One of the big draws about online poker is that it can help you to be someone that you are really not. There is no doubt that a lot of people love the fact that they can put on a persona or use an avatar when playing online poker to give them a certain edge or change their feelings about themselves when they player. Playing online poker can require people to be more aggressive or confident than they usually are in their everyday life and there is no doubt that the anonymous element of playing poker online helps people to become the poker player that they want to be.
It is obviously a bit harder to be anonymous when playing in an actual poker tournament against other players around the table but it seems as though it is not impossible. This has been highlighted by the fact that the first ever live event of the Anonymous Poker Series (APS), organised by Bodog got off to a brilliant start in London. There was an exciting finale but anyone hoping for a local winner would have been disappointed because Claire Renaut, the French poker player managed to overcome the opposition.
Healthy competition but nothing anonymous about this poker tournament
Claire grabbed the trophy, a lot of champagne and she also booked herself a seat for the upcoming $100,000 Grand Final of the APS which will be taking place in Manila. This is bound to be another thriller in Manila and Claire, who used to be a professional for 888 Poker can take great pride in her win and in the level of competition she overcame to win this event. Some of the players who were involved in the event include James Dempset, Jack Ellwoodand, James Akenhead, Mclean Karr and Fabrice Soulier.
Soulier is a pro for Everest Poker but he is also the boyfriend of Claire. Fabrice will no doubt be thinking that he will be bound for Manila too because the prize package includes flights and accommodation for two people. Then again, Claire may decide to try and write off some of the competition before she gets there so Fabrice shouldn’t be too certain about making the trip to the APS final.
In a press release issued after the event, the Poker Network President of Bodog, Jonas Odman, stated; “The Anonymous Poker Series has got off to a great start and while we can’t keep the identity of our live winners under wraps the concept of the Recreational Poker Model for online players has been embraced by both players and the industry alike. The Anonymous Poker Series is a showcase of how far the concept has come and the atmosphere at tables for the London event was exactly what we hoped it would be – everybody had a blast!”
As long as there is the same level of demand and passion for these events, the more poker events the better for the industry as a whole!