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Full Tilt Poker Signs Hal Lubarsky


September 18, 2008

Hal Lubarsky isn’t a household name in the poker world. If you blinked you may have missed his 15 minutes of fame on the ESPN WSOP broadcast. So here’s the short version – He’s blind. He plays poker. With the help of an aide telling him his hole cards and the flop, bets, etc.

Apparently Full Tilt Poker signed him as Red Pro according to a thread at popular forum 2P2 - http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29/news-views-gossip/ftp-signed-hal-lubarsky-301882/. IF this is true and it appears to be just that, despite the lack of any press release by Full Tilt, this is quite inspiring.

For starters it’s crass to criticize the move by Full Tilt because he’s handicapped. However, according to a few folks he’s been playing 6 Pot Limit Omaha tables at the same time since joining the site. Anyone care to explain how a 100% blind poker player pulls this off? And just how impartial is this “aide” if he’s indeed using one?

Update (October 1st, 2008): After reading Aintluck.com, Hal Lubarsky himself wanted to set the record straight on how he accomplishes his poker play. Hal has just posted a comment below about how he is able to play poker with the help of his aide.

With the news of multi accounting and collusion jamming the forums nowadays, this may just wind up being a bad PR move for Full Tilt. Time will tell but for now, I really want someone to explain how a blind poker player is able to play 6 tables simultaneously on an online poker site? Please discuss..

Here’s Hal Lubarsky at the 2007 WSOP:

Written by Markus · Filed Under Online Poker News 

Comments

3 Responses to “Full Tilt Poker Signs Hal Lubarsky”

  1. Hal Lubarsky on September 24th, 2008 9:08 pm

    I am Hal Lubarsky. I have been a well known poker player in Las Vegas for over 20 years. In the 80’s and 90’s, before I lost my site, it was said by many well known players that I was one of the best high limit cash game players in Las Vegas. After losing my sight, I played in the 07 WSOP and out lasted over 6000 players. In 2008 in the main event I was in the top 50 going into day 2. I also won a super satellite and finished 4th in another non bracelet event. That’s 3 cashes in 9 tries.

    Several years ago with out my sight and using a reader, I played on Party Poker. I played between 6 and 8 games at a time.

    Now I have been blessed with a player in red position on Full Tilt Poker. I am using an excellent reader (better than I had when playing on Party). We have an excellent relationship and have developed very good system that keeps the amount of hands that I have to play to a minimum. Many hands are discarded before the flop. This system keeps my play after the flop very simple. Without giving away too much about my play, I will give one example.

    I have AA22, flop is QQ9 no flush draw for me. If there is a bet to me and my reader will say “it’s a miss and a to you”. I will say “fold”. We move on. This is just one of many, many short cuts that we have when I play. It is not as difficult as you make it out to be, if a person has a good poker mind and is a skilled poker player with a skilled reader.

  2. Mike on September 26th, 2008 12:03 pm

    I don’t know where you website is based, but it’s obvious it has no inner connections with poker. Hal Lubarsky is an inspiration, not a joke.

    I sat with him in a tournament at Planet Hollywood in Vegas at the tail end of the WSOP in 2008. His aide is beyond impartial. He doesn’t speak to anyone at the table during play. He only tells Hal what the action is. I witnessed this first hand.

    On top of being inspirational, he’s a hell of a nice man.

    Try not to get too jaded in this world. There are truly wonderful people around today–you just have to open your own eyes to find them.

  3. Elizabeth on October 24th, 2008 8:49 am

    Nicely put Mike. I’ve not met Hal but hope to do so in the future as hes an inspiration. It’s a pity that people are so naturaly suspicious instead of just celebrating accomplishments. Hats off to you Hal and I wish you the best as a red pro on Full Tilt Poker.

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