Beyond this fence, with the Strip in the distance, condos will soon be going up. Developers are building condos all over town to satisfy the demand. Trump will soon jump in the game.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Vegas Day (What day is it?)
I'm starting to lose track of time in this crazy town of gamblers, drunks and fools -- adjectives which all could often describe the same person. I walked past one drunk chick in front of the Flamingo last night who keep uttering "Good luck" to everyone she passed. I could use some. Even discounting my big buy in tournament I'm down $500 for the trip. Honestly, that isn't much in the poker player's world, but I had some delusions of grandeur for my vacation, not visions of medicority. I just wish a few more of my good hands would hold up!
Some Tuscaloosa boys (actually men in their 40s and 50s) are in town this week and we've hung out some. I've been lax in actual newsgathering the last two days, leaving both my camera and my press pass in my hotel room. Well, on Thursday my lock stopped working and they had to drill through the thing to let me in my room and move me to the adjoining one. I knew there was something wrong about my 911. I just took the day off from poker and went to the Neonopolis theatre to watch War of the Worlds. Pretty good, if not great, movie.
I should have some decent reports in the coming days.
Some Tuscaloosa boys (actually men in their 40s and 50s) are in town this week and we've hung out some. I've been lax in actual newsgathering the last two days, leaving both my camera and my press pass in my hotel room. Well, on Thursday my lock stopped working and they had to drill through the thing to let me in my room and move me to the adjoining one. I knew there was something wrong about my 911. I just took the day off from poker and went to the Neonopolis theatre to watch War of the Worlds. Pretty good, if not great, movie.
I should have some decent reports in the coming days.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Vegas Day 8
Thursday was a day that would leave a poker player bummed. I bombed out of three more satellites, two close to the win, and bubbled in the second chance tournament.
It was a busy day at the WSOP. There was the final of the limit tournament on the TV stage, the razz tournament next to that and the no-limit six-handed table tourney to the side. The last I heard, Doyle was the chip leader with about four tables remaining. ESPN has decided to televise this one too.
I saw Phil Hellmuth wallowing in the floor as I walked by the six-handed affair. I couldn't tell if he was doing yoga, pushups or was perhaps imitating a walrus flopping across rocks. Either way, my camera would not turn on in time and he got up when he saw me trying to take his picture.
A guy from Tuscaloosa I know flew into town just to play the razz event, but it sounded like he had the kind of luck I usually have at that horrible, wicked, horrible game. Or maybe it was Chau Giang sitting at the opposite end of the table that did him in.
Several of my Tuscaloosa poker compatriots have landed in Vegas. Hopefully we can take the town by storm. We sure didn't yesterday. Mark and I both entered the second chance tourney for $225. He could catch no cards, but I caught enough to build my stack from 1,000 to 8,000 at one point. I busted in 20th, however, when I was in the SB with QQ and had 6,000 chips left. A guy with 3,500 goes all in with A-10, button calls with A-Q, I re-raise all in and the button calls. The first card off the deck was the ace. If I win that hand, I have about 17,000, putting me among the chip leaders in the race for the first place prize of $14,000 and change. The top 18 paid out of about 225 entries.
It was a busy day at the WSOP. There was the final of the limit tournament on the TV stage, the razz tournament next to that and the no-limit six-handed table tourney to the side. The last I heard, Doyle was the chip leader with about four tables remaining. ESPN has decided to televise this one too.
I saw Phil Hellmuth wallowing in the floor as I walked by the six-handed affair. I couldn't tell if he was doing yoga, pushups or was perhaps imitating a walrus flopping across rocks. Either way, my camera would not turn on in time and he got up when he saw me trying to take his picture.
A guy from Tuscaloosa I know flew into town just to play the razz event, but it sounded like he had the kind of luck I usually have at that horrible, wicked, horrible game. Or maybe it was Chau Giang sitting at the opposite end of the table that did him in.
Several of my Tuscaloosa poker compatriots have landed in Vegas. Hopefully we can take the town by storm. We sure didn't yesterday. Mark and I both entered the second chance tourney for $225. He could catch no cards, but I caught enough to build my stack from 1,000 to 8,000 at one point. I busted in 20th, however, when I was in the SB with QQ and had 6,000 chips left. A guy with 3,500 goes all in with A-10, button calls with A-Q, I re-raise all in and the button calls. The first card off the deck was the ace. If I win that hand, I have about 17,000, putting me among the chip leaders in the race for the first place prize of $14,000 and change. The top 18 paid out of about 225 entries.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Vegas Day 7 and Roy Cooke interview
Talked with Roy Cooke this morning. You Card Player readers know of whom I speak. Born in Atlanta, but raised in England and later Seattle, Cooke honed his card skills in Washington state card rooms. At the age of 26, he took off for Vegas to play professionally.
“Those were very enjoyable years,” Cooke said. “I brought the woman down from Washington who would become my wife (Misty) and we started a new life.”
Even though Cooke thoroughly enjoyed poker and played it very profitably, he decided to start a real estate business seven years after moving to town.
“I didn’t want poker to be my only source in life,” he said. “I didn’t want to grow old and get burned out on it. I know guys who got tired of it and were trapped because it’s the only think they knew. I didn’t want to be 65 and having to win to eat.”
Cooke has recently written a series of columns in Card Player imploring someone to help unify the poker community by forming an organization that would represent the best interests of the game. Cooke called out Doyle Brunson as the man for the job, but he told me this morning that he hasn’t heard from him, and in fact, says that Brunson is looking to start a new poker tour of some sort.
“Right now there are several groups fighting over pieces of the pie and they are looking out for themselves and not for the game of poker,” Cooke said.
ESPN has the World Series of Poker Circuit, Travel Channel has the World Poker Tour. Fox Sports Net has Superstars of Poker. Card Player and Bluff have different ranking systems for tournament players. Cooke is afraid as the poker world becomes increasingly splintered, it will follow the path of boxing, which has myriad different associations and champions.
“You’re going to have mishmash of rules and champions,” Cooke said. “We’re already getting there. You can be ranked number one in place and off the list in another.”
Cooke said one unifying organization could give players more leverage in benefiting from television contracts.
“Right now the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour need to talk to each other and work together,” he said. “I’m not sure they like each other much.”
I’ve spent the last couple of days venturing out to some of the nice poker rooms in town that actually spread the limits I want to play, that being $10-$20 and $15-$30. I sat down in a loose $10-$20 game at the Mirage the other night and this Asian guy two to my right kept calling me down with who knows what because he always folded on the river. When the man pulled out a flush on the river against a guy to my left to keep from going broke, I leaned over and whispered to the pot winner, “Don’t be offended, but I was rooting for him. I didn’t want you to bust my ATM.”
The dealer gave me a disapproving look, she of the plastic face and DDs, her features voluntarily destroyed by the hand of a surgeon, creating a mask that would make Michael Jackson proud, but which I found hard to gaze at.
I won a few hundred there and headed to Bellagio for $15-$30 action. I recognized a guy in the nine seat, a young Asian man I had seen on a WPT final table but I couldn’t recall his name. He later got up and I saw him dealing at another table.
It never ceases to amaze me how bad some people play, even at a limit as high as this. One man wearing a roofing company hat blew through three racks in just a few hours. That’s $1,500 worth. He was friendly though. He told me he was from Toronto and used to have a roofing company. The man said he used to play in games around Toronto with “Danny.”
“Now he’s rich and I’m sitting here,” he said.
“I may have to go back to work,” he said with a laugh.
Keep it up man and that could prove true.
I caught fire early, and was up $700 at one point, but I went card dead and cashed out a $155 winner.
I then went to the Wynn, which is a very nice casino, as well it should be, having cost $2 billion. The poker room is nice, though not as good as the Bellagio. I couldn’t get a $15-$30 seat so I sat down in the $1-$2 NL game. I booked a small win of $25 in a couple of hours play.
Just outside the poker room, Wynn has a Ferrari on display on one of those turntables. The view is free, but the gift shop next door charges handsome prices. A red polo with the Ferrari logo is $70 and a cheap looking cap is $32.
I capped the night at the Nugget in unlucky fashion, my flopped two pair losing to a river straight, my flopped set losing to a flush and the most inglorious of all – my flopped set of aces losing to a gut straight. A drunk, albeit friendly drunk, in the eight seat called my $15 pre-flop raise after several limpers to see a flop of A-J-Q rainbow. He bet $20 into me and I went all in for $80 more. He calls with K-3 and spikes a 10 on the river. The woman sitting beside him told me she threw away pocket 10s. Great, the two outer busts me. The drunk cracked my aces and others’ kings twice. Later, he disappeared for several minutes and when he returned threw a handful of candy bars on the table, perhaps trying to atone for his misdeeds. I ate a $300 M & M’s Amazing bar before heading back to my bed at the Four Queens.
“Those were very enjoyable years,” Cooke said. “I brought the woman down from Washington who would become my wife (Misty) and we started a new life.”
Even though Cooke thoroughly enjoyed poker and played it very profitably, he decided to start a real estate business seven years after moving to town.
“I didn’t want poker to be my only source in life,” he said. “I didn’t want to grow old and get burned out on it. I know guys who got tired of it and were trapped because it’s the only think they knew. I didn’t want to be 65 and having to win to eat.”
Cooke has recently written a series of columns in Card Player imploring someone to help unify the poker community by forming an organization that would represent the best interests of the game. Cooke called out Doyle Brunson as the man for the job, but he told me this morning that he hasn’t heard from him, and in fact, says that Brunson is looking to start a new poker tour of some sort.
“Right now there are several groups fighting over pieces of the pie and they are looking out for themselves and not for the game of poker,” Cooke said.
ESPN has the World Series of Poker Circuit, Travel Channel has the World Poker Tour. Fox Sports Net has Superstars of Poker. Card Player and Bluff have different ranking systems for tournament players. Cooke is afraid as the poker world becomes increasingly splintered, it will follow the path of boxing, which has myriad different associations and champions.
“You’re going to have mishmash of rules and champions,” Cooke said. “We’re already getting there. You can be ranked number one in place and off the list in another.”
Cooke said one unifying organization could give players more leverage in benefiting from television contracts.
“Right now the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour need to talk to each other and work together,” he said. “I’m not sure they like each other much.”
I’ve spent the last couple of days venturing out to some of the nice poker rooms in town that actually spread the limits I want to play, that being $10-$20 and $15-$30. I sat down in a loose $10-$20 game at the Mirage the other night and this Asian guy two to my right kept calling me down with who knows what because he always folded on the river. When the man pulled out a flush on the river against a guy to my left to keep from going broke, I leaned over and whispered to the pot winner, “Don’t be offended, but I was rooting for him. I didn’t want you to bust my ATM.”
The dealer gave me a disapproving look, she of the plastic face and DDs, her features voluntarily destroyed by the hand of a surgeon, creating a mask that would make Michael Jackson proud, but which I found hard to gaze at.
I won a few hundred there and headed to Bellagio for $15-$30 action. I recognized a guy in the nine seat, a young Asian man I had seen on a WPT final table but I couldn’t recall his name. He later got up and I saw him dealing at another table.
It never ceases to amaze me how bad some people play, even at a limit as high as this. One man wearing a roofing company hat blew through three racks in just a few hours. That’s $1,500 worth. He was friendly though. He told me he was from Toronto and used to have a roofing company. The man said he used to play in games around Toronto with “Danny.”
“Now he’s rich and I’m sitting here,” he said.
“I may have to go back to work,” he said with a laugh.
Keep it up man and that could prove true.
I caught fire early, and was up $700 at one point, but I went card dead and cashed out a $155 winner.
I then went to the Wynn, which is a very nice casino, as well it should be, having cost $2 billion. The poker room is nice, though not as good as the Bellagio. I couldn’t get a $15-$30 seat so I sat down in the $1-$2 NL game. I booked a small win of $25 in a couple of hours play.
Just outside the poker room, Wynn has a Ferrari on display on one of those turntables. The view is free, but the gift shop next door charges handsome prices. A red polo with the Ferrari logo is $70 and a cheap looking cap is $32.
I capped the night at the Nugget in unlucky fashion, my flopped two pair losing to a river straight, my flopped set losing to a flush and the most inglorious of all – my flopped set of aces losing to a gut straight. A drunk, albeit friendly drunk, in the eight seat called my $15 pre-flop raise after several limpers to see a flop of A-J-Q rainbow. He bet $20 into me and I went all in for $80 more. He calls with K-3 and spikes a 10 on the river. The woman sitting beside him told me she threw away pocket 10s. Great, the two outer busts me. The drunk cracked my aces and others’ kings twice. Later, he disappeared for several minutes and when he returned threw a handful of candy bars on the table, perhaps trying to atone for his misdeeds. I ate a $300 M & M’s Amazing bar before heading back to my bed at the Four Queens.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Vegas Day 6: Poker goes Hollywood
Monday had to be one of the most exciting days of the 2005 series so far. Actress Jennifer Tilly winning a bracelet, a star-studded final four tables in the pot-limit Omaha event, the addition of more tournaments to satisfy the crowded masses.
I started the day playing some small satellites to get my feet wet, after bombing in a $225 affair earlier in the trip. Tournament organizers have decided to play a $500 NLHE tournament every day at 5 p.m., which began Monday, and are running $65 satellites now constantly for it. I played two of those, as well as two of the $50 ones in which the top two get $225 vouchers for entry into a super satellite or nightly second chance tournament. Of course, I bombed out of all four. Not my week for tournament play.
I headed over to the TV table to check out the ladies only final. The event was not originally scheduled for air on ESPN, but after Tilly made the final four, the network decided to bring the women back Monday to finish it in front of the cameras. Cecilia Mortensen, Carlos’ wife, was among that final four.
Mere yards away, the final five tables of the pot-limit Omaha event was being played. When the tables were combined to four, Phil Ivey was moved to a table with Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and John Phan.
“No, not here,” Brunson said, laughing, as Ivey was moved to his table.
Meanwhile, the $5,000 limit tournament was taking place on the other side of the stage, and Phil Laak, always a bundle of energy, kept running back and forth to play his hands and check up on his girlfriend’s play.
I walked back toward the satellite area and ran into one of the players from my table, who told me he busted out second to the rather obnoxious Lenny Kravitz lookalike sitting between us.
We struck up a conversation about poker and he graciously agreed to be interviewed for my book. His name is Joe Fleming, from Fairfax, Va., and like many at the WSOP, he likes to travel around the country to participate in the major tournaments. Fleming regularly travels to Tunica, Atlantic City, Foxwoods, California, even Costa Rica. He’s one of those players no one outside of poker would have ever heard of. Fleming plays only smaller tournaments and the occasional big one, like last year’s WSOP main event, in which he made it about halfway through the field. He owns a real estate business back home, so money is not an issue.
“The only way to get out of work is to get out of town,” Fleming said. “This is what I like to do on my vacations.”
“I like the camaraderie of people, meeting you and meeting others. I probably know 200 people here,” he said.
As if to prove that point, Fleming called over Minh Nguyen, a two-time WSOP bracelet winner. Nguyen and I shook hands, but he had to run back to the limit tournament, which was returning from break, so we promised to chat later.
Fleming said poker is only fun if not taken too seriously by the recreational player. He knows some who have lost a lot, noting that a friend won $150,000 in a May tournament and was busted two months later.
“The downside is you see people destitute trying to hit fame and fortune,” Fleming said.
Will Fleming enter the main event this year? Not unless he wins a satellite. He said he can’t see plunking down $10,000 for one tournament.
“If I felt good enough to compete with these guys I would,” he said.
“Not yet anyway,” he said with a grin.
As we completed the interview, the ladies event got down to heads up, so Fleming and I headed to the back of the room to watch.
Tilly, who held a commanding chip leader through the final table, finally vanquished her opponent (sorry I do not currently know who it was) and stood up and spun around for the adoring audience. Laak hurried to the table to place the bracelet around her wrist. Tilly took it off and proclaimed in her Betty Boop voice, “This is excellent.”
She was handed the announcer’s microphone for her victory speech.
“This was really rough. All we talked about were clothing and shoes. There was a little bit of RRRRUUUUHHH,” Tilly said, holding her fingers out as a cat’s claws.
“This is actually better than an Oscar,” said the “Bride of Chucky” star, who in truth probably had better odds to win a bracelet than an Academy Award, given her cinematic track record.
So closed, for me at least, a mighty interesting day at the WSOP. I headed for the exit.
As complete novices played low limits and satellites in the front, as the big name pros played for the final table in the Omaha event and as Hollywood celebrated its first bracelet winner under the glare of the television cameras, I couldn’t help but think to myself what a hell of a game poker is.
I started the day playing some small satellites to get my feet wet, after bombing in a $225 affair earlier in the trip. Tournament organizers have decided to play a $500 NLHE tournament every day at 5 p.m., which began Monday, and are running $65 satellites now constantly for it. I played two of those, as well as two of the $50 ones in which the top two get $225 vouchers for entry into a super satellite or nightly second chance tournament. Of course, I bombed out of all four. Not my week for tournament play.
I headed over to the TV table to check out the ladies only final. The event was not originally scheduled for air on ESPN, but after Tilly made the final four, the network decided to bring the women back Monday to finish it in front of the cameras. Cecilia Mortensen, Carlos’ wife, was among that final four.
Mere yards away, the final five tables of the pot-limit Omaha event was being played. When the tables were combined to four, Phil Ivey was moved to a table with Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and John Phan.
“No, not here,” Brunson said, laughing, as Ivey was moved to his table.
Meanwhile, the $5,000 limit tournament was taking place on the other side of the stage, and Phil Laak, always a bundle of energy, kept running back and forth to play his hands and check up on his girlfriend’s play.
I walked back toward the satellite area and ran into one of the players from my table, who told me he busted out second to the rather obnoxious Lenny Kravitz lookalike sitting between us.
We struck up a conversation about poker and he graciously agreed to be interviewed for my book. His name is Joe Fleming, from Fairfax, Va., and like many at the WSOP, he likes to travel around the country to participate in the major tournaments. Fleming regularly travels to Tunica, Atlantic City, Foxwoods, California, even Costa Rica. He’s one of those players no one outside of poker would have ever heard of. Fleming plays only smaller tournaments and the occasional big one, like last year’s WSOP main event, in which he made it about halfway through the field. He owns a real estate business back home, so money is not an issue.
“The only way to get out of work is to get out of town,” Fleming said. “This is what I like to do on my vacations.”
“I like the camaraderie of people, meeting you and meeting others. I probably know 200 people here,” he said.
As if to prove that point, Fleming called over Minh Nguyen, a two-time WSOP bracelet winner. Nguyen and I shook hands, but he had to run back to the limit tournament, which was returning from break, so we promised to chat later.
Fleming said poker is only fun if not taken too seriously by the recreational player. He knows some who have lost a lot, noting that a friend won $150,000 in a May tournament and was busted two months later.
“The downside is you see people destitute trying to hit fame and fortune,” Fleming said.
Will Fleming enter the main event this year? Not unless he wins a satellite. He said he can’t see plunking down $10,000 for one tournament.
“If I felt good enough to compete with these guys I would,” he said.
“Not yet anyway,” he said with a grin.
As we completed the interview, the ladies event got down to heads up, so Fleming and I headed to the back of the room to watch.
Tilly, who held a commanding chip leader through the final table, finally vanquished her opponent (sorry I do not currently know who it was) and stood up and spun around for the adoring audience. Laak hurried to the table to place the bracelet around her wrist. Tilly took it off and proclaimed in her Betty Boop voice, “This is excellent.”
She was handed the announcer’s microphone for her victory speech.
“This was really rough. All we talked about were clothing and shoes. There was a little bit of RRRRUUUUHHH,” Tilly said, holding her fingers out as a cat’s claws.
“This is actually better than an Oscar,” said the “Bride of Chucky” star, who in truth probably had better odds to win a bracelet than an Academy Award, given her cinematic track record.
So closed, for me at least, a mighty interesting day at the WSOP. I headed for the exit.
As complete novices played low limits and satellites in the front, as the big name pros played for the final table in the Omaha event and as Hollywood celebrated its first bracelet winner under the glare of the television cameras, I couldn’t help but think to myself what a hell of a game poker is.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Vegas Day 5
I checked out a couple of more poker rooms on the Strip today and hit MGM again briefly. I haven't mentioned yet that I am putting together another book proposal, this one called Pocket Guide to Vegas Poker. It would be a pocket size book (obviously) that would detail each Las Vegas poker room -- what games are offered, what tournaments are offered, the room's atmosphere, the quality of the players, etc. -- as well as provide need to know information for the poker newbie who wants to play poker in Vegas for the first time (that game they've seen on television.) I think this ought to be an easy sale. I sent the proposal to my agent this morning.
I finished the evening at the Golden Nugget for some 1-2 NL, running into Tim, a guy I played with a couple of days earlier at the Plaza (I'm starting to run into several people I had met days before at this point.) I doubled my $200 on one hand, receiving the A-4 of hearts in early position. I limped (there was a lot of that in this game so I didn't have to worry about a raise behind me very often) and several others did the same. The flop was 6h-7h-10h. Hello! I checked and a guy a few seats to my left bets $15, which is called in three places. I risk a check again on the blank turn (risky because it could have been checked around) and the original bettor also checks, but the guy in last position goes all in for $85. Yes! Now do I call or raise? I decided to just call. Even if the original bettor has something like a set, he's about a 4.5 to 1 dog to fill up on the river and he's only getting 3 to 1 on his money to call the $85 bet. To my delight he calls and the river is another thudding blank. I go all in for $100, hoping he has something he can call that with, but he folds. I happily take the pot. I won about $300 on the day.
Heading back to the Rio today to see if I can find more pros open for an interview and play some satellites for tomorrow's $2,000 NLHE event.
I finished the evening at the Golden Nugget for some 1-2 NL, running into Tim, a guy I played with a couple of days earlier at the Plaza (I'm starting to run into several people I had met days before at this point.) I doubled my $200 on one hand, receiving the A-4 of hearts in early position. I limped (there was a lot of that in this game so I didn't have to worry about a raise behind me very often) and several others did the same. The flop was 6h-7h-10h. Hello! I checked and a guy a few seats to my left bets $15, which is called in three places. I risk a check again on the blank turn (risky because it could have been checked around) and the original bettor also checks, but the guy in last position goes all in for $85. Yes! Now do I call or raise? I decided to just call. Even if the original bettor has something like a set, he's about a 4.5 to 1 dog to fill up on the river and he's only getting 3 to 1 on his money to call the $85 bet. To my delight he calls and the river is another thudding blank. I go all in for $100, hoping he has something he can call that with, but he folds. I happily take the pot. I won about $300 on the day.
Heading back to the Rio today to see if I can find more pros open for an interview and play some satellites for tomorrow's $2,000 NLHE event.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Vegas Day 4 and Raymer interview
I decided to hit the Plaza noon tournament before heading to the Rio. I did okay, finishing halfway through the 31 man field, but got busted with 7-4 in the big blind with a flop of 7-6-3 when the small blind went all in and I didn’t think he wanted a call. It turns out he didn’t as he had a 5-8 for an open-ended straight draw. But a turn 5 for my straight and then a river 4 for his higher straight did me in.
I made it to the Rio about 3 p.m. after the $2,500 NLHE field had dwindled, providing more open tables for the satellites and cash games I wanted to play. I spotted Greg Raymer leaving a table so I grabbed him for a golden interview opportunity. He and I had chatted via email so he knew who I was.
I asked him how things have changed for him since last year’s World Series, when he wasn’t a total unknown on the tournament circuit before his main event win, but also wasn’t an easily recognizable face to many.
Raymer said he’s now the target of the “touristy types.”
“Now I get asked for pictures and autographs pretty much constantly,” said Raymer, who doesn’t mind the attention and is very accommodating to those fans. “A girl licked me the other day.”
A comment like that doesn’t go by without a follow-up question so I inquired further. Raymer said the woman requested a photo, and a friend of Raymer’s who was trying to take the picture couldn’t get the camera to work. While the woman waited she cuddled up to the poker pro and asked if she could lick him.
“She just licks me before I can say a word,” Raymer said, laughing.
Regarding the World Series of Poker’s new home, Raymer pointed out things he likes and dislikes. He noted that an event this large could never be held at Binion’s, or anywhere downtown, for that matter.
“I like the fact we’ve got all this room,” he said. “If you took all the slots and tables in Binion’s out, you couldn’t fit this in there. There’s not enough floor space.”
On the other hand, Raymer liked the convenience of downtown. He could walk across the street and buy a soda and beef jerky in a souvenir shop across the street.
But given the two options, Raymer prefers the new location.
“I would rather it be bigger and here than smaller and down there,” he said.
I asked Raymer if it is a realistic goal for him to win back-to-back World Series main events. His reply? Of course not.
“My goal is the only goal I ever have when I play poker – that is make good decisions,” he said.
Raymer said tournament players who come into a tournament with a mindset that they are going to win it are doomed for failure.
“You can be the greatest player in the world and not meet those goals,” he said.
Raymer was able to accomplish a feat on Friday that was never reached before. He made the final table of the $1,500 NLHE event that began on Wednesday, becoming the only player to make a final table in two events with more than 2,000 players. Only three times have tournament fields been that large – last year’s main event and this year’s second event, another $1,500 NLHE, were the other two.
Raymer started the final table as the chip leader, but finished sixth.
As we concluded our meeting, Raymer added, “Oh yeah, Poker Stars, Poker Stars, Poker Stars.”
After my brief chat with Raymer, I was finally able to grab a $10-$20 seat (my favorite hold’em limit.) I had a great three hours, pocketing $415. I then proceeded to enter a $225 satellite to attempt to win some tournament chips, but I could not catch any hands and went out 5th when my K-7 that I called with in the dark from the big blind was vanquished by 8-8.
I ran into Andy Bloch on the way out and gave him a copy of the Sims article. Still no word from Bluff on that. Bloch was wearing his Full Tilt Poker jersey like most of the rest of that group. He ended up with lucky No. 7 on his. We talked about how much FTP has grown since he first told me about it last April, when it was just an upstart. I thought it had grown more than it has. Bloch said it’s more toward the lower part of the top 10 of online poker sites.
He went on a bit of a diatribe about the U.S. government’s stance toward online poker and we both agreed that it will never be legalized with Bush in the White House. (Bloch has a running count of the cost of the war in Iraq on his home page http://www.andybloch.com/, if that tells you anything about his thought on the president.) He said the Party Poker IPO, about to take place on the London stock exchange, will open some eyes. It will be interesting to see what happens with that.
I made it to the Rio about 3 p.m. after the $2,500 NLHE field had dwindled, providing more open tables for the satellites and cash games I wanted to play. I spotted Greg Raymer leaving a table so I grabbed him for a golden interview opportunity. He and I had chatted via email so he knew who I was.
I asked him how things have changed for him since last year’s World Series, when he wasn’t a total unknown on the tournament circuit before his main event win, but also wasn’t an easily recognizable face to many.
Raymer said he’s now the target of the “touristy types.”
“Now I get asked for pictures and autographs pretty much constantly,” said Raymer, who doesn’t mind the attention and is very accommodating to those fans. “A girl licked me the other day.”
A comment like that doesn’t go by without a follow-up question so I inquired further. Raymer said the woman requested a photo, and a friend of Raymer’s who was trying to take the picture couldn’t get the camera to work. While the woman waited she cuddled up to the poker pro and asked if she could lick him.
“She just licks me before I can say a word,” Raymer said, laughing.
Regarding the World Series of Poker’s new home, Raymer pointed out things he likes and dislikes. He noted that an event this large could never be held at Binion’s, or anywhere downtown, for that matter.
“I like the fact we’ve got all this room,” he said. “If you took all the slots and tables in Binion’s out, you couldn’t fit this in there. There’s not enough floor space.”
On the other hand, Raymer liked the convenience of downtown. He could walk across the street and buy a soda and beef jerky in a souvenir shop across the street.
But given the two options, Raymer prefers the new location.
“I would rather it be bigger and here than smaller and down there,” he said.
I asked Raymer if it is a realistic goal for him to win back-to-back World Series main events. His reply? Of course not.
“My goal is the only goal I ever have when I play poker – that is make good decisions,” he said.
Raymer said tournament players who come into a tournament with a mindset that they are going to win it are doomed for failure.
“You can be the greatest player in the world and not meet those goals,” he said.
Raymer was able to accomplish a feat on Friday that was never reached before. He made the final table of the $1,500 NLHE event that began on Wednesday, becoming the only player to make a final table in two events with more than 2,000 players. Only three times have tournament fields been that large – last year’s main event and this year’s second event, another $1,500 NLHE, were the other two.
Raymer started the final table as the chip leader, but finished sixth.
As we concluded our meeting, Raymer added, “Oh yeah, Poker Stars, Poker Stars, Poker Stars.”
After my brief chat with Raymer, I was finally able to grab a $10-$20 seat (my favorite hold’em limit.) I had a great three hours, pocketing $415. I then proceeded to enter a $225 satellite to attempt to win some tournament chips, but I could not catch any hands and went out 5th when my K-7 that I called with in the dark from the big blind was vanquished by 8-8.
I ran into Andy Bloch on the way out and gave him a copy of the Sims article. Still no word from Bluff on that. Bloch was wearing his Full Tilt Poker jersey like most of the rest of that group. He ended up with lucky No. 7 on his. We talked about how much FTP has grown since he first told me about it last April, when it was just an upstart. I thought it had grown more than it has. Bloch said it’s more toward the lower part of the top 10 of online poker sites.
He went on a bit of a diatribe about the U.S. government’s stance toward online poker and we both agreed that it will never be legalized with Bush in the White House. (Bloch has a running count of the cost of the war in Iraq on his home page http://www.andybloch.com/, if that tells you anything about his thought on the president.) He said the Party Poker IPO, about to take place on the London stock exchange, will open some eyes. It will be interesting to see what happens with that.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Vegas Day 3
I braved the bus system and the riffraff reeking of body odor Friday to explore the Strip fully for the first time on this trip, collecting freebies along the way. I started the excursion at Circus Circus and spent the afternoon walking south, stopping in occasionally at various casinos. The ice cream cone I got at McDonald’s melted in my hand by the time I ate half of it in the 102 degree heat.
I arrived at MGM Grand around 2:30 p.m. to check out the casino’s new poker room, in a nice central location where there used to be a stage and musical acts. I was disappointed to find no higher limit games. The highest one was $3-$6 and there were numerous $1-$2 NL games running so I sat down in one of those. No limit appears to be taking over, for better or worse.
It was a fun table, with a nice group of friendly people, both young and old. Amazingly, there were four Southerners among us – North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama (twice) were represented. The guy to my right was from Selma, home of the country’s most famous civil rights march, but has lived in Vegas for several years, doing some sort of stock trading. When I told him I was from Tuscaloosa, he responded with a cry of “War Eagle.” Ugh.
I won several chips off of a young woman when I flopped a set of 4s and she flopped top pair queen with an ace kicker. When I raised her $50 bet on the turn to $100 she folded. It was a great fold from her that saved her money.
She told us later that she is celebrating the one year of her re-birth on this trip from Missouri. She suffered from a brain tumor that was removed last year. The Ken lookalike on the other end of the table (of Barbie’s Ken I speak) hit her up for clubbing on the town later.
I won the brunt of my chips from the guy from N.C., who everyone simply called “North Carolina.” He had downed numerous beers when the following hand occurred. I limped with K-Q suited and he made a sizable raise from the small blind. Figuring him for a medium pocket pair or something of that ilk and having position on him the rest of the hand, I decided to call the additional $20, putting $50 and change in the pot. The flop was K-8-9, with two clubs. He bet $25 and I raised to $60 to figure out where he was. He thought for a long time and called. The turn was the 5 of spades. He checked and I bet $60 again. Again, he thought for a long time and finally called. The river was the 10 of clubs. He went all in for his last $100 and change. Hmmmm…didn’t know what to think of that. If he had fewer Budweisers in him I would have been less apt to call, but I also thought about it mathematically and I was getting about 4-1 odds on the call. He didn’t have to be bluffing very often for this to be a correct call mathematically. So I called and he turned over the A-Q, only one club. I got lucky on the flop and then N.C. pissed the rest of his chips to me with nothing but a draw to the ace.
So I left MGM with $320 more dollars in my pocket and hit the bus again for the ride back. For some reason I was totally drained when I got back to my hotel room at 9:30 p.m. so rather than go out for dinner or another quick card game I hit the bed.
Today I’m going back to the Rio to check out the WSOP action. Hopefully, I’ll run into Andy Bloch so I can show him the article I wrote about Tom Sims and his Andy Bloch Project for Bluff magazine. Still haven’t heard from Bluff if they are going to run it.
I arrived at MGM Grand around 2:30 p.m. to check out the casino’s new poker room, in a nice central location where there used to be a stage and musical acts. I was disappointed to find no higher limit games. The highest one was $3-$6 and there were numerous $1-$2 NL games running so I sat down in one of those. No limit appears to be taking over, for better or worse.
It was a fun table, with a nice group of friendly people, both young and old. Amazingly, there were four Southerners among us – North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama (twice) were represented. The guy to my right was from Selma, home of the country’s most famous civil rights march, but has lived in Vegas for several years, doing some sort of stock trading. When I told him I was from Tuscaloosa, he responded with a cry of “War Eagle.” Ugh.
I won several chips off of a young woman when I flopped a set of 4s and she flopped top pair queen with an ace kicker. When I raised her $50 bet on the turn to $100 she folded. It was a great fold from her that saved her money.
She told us later that she is celebrating the one year of her re-birth on this trip from Missouri. She suffered from a brain tumor that was removed last year. The Ken lookalike on the other end of the table (of Barbie’s Ken I speak) hit her up for clubbing on the town later.
I won the brunt of my chips from the guy from N.C., who everyone simply called “North Carolina.” He had downed numerous beers when the following hand occurred. I limped with K-Q suited and he made a sizable raise from the small blind. Figuring him for a medium pocket pair or something of that ilk and having position on him the rest of the hand, I decided to call the additional $20, putting $50 and change in the pot. The flop was K-8-9, with two clubs. He bet $25 and I raised to $60 to figure out where he was. He thought for a long time and called. The turn was the 5 of spades. He checked and I bet $60 again. Again, he thought for a long time and finally called. The river was the 10 of clubs. He went all in for his last $100 and change. Hmmmm…didn’t know what to think of that. If he had fewer Budweisers in him I would have been less apt to call, but I also thought about it mathematically and I was getting about 4-1 odds on the call. He didn’t have to be bluffing very often for this to be a correct call mathematically. So I called and he turned over the A-Q, only one club. I got lucky on the flop and then N.C. pissed the rest of his chips to me with nothing but a draw to the ace.
So I left MGM with $320 more dollars in my pocket and hit the bus again for the ride back. For some reason I was totally drained when I got back to my hotel room at 9:30 p.m. so rather than go out for dinner or another quick card game I hit the bed.
Today I’m going back to the Rio to check out the WSOP action. Hopefully, I’ll run into Andy Bloch so I can show him the article I wrote about Tom Sims and his Andy Bloch Project for Bluff magazine. Still haven’t heard from Bluff if they are going to run it.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Vegas Day 2
I moved rooms yesterday because they gave me a smoking one in mistake, the cigarette residue that covered the furniture stopping up my lungs. They gave me room 911, the number scrawled in black crayon not once, but twice on the wall outside because the number plate is missing.
I decided to eschew public transportation and the Strip on Thursday after my bad start on Wednesday. I just hung around downtown. I started with the 11 a.m. tournament at the Golden Nugget. After viewing the heads-up championship on NBC, one might believe that the Nugget would probably have a nice poker room considering the impressive show that they put on for that tournament. But in truth, they have a small, cramped poker room wedged in between slot machines. There are several plasma televisions on the walls, however, where several players and I were entertained by trick bowling on ESPN during the 11 a.m. tournament. As for my results, not much to speak of. I busted out shortly after the break.
I decided to walk a couple of blocks up to the El Cortez, past the pawn shops and liquor stores, since I had a coupon for a free funbook. (I am a freebie whore, let me tell you.) That proved a disaster after I sat down to use a blackjack matchplay. One Benjamin lighter, I headed to the other end of Freemont, to the Plaza, to check out their tournaments. Despite their rows and rows of poker tables, the tournaments are actually quite small. I was informed that there are usually only two tables in the 7 p.m. affair. I decided to sit down for a 1-2 NL game, however. It seems all the poker rooms spread this particular game these days. I lost a big pot early when I flopped a set of 5s and let a man with a 9-10 see the turn cheaply after a flop if J-5-8. He caught his straight and took most of my chips. I worked my way back up and then won a big pot with a Jc-Qc after a flop of 8c-9c-Jd. We got all in on the flop. My opponent turned over 10-Q for the flopped straight, I caught a J on the turn that gave me myriad more outs and then spiked the deuce of clubs on the river for the win. I left up $150, my only win so far this trip! Ouch.
I played the Horseshoe 8 p.m. tournament again without success, making it to the final 25 or so of 70 players.
Today, I plan to hop on the bus to the Strip (I figured out a better route, no more Key Largo bus stop waits) and hit the $10-$20 game at the MGM. I figure there should be plenty of young, dumb tourists in that game. We’ll see soon enough.
I decided to eschew public transportation and the Strip on Thursday after my bad start on Wednesday. I just hung around downtown. I started with the 11 a.m. tournament at the Golden Nugget. After viewing the heads-up championship on NBC, one might believe that the Nugget would probably have a nice poker room considering the impressive show that they put on for that tournament. But in truth, they have a small, cramped poker room wedged in between slot machines. There are several plasma televisions on the walls, however, where several players and I were entertained by trick bowling on ESPN during the 11 a.m. tournament. As for my results, not much to speak of. I busted out shortly after the break.
I decided to walk a couple of blocks up to the El Cortez, past the pawn shops and liquor stores, since I had a coupon for a free funbook. (I am a freebie whore, let me tell you.) That proved a disaster after I sat down to use a blackjack matchplay. One Benjamin lighter, I headed to the other end of Freemont, to the Plaza, to check out their tournaments. Despite their rows and rows of poker tables, the tournaments are actually quite small. I was informed that there are usually only two tables in the 7 p.m. affair. I decided to sit down for a 1-2 NL game, however. It seems all the poker rooms spread this particular game these days. I lost a big pot early when I flopped a set of 5s and let a man with a 9-10 see the turn cheaply after a flop if J-5-8. He caught his straight and took most of my chips. I worked my way back up and then won a big pot with a Jc-Qc after a flop of 8c-9c-Jd. We got all in on the flop. My opponent turned over 10-Q for the flopped straight, I caught a J on the turn that gave me myriad more outs and then spiked the deuce of clubs on the river for the win. I left up $150, my only win so far this trip! Ouch.
I played the Horseshoe 8 p.m. tournament again without success, making it to the final 25 or so of 70 players.
Today, I plan to hop on the bus to the Strip (I figured out a better route, no more Key Largo bus stop waits) and hit the $10-$20 game at the MGM. I figure there should be plenty of young, dumb tourists in that game. We’ll see soon enough.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
WSOP Day 1
Sometimes it just isn’t your day. I couldn’t catch a cold at the NLHE event at the WSOP Wednesday.
But let me digress and share my enjoyable bus experience yesterday. I left downtown at 10:20 a.m., giving me plenty of time to make it to the noon tournament on time, right? Not. I rode one bus to the corner of Paradise and Flamingo and waited patiently for the route that would take me to the Rio. I waited, and waited and waited. Forty minutes later a bus finally arrives, immediately followed by another one. The doofus driving the first bus would not let us on because he was running late. No shit. Don’t you think the people wanting to ride the bus are also running late asshole?
To quickly end this story, I make it to the Rio with 15 minutes to spare, but by the time I walk the 26.2 miles to the convention area and complete my registration I make it to table 24 just before the tournament director says to, “Shuffle up and deal!”
Unlike the WSOP tournament I played in last year, in which at various times I sat with Phil Hellmuth, Amir Vahedi, Dewey Tomko, Blair Rodman, Charlie Shoten and David Plastik, there were no names at my table Wednesday. The table was full of rather nondescript characters – the guy in the Cubs cap, the European wearing a Knicks sweatshirt – except for one Spaniard with an exquisite moustache and goatee that conjured visions of Cortez. There was another guy immediately to my right wearing a Poker School Online cap, who was playing very tightly. Why wear a cap to the table that essentially says “I am a doofus.” Everyone at the table stole his blinds repeatedly.
They stole a few of mine as well because I couldn’t get crap. The one decent hand I had was KK and an ace flop, I was check raised and had to muck. I got a lot of trouble hands like A-10 suited that didn’t pan out on the flop.
Overall, a pretty tight table, but whenever I tried to steal with moderate hands someone woke up with a hand. It was a day in which I could do no right.
Early on there was an interesting hand where the European made a straight on the turn and another guy made three kings on the river. The European bet and the old guy raised all in. The European called, or at least he thought he did. He forgot one green 25 chip. The old guy argued that his opponent conceded the hand and wanted the European’s hand declared dead. After the floormen were brought over – it took two to make a decision – the European was awarded the pot, but was given a 10-minute penalty for exposing his hand before all the betting was completed. I hate angle shooters like that old timer. He knows the guy wasn't conceeding the hand.
After two hours and the first break, my 1,500 was dwindled down to about half. I got a chance to finally explore the tournament area at break. There are several vendors selling poker related merchandise. One buxom blonde standing behind a table wore a shirt that read, “I have a nice pair. Want to see them?” I heard her say to another woman, “They’re all staring at me” as the tournament players walked by. Is that surprising?
Most of the big names are here. The Full Tilt Poker pros are all wearing jerseys with their names on the back, except for Chris Ferguson, dressed to the nines in his black cowboy hat and suit. He attracted a pretty good crowd of autograph seekers. One had him sign a 9 of diamonds. I would think Ferguson would be worth at least a jack.
Now Mike Matusow would be more of the 9 of diamonds speed. He sat down beside me as I talked on my phone, tied his shoe and promptly laid his head against the wall as if taking a nap. He looked like a man who needed a friend. Later, I saw him wave to someone down to the hallway, to whom I could not tell. No one waved back.
When we returned to the tables, the blinds had risen to 500-100 and still there were no cards for me. About halfway through the third level I finally went all in for 550 with the A-5 of spades in the cutoff seat and was called by an A-K on the button. Sayonara Johnny.
I thought it fitting to cap the first full day here with a trip to Binion’s (no longer called the Horseshoe after its sale) for the 8 p.m. tournament there. I made it more than halfway through the field, but that’s it. Unlike earlier in the day, I caught a few hands, like KK in the first hand of the tournament and AK about seven or eight times. But AK also proved distastrous when I lost to a KQ on a river queen after a king on the flop.
Binion’s just isn’t the same. The poker room is a ghost town compared to last April. Benny’s Bullpen, once home to the main action at the WSOP is now the home of The Vinnie Favorito Comedy Show (only $29.95 plus tax, dark on Saturday.)
But let me digress and share my enjoyable bus experience yesterday. I left downtown at 10:20 a.m., giving me plenty of time to make it to the noon tournament on time, right? Not. I rode one bus to the corner of Paradise and Flamingo and waited patiently for the route that would take me to the Rio. I waited, and waited and waited. Forty minutes later a bus finally arrives, immediately followed by another one. The doofus driving the first bus would not let us on because he was running late. No shit. Don’t you think the people wanting to ride the bus are also running late asshole?
To quickly end this story, I make it to the Rio with 15 minutes to spare, but by the time I walk the 26.2 miles to the convention area and complete my registration I make it to table 24 just before the tournament director says to, “Shuffle up and deal!”
Unlike the WSOP tournament I played in last year, in which at various times I sat with Phil Hellmuth, Amir Vahedi, Dewey Tomko, Blair Rodman, Charlie Shoten and David Plastik, there were no names at my table Wednesday. The table was full of rather nondescript characters – the guy in the Cubs cap, the European wearing a Knicks sweatshirt – except for one Spaniard with an exquisite moustache and goatee that conjured visions of Cortez. There was another guy immediately to my right wearing a Poker School Online cap, who was playing very tightly. Why wear a cap to the table that essentially says “I am a doofus.” Everyone at the table stole his blinds repeatedly.
They stole a few of mine as well because I couldn’t get crap. The one decent hand I had was KK and an ace flop, I was check raised and had to muck. I got a lot of trouble hands like A-10 suited that didn’t pan out on the flop.
Overall, a pretty tight table, but whenever I tried to steal with moderate hands someone woke up with a hand. It was a day in which I could do no right.
Early on there was an interesting hand where the European made a straight on the turn and another guy made three kings on the river. The European bet and the old guy raised all in. The European called, or at least he thought he did. He forgot one green 25 chip. The old guy argued that his opponent conceded the hand and wanted the European’s hand declared dead. After the floormen were brought over – it took two to make a decision – the European was awarded the pot, but was given a 10-minute penalty for exposing his hand before all the betting was completed. I hate angle shooters like that old timer. He knows the guy wasn't conceeding the hand.
After two hours and the first break, my 1,500 was dwindled down to about half. I got a chance to finally explore the tournament area at break. There are several vendors selling poker related merchandise. One buxom blonde standing behind a table wore a shirt that read, “I have a nice pair. Want to see them?” I heard her say to another woman, “They’re all staring at me” as the tournament players walked by. Is that surprising?
Most of the big names are here. The Full Tilt Poker pros are all wearing jerseys with their names on the back, except for Chris Ferguson, dressed to the nines in his black cowboy hat and suit. He attracted a pretty good crowd of autograph seekers. One had him sign a 9 of diamonds. I would think Ferguson would be worth at least a jack.
Now Mike Matusow would be more of the 9 of diamonds speed. He sat down beside me as I talked on my phone, tied his shoe and promptly laid his head against the wall as if taking a nap. He looked like a man who needed a friend. Later, I saw him wave to someone down to the hallway, to whom I could not tell. No one waved back.
When we returned to the tables, the blinds had risen to 500-100 and still there were no cards for me. About halfway through the third level I finally went all in for 550 with the A-5 of spades in the cutoff seat and was called by an A-K on the button. Sayonara Johnny.
I thought it fitting to cap the first full day here with a trip to Binion’s (no longer called the Horseshoe after its sale) for the 8 p.m. tournament there. I made it more than halfway through the field, but that’s it. Unlike earlier in the day, I caught a few hands, like KK in the first hand of the tournament and AK about seven or eight times. But AK also proved distastrous when I lost to a KQ on a river queen after a king on the flop.
Binion’s just isn’t the same. The poker room is a ghost town compared to last April. Benny’s Bullpen, once home to the main action at the WSOP is now the home of The Vinnie Favorito Comedy Show (only $29.95 plus tax, dark on Saturday.)
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Squeaky wheels
Here I groggily sit in the Krispy Kreme at Fitzgerald's, having just downed two nutritious doughnuts and a pint of chocolate milk. I didn't have the most restful nights of sleep in my mouse trap room at the Four Queens last night. I didn't get in it and unpacked until about 12:30 this morning and the squeaky elevator near me kept me up for awhile. I guess I'll get used to it, or request a room change.
I'm not too tired really, though, because I think the excitement of the impending WSOP tournament has my endorphins flowing. Only 150 minutes away. I'm heading to put my laptop up and figure out the bus route to get me to the Rio. Later.
I'm not too tired really, though, because I think the excitement of the impending WSOP tournament has my endorphins flowing. Only 150 minutes away. I'm heading to put my laptop up and figure out the bus route to get me to the Rio. Later.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Vegas, baby, Vegas!
I leave for the airport in a few hours for the flight to Vegas. My nearly month long trip has finally come. Hopefully, I won't go stir crazy out there.
It felt pretty weird waking up yesterday morning without the sound of an alarm clock on Monday morning. It still felt pretty weird to wake up this morning sans alarm. I imagine my new routine will become more and more normal as the time passes, but right now it's strange. It sort of takes me back to the college days, when I never scheduled a class before 11 a.m. if I could help it.
It was sad leaving work last week, packing up my stuff after five years. I might go back there in a year. I might not. Part of me wants to go back today, but I assure you that is only a very small part, and I think that feeling is only brought on by the immediate sadness that was inevitable at my departure. After a couple of months, who knows how I will feel about that?
I've posted several pictures below from my going away parties at work and at a friend's house. I hope to bring you many more photos and updates from Vegas beginning tomorrow or Thursday. Stay tuned.
It felt pretty weird waking up yesterday morning without the sound of an alarm clock on Monday morning. It still felt pretty weird to wake up this morning sans alarm. I imagine my new routine will become more and more normal as the time passes, but right now it's strange. It sort of takes me back to the college days, when I never scheduled a class before 11 a.m. if I could help it.
It was sad leaving work last week, packing up my stuff after five years. I might go back there in a year. I might not. Part of me wants to go back today, but I assure you that is only a very small part, and I think that feeling is only brought on by the immediate sadness that was inevitable at my departure. After a couple of months, who knows how I will feel about that?
I've posted several pictures below from my going away parties at work and at a friend's house. I hope to bring you many more photos and updates from Vegas beginning tomorrow or Thursday. Stay tuned.
Friday, June 10, 2005
One week
I can't imagine what it's like for somone, such as one of my predecessors, Ed Watkins, to leave a job after spending more than 50 years doing it. As I began cleaning out my desk this week in preparation for my last day next Friday, memories of five years of news reporting in Tuscaloosa and the friends I've made came flickering into my mind. An article here, a note there, these artifiacts made it seem like yesterday I was new on the job. Human emotion is a curse. We get bored with working a job for awhile, but we feel sad when we leave that job to try something else. I'll probably be an emotional wreck next week.
As I took my soon-to-be replacement around West Alabama to introduce her to people in the region earlier this week, I explained to many for the first time that I was leaving and the reasons why.
"You see, I'm...uh....working on a book about...um.....poker," I stammered to the salt of the Earth types.
I got at least a couple of blank stares. Had I been writing about the state Baptist convention more than a few ears would have undoubtedly perked up.
I've been reading more and more Vegas trip reports lately as my own trip draws closer. (Now 10 days and counting....) It sounds like folks are having a great time and I can't wait to meet some people I chat with online. I hate that I was unable to attend the bloggers trip, though there may still be a few hangers on in Sin City, trying to beg for enough money to buy a Greyhound bus ticket back home.
Still no publisher yet. My agent, Sheree, sent the proposal to Kensington a couple of weeks ago, but it seems they will probably pass on it. Two strikes so far, but considering they were HarperCollins and Kensington I shouldn't feel too bad. There are a few hundred publishers out there so I'm not terribly worried. You only need to hook one fish to have a meal, or one publisher to write a book. The fact that I have a successful agent taking interest in my work should be a sign in itself I'm doing something right. Right?
I bought into the June 22 $1,500 NLHE through PokerStars. The great thing about that site doing this for you is that you can buy the W$ from one of those sites that exchange them (or another player) for less than the dollar value. I was able to get $1,500W for $1,410, saving me $90 on the entry. Anyone planning to play any events that PS will buy you into and who already has the money for the entry should definitely go this route. It's a money saver.
I hope to play at least one more WSOP event, a $2K or $2,500 one perhaps. As of now, no main event entry yet. Other than playing around with those Party Poker steps I haven't tried all that hard. I may play one of those $1,000 supers the two days before the main event begins, but I wonder if they will even have any of the 6,600 seats left by then?!? You'd think they will have all been gobbled up by online qualifiers before July 5.
As I took my soon-to-be replacement around West Alabama to introduce her to people in the region earlier this week, I explained to many for the first time that I was leaving and the reasons why.
"You see, I'm...uh....working on a book about...um.....poker," I stammered to the salt of the Earth types.
I got at least a couple of blank stares. Had I been writing about the state Baptist convention more than a few ears would have undoubtedly perked up.
I've been reading more and more Vegas trip reports lately as my own trip draws closer. (Now 10 days and counting....) It sounds like folks are having a great time and I can't wait to meet some people I chat with online. I hate that I was unable to attend the bloggers trip, though there may still be a few hangers on in Sin City, trying to beg for enough money to buy a Greyhound bus ticket back home.
Still no publisher yet. My agent, Sheree, sent the proposal to Kensington a couple of weeks ago, but it seems they will probably pass on it. Two strikes so far, but considering they were HarperCollins and Kensington I shouldn't feel too bad. There are a few hundred publishers out there so I'm not terribly worried. You only need to hook one fish to have a meal, or one publisher to write a book. The fact that I have a successful agent taking interest in my work should be a sign in itself I'm doing something right. Right?
I bought into the June 22 $1,500 NLHE through PokerStars. The great thing about that site doing this for you is that you can buy the W$ from one of those sites that exchange them (or another player) for less than the dollar value. I was able to get $1,500W for $1,410, saving me $90 on the entry. Anyone planning to play any events that PS will buy you into and who already has the money for the entry should definitely go this route. It's a money saver.
I hope to play at least one more WSOP event, a $2K or $2,500 one perhaps. As of now, no main event entry yet. Other than playing around with those Party Poker steps I haven't tried all that hard. I may play one of those $1,000 supers the two days before the main event begins, but I wonder if they will even have any of the 6,600 seats left by then?!? You'd think they will have all been gobbled up by online qualifiers before July 5.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Bloggers as journalists
I envisioned all the RGPers and bloggers and their ilk living it up in Vegas as I circled the yard on my mower today. As I clipped every spot on a journey through the one-acre lot, I thought of all the poker players sitting in that cavernous ballroom in the Rio, with its decadent carpet and lighting fixtures hung above every brand new table. I can't help but be envious, especially as I worked on a warm and humid Saturday afternoon.
If there was any doubt how high interest in the WSOP is this year, it was answered quickly not only by the 2,300 plus who entered the first event, but also by the Web updates and coverage the WSOP has gotten in its first couple of days. It also reminded me of Oliver Tse's asinine comments on RGP regarding bloggers and their lowly status. To be honest, I've never thought of poker bloggers as journalists before and if you want to be honest about it few truly are. (And as someone who practices journalism daily at a newspaper I sometimes felt a condescending feeling come into my mind, ala someone like Tse, and that creeps me out a bit.)
Up until this point, most blogs have been solely about the author's wins and losses. People love to brag on themselves and be lauded (you can see my "Recognition" post for my thoughts on that) and I haven't been shy about talking about my own game either. Others, like Pauly's taopoker, provide a great narrative experience of poker and life in general. Iggy's blog has become a hub for a reason, but to be truthful he isn't doing much original reporting, but rather providing a very useful clearinghouse for poker news.
But now that the WSOP has started I'm seeing blog reports that go beyond the "this is how I did" discussion and instead focus on the WSOP as a whole and provide a good rundown of what is happening in Vegas right now. It seems for this event that is universally loved by poker players and one that even picques the curiosity of the non player, there are many bloggers and RGPers who want to help everyone be a part of it by reporting the goings on at the WSOP, and the reports I've seen have been as well written as those from the "professional" poker related Web sites.
As for me, I've got two weeks left on the job and then it's off to Vegas for 26 days. I'm in the process of getting PokerStars to buy me into the $1,500 NLHE on June 22 and I will try to provide my own daily blog reports from the green felt.
If there was any doubt how high interest in the WSOP is this year, it was answered quickly not only by the 2,300 plus who entered the first event, but also by the Web updates and coverage the WSOP has gotten in its first couple of days. It also reminded me of Oliver Tse's asinine comments on RGP regarding bloggers and their lowly status. To be honest, I've never thought of poker bloggers as journalists before and if you want to be honest about it few truly are. (And as someone who practices journalism daily at a newspaper I sometimes felt a condescending feeling come into my mind, ala someone like Tse, and that creeps me out a bit.)
Up until this point, most blogs have been solely about the author's wins and losses. People love to brag on themselves and be lauded (you can see my "Recognition" post for my thoughts on that) and I haven't been shy about talking about my own game either. Others, like Pauly's taopoker, provide a great narrative experience of poker and life in general. Iggy's blog has become a hub for a reason, but to be truthful he isn't doing much original reporting, but rather providing a very useful clearinghouse for poker news.
But now that the WSOP has started I'm seeing blog reports that go beyond the "this is how I did" discussion and instead focus on the WSOP as a whole and provide a good rundown of what is happening in Vegas right now. It seems for this event that is universally loved by poker players and one that even picques the curiosity of the non player, there are many bloggers and RGPers who want to help everyone be a part of it by reporting the goings on at the WSOP, and the reports I've seen have been as well written as those from the "professional" poker related Web sites.
As for me, I've got two weeks left on the job and then it's off to Vegas for 26 days. I'm in the process of getting PokerStars to buy me into the $1,500 NLHE on June 22 and I will try to provide my own daily blog reports from the green felt.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Online poker is a rattlesnake
Interesting article in Sports Illustrated on online poker in Thursday's issue, looking at how many of us (particular the college kids) win and lose large sums of money at our computers. I had one of those crazy experiences last night that falls right in with this issue. I had just taken a $300 beating at the local $5-$10 game, suffering drawout after drawout from the many donks in Tuscaloosa, when I decided to log on to Noble Poker at 1 a.m. this morning. I put my $500 bankroll on the site into a short handed $10-$20 game and proceeded to get down to my last dollars, winning an all-in at about 2:30 a.m. Ninety minutes later I had $1,200.
Now, I'm not one to complain about a $700 session win, but it's a bit scary to think how quick and easy it was to go from $500 to $0 to $1,200. As I said to a co-worker this morning, "That goes on 24 hours a day, seven days a week." There are a ton of players in these games that have no business, either financially or experience wise, participating. It's nice to turn a big profit for yourself, but you have to wonder how many lives are being ruined in the process.
Now, I'm not one to complain about a $700 session win, but it's a bit scary to think how quick and easy it was to go from $500 to $0 to $1,200. As I said to a co-worker this morning, "That goes on 24 hours a day, seven days a week." There are a ton of players in these games that have no business, either financially or experience wise, participating. It's nice to turn a big profit for yourself, but you have to wonder how many lives are being ruined in the process.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Recognition
Many of us may claim we don't do our jobs for the accolades that may be thrown upon us, that it's just a job, a means to make a living, a way to support our families, but I think for most of us it's more than that. I've realized recently how important recognition for a job well done is for a person's psyche, at least my psyche anyway.
Last year, I investigated voter fraud allegations in a couple of Black Belt cities here in Alabama and I was able to prove that some absentee voters did not live in the addresses they claimed to reside. I took pictures of abandoned homes, knocked on doors and made phone calls to unsuspecting residents who told me that no one by the name on the absentee application lived there. A mayoral candidate filed a contest of the election, which is still pending. Investigators with the attorney general's office, I'm told, used my reporting as a roadmap to begin their look into the fraud allegations. Local citizens, finally fed up with the fraud, formed the Democracy Defense League to try and put an end to it.
Yet these stories I wrote did not win an award in a single contest that we participate annually. In six years of newspaper journalism this is the work I'm most proud of and it wasn't good enough in the eyes of some judges to be considered among the best in the state. (And no, these were not judged in state. The way these contests work, the states swap stories and judge. I believe in two of these contests, we were judged by New Mexico and Maryland/Delaware.)
And what can I say? It just takes the energy out of me. To create a body of work that you feel is such a great thing and to receive no recognition for it just makes you completely lose your desire to do this kind of stuff anymore. It makes you wonder if you've lost your grip, that you wouldn't know a good story from a bad one, newsworthiness vs. trash.
But a positive benefit of my slight is it pushes me harder to write the best book I can, one that will hopefully sell thousands upon thousands of copies and allow me to thumb my nose at anyone I think dissed me in the past. :P
Last year, I investigated voter fraud allegations in a couple of Black Belt cities here in Alabama and I was able to prove that some absentee voters did not live in the addresses they claimed to reside. I took pictures of abandoned homes, knocked on doors and made phone calls to unsuspecting residents who told me that no one by the name on the absentee application lived there. A mayoral candidate filed a contest of the election, which is still pending. Investigators with the attorney general's office, I'm told, used my reporting as a roadmap to begin their look into the fraud allegations. Local citizens, finally fed up with the fraud, formed the Democracy Defense League to try and put an end to it.
Yet these stories I wrote did not win an award in a single contest that we participate annually. In six years of newspaper journalism this is the work I'm most proud of and it wasn't good enough in the eyes of some judges to be considered among the best in the state. (And no, these were not judged in state. The way these contests work, the states swap stories and judge. I believe in two of these contests, we were judged by New Mexico and Maryland/Delaware.)
And what can I say? It just takes the energy out of me. To create a body of work that you feel is such a great thing and to receive no recognition for it just makes you completely lose your desire to do this kind of stuff anymore. It makes you wonder if you've lost your grip, that you wouldn't know a good story from a bad one, newsworthiness vs. trash.
But a positive benefit of my slight is it pushes me harder to write the best book I can, one that will hopefully sell thousands upon thousands of copies and allow me to thumb my nose at anyone I think dissed me in the past. :P
Monday, May 23, 2005
Everyone has a story
I make my living telling other people's stories, from the family who flies a hot-air balloon to the family who lost a son in Iraq to the man who makes his own fiddles to the woman who was once the national spelling bee champion. Everyone, no matter how significant they think their own tales are, has an interesting story to tell.
The other day I was driving down a local highway when I saw a black man in a cowboy hat, a cane in one hand and a jug of Wesson oil in the other, trying to cross the road. What's his story? Where did he come from and where is he going?
I was in another city the other day, one of the many I cover in the West Alabama region, and riding behind a red mud covered Jeep Cherokee I spotted the words, written in finger, "Wash me" and "We love you, Daddy." Who is this man? What is his job? How old are his children and what are their interests?
Let's take this discussion to the realm of high stakes poker. Consider that a former Miss Teen Oklahoma, a Vietnamese refugee, a cattle farmer from Alabama and a Harvard law and MIT engineering grad all travel the tournament circuit, going from city to city hoping to strike it rich. What is it about the game of poker that has attracted such a diverse group of people to its ranks?
It's a story I begin to tell in 30 days. I can't wait.
The other day I was driving down a local highway when I saw a black man in a cowboy hat, a cane in one hand and a jug of Wesson oil in the other, trying to cross the road. What's his story? Where did he come from and where is he going?
I was in another city the other day, one of the many I cover in the West Alabama region, and riding behind a red mud covered Jeep Cherokee I spotted the words, written in finger, "Wash me" and "We love you, Daddy." Who is this man? What is his job? How old are his children and what are their interests?
Let's take this discussion to the realm of high stakes poker. Consider that a former Miss Teen Oklahoma, a Vietnamese refugee, a cattle farmer from Alabama and a Harvard law and MIT engineering grad all travel the tournament circuit, going from city to city hoping to strike it rich. What is it about the game of poker that has attracted such a diverse group of people to its ranks?
It's a story I begin to tell in 30 days. I can't wait.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
The Felt Vol. 1
With apologies to Sports Illustrated humorist Bill Sheft, I present to you The Felt.
It's getting stormy in the poker room. The other day Men Nguyen asked the waitress for a Corona and his fellow players asked for raincoats.
Good hygiene and manners have never really been important things to practice in poker rooms. Men Nguyen sniped at Phil Hellmuth during the National Heads-Up Championship and Hellmuth, of course, sniped at everyone within ear shot. I heard his imaginary friend is suing him for slander.
The cattiness of all this back and forth between poker pros is enough to inspire a soap opera, the only problem is 95 percent of the players are men. Maybe they could call it "The Young and the Breastless," Greg Raymer notwithstanding.
It's really not surprising that "Tilt" was not well received. The game of poker is not filled with murders and extortionists. Well, there was that one time when Phil Ivey called the fashion police to apprehend Freddy Deeb during the 2003 World Series of Poker.
And of course a certain mouthy player found himself in jail recently. There was an unfortunate incident the other day. He was playing a friendly game of strip poker with cellmates in the Clark County Jail when he dropped the deck and bent over to pick it up only to find a seven in the hole -- inches that is.
The prize pools of tournaments are getting bigger and bigger. You can thank Annie Duke for this. The winner of this year's after-WSOP Tournament of Champions receives $2 million and a case of Dr. Scholls.
It's getting stormy in the poker room. The other day Men Nguyen asked the waitress for a Corona and his fellow players asked for raincoats.
Good hygiene and manners have never really been important things to practice in poker rooms. Men Nguyen sniped at Phil Hellmuth during the National Heads-Up Championship and Hellmuth, of course, sniped at everyone within ear shot. I heard his imaginary friend is suing him for slander.
The cattiness of all this back and forth between poker pros is enough to inspire a soap opera, the only problem is 95 percent of the players are men. Maybe they could call it "The Young and the Breastless," Greg Raymer notwithstanding.
It's really not surprising that "Tilt" was not well received. The game of poker is not filled with murders and extortionists. Well, there was that one time when Phil Ivey called the fashion police to apprehend Freddy Deeb during the 2003 World Series of Poker.
And of course a certain mouthy player found himself in jail recently. There was an unfortunate incident the other day. He was playing a friendly game of strip poker with cellmates in the Clark County Jail when he dropped the deck and bent over to pick it up only to find a seven in the hole -- inches that is.
The prize pools of tournaments are getting bigger and bigger. You can thank Annie Duke for this. The winner of this year's after-WSOP Tournament of Champions receives $2 million and a case of Dr. Scholls.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Heads-Up Challenge
I was reading the Major League Baseball standings in Thursday's sports section when inspiration struck.
Why not have a heads-up league?
Whoever wants to participate would sign up before the "season" starts and a schedule would be formed where each player plays every other player in the league in a three-game match (or two three-game matches) over the course of the season. Divisions would be formed (the number of them depends on the number of sign ups) and the winners of each division, plus perhaps wild cards, would meet in the playoffs, with one eventual champion in a best of seven match from the winner of each league.
The matches would be low buy in, $5 or $10 per match, and if a player can't make the scheduled time for his games, he can work out a rescheduling time with his opponent.
I posted this on RGP, with a fair amount of interest shown. Most want to play multiple games and prefer we play on Full Tilt or PokerStars.
So my question to you, are any bloggers or readers here interested in this?
Why not have a heads-up league?
Whoever wants to participate would sign up before the "season" starts and a schedule would be formed where each player plays every other player in the league in a three-game match (or two three-game matches) over the course of the season. Divisions would be formed (the number of them depends on the number of sign ups) and the winners of each division, plus perhaps wild cards, would meet in the playoffs, with one eventual champion in a best of seven match from the winner of each league.
The matches would be low buy in, $5 or $10 per match, and if a player can't make the scheduled time for his games, he can work out a rescheduling time with his opponent.
I posted this on RGP, with a fair amount of interest shown. Most want to play multiple games and prefer we play on Full Tilt or PokerStars.
So my question to you, are any bloggers or readers here interested in this?
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
The American dream?
I sat atop my riding lawnmower yesterday, 12.5 horsepower between my legs, slowly circling my yard to get every patch of grass, and wondered is this the American dream?
Truly, what is the American dream? Is it residing in the penthouse suite of Trump Tower in New York, or is it mowing your yard on a Tuesday evening with the sun setting over the Southern pines, all the while fretting how weeds have taken over your lawn?
Is it waking up to the piercing alert of the alarm clock every morning and heading to that 9 to 5 job, or is it running several multi-million, even billion, dollar businesses in the economic capital of the world?
(By the way, I bet Trump sucks at poker.)
Different dreams for different folks.
I believe the true test of what makes a man is happy is to turn his world upside down, completely changing his daily routine, and examining under the microscope the effect on his emotions and attitudes. I'll be going through self examination soon enough; I just wonder if I will like what I see.
Although I hate the thought of trying to make it around Vegas for almost a month without my own car, I've decided to fly to Sin City and try to get by on public transportation. (Yes, I know, yuck.) Renting a car every day will get expensive, as would taking taxis everywhere. Luckily I know a few people in town who I can probably get a lift from when the need arises.
I'll be staying downtown for the first time, partially because it's cheaper and I'll be living on a shoestring budget for the next year and partially because I just love the smell of piss, but mostly because it fits in nicely with the theme of the poor man's gambler among a world of high-stakes Moneymakers. I'll be taking the Citizens Area Transport from downtown to the WSOP everday while Daniel Negreanu wheels his Lexus over from his suite at the Wynn to the valet of the Rio. It will be quite the contrast in styles.
Truly, what is the American dream? Is it residing in the penthouse suite of Trump Tower in New York, or is it mowing your yard on a Tuesday evening with the sun setting over the Southern pines, all the while fretting how weeds have taken over your lawn?
Is it waking up to the piercing alert of the alarm clock every morning and heading to that 9 to 5 job, or is it running several multi-million, even billion, dollar businesses in the economic capital of the world?
(By the way, I bet Trump sucks at poker.)
Different dreams for different folks.
I believe the true test of what makes a man is happy is to turn his world upside down, completely changing his daily routine, and examining under the microscope the effect on his emotions and attitudes. I'll be going through self examination soon enough; I just wonder if I will like what I see.
Although I hate the thought of trying to make it around Vegas for almost a month without my own car, I've decided to fly to Sin City and try to get by on public transportation. (Yes, I know, yuck.) Renting a car every day will get expensive, as would taking taxis everywhere. Luckily I know a few people in town who I can probably get a lift from when the need arises.
I'll be staying downtown for the first time, partially because it's cheaper and I'll be living on a shoestring budget for the next year and partially because I just love the smell of piss, but mostly because it fits in nicely with the theme of the poor man's gambler among a world of high-stakes Moneymakers. I'll be taking the Citizens Area Transport from downtown to the WSOP everday while Daniel Negreanu wheels his Lexus over from his suite at the Wynn to the valet of the Rio. It will be quite the contrast in styles.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Bad play rewarded
Post on RGP today
We'll be in Deadwood the third week of this month. Can anybody recommend a good poker room or two?
More important, are any poker rooms in Deadwood nonsmoking? Thanks.
And the reply:
Even more important, make sure you get a seat facing the door.
It's hard to underestimate the wittiness of some of the people posting on that forum.
On a less witty note, I am continually frustrated to see bad play get constantly rewarded in my local games in Tuscaloosa. A very good example was last night, when during a $5-$10 game I noticed when we got down to seven players that the worst players at the table had the most chips and the best players were all short stacked.
One of those bad players would raise in the big blind after about five or six people had called with A-K and 10-J. He would play any ace (as do most people in this game) and even call down to the river with ace high.
Another player re-raised me twice last night when I raised with QQ. His hands? KJ the first time and AJ the second, and he flopped two pair both times.
And before all this happened, "Tom" (that's a pseudonym to protect the innocent), whose entire poker game has devolved into a challenge to put the worst beats he can on other players, cashed out $1,200. He has been tearing up the games for two months playing trash hand after trash hand.
It's as if something has ripped a hole in the poker universe, upsetting the balance of the deck and allowing the chips to be pushed to the dark side. That hole was torn in Tuscaloosa. Stay away. Stay very far away.
I finally struck gold by re-depositing at Ultimate Bet, and am now up about $900 there playing heads-up sit and gos over the past week, having won 22 of my last 25.
Heads-up poker in my opinion is the purest form of the game, having to mix up your play against only one opponent, shifting from bluffing with nothing and betting strongly your great hands to slow playing great hands. It's a great feeling to raise pre-flop with junk, get it off and bet out. Your opponent thinks you have nothing and check raises and then you gig him good.
I can be found playing stakes between $20 and $50 there under the name TuscalosaJohn. If you want to play, bring it on!
We'll be in Deadwood the third week of this month. Can anybody recommend a good poker room or two?
More important, are any poker rooms in Deadwood nonsmoking? Thanks.
And the reply:
Even more important, make sure you get a seat facing the door.
It's hard to underestimate the wittiness of some of the people posting on that forum.
On a less witty note, I am continually frustrated to see bad play get constantly rewarded in my local games in Tuscaloosa. A very good example was last night, when during a $5-$10 game I noticed when we got down to seven players that the worst players at the table had the most chips and the best players were all short stacked.
One of those bad players would raise in the big blind after about five or six people had called with A-K and 10-J. He would play any ace (as do most people in this game) and even call down to the river with ace high.
Another player re-raised me twice last night when I raised with QQ. His hands? KJ the first time and AJ the second, and he flopped two pair both times.
And before all this happened, "Tom" (that's a pseudonym to protect the innocent), whose entire poker game has devolved into a challenge to put the worst beats he can on other players, cashed out $1,200. He has been tearing up the games for two months playing trash hand after trash hand.
It's as if something has ripped a hole in the poker universe, upsetting the balance of the deck and allowing the chips to be pushed to the dark side. That hole was torn in Tuscaloosa. Stay away. Stay very far away.
I finally struck gold by re-depositing at Ultimate Bet, and am now up about $900 there playing heads-up sit and gos over the past week, having won 22 of my last 25.
Heads-up poker in my opinion is the purest form of the game, having to mix up your play against only one opponent, shifting from bluffing with nothing and betting strongly your great hands to slow playing great hands. It's a great feeling to raise pre-flop with junk, get it off and bet out. Your opponent thinks you have nothing and check raises and then you gig him good.
I can be found playing stakes between $20 and $50 there under the name TuscalosaJohn. If you want to play, bring it on!
Friday, April 29, 2005
Bad beat discussion in RGP
This guy who posted on RGP sounds a bit like me and appears to be taking the worst of it lately.
I am seriously considering giving up this damn game (NL Holdem). No, I am not losing heavily, and I don't think the sites are rigged. In fact, the last two months have been about evens, with the previous 10 showing a profit overall.
No, the reason I am thinking of giving up is I don't think I can handle the frustration of seeing very bad play rewarded by seemingly endless luck. And they don't always involved me being sucked out either. For example, Party Poker step higher level 2, TJ off calling preflop all in when not short stacked in a 9 player table, and hitting 2 pairs to bust AA? That wasn't me with the AA, by the way, and most certainly not me with the TJ off. But why do bad play always seem to get rewarded?
The pot I was involved in was when I held AK UTG+2, blind 50/100, 7 players left and I had 800 chips. folds to me, and I raised to 300, hoping to steal. Biggish stack with 1800 reraised to 800, putting me all in. I called, putting him on medium PP, or a weaker ace like AQ or AJ, and was prepared for a race as the small dog or the big favourite. But guess what? He flipped TK off, and catches a T to bust me. Then proceed to gloat what a great play that was. OK, he had me covered. But nearly half of his stack on TK off, and after a raise in front of him?
Its moments like that which gets me. Not being contend with playing badly and getting lucky, theses fish proceed to rub it in. What is the point of trying to play good poker, when you constantly see these fish playing terribly and win? I lost count of the times I see AX (x<9) calling allin preflop in ring game and busting QQ or KK, and small suited connectors calling allins preflop and busting big pairs. The worst I have seen was 29 suited at the button, flat calling both a raise and a reraise, 15 BBs in all. And then catches 2 pairs on the flop.
I have been tempted to try the same type of reckless/poor play, but I don't think my bankroll will allow me to, certainly my intelligence wouldn't.
Guess I am not cut out to play this game after all, so maybe I'll give this damn game a miss for a while, if not forever..
Bob offered the following encouragement:
In order to enjoy playing poker, you have to be able to take a bad beat and shrug it off. You have to keep playing your best game even if you suffer a number of bad beats in a row. If it's getting to you, perhaps it is time to take a break from poker. Or, as some posters suggested last month, smoke a joint before you play ;-}
Now, there's an idea. This last post I think sums up why you have to struggle through the bad times to one day achieve nirvana, sort of like Andy Dufresne crawling through 500 yards of the foulest smelling shit you could imagine to reach his freedom.
If bad play was not rewarded on a semi-regular basis there wouldn't be any games.
jarrett40
As for me and my bankroll, there's not much to report. I'm down a little for April, though not enough to get worked up about. It appears, though, that I will close out the month a loser. That will result in two consecutive months of poker results in the red, the first time that's happened in the three or so years I've been playing the game seriously. At least, I'm not going on tilt this month. (I shudder when I recall some of my play in March.)
Here's some news I enjoyed reading yesterday, from Brad "Otis" Willis and his Pokerstars blog:
Win a WSOP bracelet with W$
This, quite simply, is neat.
The fine folks at PokerStars have decided that PokerStars players will be able to use their W$ to buy into some of the preliminary World Series of Poker events. That means, if you're one of those people with a bunch of unused W$ sitting around, you can now use them for a chance to win a WSOP bracelet.
Now, there are a few things you should know before we move on. This offer will only be available for a specific list of WSOP events.
June 3-Event #2--$1,500 No-limit Hold'em
June 4-Event #3--$1,500 Pot-limit Hold'em
June 8-Event #7--$1,000 No-limit Hold'em w/rebuys
June 10-Event #9--$2,000 No-limit Hold'em
June 12-Event #11--$2,000 Pot-limit Hold'em
June 14-Event #13--$5,000 No-limit Hold'em
June 22-Event #22--$1,500 No-limit Hold'em
June 23-Event #23--$5,000 Seven Card Stud
June 26-Event #27--$5,000 Pot-limit Omaha w/re-buys
June 27-Event #28--$5,000 Limit Hold'em
July 1-Event #33--$3,000 No-limit Hold'em
July 2-Event #35--$10,000 Pot-limit Omaha, 2p.m. start
In exchange for arranging all of this for you, you will be asked to wear PokerStars clothing during your tournament play. How do you do it? It's pretty easy. Simply e-mail wsop@pokerstars.com with the event you would like to enter. PokerStars will remove the funds from your account and will then email you with a link to the online registration software. Once the registration is complete, you'll simply need to check-in at PokerStars registration desk in Las Vegas to receive your entry.
Before you ask, I should point out, this promotion is not available for the main event of the WSOP.
There's a few events on that list I wouldn't mind playing. Now I need to raise some W$ to buy in. I figure it's better to try and win the money on PokerStars than to play satellites in Vegas. Probably more fish online, anyway. Invested $6 in a $2 + R turbo last night and got 33 w$. Now, only $1,470 more to go.
I am seriously considering giving up this damn game (NL Holdem). No, I am not losing heavily, and I don't think the sites are rigged. In fact, the last two months have been about evens, with the previous 10 showing a profit overall.
No, the reason I am thinking of giving up is I don't think I can handle the frustration of seeing very bad play rewarded by seemingly endless luck. And they don't always involved me being sucked out either. For example, Party Poker step higher level 2, TJ off calling preflop all in when not short stacked in a 9 player table, and hitting 2 pairs to bust AA? That wasn't me with the AA, by the way, and most certainly not me with the TJ off. But why do bad play always seem to get rewarded?
The pot I was involved in was when I held AK UTG+2, blind 50/100, 7 players left and I had 800 chips. folds to me, and I raised to 300, hoping to steal. Biggish stack with 1800 reraised to 800, putting me all in. I called, putting him on medium PP, or a weaker ace like AQ or AJ, and was prepared for a race as the small dog or the big favourite. But guess what? He flipped TK off, and catches a T to bust me. Then proceed to gloat what a great play that was. OK, he had me covered. But nearly half of his stack on TK off, and after a raise in front of him?
Its moments like that which gets me. Not being contend with playing badly and getting lucky, theses fish proceed to rub it in. What is the point of trying to play good poker, when you constantly see these fish playing terribly and win? I lost count of the times I see AX (x<9) calling allin preflop in ring game and busting QQ or KK, and small suited connectors calling allins preflop and busting big pairs. The worst I have seen was 29 suited at the button, flat calling both a raise and a reraise, 15 BBs in all. And then catches 2 pairs on the flop.
I have been tempted to try the same type of reckless/poor play, but I don't think my bankroll will allow me to, certainly my intelligence wouldn't.
Guess I am not cut out to play this game after all, so maybe I'll give this damn game a miss for a while, if not forever..
Bob offered the following encouragement:
In order to enjoy playing poker, you have to be able to take a bad beat and shrug it off. You have to keep playing your best game even if you suffer a number of bad beats in a row. If it's getting to you, perhaps it is time to take a break from poker. Or, as some posters suggested last month, smoke a joint before you play ;-}
Now, there's an idea. This last post I think sums up why you have to struggle through the bad times to one day achieve nirvana, sort of like Andy Dufresne crawling through 500 yards of the foulest smelling shit you could imagine to reach his freedom.
If bad play was not rewarded on a semi-regular basis there wouldn't be any games.
jarrett40
As for me and my bankroll, there's not much to report. I'm down a little for April, though not enough to get worked up about. It appears, though, that I will close out the month a loser. That will result in two consecutive months of poker results in the red, the first time that's happened in the three or so years I've been playing the game seriously. At least, I'm not going on tilt this month. (I shudder when I recall some of my play in March.)
Here's some news I enjoyed reading yesterday, from Brad "Otis" Willis and his Pokerstars blog:
Win a WSOP bracelet with W$
This, quite simply, is neat.
The fine folks at PokerStars have decided that PokerStars players will be able to use their W$ to buy into some of the preliminary World Series of Poker events. That means, if you're one of those people with a bunch of unused W$ sitting around, you can now use them for a chance to win a WSOP bracelet.
Now, there are a few things you should know before we move on. This offer will only be available for a specific list of WSOP events.
June 3-Event #2--$1,500 No-limit Hold'em
June 4-Event #3--$1,500 Pot-limit Hold'em
June 8-Event #7--$1,000 No-limit Hold'em w/rebuys
June 10-Event #9--$2,000 No-limit Hold'em
June 12-Event #11--$2,000 Pot-limit Hold'em
June 14-Event #13--$5,000 No-limit Hold'em
June 22-Event #22--$1,500 No-limit Hold'em
June 23-Event #23--$5,000 Seven Card Stud
June 26-Event #27--$5,000 Pot-limit Omaha w/re-buys
June 27-Event #28--$5,000 Limit Hold'em
July 1-Event #33--$3,000 No-limit Hold'em
July 2-Event #35--$10,000 Pot-limit Omaha, 2p.m. start
In exchange for arranging all of this for you, you will be asked to wear PokerStars clothing during your tournament play. How do you do it? It's pretty easy. Simply e-mail wsop@pokerstars.com with the event you would like to enter. PokerStars will remove the funds from your account and will then email you with a link to the online registration software. Once the registration is complete, you'll simply need to check-in at PokerStars registration desk in Las Vegas to receive your entry.
Before you ask, I should point out, this promotion is not available for the main event of the WSOP.
There's a few events on that list I wouldn't mind playing. Now I need to raise some W$ to buy in. I figure it's better to try and win the money on PokerStars than to play satellites in Vegas. Probably more fish online, anyway. Invested $6 in a $2 + R turbo last night and got 33 w$. Now, only $1,470 more to go.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Poker writers
First, a brief moment of silence for the departure of Shana Hiatt from the World Poker Tour. Apparently, she is moving on to other endeavors. That, my friends, is a crying shame for poker fans everywhere. The girl is smokin'!
This was forwarded to me at work today. Apparently, Daniel N. has joined the Poker Brat in separate quests for poker world domination.
I’m writing to introduce you to a new weekly feature, "Playing Poker with Daniel Negreanu". For more information, please see our website at www.cardsharkmedia.com.
For decades, readers have turned to a variety of bridge and chess columns to help them improve their games. "Playing Poker with Daniel Negreanu" will do the same for the estimated 50 million poker players and fans in the United States. Your readers will have the unique opportunity to learn poker tips, strategies, and other insightful and entertaining information from the 2004 ESPN Player of the Year, 2004 Card Player Magazine Player of the Year, and 2004-2005 World Poker Tour Player of the Year, Daniel Negreanu.
Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu is unquestionably the top young personality in poker today. His engaging sense of humor and aggressive style of play make him the clear fan favorite and the "good guy" of poker. There’s no attitude about Daniel and that’s why he’s so popular across all of poker’s demographic segments.
"Playing Poker with Daniel Negreanu" is your ticket to increased readership in key demographic segments and new advertisers from the phenomenally-hot poker marketplace.
When you visit our website – www.cardsharkmedia.com -- you’ll learn a bit more about Daniel, have the chance to read a sample column, and review a list of upcoming column titles. You’ll even be able to watch a video of Daniel in action as he captures one of his 2004 World Series of Poker titles.
Can we talk about getting your paper on board? Please reply to this email at steve@cardsharkmedia.com or call me at 310-478-4781 with any questions or comments.
I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for your time,
Steve Miller
President
Card Shark Media
OK, so how do I compete with that? Or for that matter, how does THIS guy compete with that?
www.chuckblountpoker.com
He won $600 playing poker in 2004 and now he is a poker columnist? A syndicated columnist? Man, I've got to give the guy credit for being in the right place at the right time. I'm assuming he was a writer of some sort for San Antone and pitched this column to them (as I did here in Tuscaloosa.) The problem for me is his market is tons bigger. (But I suspect my bankroll is tons bigger, ha ha!)
This was forwarded to me at work today. Apparently, Daniel N. has joined the Poker Brat in separate quests for poker world domination.
I’m writing to introduce you to a new weekly feature, "Playing Poker with Daniel Negreanu". For more information, please see our website at www.cardsharkmedia.com.
For decades, readers have turned to a variety of bridge and chess columns to help them improve their games. "Playing Poker with Daniel Negreanu" will do the same for the estimated 50 million poker players and fans in the United States. Your readers will have the unique opportunity to learn poker tips, strategies, and other insightful and entertaining information from the 2004 ESPN Player of the Year, 2004 Card Player Magazine Player of the Year, and 2004-2005 World Poker Tour Player of the Year, Daniel Negreanu.
Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu is unquestionably the top young personality in poker today. His engaging sense of humor and aggressive style of play make him the clear fan favorite and the "good guy" of poker. There’s no attitude about Daniel and that’s why he’s so popular across all of poker’s demographic segments.
"Playing Poker with Daniel Negreanu" is your ticket to increased readership in key demographic segments and new advertisers from the phenomenally-hot poker marketplace.
When you visit our website – www.cardsharkmedia.com -- you’ll learn a bit more about Daniel, have the chance to read a sample column, and review a list of upcoming column titles. You’ll even be able to watch a video of Daniel in action as he captures one of his 2004 World Series of Poker titles.
Can we talk about getting your paper on board? Please reply to this email at steve@cardsharkmedia.com or call me at 310-478-4781 with any questions or comments.
I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for your time,
Steve Miller
President
Card Shark Media
OK, so how do I compete with that? Or for that matter, how does THIS guy compete with that?
www.chuckblountpoker.com
He won $600 playing poker in 2004 and now he is a poker columnist? A syndicated columnist? Man, I've got to give the guy credit for being in the right place at the right time. I'm assuming he was a writer of some sort for San Antone and pitched this column to them (as I did here in Tuscaloosa.) The problem for me is his market is tons bigger. (But I suspect my bankroll is tons bigger, ha ha!)
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Proud papa
I received a call yesterday from my friend Brian, who will probably be spending a lot of time in Vegas with me during my WSOP trek. He might even ride cross country with me.
Brian was in Vegas this week for a convention or expo of some sort for the sports television industry, or something to that effect. (As you can see I know full well of what I speak.) You see, Brian travels around the South, operating the graphics for sports telecasts from the comfort of the TV truck. It's not a bad living. He jumped at the chance to go to this little affair, especially since it was taking place in Las Vegas.
He called not to bore with me details of the new advanced graphics machines, but to share, with glee in his voice, two final table finishes in smallish tournaments at The Horsehoe and Golden Nugget, and like a proud papa I listened intently to the accounts. You might say I helped Brian get into poker by sharing my love of the game with him, so it was with joy I heard of his tales.
Brian and some friends also hopped over to the Bellagio, where the WPT Championship was in full swing, with the first day nearly completed when he called. He told of Lederer and Negreanu and Men "The Master" sightings. Doyle Brunson whizzed through the casino in one of those scooters for the elderly and the handicapped, undoubtedly drawing the attention of all he passed. Hearing the stories, I'd have to say I'm getting Vegas Fever!
Brian was in Vegas this week for a convention or expo of some sort for the sports television industry, or something to that effect. (As you can see I know full well of what I speak.) You see, Brian travels around the South, operating the graphics for sports telecasts from the comfort of the TV truck. It's not a bad living. He jumped at the chance to go to this little affair, especially since it was taking place in Las Vegas.
He called not to bore with me details of the new advanced graphics machines, but to share, with glee in his voice, two final table finishes in smallish tournaments at The Horsehoe and Golden Nugget, and like a proud papa I listened intently to the accounts. You might say I helped Brian get into poker by sharing my love of the game with him, so it was with joy I heard of his tales.
Brian and some friends also hopped over to the Bellagio, where the WPT Championship was in full swing, with the first day nearly completed when he called. He told of Lederer and Negreanu and Men "The Master" sightings. Doyle Brunson whizzed through the casino in one of those scooters for the elderly and the handicapped, undoubtedly drawing the attention of all he passed. Hearing the stories, I'd have to say I'm getting Vegas Fever!
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
The wheels spin round and round
In poker, it seems, I have no outs.
After my woeful earlier efforts in the RGP challenge, which includes NO money finishes in 11 attempts, I managed to luck up and win the one last night, for a profit of about $145, I think. The thing is, earlier in the evening I played in a regular local game and dropped $170, in which the final hand my KK when down in flames to another player's 56o after a board of T-7-3-6-6.
These days I either break even or lose on any given day. On days like Monday I'm akin to a hamster running around in his wheel. I just can't seem to gain ground.
On another note, despite other players' insistence that the WSOP Steps are the worst thing since moldy bread, I've still been plugging away at them. I'm already invested. What can you do? I've got a run of about 15 tournaments on the same $12 going right now. I've been wavering between Steps 3-5 for a week now. When I get to a higher step I finish low enough to drop back down and then when I get to a lower step I finish high enough to move back up. It seems I am in WSOP qualifying purgatory.
At least I finally did something smart and re-upped with Ultimate Bet to go back and play some heads-up SNGs. During my losing streak, that's about the only thing I hadn't tried to break my cursed luck. So far, so good. Lost my first one, then won 12 in a row. I've lost about 5 of my last 7 thanks to some horrific two to four outers on the river in a few of them, but overall I'm up about $200. Of all the different ways to play the various poker games, I think I'm better at heads up NL hold'em than any other discipline (despite my bad play last night against PMJackson, in which I was lucky to take first.)
After my woeful earlier efforts in the RGP challenge, which includes NO money finishes in 11 attempts, I managed to luck up and win the one last night, for a profit of about $145, I think. The thing is, earlier in the evening I played in a regular local game and dropped $170, in which the final hand my KK when down in flames to another player's 56o after a board of T-7-3-6-6.
These days I either break even or lose on any given day. On days like Monday I'm akin to a hamster running around in his wheel. I just can't seem to gain ground.
On another note, despite other players' insistence that the WSOP Steps are the worst thing since moldy bread, I've still been plugging away at them. I'm already invested. What can you do? I've got a run of about 15 tournaments on the same $12 going right now. I've been wavering between Steps 3-5 for a week now. When I get to a higher step I finish low enough to drop back down and then when I get to a lower step I finish high enough to move back up. It seems I am in WSOP qualifying purgatory.
At least I finally did something smart and re-upped with Ultimate Bet to go back and play some heads-up SNGs. During my losing streak, that's about the only thing I hadn't tried to break my cursed luck. So far, so good. Lost my first one, then won 12 in a row. I've lost about 5 of my last 7 thanks to some horrific two to four outers on the river in a few of them, but overall I'm up about $200. Of all the different ways to play the various poker games, I think I'm better at heads up NL hold'em than any other discipline (despite my bad play last night against PMJackson, in which I was lucky to take first.)
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Close, but not quite
A chart of my poker bankroll over the last couple of months would show a sharp drop in March, much like a stock bottoming out (like my stocks, which ARE bottoming out) and a fairly level graph in April.
My tournament play especially has been of the close, but not quite in the riches category. A couple of quick examples:
Playing in the FTP $6K freeroll Saturday, in which the winner got $1,200, I finished 13th of 500. I was in the SB with QQ. The button just called and I popped the 2,000 BB another 6,000. He flops a set of deuces and busts me. I win about $45.
Playing in the $25,000 guaranteed $10+$1 rebuy on PS the other night, which that night had an otherworldly prize pool of $47K and nearly $12K to the winner, I make a stupid mistake (so stupid I will not publicly embarrass myself with the details here) and go out 71st after having an above average stack at the time. I profit about $60 big ones.
I can't help but think that my struggles of late led to my bad play in the PS tourney. It was one of those moments where you push the all in button and wish you could take it back IMMEDIATELY. But, no sir, you paid your ticket and there are no refunds.
At least I'm playing a sane game in the WSOP Steps, slowly biding my time to climb the ladder. The key is to make top 5 and I've done it dashingly well. I took third in a Step 3 last night and jumped up to Step 4. I played a very patient game in that one, managing a short stack well enough to place fifth and maintain my standing at Step 4. I think once you are in trouble it's best to be patient and try to make top 5 rather than pushing all in and hoping to get lucky and make the top 3. As long as you stay at the same step there is always another day. But that's just my two cents.
My tournament play especially has been of the close, but not quite in the riches category. A couple of quick examples:
Playing in the FTP $6K freeroll Saturday, in which the winner got $1,200, I finished 13th of 500. I was in the SB with QQ. The button just called and I popped the 2,000 BB another 6,000. He flops a set of deuces and busts me. I win about $45.
Playing in the $25,000 guaranteed $10+$1 rebuy on PS the other night, which that night had an otherworldly prize pool of $47K and nearly $12K to the winner, I make a stupid mistake (so stupid I will not publicly embarrass myself with the details here) and go out 71st after having an above average stack at the time. I profit about $60 big ones.
I can't help but think that my struggles of late led to my bad play in the PS tourney. It was one of those moments where you push the all in button and wish you could take it back IMMEDIATELY. But, no sir, you paid your ticket and there are no refunds.
At least I'm playing a sane game in the WSOP Steps, slowly biding my time to climb the ladder. The key is to make top 5 and I've done it dashingly well. I took third in a Step 3 last night and jumped up to Step 4. I played a very patient game in that one, managing a short stack well enough to place fifth and maintain my standing at Step 4. I think once you are in trouble it's best to be patient and try to make top 5 rather than pushing all in and hoping to get lucky and make the top 3. As long as you stay at the same step there is always another day. But that's just my two cents.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Party Poker WSOP steps
It's official. I'm addicted to these. They are the greatest thing since sliced bread.
How can you not a love a system in which it's possible to win a $10,000 WSOP seat, $1,500 spending money and $2,000 in hotel accommodations for $12? Granted, it's a long road to the top, having to make it through a six-step process, but if you play a reasonable sit and go game -- tight in the early stages, aggressive as the blinds rise -- you ought to be able to finish in the top 5 most of the time, and at many of the steps you can maintain your standing on the ladder as long as you make the top half of the field of 10.
I've got about $55 invested at this point and am now on Step 3. I made it there this weekend, finishing 5th and dropping back to Step 2, but won that one and went back to Step 3. Last night, I came in 4th and am still at Step 3. Like Namath and his boast before Super Bowl III or Ruth and his point to centerfield, I have proclaimed I will win a seat in the WSOP. Now I just have to make it happen.
How can you not a love a system in which it's possible to win a $10,000 WSOP seat, $1,500 spending money and $2,000 in hotel accommodations for $12? Granted, it's a long road to the top, having to make it through a six-step process, but if you play a reasonable sit and go game -- tight in the early stages, aggressive as the blinds rise -- you ought to be able to finish in the top 5 most of the time, and at many of the steps you can maintain your standing on the ladder as long as you make the top half of the field of 10.
I've got about $55 invested at this point and am now on Step 3. I made it there this weekend, finishing 5th and dropping back to Step 2, but won that one and went back to Step 3. Last night, I came in 4th and am still at Step 3. Like Namath and his boast before Super Bowl III or Ruth and his point to centerfield, I have proclaimed I will win a seat in the WSOP. Now I just have to make it happen.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Arrogance is not a virtue
I find it funny how high an opinion some in the world of poker have of themselves. I'm not talking about players like Hellmuth. Their arrogance is a given. I'm speaking of some of the poker writers.
The other day I sought advice from someone about WSOP media passes since I would like to get one after I get a publisher for the book. I put my usual tagline for my blog after my name on my post. The response was that passes would be tough to come by (which doesn't surprise me necessarily) but then some derogatory remark about bloggers and how they don't count as accredited media. Well no kidding. The post also reeked of arrogance from the responder, who writes for an online poker site. I must say I was rather amused by his attitude and what appeared to be him looking down at me.
So to fight arrogance with arrogance: My work has been published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, San Francisco Chronicle, and, oh yeah, The New York Times. You WRITE FOR AN ONLINE POKER SITE.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
The other day I sought advice from someone about WSOP media passes since I would like to get one after I get a publisher for the book. I put my usual tagline for my blog after my name on my post. The response was that passes would be tough to come by (which doesn't surprise me necessarily) but then some derogatory remark about bloggers and how they don't count as accredited media. Well no kidding. The post also reeked of arrogance from the responder, who writes for an online poker site. I must say I was rather amused by his attitude and what appeared to be him looking down at me.
So to fight arrogance with arrogance: My work has been published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, San Francisco Chronicle, and, oh yeah, The New York Times. You WRITE FOR AN ONLINE POKER SITE.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Field of Dreams?
I watched the aforementioned movie yesterday, right before the Braves opened their season to a butt whooping to the Marlins, and I noticed some similarities between Ray Kinsella and myself. He plows up several acres of corn to build a baseball field and after he's done lies on the field with his wife and muses, "I have just created something completely illogical." Later, when convincing Terrance Mann to go to a Red Sox game with him, Kinsella says that despite his seemingly crazy notions, he is the sanest person he knows.
I'm one of the sanest people I know as well. I stayed close to home for college, got a steady job in state, bought a house because it's good to put down roots and a better value for the money than apartment living. I get up, go to work every morning, come home or go play poker and enjoy my evening, go to sleep and repeat. It's as sane as it gets.
So why am I going to do something "illogical" like quitting my job and running across the country to play poker, a game I haven't been able to win at in the last two months? Andy Beal noted in his latest letter to the Corporation, the group of poker players headed by Doyle Brunson that he is challenging to another heads-up match, that it's like the question about why people climb mountains or parachute from airplanes: “Anyone capable of even asking such a question could never possibly understand the answer.” What does it mean that I both ask the question and can't answer it?
As I seek an answer to my question, the more I think the year off is not as much about poker as it is about seeking the purpose of my own life and re-discovering the things that are most important. I'm not a scientist, but I'm going to propose a hypothesis of what I will find in the next year. I'll find during my search for poker glory that the humdrum nature of everyday life isn't so bad -- that the things that sometimes drive us batty are the things that keep us going and happy to wake up the next day and begin again. I may have more freedom to go where I want and do whatever I want, but I'll miss the structured environment that keeps me disciplined and responsible. I'll miss the camaraderie of friends and co-workers, mowing my lawn on a Saturday afternoon, sunsets over the river. I'll realize that life is passing me by and I never knew it. Or maybe I'll just win the World Series of Poker.
I'm one of the sanest people I know as well. I stayed close to home for college, got a steady job in state, bought a house because it's good to put down roots and a better value for the money than apartment living. I get up, go to work every morning, come home or go play poker and enjoy my evening, go to sleep and repeat. It's as sane as it gets.
So why am I going to do something "illogical" like quitting my job and running across the country to play poker, a game I haven't been able to win at in the last two months? Andy Beal noted in his latest letter to the Corporation, the group of poker players headed by Doyle Brunson that he is challenging to another heads-up match, that it's like the question about why people climb mountains or parachute from airplanes: “Anyone capable of even asking such a question could never possibly understand the answer.” What does it mean that I both ask the question and can't answer it?
As I seek an answer to my question, the more I think the year off is not as much about poker as it is about seeking the purpose of my own life and re-discovering the things that are most important. I'm not a scientist, but I'm going to propose a hypothesis of what I will find in the next year. I'll find during my search for poker glory that the humdrum nature of everyday life isn't so bad -- that the things that sometimes drive us batty are the things that keep us going and happy to wake up the next day and begin again. I may have more freedom to go where I want and do whatever I want, but I'll miss the structured environment that keeps me disciplined and responsible. I'll miss the camaraderie of friends and co-workers, mowing my lawn on a Saturday afternoon, sunsets over the river. I'll realize that life is passing me by and I never knew it. Or maybe I'll just win the World Series of Poker.
Monday, April 04, 2005
The column has begun
Yay! I'm now getting paid to write about poker since the column has begun. It's running in the Friday Weekend (read: Life or feature) section of the T-News. It will be interesting to see the response it will get here in the heart of the Bible Belt. I'm trying to emphasize the strategy of the game and not talk much about the financial aspects of poker. One email we received about the column mentioned that the reader was a Christian and against gambling, but is interested in reading my column because he didn't realize poker could be played just for fun or for prizes. (LOL, not that it's done that way often, by any means.) The eds decided to try it for awhile in an attempt to reach that demographic that just doesn't read newspapers -- people under 30, i.e. college kids. Maybe the Friday rack sales will spike.
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