Tony Guoga: Playing with an Attitude

Born with the real name Antanas Guoga, Tony G was a native of Kaunas, Lithuania. He is a popular bad boy of poker due to his impetuous and outspoken nature. The television people love him for his unpredictable antics. Tony G is also a former basketball pro but his attention has fixed on poker which earned him more than $ 1.3 million in winnings.

As a youngster, Tony excelled in chess and other sports. Playing cards as a teen was one of Tony's pastimes. He began playing serious card games when he was 15. However, he was always the target of his older opponents but he was always up for the challenge. He always won while playing in Australia, and then he decided to move to Hong Kong and worked as a dealer for a while.

Tony G was able to save a bankroll of more than $ 200,000. He decided to go to Las Vegas, but he was still under the legal age of 21. Tony G was persistent, so he secured a fake ID. Unfortunately, he lost all his money and he realized that the players were way too different than his former opponents. Tony G went back to Australia with the plan of improving his poker skills.

Tony made a stop in London and then found himself in Vienna, Austria. It was in Vienna where he took the time to develop himself into a more profitable and established poker player. It was also in Vienna where Tony G got his nickname. He did not use his real name Antanas when enlisting and opted to use Tony G instead. Tony G did quite well at casino games and card rooms throughout Austria that he cannot find any more game to play in. He was such an excellent player that no one wanted to be his opponent.

At this time, Tony G got the buzz of playing online poker. He played at high stakes games and come the year 2000 and onwards, he became one of the best online poker players there is. Quite enthused with the idea of online gaming, he developed several poker websites himself including his own site, tonygpoker.com.

It was in 2002 when Tony G participated his first tournament. He won 2nd place at the 1st European World Series Of Poker. In 2002, he won 1st place at the World Heads Up Omaha Championship against Dave Ulliott. Tony G made it to ten final tables in 2003 despite of his hectic schedule.

Tony's other accomplishments include: 5th place at the World Poker Tour in France; 3rd place at the Omaha championship at the Bellagio 5 Diamond Poker Classic; 7th place at the 2004 World Poker Tour in Las Vegas; 2nd place at the Grand Prix de Paris in France; 2005 European Champion in England; a World Poker Tour event and the Bad Boys II in L.A..