One of the original bad boys of poker made a surprise appearance at the recent partypoker Millions festival at King’s Casino in Rozvadov and ended up taking down a Short Deck tournament for €237,250.
Antanas Guoga, who is better known in the poker world as Tony G, outlasted 27 entries in the elite €25,000 buy-in Short Deck to pick up his first major win in several years.
The tournament, which was co-hosted by the Triton Series, attracted the likes of Phil Ivey, Rui Cao and Richard Yong.
The final table proved to be a lively one with Cary Katz, Paul Phua and Laing Yu in the mix. Leon Tsoukernik, who owns King’s Casino, also finished third to pick up a tidy €104,500 payout.
It’s unclear if Tony G will return full time to the poker world — he’s currently serving as a politician in Lithuania — but it was certainly a sign that he can still compete with the best in the world.
From Poker to Politics and Back Again
Guoga essentially left the poker industry in 2014 when he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in his home country of Lithuania.
Even before entering the European Parliament, Tony G had a number of interests beyond just playing poker. He was an entrepreneur who owned numerous businesses in both the poker and cryptocurrency industries.
Tony G was one of the most memorable personalities who appeared on TV shows during the online poker boom of the early 2000s. Known for his brash and outspoken behavior at the tables, he could back it up and has over $6 million in lifetime live tournament earnings.
One of his earliest scores came at the 2004 WPT Grand Prix de Paris where he finished runner-up to take home $414,478.
Arguably, Tony G was most famous for an incident that occurred during the now-defunct Intercontinental Poker Championship back in 2006.
Tony G eliminated Russian Ralph Perry but proceeded to berate the Russian for his bad play for several minutes after the elimination. At one point he told Perry to “Get on his bike,” which became a catchphrase in poker.
Interestingly, Tony G’s victory in the Triton Short Deck event in Rozvadov this week represented the first time he’s ever even cashed in a Short Deck tournament. Short Deck, also known as 6+ Hold’em, removes every card below a six from the deck to juice up the amount of action in the game.
Kristen Bicknell Earns €213k in High Roller
Kristen Bicknell is quickly becoming one of the best female poker players to ever compete in super high roller tournaments.
The Canadian finished sixth in the €100k buy-in super high roller tournament, which also took place at the partypoker Millions earlier this week, to win a hefty €213,000.
Bicknell, who’s sponsored by partypoker, already had an impressive poker resume before playing super high roller tournaments, with two WSOP bracelets and millions in earnings, but she’s shown that she can compete with the best poker players in the world over the last couple years.
Here’s a look at Bicknell’s work in 2019 alone:
| Date | Location | Tournament | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 12 | Czech Republic | € 100,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 6th | $238,685 |
| July 5 | United States | $ 10,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 1st | $84,000 |
| May 6 | Cyprus | $ 5,000 + 300 No-Limit Hold'em | 3rd | $254,770 |
| May 2 | Monaco | € 25,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 20th | $49,104 |
| May 1 | Monaco | € 10,200 No-Limit Hold'em | 1st | $52,692 |
| March 5 | United States | $ 25,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 2nd | $180,070 |
| Feb. 17 | United States | $ 25,000 No-Limit Hold'em - USPO | 5th | $118,000 |
| Feb. 1 | Australia | A$ 98,000 + 2,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 6th | $209,010 |
| Jan. 6 | Bahamas | $ 25,000 No-Limit Hold'em - PSPC | 11th | $328,500 |
Perhaps what’s most impressive about Bicknell’s performance is that she’s already up to over $4 million in lifetime live tournament earnings but the bulk of those earnings have all come since 2013. It’s taken Bicknell just over five years to earn over $4 million playing poker in some of the toughest games in the world.
Bicknell is already fourth on the all-time list of female poker players and has a shot at No. 1 if she continues to perform well in high-stakes tournaments.
It’s rare for female poker players to compete in super high roller tournaments. Vanessa Selbst, who’s since retired from poker, was one of the few who regularly made appearances on the Super High Roller Circuit. Selbst even played the massive $1-million buy-in Big One for One Drop in 2014.
Selbst is currently No. 1 on the all-time money list for female poker players with a staggering $11.8 million in earnings.
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