respectively, on today's SHR live stream.
Hard to say their full objective/reasoning though as neither elaborated further in any interviews yet.
Busquet did pose for pictures and spoke about his win to the PokerStars blog. More to come on this, we assume.
2) Timex Burns €150k in Buy-ins, Still Profits
Mike "Timex" McDonald is one of the most successful High-Roller tournament players in the world with impressive scores throughout his career from high-stakes events around the globe.
In January alone, for example, he took down seven-figure scores in $100k and $250k events at the Aussie Millions.
Things didn't go quite as well for him, playing-wise, in Barcelona as he burned through three €50k buy-ins and finished out of the money in the event won by Olivier Busquet.
Still though, as crafty and/or lucky players do, he found a way to make money - assumedly by having a big piece of either Busquet or Colman:
Swapped with 1 person, bought action of 1 person, lost 3 bullets and had one of my most profitable super high rollers ever. Man I'm good— Mike McDonald (@MikeMcDonald89) August 20, 2014
3) Poker's Not a Sport. But It Sure Plays Like One
So the verdict is in from Redditors - poker is not thought of very often (or very highly) in terms of being a "sport."
They think so little of it as "sport," actually, that it ranked below such calorie-burning activities as:
- Competitive Eating
- Chess
- Competitive Video Gaming
- Fishing
- Hunting
- Cheerleading
- Darts
- Bocce Ball (no, seriously - well behind Bocce Ball)
- Paintball
- Croquet
- Riflery
- Disc Golf and
- Kickball
We could go on, but that's more than enough humiliating imagery for one day. And, really, it's a silly debate.
It's also pretty obvious the general population has very little understanding of poker as an entity, sport or otherwise.
Simple solution looking at those other "sports?" Add guns, balls and recess somehow, we guess.
