The Best Tournament Players You Haven't Heard Of

Tournament poker is a funny business. Last year I had an incredible year on the circuit, and this year has treated me very badly, as I've made very few final tables and had zero cashes for six figures. Conversely, some other players have emerged as some of the hottest in the game. Most of the media and poker websites are attracted to the players who are loud, marketable, exciting to watch, and talk a lot at the tables. In this column, you'll become acquainted with some of the great players about whom you don't really hear much. These are some guys who have put up huge numbers in 2007 and have slipped under the radar. I'm not happy if I see any of them at my table. Here they are, in no special order:

Alex Bolotin: This young guy from New York has accumulated tournament winnings that exceed $750,000. Alex is almost always hidden under a hoodie at the tables, so this is probably part of the reason he is relatively unknown. I had the pleasure of playing him in the World Series of Poker heads-up event, and I really enjoyed watching him play. He just missed winning a bracelet this year, finishing second to Bill Edler in the $5,000 sixhanded event.

Ryan Young: Ryan won a bracelet this year in one of the $1,500 no-limit hold'em events. He kept up his hot streak by winning a preliminary event in Los Angeles recently before the World Poker Tour Legends of Poker championship. His cashes exceed $800,000. I expect him to wreak havoc on the circuit for years to come.

Anthony Reategui: Here is a guy with more than $1.2 million in tournament cashes, and you never hear anyone talking about him. He, too, is a WSOP bracelet winner and can show up with just about any hand in any position, which makes him very difficult to play against.

Justin "looshle" Pechie: Justin is a cool young guy who has $700,000 in tournament winnings. He narrowly missed winning a bracelet last year, and then finished second to Cory Carroll in the WSOP Tournament Circuit event at Caesars in May. Like Ryan, he is a young guy who will be a force for a long, long time.

Travis "TravestyFund" Rice: Here's a guy who had a huge WSOP with three cashes, including two final tables. He also won a preliminary event at the L.A. Poker Classic in February. These cashes totaled almost $400,000.

Eric "basebaldy" Baldwin: The majority of Eric's success has come online, but he still has beaten up live tournaments for more than $150,000. It seems like every time I talk to him online, he is at the final table of some huge online tournament. Look for him to have a major live-tournament score before the end of 2007.

There are countless other great unknown players, but I thought I'd give you a look at some of those I believed deserved some recognition. I'd love to name all of them, but I am allowed only so much space per column. I hope that all of you reading this column will have a strong winning finish in 2007!

Shannon Shorr is a professional poker player from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He finished fourth in the Card Player 2006 Player of the Year race. You can follow his progress at shannonshorr.com, or e-mail him with questions and comments at [email protected].