Doug Polk never runs out of new endeavors to keep himself busy despite taking a step back from playing poker. After becoming a co-owner of the largest poker room in Texas, The Lodge Poker Club, the 33-year-old recently unveiled a new podcast series that will crown the best poker player of all time, and viewers and fans will play a vital role in determining who deserves the title.

Fans Can Vote For Their Favorite Player

Polk announced his new endeavor in a tweet last week, inviting his fans and followers to participate. The Upswing Poker founder will host the two-week series on his famous podcast, the Doug Polk Podcast.
Polk has always made headlines for his controversial views on certain subjects, poker-related or not, which sometimes elicit negative reaction from the poker community.
However, it cannot be denied that the semi-retired poker pro, widely considered one of the world’s best heads-up players, has been a leading authority in the industry in recent years and is among the top poker influencers of today. This makes him highly qualified to perform the major task of determining the best poker player of all time.
Polk has come up with a list of 100 players who he believes are in contention for the top spot, but poker fans can still nominate their favorite players or suggest changes to the list.
Among the players in Polk’s initial list are some of the world’s most successful poker pros who have become household names, including Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Tom Dwan, Phil Galfond, Daniel “Jungleman” Cates, Fedor Holz, Vanessa Selbst, Erik Seidel, Patrick Antonius, Stephen Chidwick, Viktor Blom, Scotty Nguyen, Dominik Nitsche, and Polk himself.

Era of Players Must Be Considered

Each poker player or fan has their personal opinion about what it means to be the “best poker player” and because of this, Polk might invite controversy yet again for his new podcast series.
If you think your favorite player is the best out there, you will fight for him/her in every argument. The same goes for fans of the other top poker pros, and this could result in a huge clash of opinions.
Before things get out of hand, the three-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner has made clear what fans should look at when casting their vote.
According to Polk, the era of players must be considered. The game has continued to evolve over the years, with new developments coming out every now and then.
Because of this, there’s a stark difference between the skills and strategies of the old-school players and the new crop of poker pros today.
With the face of the current competition, some traditional play styles may no longer work, though that doesn’t mean that they cannot be applied today.
A prime example is Hellmuth, a self-proclaimed G.O.A.T. who still sticks to his classic tight-aggressive strategy and still wins tournaments, though he isn’t getting enough praises for his skills, especially from the younger pros.
Polk is expected to talk more about that aspect throughout the series so fans can have a better understanding of what it really means to be the best poker player.
The initial list of 100 players will be whittled down to the top 20 and Polk and his colleagues will lay out the case for each player over the next few podcasts.
The series will culminate in the announcement of the best poker player of all time based on votes from fans and spectators.
Hopefully, it won’t become just another popularity contest.