Poker Articles

With the World Poker Tour Spanish Championship having just finished up, this seems to be as good a time as any to take a closer look at our most talented players in España.  Spain is a country full of scenic vistas, including white sand beaches and undulating mountains.  The country possesses a culture full of history, instantly evident by the intricate architecture from centuries past found in all of the major cities.  The mantra there is more of a "work to live" laid back attitude, quite the opposite of what is most commonly seen in the United States.  This makes for an ideal atmosphere for the majority of poker players, and the fact that daily siestas are a way of life in Spain seals the deal.

The top 10 players in Spain are an impressive bunch, two of whom are ranked in the Pocketfives world wide rankings.  It may be easy to go with the flow and get caught up in the relaxing lifestyle that exists in España, but this hasn't stopped well known poker pro Danny "THE__D__RY" Ryan (pictured upper right) from getting the job done.  He is number one in the country and 13th overall on P5's.  Danny told me he thinks "it's cool that P5's has organized the rankings by country, and it's nice to just see the other people ranked in countries near you.  I've never worried too much about rankings in general, but it's fun to see them every now and then."

Since the beginning of this year, THE__D__RY has cashed for over $500k on PokerStars and over $172,018 on FullTilt.  In September, he had four 5-figure scores totaling over $72k.  Less than three months ago in July, he had the biggest score of his career, winning $75,123 in the Full Tilt 500k Guaranteed.  As a poker player, he is relentless and can often be found at some of the biggest final tables on the net.  If the Spanish mantra holds true for this young gun, I would love to see how his hard work allows him to live.

Coming in at the number two spot is TheHero, aka Vietcong01 on PokerStars and FullTilt.  He is ranked 93rd world wide and has some hefty scores under his belt that demand respect.  This year, he has raked in seven 5-figure scores and one highly sought after 6-figure score.  This past July was the most profitable for Vietcong01, as he captured the two largest cashes of his poker career.  The two wins came on consecutive Sundays on Pokerstars, one in the Sunday Million for $192,352 and the other in the Sunday Warm-Up for $83,071.  He also had over $159k in cashes during September.

The third ranked player in all of Spain is rkruok.  We have all seen that he is capable of big scores.  Over the past year or so, he has had numerous 5-figure cashes, the biggest coming in a $300 buy-in NL Hold'em tournament on PokerStars for $45,425.  Last month alone, he finished 2nd in the UltimateBet $200k Guaranteed and 3rd in the WCOOP-8, earning him over $67k in prize money.  Currently, he is less than 60 PLB points behind Vietcong01, so it should get even more interesting as they battle for the #2 spot in Spain. 

The next player on the list is well-known Stuart "Zpaceman" Taylor (pictured left).  Many of you have read his articles or posts here on P5's, and he is also a guest pro at CardRunners.com.  After 18 years in the space industry, he decided to try something a little more earthly and has been playing poker professionally since January.  In that time, he has been putting up consistent results that have helped him achieve the #4 ranking in all of Spain.  In under one year of playing professionally, Stu has had seven 5-figure scores for a total of over $127k.  When I asked Stu about his thoughts on the sortable rankings, he told me this:

     
"It's great that p5's recognizes that it has members from all around the world, not just the US, and provides separate country and regional rankings systems. I'm not too bothered about rankings myself, as I know that the PLB system rewards high volume play rather than profits, but still it's nice to see that I'm currently #4 amongst p5'ers in Spain, and I'm actually #1 in the region of Andalucia."

Fifth ranked in Spain is Bjorn-Erik "hikkespett" Glenne from Norway.  This player has had substantial success online, as well as live.  He was the Norwegian Champion of NL Texas Hold'em in 2005 and came in 1st in the EPT Barcelona 2006 for $898,300.  Also at that EPT final table were Jeff Lisandro (6th) and Phil Ivey, who hikkespett had to beat HU for the win, so it was no walk in the park.  Just last month, he had his biggest online win yet in the WCOOP-12, where he won $42,614.  This was a HORSE event in which he proved that his poker skill is not restricted to just NL hold'em play.  Hikkespett is a guy to look out for at the tables.

Ranked sixth is sports bar owner Mark "betdempseys" Griffin.  He has only been playing for about one year and has already had some good results for a part-time player.  His biggest win came in May when he won the PartyPoker Friday Special for $10,505.  Mark likes to frequently host hold'em tournaments at his sports bar, so if you're ever in Spain, you know what to do.

       
At #7 and #8, we have Cumbiambero (LiarStarter on PokerStars) and Kent "Kentykent" Lundmark.  Cumbiambero hails from Barcelona, which is also known as the City of Marvels.  He is a low-volume player but can at times be found playing some of the bigger buy-in mtt's.  Kentykent is another low-volume player that plays various buy-ins, anywhere from a $3-$300.  Just recently, he went deep in the Sunday Warm-Up on PokerStars and finished in 12th.    

Rounding out the top ten in Spain are stÖller and Fidoo.  StÖller (sh00vf on PokerStars) is a mid-level player on Stars who just recently had a score for $3,579 in the $45k Guaranteed.  StÖller's biggest cash was for over $10k in May when he won the $20k Guaranteed.  Fidoo also plays primarily on Stars and occasionally ventures into the higher limits.  He doesn't play often but can make an impact when he does. 

So there you have it, the top ten P5'ers from beautiful España.  Job well done to all of you, but remember that the rankings can change at anytime, especially for those in Spain that forget about poker and succumb to sangría.  Next week, the spotlight will be on a different region of the world, so don't be surprised if you see your face on the front page.  In the time being, check out where you stand in relation to your country, state, city, and more in the P5s Sortable Rankings.