9 Most Hated Poker Players Ever

Ray Bitar

Ray Bitar is one of the people in the poker world who could compete with Russ Hamilton for the title of the most hated person. He was the CEO of Full Tilt, causing the company to collapse through his bad leadership. 

He was almost completely unknown before the Black Friday fiasco, but totally deserved the bad publicity after it. They violated the UIGEA and engaged in bank fraud and money laundering to process transfers to and from their customers. A big no-no for any company, especially in the gambling and poker industry. 

Today, Full Tilt is still struggling because of this and Ray Bitar is still the main person to blame for it.

Phil Hellmuth

Unlike the first two positions on this list, Phill Hellmuth did not engage in any fraudulent actions. However, he still deserves a place on this list simply because he is Phil Hellmuth. Many poker fans hate him because of his demeanour at the table and his lack of poker etiquette. He is arrogant, brash, and uncouth, and has a very hard time handling defeat. Nobody likes whiny players; instead, he should learn how to accept loss with dignity. 

Moreover, he is the only poker pro to win both the WSOP Europe Main Event and the WSOP Main Event. That is another thing that puts him on the unwanted lists of many players out there. He is known for his endless berating of his opponents, as well as for his annoying WSOP entrances, neither of which do any good for his image.

Chino Rheem

Chino Rheem has a lot of fans who like his game and cherish his achievements. Yet, he is still one of the most hated men in the industry. He owes a lot of money to a lot of people and it seems that he had no intention of paying them back. He began paying back his debts only when he was publicly called out and disgraced. 

However, he still owes a lot of cash and it is questionable whether he intends to pay it back any time soon. He is not the only person in the poker world to have such a bad reputation. His older colleague T.J. Cloutier is also remembered as a player who owed money to almost everyone he knew.

Annie Duke

It’s only fair to include a lady on this list as well, for equality’s sake. Annie Duke definitely deserves to have this status, as she is one of the most hated female players in the industry. However, many of her haters don’t really know what is it that causes these negative feelings. 

Most say that it is her demeanour at the tables, which is not very respectful of other players. She is not well-liked among her colleagues, as she seems to be one of those people who rubs everyone the wrong way. 

Another reason why she is hated has to do with UltimateBet. She was formerly associated with the company, which also associates her with all of the wrongdoings. If that’s not enough for you to start disliking her, just ask Daniel Negreanu for a reason, as he has plenty of them.

Jamie Gold

Jamie Gold won the 2006 WSOP Main Event and earned the $12 million prize. It has been one of the largest wins ever in the history of poker. Logic tells us that he should be one of the most loved and not one of the most hated players in the poker circles. However, the latter is true and he is the only person to blame. He should thank his obnoxiousness, arrogance, and his overall over-dramatic persona for this status.

Gold also had an agreement with Crispin Leyser to split his winnings at the WSOP, as they were both colleagues at the poker site Bodog. However, after the end of the tournament, Gold tried to evade his promise, which led to an out of court settlement between the two. As a result, Bodog ceased all associations with Jamie Gold and he is still one of the most hated poker players.

Tony G

We were debating for a long time whether or not to put Antanas “Tony G” Guoga on this list. In the end, we decided that he deserves to be on it. He is known for regularly ridiculing his opponents, trying to get them to lose focus and make mistakes. He started his career in Moscow, so he is well known for his hostility towards Russian players. Legends say that he used to play against KGB agents, which explains the nerve he has today. 

The reason why we were not sure whether or not to include him on this list is that he is known as one of the friendliest people in the poker world away from the tables. His poker colleagues seem to like him a lot, even though poker fans often hate him. 

Moreover, he is a very talented player. He has won countless poker championships and earned millions so far.

Scotty Nguyen

Scotty Nguyen is another very talented player whose behaviour has cost him a lot so far. We are sure that his abysmal personality is the sole reason why he is not in the Poker Hall of Fame today. 

Scotty is known as someone who likes to drink a bit more than he should. To be honest, that’s not totally unheard of in this line of business. However, he is also known to get completely out of control when he has a shot more than he should have. 

His antics reached a climax during the 2008 Players Champions when he disrespected the opponents, as well as the late Chip Reese. This was a televised tournament, so millions of people had a chance to see his poor judgements. 

Howard Lederer

Last but not least, one of the people we are most sorry to include on this list is Howard Lederer. Just several years ago, he was one of the favourite people in the poker circles. After the Black Friday event, everything changed overnight. Today, he is one of the most hated people in poker and a persona non grata that nobody wants to be associated with. 

Even though most professional poker players are gentlemen who love the game and want to present their skills to the world in the best possible manner, there are also those who have other motives.