Who is voting for Donald Trump and who will pull the lever for Joe Biden among those in the poker community? It's a mixed bag and you might be surprised which candidate your favorite players prefer.
The 2020 U.S. presidential election takes place Tuesday, November 3. Voters all across the country will decide if they're satisfied with the job Trump has done over the past four years. Or, if they believe the country is better suited to try something new and elect Democratic candidate Joe Biden, the former Vice President.
According to most polls, Biden holds a sizable lead, as much as 11 percentage points nationwide. He also leads in most battleground states but by a slimmer margin. But how accurate are these polls? After 2016, when Trump won despite trailing Hillary Clinton big in most polls, many Americans wonder if the pre-election polls should still be trusted. We'll find out that answer in a few days.
Who is pulling that lever for the incumbent president?
There are a few hardcore Donald Trump supporters on poker Twitter that won't surprise you when they vote to re-elect the current Republican president. First and foremost is Mike Matusow. If you've spent two seconds on Mikey's Twitter page over the past four years, you know exactly which candidate he's voting for.
Matusow often attacks the mainstream media for being "fake news" and refers to COVID-19 as a "hoax" perpetrated by the "liberal media" to stop Trump from getting re-elected. The four-time WSOP bracelet winner sure loves to push through conspiracy theories. He appears convinced the the global health pandemic that affects countries all around the world, not just the United States, will magically disappear after the election.
Matusow isn't the only staunch Trump supporter on Twitter pushing through the same narrative. Mike Dentale, an east coast pro and business owner, often posts anti-liberal conspiracies on his Twitter page. He seems to think Biden, who is 78, is only running for the sole purpose of handing over the reigns to his VP, Kamala Harris, in a year.
Retired actor James Woods, who co-starred in one of the greatest gambling flicks ever, Casino, now spends much of his time playing poker, and is even a regular at the annual WSOP. Well, when he isn't busy trashing those with opposing political views on Twitter.
Woods is one of the most vocal Trump supporters on social media, not just the poker segment of Twitter. He posts multiple times daily, mostly concocting conspiracy theories about Democrats and claiming that side of the aisle is "violent," while using anecdotal evidence to support his theories. The California resident also seems to find humor in attacking the appearance of Biden's running mate.
While it may not come as a surprise who the above poker players are voting for, you may be shocked to know of one Trump supporting poker pro. We're talking about Jeff Madsen, who hasn't been political on social media until recently. And he's made it quite clear that he strongly opposes the candidacy of Barack Obama's former Vice President.
And, last but not least, we couldn't mention Trump supporters without bringing up Doyle Brunson, one of the greatest poker players to have ever lived. "Texas Dolly," who resides in Nevada, will pull that lever for Donald Trump. But despite his support for the president, he's often critical of Trump's character.
Poker pros ready for a change
The anti-Trump crowd on poker Twitter is more prevalent, at least among high-profile players. Most of the top poker players in the world are either liberal or simply despise the current president. Even Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu have a little something in common — they both want Trump out of office.
Negreanu, who became a U.S. citizen just before the 2016 election, has already voted. He tweeted a video on his way to his polling place explaining why he is voting for Joe Biden. Polk, Negreanu's soon-to-be heads-up opponent, is also ready to get the former reality TV star out of the White House. Both poker pros reside in Nevada, a key swing state.
Polling expert Nate Silver, who runs the popular website FiveThirtyEight, is no longer a regular in poker. But he still occasionally plays cards, so we'll include him as part of poker Twitter. Silver doesn't hide behind his liberal bias when he assesses politics and the polls. And he had better hope that Biden wins, because if that doesn't happen, his credibility will take a severe hit, perhaps permanently.
ESPN poker commentator Norman Chad is also on the anti-Trump bandwagon. The long-time sports writer caught a case of coronavirus a few months ago and considered it a miserable experience. He's openly criticized Trump for refusing to get control of the virus.
Next in line is Eric Nathan, otherwise known as "Barstool Nate," the Barstool Sports personality who co-hosts the "Cracking Aces" poker podcast. And then you can certainly expect Vanessa Selbst, Brian Rast, Ryan Laplante, David Williams, Erik Seidel, and Barry Greenstein, among many others, to pull that lever for Joe Biden.
If you're wondering who Phil Hellmuth will be voting for, he tends to keep his political affiliations private. He doesn't feel the need to force his political views onto others.
Featured image source: Flickr
