Poker Player Tweets of the Week: Working on your game

The poker community is still reeling from the "counterfeit chip" scandal at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa Winter Open $2 million guarantee event. In short, the massive tournament was suspended with 27 players left when a slew of fake chips were found in play. The final 27 players have still yet to receive word on how they will be reimbursed. It's not good. Alas, most professional players are still in good spirits in the Twitterverse. And that is what this column is for, anyway; to shine a positive and wacky light on the industry's greats. Without further ado, here are the top tweets from the past week. Thursday, Jan. 30: Joe "@JosephHachem" Hachem

Omg now it's @MagicAntonio trying to look like me, what's next??? I have a better hair style though:) pic.twitter.com/DC9GBWbYNL
— Joe Hachem (@JosephHachem) January 31, 2014

I have no idea what this is supposed to be. Obviously this is a photo of Antonio Esfandiari on a boat somewhere (maybe Australia for the Aussie Millions?). But why does he look like Agador Spartacus (Hank Azaria) from "The Birdcage?" Thursday, Jan. 30: Jay "@Jay_Farber_LV" Farber

Been playing 2/5 and 5/10 lately and not looking at my cards until the turn or river. It's a lot of fun. So if you see me @ARIAPoker...
— Jay Farber (@Jay_Farber_LV) January 30, 2014

Jay Farber just won $5.1 million dollars for his second-place finish in the 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event, so it's no surprise that he is willing to splash around in lowly 2-5 and 5-10 no-limit cash games. But I actually think this is a great strategy to help players improve their game. If I had to guess, Farber is not simply playing every hand blind. Nor is he telling his opponents what he's doing at the tables. By removing his actual cards from the equation, Farber is able to focus entirely on his position, chip stack, his opponents' actions and the logic of a hand. I think all players should gain experience playing early streets this way, assuming they can afford the inevitable swings that accompany it. Farber may profess to be a degenerate in his Twitter bio, but I think he is an ardent student of the game of poker and will continue to do well on the circuit for years to come. Wednesday, Jan. 29-Thursday, Jan. 30: Phil "@phil_hellmuth" Hellmuth

Lucky to catch a ride NYC to Cal on friends Global Express. I've been on great jets, like Larry Flynt's black & gold 1, but not a Global!
— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) January 30, 2014

On the floor of Clippers/GSWarriors game, sitting next to my boy Owner Joe Lacob and his girl Nicole. Love their passion for their team!!
— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) January 31, 2014

Told @CP3 that I'm proud of him for being President of Players Association AND a great baller. Also, CP3 has some poker skillz!
— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) January 31, 2014

This is three straight Phil Hellmuth tweets -- in a two-day span, mind you -- in which he performs his classic "Hellmuth name drop." Look, I've railed on Hellmuth in this column several times before. I'm sure he's a nice guy. He's a pretty good poker player. But man, does he have some kind of self-esteem complex. Wednesday, Jan. 29: Jerry "@herschelwpwnage" Watterson

Smartest thing Richard Sherman ever did was go off in that Erin Andrews interview. The guy became a household name overnight.
— Jerry Watterson (@herschelwpwnage) January 29, 2014

If Richard Sherman becomes (and stays) a household name, it will be because of his incredible ability as the league's top cornerback, not because he looked ridiculous for 15 seconds on TV. Sherman already had his own "Beats by Dre" commercial endorsement prior to the Erin Andrews interview. To the millions of hardcore and even casual NFL fans out there, he was already known as the best defensive backer in the league. The interview will soon be forgotten, but he'll still be out there making plays. Tuesday, Jan. 28: Dan "@DanOBrienPoker" O'Brien

The old guys who play poker like kids can be tough, but the random kids who play like old guys are much harder to figure out.
— Dan O'Brien (@DanOBrienPoker) January 29, 2014

Interesting theory. I suppose that, on the surface, it would be more surprising to find a young guy playing like a typical old man at a poker table -- a nitty, fit-or-fold style. But those types of players are incredibly easy to exploit, whether they are 27 or 67 years old. Then again, spewy LAGs are also fun to play against, because, well, they are spewy. And sometimes old LAGs are the easiest to spot because they dress the part. In a sea of young 20-somethings wearing hoodies and headphones, it can be difficult to differentiate their styles because they all look the same. But an old degenerate can be spotted from a mile away.