Mike Johnson History Buff

I couldn’t help but notice that almost all of the WiseHandPoker.com authors list either Dan Harrington or Daniel Negreanu as their favorite poker pro. At first I thought that everyone just liked poker pros with some version of the name Dan. If that was the case then where is Daniel Alaei or Steve Dannenmann? The preference probably isn’t based on playing style either since the two pros have very different approaches to the game. Negreanu often will play any two cards with the thought that he will outplay his opponent after the flop. Harrington on the other hand is a more patient player who focuses much more on the math of each situation. I think the main reason Harrington and Negreanu are favorites among fans (and especially among poker authors) is because both players have done a lot of writing about poker and have been very active away from the table over the last several years. Harrington has written three terrific poker theory books (Harington on Hold’em I, II, and III) that have been praised by many as the best tournament strategy guides out there today. Negreanu is one of the most active writing poker players thanks to his popular blog and articles for CardPlayer.com. Their writings allow fans to gain a better understanding of how they as pros approach the game. This humanizes the players and makes you take a rooting interest in the outcome of their key hands you see on TV.

Hopefully I will get some time to write more about Harrington and a couple other pros during this week. Between moving, going to weddings, classes, and extra hours at work, I’ve had very little time to get any writing accomplished. Right now I’m stuck in day one of a two day Crystal Reporting Training seminar. This session is boring enough that I don’t feel bad about ignoring the trainer and posting this blog entry. That sentence might confuse some of you since most people believe that database reporting is fun and exciting. In truth it’s not at all exciting and is in no way fun, but it does make Dilbert cartoons seem funnier. Tomorrow I’ll probably become equally bored and might end up asking the guy sitting next to me if he wants to play some heads up OH8. He looks like he’s more of a Go fish type though.

One thing I am excited about is the recent expanision of WHP's blog section. I have been having a blast reading through all of the recent entrys by the new Negranu/Harrington loving authors and I can't wait to see what their columns will look like.

Best of Luck
Mike