The top 10 most respected players in poker Part 3
With poker players like Annie Duke, Howard Lederer, Scotty Nguyen, Erick Lindgren, Sorel Mizzi, Joe Sebok, Chino Rheem, Daniel Cates, Alec Torelli and countless others all having to answer questions about their behavior or their associations in the poker world I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of the most well-respected players in poker.
Now, this doesn’t mean these people are beyond reproach, but simply means that at the current time in the poker world these players have a very solid reputation both from the general public and from their poker playing peers. Basically, when these players speak the poker world tends to listen.
In order to be considered for the following list a player must not only have a good reputation, they also need to be fairly well-known and also willing to speak about current topics in the poker world, whether it’s the occasional insightful post or a weekly blog.
So here is the conclusion of this three-part series:
#3 — Daniel Negreanu
Daniel lands at #3 solely because he is so outspoken on so many topics. Whenever an opinion is needed you can be sure Daniel Negreanu will offer his up, and he does so on his time, to virtually any outlet, for free; not to push an agenda, but simply for his love of the game.
Daniel is by far the most followed poker player, but his controversial stances on certain issues keeps him from displacing the two players ahead of him on this list. But, regardless of his place on the list: When Daniel speaks the poker world listens.
#2 — Phil Galfond
One of the greatest players of the online generation has sent a lot of time in recent months offering up his thoughts on the current state of the poker world, through thoughtful, well laid-out, blog posts on his personal website.
Galfond is a non-controversial figure who has always maintained a low profile in the world of poker, and along with his well-written ideas he has become one of the most important voices when it comes to bringing about change in poker.
#1 — Vanessa Selbst
Selbst is a regular contributor on poker forums and like most of the other poker players on this list withholds her judgments until she has all the facts. She’s not afraid to get involved in the more scandalous threads on the forums, or to offer her opinions about the current “high-roller” trend in tournament poker.
I placed Vanessa ahead of Phil Galfond because she is also working hard to dispel the notions about female poker players, and as the first openly gay player in the modern game she has also been an inspiration and role-model for gay poker players (when Jason Somerville came out this year he cited Selbst in his blog post).
