Greg ‘Fossilman’ Raymer, best known for his 2004 World Series of Poker main event championship, has gone on a remarkable run-good streak on the Heartland Poker Tour Season Eight. Over the past four months, Raymer had won three HPT titles: Albuquerque, New Mexico on July 30; St. Louis, Missouri in September and Des Moines, Iowa in October. On Monday night, Raymer won an unprecedented fourth HPT title – making a perfect four-for-four HPT final table appearances – at the tour’s season finale in Florence, Indiana.
The $106k prize brings Raymer’s 2012 HPT tally to almost $372k and his lifetime live tourney earnings to over $7.3m. The Indiana victory was all the more impressive considering Raymer began the six-handed final table play with the shortest stack. However, he managed to double up on the very first hand and the action eventually came down to Raymer v. Jacob Bazeley, who finished runner-up in Event #2 at this year’s WSOP. Sadly for online stalwart Bazeley, he was once again the live poker bridesmaid, earning $59k for being the last to fall at Raymer’s hands. Following his historic victory, Raymer said he was “overwhelmed” by his “unbelievable run.”
Naturally, everyone will now start analyzing Raymer’s recent play for some suggestion as to how he’s managed to improve his play so dramatically. Usually, whenever a physical athlete goes on an unprecedented win streak, rumors of chemical enhancement inevitably circulate. Those accusations aren’t likely to stick to Raymer, whose physique suggests he’s far more likely to be found at a juice bar than ‘juicing’ in Barry Bonds’ doctor’s office. But could there be other modern medical marvels at play?
In a stunning triumph of marketing over the spirit of the Hippocratic Oath, a New York ‘doctor of aesthetic medicine’ is pitching a ‘cure’ for poker player ‘tells’. The Huffington Post reports that Dr. Jack Berdy’s ‘Pokertox’ combo of Botox and facial fillers can minimize or downright eliminate those facial ticks that allow opponents to know when you’re trying to bluff your way through a hand. Even better (or worse, depending on your perspective), Berdy says he can also “put Botox in areas to make it look like the player has a ‘tell’ they really don’t have.” Sadly, Berdy’s gamble on luring insecure poker players hasn’t added fat stacks to his bankroll: the Pokertox offer has been on Berdy’s price list for over a week and has yet to sign up a single guinea pig. Sure, you’re laughing now, but just wait until the frozen-faced Nicole Kidman wins the 2013 WSOP main event…
