by Tony G
I was licking my lips before I went to WPT Malta – St. Julian’s is a gaming hub and full of plenty of loose players in my eyes. However this wasn’t the real reason I was so excited, the presence of a certain Mr. Philip Hellmuth Jr filled me with great joy on the plane. I hadn’t seen him since the Big Game in Vegas where I crushed him and he screamed that he never ever wanted to play poker with me again. Malta is a small island and definitely not big enough for that head of his – I was going to use this WPT event to bring him down to earth with a mighty crash.
When I arrived at WPT Malta, I went straight into the WPT player party and met the beautiful European Royal Flush Girls – I was confident they needed the guiding hand of Tony G. I met the PartyPoker.com qualifiers and also the others that had made their way to the island. I loved the canapés, I loved the wine, but there was still no sign of ‘The Brat’. I was smoking a cigar and in the mood to party when I heard that Hellmuth was in the Hilton Hotel bar, drinking his favourite Louis VIII Cognac at €200 a spin.
He had wanted to make a grand entrance to the WPT player party, so I headed off to the hotel and ambushed him in the reception area. There, I cuddled him like a bear but he didn’t look pleased to see me. I know he was angry with the media minders that they had allowed him to be ambushed. Deep down, though I’m eager to destroy him, I feel love for Hellmuth.
Off the felt, Malta had welcoming people and a great reggae bar. Everyone tends to socialise in the same places so the community of the event was superb. The tournament itself? It is always great to see Matt Savage, he runs a top event, though unfortunately Hellmuth was never at my table. Because WPT Malta had re-entry on Day 1B, Hellmuth obviously lasted only seconds on Day 1A and I made sure he got a warm welcome and big goodbye. I like the idea of these re-entry tournaments and if you happen to be a Poker Brat, re-entry is a gift from heaven!
I think I played well but was disappointed not to go really deep, though I did cash in 25th. I was focused on my game and felt good – I think having Phil there gave me a lift. I was happy for Matt Giannetti – he’s a good guy and a great player and he deserved the new WPT Champions Cup. What anyone who wins a WPT title needs to know, however, is that I am the champion. True, I haven’t won a WPT event (I came in second at last year’s London High Roller), but I am the captain. The runner-up Cecilia seemed like a strong-willed lady – she made some crazy moves and tilted more established pros. Definitely one to watch.
I ended up doing the WPT Live Streaming commentary with Hellmuth and what fun that was. To warm up, I had some fine Dover Sole and a couple of drinks and then went to join Phil in the booth with the European Royal Flush Girls. The girls were fun but they need to be open minded to the G – how dare they try and put me in my place! I think the highlight was when I was in the box with Hellmuth, the RFGs and poker’s Justin Bieber – Austrian Thomas Brauner. It was just crazy. Baby, baby, baby yeah!
Overall, I loved WPT Malta and am happy to see the tour expand so much in Europe. I am looking forward to WPT Prague where I intend to catch up with Jungleman, and I can’t wait for WPT Venice and all the WPT events in 2012.
I am determined to win a WPT title – the Champions Cup needs my name on that gorgeous trophy!
