In many ways poker took a back seat to other activities on Twitter. Tomorrow’s Kentucky Derby was on the minds of many, but there was still some time to throw some poker in on the side.
“Enough of the poker stuff, it’s KENTUCKY DERBY TIME!,” tweeted Tiffany Michelle early Thursday morning. “My first time in Louisville, looking forward to the festivities & beautiful weather.” Phil Hellmuth, who traditionally is a part of a special charity poker tournament prior to racing, had a similar schedule when he Tweeted, “Thurs: 9:00 am Atlantic City poker w @GStephanopoulos: 6:00 pm Louisville emcee Kentucky Derby charity poker; midnight VIP parties!”
“First time and day at Churchill Downs,” Michelle tweeted upon arrival in Kentucky, including a Twitpic. “It’s a gorgeous day. Wow, this feels so surreal. I’m a lucky girl!” Pamela Brunson was a bit envious of Michelle when she Tweeted, “@TiffnyMichelle I’m so jealous! I’ve never gone to the Kentucky Derby but would LOVE to. Y’all have fun & wear some big hats!”
On another non-poker front, 2009 CardPlayer Player of the Year Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin was invited back to his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, to throw out the first pitch for his former team. An excellent baseball player, Baldwin was less than enthused with his performance when he Tweeted, “Threw out the first pitch at my Alma mater UW-Whitewater doubleheader yesterday. I should have warmed up. Tried to throw hard. Went 50 ft.” Soon after, he added, “Catcher bailed me out and picked the hop before it made the backstop. Awesome day and a fun night out after!”
Apparently unaware of his exploits on the diamond that night, “Hollywood” Dave Stann let his followers know about a competition he might be a part of: “Just got picked by DodgersLive as an alternate to throw a baseball 25 feet into a target to win a 42″ TV. Paging baseball pro @basebaldy!” Baldwin quickly Tweeted back, “@Hollywood_Dave after my performance yesterday I am no longer qualified to give advice.”
The European Poker Tour’s (EPT) Monte Carlo High Roller event took place over the past couple of days and reports on Twitter showed how difficult the field was. “Out, lost JJ vs A5 of justin smith pf allin,” Tweeted Lex Veldhuis. “Gonna go home as soon as I can. Go to hospital for spleen and get ready for Vegas.” Daniel Negreanu had a similar situation: “Utg raise I flat QQ two more call. Flop 963 guy bets I go all in he calls and has AA. I’m out and headed back to Vegas.”
From Evelyn Ng’s Twitter account comes the news that there could soon be a new sponsored pro on the Bodog roster. “Getting ready for an interview and then a 2-day photo shoot with the newest Team Bodog female pro. Can’t wait to meet her,” Tweeted Evelyn on Thursday morning. While not indicating who the player is, Ng was quite coy: “The interview & shoot went great. Everyone is super cool, especially my new Bodog Teammate! you guys will love her… to be continued tmro.”
There were several choices for Tweet of the Week, with the always entertaining Doyle Brunson leading the way. Prior to a trip to Costa Rica, Brunson has apparently found another target for his jokes – instead of Negreanu’s golf game – when he humorously Tweeted about Jean-Robert Bellande, “@BrokeLivingJRB is so unlucky he got a hooker and she told him she had a headache.” Kara Scott enjoyed a quiet day off by Tweeting, “woke up, cleaned the house, put a pot roast in the slow cooker, did laundry…. I’m living in the 50s today.”
Attending the same Atlantic City event that Hellmuth was at, Annie Duke took the time to Tweet, “Thanks @GStephanopoulis and @GMA for a great day of poker. Worth the red eye. Obv, George will go pro now. I’ll join ABC news to fill in.” Beth Shak, who is in Kentucky for the Derby and was a part of Hellmuth’s charity event last night, Tweeted her followers, “The line of the night… Can I take a picture with you. I turn around he starts to put his arm around me N has no camera… WOW ALCOHOL.” Finally, it appears that pro Peter Jepsen will be making a return to Twitter when he chirped, “So, will start twitting again I guess… meanwhile figuring out how to rebuild my life and bankroll.”
