The airbag, the mouth from Down Under, the smack talker, the heckler - one man who is not offended to take on these nicknames is none other than professional poker player Tony G. Born Antanas Guoga in Kaunas, Lithuania on December 17, 1973, Guoga started playing poker at age 12. He was the Rubik's Cube champ of Lithuania as a youngster. The competitive spirit led to poker and by 1994, Guoga, under age 21 and entering Las Vegas casinos with a fake id, started gaining notice and quickly earned the moniker Tony G.
Vegas wasn't so friendly to young Guoga - he lost hundreds of dollars and needed time to work on his poker skills. He returned to Europe's Victoria Casino for smaller games and online play. By 2001 he was earning $7,500 per month in cash games and was playing in major tournaments.
He often earns $10,000 a week playing cash games. He is a popular poker player, and many TV viewers who follow the World Poker Tour know that he earned his reputation as a relentless smack talker there.
Guoga, of Melbourne, Austrailia, is known throughout the poker scene as an intensely aggressive player. After fifth place at the WPT 2003 Grand Prix de Paris - Howard "The Professor" Lederer refused to shake Guoga's hand citing the brash nature of his actions at the table. Guoga is known for touching opponents' nerves - often reducing them to making poor calls.
He's also known for lively action and unrestrained humor at the table. He considers his brash, talkative nature a way to throw players off their games - finding this method particularly effective in more prudent European play.
Despite all of the "in your face" tactics - many poker professionals and dealers have indicated that once away from the poker table, Guoga is relaxed and personable. As of 2006 Tony G's live tournament winnings exceeded $2,000,000 and this mighty mouth isn't going anywhere.
