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Daily WSOPE 3-Bet: Koon Gut, Nicolau Luck, Negreanu King

Daily WSOPE 3-Bet: Koon Gut, Nicolau Luck, Negreanu King

Daily WSOPE 3-Bet: Koon Gut, Nicolau Luck, Negreanu King


The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a gut-check, a guardian angel and a fortuitous tailwind that pushes you past the afternoon poker news finish line.

Got a tip for a future 3-Bet? Drop a note or link in the comments and we’ll take a look.

Today in the 3-Bet we find West Virginia’s Jason Koon following his gut to a successful career in poker, Nicolau Villa-Lobos feeling like he’s got all the luck in the world and the one and only Daniel Negreanu raking in the kudos for his second career WSOP Player of the Year title.

1) Jason Koon: I’ve Always Trusted My Gut

As Jason Koon is quite literally one of the fittest people in the world, let alone in poker, we’re not talking his “actual gut” here (which is often the case in poker).

Coming from a very small town (Weston) in West Virginia, Koon got a business degree and went through the motions of settling into a traditional career the conservative community he grew up in could understand.

His gut told him he’d be good at poker, though, and seven years later he’s one of the top high-stakes players in the world:

2) Nicolau Villa-Lobos: You Have to Believe in Luck

Some might say if you grow up the son of a guitar player in one of the most legendary rock bands in the world, you’ve already cashed in your “one time.”

Nicolau Villa-Lobos hasn’t come close to stopping there. Discovering a heart condition at age 18 that could have killed him at any time, Villa-Lobos took his doctor-mandated downtime from sports and turned into into a very lucky – and very successful – poker career.

So much luck, in fact, he thinks he’s got something extra on his side. It’s hard not to believe it, either, as he’s currently in the top 4 of the 25k WSOPE High Roller too.

3) Daniel Negreanu: Once and Future King of the WSOP

He’s done it. Daniel Negreanu is officially the World Series of Poker Player of the Year for 2013. Mostly on the back of his WSOP APAC main event win and now his at least a fourth-place finish in the 25k High Roller at the WSOPE.

For the record he’s also the first to ever do it twice having won the WSOP POY back in 2004 too.

Haters can hate on his table banter or his “call it like he sees it” poker commentary but no one can deny he’s one of the most consistent players to ever hit the tables.

Most of the people chiming in with congratulations today agree. Read the tweets below and watch him streaming live at the High Roller final table right here.

@RealKidPoker WEEEE YOU DA BEST!!! CONFIRMADO— Liv Boeree (@Liv_Boeree) October 24, 2013

@RealKidPoker Congrats man!! Guess will have to now look at 2 posters of you next summer at the Rio :)— Eugene Katchalov (@EugeneKatchalov) October 24, 2013

@RealKidPoker Great new! Much deserved, as an ambassador also as a player. #respect— Fabrice Soulier (@_Fabsoul_) October 24, 2013

@_Fabsoul_ @RealKidPoker Great achievement, very much deserved Congrats !— Marcel Luske (@MarcelLuske) October 24, 2013

@RealKidPoker congrats man! U deserve it more than anybody! Such a idol!!!!— andre akkari (@aakkari) October 24, 2013

Congratulations on second @WSOP POY @RealKidPoker! You EARNED this and no one should ever argue about the POY process after the fact!— Matt Savage (@SavagePoker) October 24, 2013

Congratulations to my Friend @RealKidPoker for winning WSOP POY. Now lets win the tournament. #thebest— Jennifer Harman (@REALJenHarman) October 24, 2013

Congrats to my good friend @RealKidPoker for winning WSOP POY for the 2nd time! Really is amazing how consistent u are! U MIGHT be the #GOAT— Jason Mercier (@JasonMercier) October 24, 2013

@RealKidPoker Congratulations, you sick f***. You’re mentally ill, but in the best possible way.— Joe Stapleton (@Stapes) October 24, 2013