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Daily 3-Bet: Doyle Pines, Angry Blinds, Poker Dress Code

Daily 3-Bet: Doyle Pines, Angry Blinds, Poker Dress Code

Daily 3-Bet: Doyle Pines, Angry Blinds, Poker Dress Code


The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a poignant look back at the forgotten soldiers of the afternoon poker news war.

Any suggestions for a future 3-Bet, feel free to drop a note in the comments.

Today in the 3-Bet we find Doyle Brunson paying homage to his old running mate Amarillo Slim, how poker played a part in the Angry Birds phenomenon and why Norman Chad thinks poker needs a dress code.

1) Doyle Brunson Pays Tribute to Amarillo Slim

Nobody in the poker world was closer to Amarillo Slim than his old running mate Doyle Brunson.

Amarillo Slim Preston
Great hustler, poor fighter.

While the rest of the world rushed to praise or pan Slim in their recent obits, Brunson took his time to gather his thoughts and put together a more well rounded look at Slim and his poker career.

Posted on his blog on Friday, Brunson says Slim wasn’t necessarily the best poker player but he was the best at hustling up games:

“People always ask me if Slim was a great player and was he as good as Sailor and me. My answer is no, not quite but he was way above the average player.

“Slims major contribution to our partnership was arranging games and promoting people to play with us. He had a gift of gab that I’ve never see equaled.

“He was absolutely fearless and could not be embarrassed about anything.”

On the downside, Brunson says, he had to do all the fighting:

“Unfortunately, he was tall and skinny and couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag and Sailor was too easy going, so I always had to do the fighting when things got out of hand”

As you might expect, it’s a touching tribute to an old friend. And you can tell Doyle pines for the old days, crazy as they were.

2) Angry Birds Offshoot Inspired by Company Poker Night

angrybirds
No poker, no Angry Birds.

Dig into the most successful Internet startups in the history of the Web and you’re likely to find a few common threads.

Showing up more often than you might think? Office poker games.

There’s no bigger app in the world than Angry Birds and the Finnish company that created it, Rovio, also took part in the poker ritual.

Rovio veterans Antti Stén and Tuomas Erikoinen, who helped build the Angry Birds legacy, are leaving to found their own company but look back fondly on the early poker nights at Rovio:

“Back in the days, about four years ago, Rovio used to have free beers every Friday so people stayed at the office,” Erikoinen tells PocketGamer.biz.

“There were twelve of us back then. Every Friday we would kick back, drink some beers and play poker. It was kind of like a tradition.”

Bringing the tradition with them to their new company, Boomlagoon, the two say they “have major plans to have their meeting room double as a ‘big ass poker room.’”

“We want to be the most laid back relaxed employers of all,” Erikoinen says.

Employers take note: free beer and poker = industry-defining success. Just a tip.

3) Sartorialist Norman Chad: Poker Needs a Dress Code

Mike Sexton has said it. Now Norman Chad has said it. And despite the fact both of them have questionable personal style, the question is still in interesting one.

Does poker need a dress code?

Drawing from the European Chess Union’s recent decision to establish a dress code to curtail cleavage, Chad takes the issue on in his latest Couch Slouch blog post. His take (not including several dozen random and confusing asides):

“Chess needs a dress code like Switzerland needs a navy. Poker needs a dress code.

“At the moment, all the twentysomething savants favor shades, baseball caps and hoodies, usually adorned in black. Card rooms these days look like funeral homes with chips.”

Chad also says golf needs a dress code, tennis needs a dress code, bowlers look fine and if there was a rule against short skirts in the early 80s his first marriage wouldn’t have happened.

Oh Norm. Watch him rank the top 5 oceans in an odd-colored polo shirt below: