The Crew has The Nuts

As Brett "Gank" Jungblut might ask: "Who are the Crew, and why do they keep following me?"

To the horror or delight of rounders everywhere, the Crew has officially reached the pinnacle of pop icon status with a recent write-up in Rolling Stone magazine. 

That's right, they're everywhere.  The Crew is the omnipresent force in the poker world for all young, aspiring players.

Which is odd, because the Crew might not even really exist anymore.

Rolling Stone spends most of its time covering the McCartney and Lennon of the Crew, Scott Fischman and Dutch Boyd (respectively).  You all know Fischman as the phenom who stormed the 2004 WSOP by impressively winning two gold bracelets.  And Boyd was the youth movement poster boy who proclaimed to the world at the 2003 WSOP that the Crew would, in fact, take over the poker world. 

But when he made that statement, the Crew hadn’t even really been formed.  And some of the “members” weren’t even poker players yet.  I mean, you’d think Dutch would be fresh out of a mental institution to make such a statement.

Oh wait, he was. 

That’s right, the year Dutch Boyd put the Crew on the map, he was one month removed from a mental home.  Didn’t matter though, as Dutch recruited talented players like Fischman, Jungblut, and others.  They played online, non-stop for months, then began torching live competition.

Taking down the biggest games right now is Scott Fischman.  Just as McCartney crafted great pop single after great pop single, Fischman is stringing together a consistent, impressive resume of tournament finishes.  Regardless of your opinion of him, the guy can flat-out play.  And he's raking in endorsement deals quicker than he's taking down virtual pots online.

Like Lennon though, the Dutch Boyd saga is truly the fascinating one.  His biographay has to be right behind the cue of Stu Ungar (if someone can do it right) and Doyle Brunson in the "poker player biopic that's gotta hit the big screen" pantheon. 

Dutch Boyd is the classic, clichéd tortured genius.  While he drew his inspiration to give it all up and play poker after watching Matt Damon's character in Rounders do the same, it seems more like he's lived the life of another Damon character, Will Hunting. 

Dutch is a freak (in a good way).  He graduated law school by the age of 20.  20. Overnight he and his brother figured out a way to make online poker a more efficient operation.  Then, he went bonkers, left his investors with nothing, and checked into an institution.  Mental institution, that is.

One month later, he's playing the WSOP and finishing 12th in the main event.  He quickly founded the Crew with a $25,000 communal bankroll.  But it seems like Dutch is one good playground fight (played to the backdrop of Baker Street) from tearing it all down for himself…if he hasn't already.  Like most off-the-charts geniuses, Dutch is one wrong nerve impulse in the brain away from going to the funny farm at any moment.  That would be a shame, because he's one helluva talent. 

Maybe Dutch should just hang out more with Brett "Gank" Jungblut (which won't be happening, as Gank views Dutch about as highly as a 7-2o right now).  Gank spends ALL of his time stoned off his ass.  We're talking 24/7.  Somehow in between bong tokes though, Gank managed to win a gold bracelet in last year's WSOP Omaha Hi-Lo tournament.  He promptly then melted the gold from the bracelet into a one-hitter*.

But despite all of their poker success, if the Crew is in fact breaking apart/already broken, then Dutch is holding the sledgehammer.  For those who hate the Crew, this is great news.  But it shouldn't be.  In some way or another, the Crew (or the band formerly known as the Crew) is here to stay.  Through his gaming work in the late '90's and early 00's, Dutch has left a lasting legacy on poker.  Fischman is the real deal.  The two bracelets he won last year will not be his last.  And if nothing else, Gank would make one freaking hilarious reality show subject.  The unintentional comedy factor is off the charts with that guy.

So definitely check out the Rolling Stone article for more details about this polarizing group.  Whether they still exist, they've left their mark, and admit it, you wouldn't want to be sitting across from them at any table.


*This didn't actually happen.