Good write-up, and I mostly agree, but I do question how in the dark either guy was. Ivey profited more off his company's malfeasance I would guess, but I can buy him being out of touch. He's a true sicko, and I don't think his thoughts go much further than the next sweat, whether it be poker, craps, or sports betting. The thing with Ivey is you always think to yourself," he's just so fucking good, he has to be so much smarter and aware than he appears." That's the question mark with him. He says so little, and almost plays up the unaware, detached angle because it adds to his intimidating aloof image, but he has to be really fucking smart. Almost too smart to not pay attention to a company making him so very wealthy. He doesn't strike me as a guy who would be out of that particular loop of people. If he didn't know, he didn't want to know. I mean, how can you be known for having the best reads in the world, yet be unaware? A guy who makes reads like him is always paying attention, even when he seems to not be.
Hellmuth though isn't a degen like that. I'd go as far to say that among the true few "poker celebrities" of which there are only maybe ten of, that he works the least out of all of them. He hardly grinds cash games, he only plays high-profile big buy-in tournaments other than the occasional small WSOP field where he can grab a bracelet. He seems far more interested in being a star fucker and in business and self-promotion than actually playing. I agree I don't see him as a cheater, and I actually like him and think he's probably a decent family guy, but when I think back to what a man crush he had on Greg Pierson, and how interested he
seemed in the business end of at least Iovation being an investor, I have to wonder if he has us all fooled. When you think back to HH's blog about Pierson,
http://haleyspokerblog.blogspot.com/...ing-names.html
and then remember his blog posts back then (taken from scribd site written by mookman), you have to shake your head and think if he didn't know, and was in the dark, he must have been the only one in the dark half the time with Russ and Greg if what we think happened at UB is what happened. Hellmuth is obv. very wealthy now, but back when he was an investor in Iovation and reliant upon his deal with UB, he stood to gain a hell of a lot by them succeeding. If he's dirty, he's very lucky that it seems limited to this isolated incident, and that he is viewed as such a straight shooter in poker. He gets the benefit of the doubt because he isn't known as a hustler, but I do wonder with both him and Ivey how "unaware" they really were. If they were 'unaware", then I kind of question if we really even understand what went down with either company, and why they truly failed, and who the true villains are? I said I mostly agree with your post because it "feels" like those guys are self-interested like Daniel said, but color me skeptical still. They are great poker players, and we see what they want us to see. The argument that they are so into themselves that they wouldn't pay attention to the companies enriching them feels right observing them through the years, but is almost counter-intuitive. How those companies did was so much more important than anything they did playing poker was to their lifestyles if they were truly "about themselves" like Daniel claims.
November 7, 2004 - Phil Hellmuth Blog “Greg Pierson is the man! No, you haven't heard of him yet, but mark my words:GP's new company, IoVation' an internet security company--will have a billion dollar valuation by 2008. Considering how much respect I have for Greg, and considering the fact that I'm lucky enough to be an investor in IoVation, I vowed to Greg that he could get some private lessons from me anytime.”
October 23, 2005 - Phil Hellmuth Story in Aruba“With 135 players remaining, I went down to the tournament area to root for m ygood friend Greg Pierson. Greg is the founder and CEO of Iovation, an Internet securitycompany. I knew from the day I met him that Pierson would be a billionaire someday, but can he play poker?”
October 18, 2006 - Phil Hellmuth Blog “Meanwhile I played in a no limit Hold'em side game at the Holiday Inn, wherethe blinds were $10-$20, and the buy-in was $5,000 a man. Russ Hamilton, Greg Pierson, Bruno Fitoussi, Antonio Esfandiari, Ken Einiger, and the casino owner Mike Posner were all in the game.”“This was about high stakes no limit, but also about getting time with my business partners Russ and Greg.
”April 23, 2007 - Phil Hellmuth Blog “On Friday night my wife flew in and we celebrated with my good friend GregPierson (the CEO of Iovation) at his birthday party, where he had Smash Mouth play”“Eventually the party moved from the Portland Art Museum to Greg's "Street of Dreams" house. You should see this place! It has an indoor basketball court, that youcan see from the bar. In fact, you can throw basketballs from a balcony next to the bar. Ithas a "Horizonless pool" with a waterfall in the middle. And, of course, there is the private garage with a couple of amazing cars and motorcycles. Nice place Greg! And really, I was up there to support my man Greg, and his wife Janelle.”
June 22, 2007 - Phil Hellmuth Blog “On the plus side of the ledger, it was terrific having my great friends Greg and Janelle Pierson in attendance watching the final table. Greg is an amazing guy, who is also CEO of Iovation (a cutting edge Internet security firm with 37 customers, including GE). Greg was so chilled it was amazing! I'm so used to seeing him in "Business mode,"wheeling and dealing, and offering up great ideas (or shooting them down) with great energy. After I was eliminated, Greg, Janelle, my wife and I went out for dinner, and then my sons joined us for the show "Ka" at the MGM Grand.
”December 1, 2007 - Phil Hellmuth Blog Portland, Oregon – “Of course, some of my best buddies live up here, and it was great to chill with Jon Karl and Greg Pierson. Greg and Jon are the Founders of Iovation, and Iovation just received $15 million from Intel. I am lucky enough to be a shareholder in Iovation, and the prospects look amazing.”
July 1, 2008 - Phil Hellmuth Blog “The bracelet itself, if I can win it, has been promised to my close friend Greg Pierson who is the CEO of Iovation.”