Baby Hellmuth, Freeway Poker, and Other Strange Poker Stories

The poker world is a pretty big place, with millions of people playing it worldwide. So it's no surprise that there have been some strange stories arise from the game. This has especially been the case over the past few months since some very weird occurrences have happened. That said, let's discuss the weird, wacky and crazy from the summer of 2014.

Phil Hellmuth dresses like a Baby

Phil Hellmuth has always had a flare for the dramatic, dressing up as Julius Caesar, anarmy general and a boxer for his grand WSOP entrances. So should it be little surprise that he dressed up like a baby for a taping of Poker Night in America? Maybe not, but that didn't make it any less strange to see the 13-time WSOP champion sitting at the table in a blue onesie while holding a giant bottle and rattle. The story is that Hellmuth lost a prop bet after he busted out of a friendly sit and go with fellow pros. However, we don't think that he needed much coaxing to wear yet another crazy outfit.

4-Hour Traffic Jam prompts Poker Game in Middle of Freeway

As the city's 575 poker tables indicate, it's obvious that they like poker in Los Angeles. But enough to play the game in the middle of a freeway? Traffic came to a stop on Interstate 5 in LA when a tagger (graffiti artist) climbed onto an overpass sign. The man clung to a sign in a standoff with police, where he was at one point identified as a potential suicidal jumper. Seeing as how Interstate 5 traffic was completely halted for over three and a half hours, two guys pulled out a poker table and played some cards in the middle of the road. Initially it was thought to be a taco stand, however, others came over to play poker when they realized what was going on.

888poker drops Luis Suárez after World Cup Biting Incident

Prior to the start of the 2014 World Cup, 888poker made big news by signing Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez to a sponsorship deal. However, this partnership was short lived as Suárez bit Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during a group play match. Though Suárez made a lame attempt to conceal the bite by acting like he tripped and fell face-first into Chiellini's shoulder - mouth open with teeth baring - FIFA officials suspended the star for nine international football matches and four months overall. Taking everything into account, 888 quickly terminated their deal with Suárez.

Dan Colman wins $15.3m in One Drop, refuses to do Interviews

You'd think that somebody who just won $15.3 million in a poker tournament would be gushing with pride and eager to do interviews. Dan Colman was the opposite, though, after winning the $1 million buy-in, 2014 WSOP Big One for One Drop. In fact, he came across as an emo mute, ungrateful for his win and balking at interviews with ESPN, the WSOP and others. It later came out that Colman has a dark view of poker, namely due to regs taking advantage of fish, and he doesn't like promoting the game. Fair enough, but many throughout the poker world questioned why he continues playing poker if he dislikes the nature of it so much.

Ali Tekintamgac gets 3 Years in Prison for Cheating

Ali Tekintamagac isn't the first person to cheat in a poker game, however, he's definitely one of the most despicable. Tekintamagac organized an intricate cheating ring that included live bloggers and photographers who'd peak at opponents' hole cards, then relay the information back to the German. People had been questioning Tekintamagac ever since he won the 2010 WPT Spanish Championship along with €278,000 ($343,307). The last straw was in an €8,500 Partouche Poker Tour Cannes tournament, where he made the final table with a €1.3m ($1,823,430) top prize on the line. Tekintamagac was sitting fourth in chips when tournament officials were able to confirm via video footage that he'd been cheating. Recently, a German courtroom sentenced him to three years in prison for the scandals.