The Stars of Poker Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Godfather

Doyle Brunson is most well-known as Texas Dolly but he is also referred to as "The Godfather of Poker" because of his role in bringing poker to the amateur player. His book "Super System" explained basic poker strategy to the masses in the way no book before or since has. As one of the first three men to have won the WSOP Main Event back to back, he is an icon in the poker community. He has won 10 WSOP bracelets overall and one WPT title.

The photo is the marionette control that was placed above the words "The Godfather" on the movie poster.

Answer: The Monk

Andy Black has had a colorful poker career. Black was born in Belfast Northern Ireland and began playing poker seriously while studying law at Trinity College in Dublin in the late 1980s. In the 1997 WSOP Main Event he outlasted Phil Hellmuth and Doyle Brunson before being knocked out in 14th by eventual winner Stu Ungar. In 1998 he returned for the WSOP Main Event and a documentary about that trip was made called "Million Dollar Deal". He did not make the money in 1998. The emotional toll of being a professional poker player got to Black so he quit poker, sold all of his possessions, and became a semi-monastic Buddhist for five years. It was this experience that earned him his nickname. Black returned to the poker world in 2004 and in 2005 he made the final table of the WSOP Main Event, finishing fifth for $1.75 million.

The photo is of a painting of a Franciscan Friar by Jacopo Bassano circa 1540 CE.

Answer: The Dragon

David Pham is known as "The Dragon". David escaped Vietnam at the age of 17 on a boat with 145 other people. Only 46 would survive the journey. In the US, his cousin, poker pro Men "The Master" Nguyen, gave him a job in his laundry and taught him how to play poker. Pham was named "Card Player Magazine" Player of the Year in 2000 and 2007. He got his nickname from his friends on the rail who kept saying, "You on fire, you a dragon" and the name stuck.

The photo is of an etching by Antonio Tempesta from the 17th century AD and titled "Jason Putting the Dragon to Sleep".

Answer: The Magician

Antonio Esfandiari actually worked as a professional magician before he became a poker player so he comes by his nickname honestly. Antonio has been a fixture on TV poker shows over the years since winning his first WPT title at the LA Poker Classic in 2004. In 2012, he beat a field of 48 players who each put up $1 million in the WSOP The Big One for One Drop Tournament. The tournament was designed to support Guy Laliberte's charity One Drop so $111,111 of each buy-in went directly to the charity. As the winner of the first Big One Antonio has continued to work with One Drop, supporting the charity's goal bringing safe drinking water to the people of the earth.

The photo is of an advertising poster from 1899 for a magician named Zan Zig. No other information is available about the magician.

Answer: The Mouth

Mike Matusow is known as "The Mouth" because of his world class trash-talking at the poker table. Coverage of his antics at the table by EPSN during the Main Event of the World Series over the years has cemented his reputation. During 2004 he went after eventual champion Greg Raymer and in 2005 he and Sean Sheikhan got into a row. Both Mike and Sean were penalized for the incident. Mike has the wins to back up his mouth too.

In 2005, he won the WSOP Tournament of Champions and has won four WSOP bracelets over the years.

In 2013, he won the NBC National Heads-Up Championship, beating long time friend Phil Hellmuth to take the title.

Answer: The Unabomber

Phil Laak is known as "The Unabomber" for his penchant of wearing a hoodie and sunglasses at the poker table. He was one of the first players to do so. The hoodie and sunglasses were originally given to him by Gus Hansen. In 2008, Phil played the first day of the WSOP Main Event in a disguise as an old man. In 2009, the WSOP instituted a rule against this. In 2010, Laak set a new world record for the longest session of playing poker when he played for 115 hours straight. Laak has won one WSOP bracelet and one WPT title.

The photo is of the FBI forensic artist's rendering of Ted Kaczynski, the real Unabomber, before he was captured.

Answer: The Robin Hood of Poker

Greenstein is known as "The Robin Hood of Poker" because he donates his tournament winnings minus his entry fees to charity. Greenstein has been a fixture on televised poker, winning two WPT open titles along with two special WPT titles for invitation only events. He has been a regular on GSN's "High Stakes Poker" and NBC's "Poker After Dark". He wrote the book "Ace on the River" which gives to any player that knocks him out of a tournament along with an autograph and the hand details.

The photo is of the statue of Robin Hood in Nottingham.

Answer: Johnny World

John Hennigan is known as Johnny World because he is willing to bet on anything in the world. Hennigan began his gambling career betting on pool and like many other poker players, transitioned from that the poker table. Barry Greenstein tells a story of a bet he and Johnny World had on Tiger Woods back in Tiger's early days. John put up $19,000 to Barry's $5,000 that Tiger would lose. Tiger went on a tear and before it was all over Barry had won $200,000 from John on the bet.

Interestingly, they settled at that total because John wanted out and right after that Tiger went on a downswing. If John had stuck it out he may not have lost anything.

Answer: The Great Dane

Gus Hansen is known as "The Great Dane" because he is from Denmark originally. Like many poker players, Gus was accomplished in other games before turning to poker. He was a world class backgammon player and a tennis champion in his youth. Gus is one of the most successful players on the WPT and wrote a book in 2008, "Every Hand Revealed", which chronicled his win at the 2007 Aussie Millions Main Event. In 2004, Gus was named one of "People" magazine's 50 Sexiest People Alive.

The photo is a historic photo from 1879 of a Great Dane named Nero.

Answer: The Shark

Humberto Brenes uses a toy shark as a card protector which led to his nickname "The Shark". Brenes began gambling by playing baccarat but switched to poker in the 1970s. He became a regular on the circuit in the late 80s. As of 2013, he has 72 cashes at the WSOP but this number is sure to grow as he is still active every summer.

The photo is a model of the megalodon jaws in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The megalodon is an extinct species of shark that lived 28 to 1.5 million years ago.