Poker From The Rail

Nearly $4 million

Just over $1 million

Anytime a player has earned more than a million dollars in lifetime tournament winnings, it’s always an impressive feat. Which is why it’s that much harder to fault Mueller for not having won more money, but those are the breaks of the game. $4 million will always be greater than $1 million, that’s just the way it is. Watkinson jumps out to an early lead.

One WSOP bracelet

Mueller came oh-so-close to winning his first bracelet last year in the mixed Hold ‘em event, but no dice as he finished in second place. Watkinson won his only bracelet in the 2006 WSOP $10K PLO event. According to Lee’s personal website, he’s the all-time money leader when it comes to PLO tourneys, so he’s got that going for him − along with a 2-0 lead in this match.

Great tourney player, as proven by his deep run at the 2007 WSOP Main Event where he finished in eighth place.

Very solid tourney player who will no doubt own a bracelet at some point in his career.

Mueller has certainly made some noise in big tourneys, twice finishing as runner up in WSOP events and making one WPT final table. But that isn’t enough to vault him ahead of Watkinson in this category, as Lee has proved time and again that he’s not a man you want sitting next to you in any tournament. Watkinson extends his commanding lead to 3-0.

Not his specialty, but he’ll still take your money from you if you want him to.

While Mueller is better known for his tourney play, he’s actually a specialist at Limit Hold ‘em cash games.

We’ll call this one the revenge of the Canadians, as Mueller finally has a category to call his own. Don’t call it a comeback, but the score now stands at 3-1 in favor of Watkinson.

A close call between NLHE and PLO, but I’ll go with PLO on this one since Lee is apparently the all-time money leader in that category.

Another tough call to make, this time between the two Hold ‘em variants. Once again, we’ll go with the specialty on this one and say Limit Hold ‘em for the win.

Hmmm, Limit Hold ‘em versus PLO. What to do, what to do? I don’t want to sound too much like an ignorant a-hole here (who are we kidding, I always sound like one), but Limit Hold ‘em is the devil, plain and simple. On the other hand, I’m developing quite the fondness for PLO these days – it’s an action game and I am an action junky. Let’s give this category to Watkinson, along with a nearly insurmountable 4-1 lead in this match.

The anti Jerry Yang

The Canadian body check

Do you think Watkinson has nightmares about Jerry Yang every night? Or does he just think to himself that maybe Jerry Yang’s god is better than his god? These are questions that only Lee Watkinson can answer. Until he does, I’m giving this category to the former ice hockey player Greg Mueller, who’s brought the aggression he used on the ice to the green felt of the poker table.

This is not a joke; Watkinson’s nickname is apparently really “Sandwich” because he loves to use the sandwich play at the table. Unfortunately for Lee, that nickname needs to be filed under the “lame and lamer” category. Mueller, on the other hand, sports one of the best nicknames in the game. “FBT” stands for Full Blown Tilt, quite appropriate for a FTP pro. Hey, maybe that’s why we signed him? Stranger things have happened. Mark another one up for FBT, the score is now a very close 4-3 in favor of Watkinson.

Rescues chimpanzees

Former professional hockey player

Let’s get this out of the way first: I have the utmost respect for hockey players and their insane tendencies to beat in each other’s teeth. But as a part time monkey, I feel I have no choice but to side with Watkinson on this one. Playing sports is cool, but nothing is more important than saving chimpanzees from a life in the test lab (or worse, life on a Hollywood movie set). My fallen brothers, hear my call: “This aggression will not stand!” At any rate, Watkinson takes this category and, for all intensive purposes, seals up the match as he leads 5-3 heading into the final frame of action.

The Weak Lead

Finding Your Inner Maniac

Watkinson’s two pro tips have both been solid with some very good advice. But Mueller’s tip on finding your inner maniac is an absolute classic. Just like the Wu Tang Clan’s 36 Chambers, this tip has changed my life in so many ways that I can’t even begin to count. Needless to say, this category goes to the maniacal FTB.