Tony G (Guoga)

Tony G is the playing name of Tony Guoga. When Tony Guoga started playing poker in casinos in 1994, his name was written up on the waiting boards as "TONYG". When he started winning and attracting notice, the name stuck, and now is one of the most famous in contemporary poker.

His first problem was that you have to be 21 to get into casinos in Las Vegas, and he had to resort to fake IDs. He also found that in the more competitive world of high stakes poker in Las Vegas he wasn't as smart a player as he had thought, and he managed to lose the several hundred thousand dollars he had accumulated.

He came back to Europe and settled for smaller games at London's Victoria Casino and playing online. Gradually he improved his expertise and by 2001 was winning an average of $7500 a month in cash games.

He started entering major tournaments, and in Vienna he almost won the European WSOP Hold'em. In the heads-up showdown at the final table he was certain his Q-Q would easily beat his opponent's Q-5, only to see two fives come on fourth and fifth street on what must rank as one of the worst bad beats in tournament history.

Catching the wave of internet poker, he launched several websites and has his finger in several other pies. In tournaments he has won some half-a-million dollars, but his main steady income comes from playing cash games, which show him $10,000 profit in a good week, according to his meticulously-kept records.

He is noted for his lively play and humor at the poker table. The Hendon Mob website calls him "a very aggressive player." and adds that "it would never be a surprise to see him feature prominently in the final stages of any tournament."

Lately, he has become well-known to television viewers of the World Poker Tour. Their website says of him: "Tony G is a "smack" talker. Tony G became what he is growing up in Melbourne Australia and started gamling at 12, Tony is a hyper-aggressive player. His talkativeness is just an extension of his personality, he says, though he is often able to use it to his advantage at the table. His brashness often throws players off their games - especially in genteel Europe.

Lately, he has become well-known to television viewers of the World Poker Tour. Their website says of him: "Tony G is a "smack" talker. Tony G became what he is growing up in Melbourne Australia and started gamling at 12, Tony is a hyper-aggressive player. His talkativeness is just an extension of his personality, he says, though he is often able to use it to his advantage at the table. His brashness often throws players off their games - especially in genteel Europe.