If you are ready to dive into online blackjack for real money, you have come to the right place. I have personally lost a ton of money by joining up with the wrong online casinos.
And I don't care what anyone says, tons of online casinos are rigged! For instance, I have encountered unfathomable losing streaks with UltimateBet (a string of 21 losses in a row!)
The good news is, there are many online casinos that play fair, as they recognize that by doing so they will get all the customers, while the greedy casinos will eventually go down the crapper.
Two online casinos that I find to be both trustworthy and reliable are Cherry Red and Mount Rushmore. With these companies you can be sure of two things:
1. You get your payouts fast, and no service fees.
2. The game statistics (how many times you should win and lose) actually match up!
Obviously the second one is the most important, which is why I so heavily promote these two casinos. They are diamonds in the rough for internet gambling.
Proehl Wins Week 7 of Sundays with Dr. Pauly
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
Last Sunday, Proehl won Week 7 of Sundays with Dr. Pauly over at Fantasy Sports Live. After record setting numbers in Week 6, the scores in Week 7 returned to their normal averages with Proehl edging Big Pirate.
I had a rough weekend and made a couple of bad picks. That meant a bunch of people have a shot at a TOC seat for beating my score in three consecutive weeks.
Click here for Week 7 results and updated standings. Repete Offenders is still in first place.
Click here for more details, rules, and payout information.
Best of luck everyone in Week 8 and in the new series.
If you don't have a Fantasy Sports Live account, you can sign up for one here.
And don't forget to check out Dailyfantasyprojections.com. It has been an excellent tool for sure!
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
Last Sunday, Proehl won Week 7 of Sundays with Dr. Pauly over at Fantasy Sports Live. After record setting numbers in Week 6, the scores in Week 7 returned to their normal averages with Proehl edging Big Pirate.
I had a rough weekend and made a couple of bad picks. That meant a bunch of people have a shot at a TOC seat for beating my score in three consecutive weeks.
Click here for Week 7 results and updated standings. Repete Offenders is still in first place.
Click here for more details, rules, and payout information.
Best of luck everyone in Week 8 and in the new series.
If you don't have a Fantasy Sports Live account, you can sign up for one here.
And don't forget to check out Dailyfantasyprojections.com. It has been an excellent tool for sure!
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
Flashback: Budapest Halloween & Benjo Day
By Pauly
Indio, CA
Tomorrow is not only Halloween, it's the Tao of Poker favorite Frenchman's birthday, so happy birthday to Benjo! Here's one of my favorite moments from this past summer when Otis and I played a video version of What Does Benjo Think?
* * * * *
Well, let's also go back, way back in time to 2009. I went to Budapest to cover the EPT Hungarian Open. I rented a cool apartment one block from the Danube and threw a couple of parties and celebrated Benjo's birthday. During the last party, we recorded four episodes of the Tao of Pokerati. Some great shit there especially the first and last episodes. One year later, I'm still laughing my ass off at our hijinks.
Well, I'm on vacation of sorts in Indio, CA seeing Phish during their three-day Halloween festival, so I better get to it. Head over to Coventry music blog if you're into that kind of stuff.
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
Indio, CA
Tomorrow is not only Halloween, it's the Tao of Poker favorite Frenchman's birthday, so happy birthday to Benjo! Here's one of my favorite moments from this past summer when Otis and I played a video version of What Does Benjo Think?
* * * * *
Well, let's also go back, way back in time to 2009. I went to Budapest to cover the EPT Hungarian Open. I rented a cool apartment one block from the Danube and threw a couple of parties and celebrated Benjo's birthday. During the last party, we recorded four episodes of the Tao of Pokerati. Some great shit there especially the first and last episodes. One year later, I'm still laughing my ass off at our hijinks.
Tao of Pokerati Book 3: Budapest (w/ Benjo)Since today is Benjo's birthday, it's also "be nice to Frenchies" day.
Episode 3.1: EPT Afterparty (3:39)
Description by Michalski: Pauly heads to Hungary for EPT Budapest with Benjo, and unexpectedly hosts Johnny Lodden, winner Will Fry, and other final tableists in his flat for some celebratory 420 and beer — giving insight into the much heralded EPT circuit experience, the value of Hungarian forints, and "dodgy" Euro strip clubs.
Episode 3.2: Hungarian Hooker Halloween (4:14)
Description by Michalski: The post-EPT-Budapest shenanigans continue as Benjo and Pauly discuss whorehouses and the Tarantino-esque experiences of French and Scandi bustouts with Hungarian women-for-hire. A tad of religious guilt kicks in as the poker media duo contemplates the Day of the Dead on the Danube.
Episode 3.3: Competitive Apple Eating (4:08)
Description by Michalski: Prop bets among the international press break out at the EPT afterparty, and, of course, Benjo and Pauly are there to moderate/get in on the action. The big bet comes when Matt Showell challenges his PokerListings colleague Rod Stirzaker's claim that he can eat 50 apples in 90 minutes. Legal concerns emerge (what's the rule on a prop bet that leads to death?) before it turns into a scavenger hunt to find 50 edible Granny Smiths at 3:30am in Budapest.
Episode 3.4: Euro Core-tossing (3:17)
Description by Michalski: 5 am: The prop-betting evolves... as Pauly discovers (much to Benjo's dismay) the Hungarian offshoot of lime tossing: trying to hit bums with apple cores. The ethically questionable game of skill comes up as Pauly is on prop-bet tilt after losing a scaled down apple bet. From there, the good doctor and his Euro-conscience debate what games of bum abuse may or may not be acceptable.
Well, I'm on vacation of sorts in Indio, CA seeing Phish during their three-day Halloween festival, so I better get to it. Head over to Coventry music blog if you're into that kind of stuff.
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
Finally, A Top Chef Vegas Party!
My Oct. 8 column in the Weekly baffling over why Vegas was blowing its "top chef" moment by not doing viewing parties or creating Top chef menus had a pretty cool impact. Chef Rick Moonen, who appeared in the Oct. 21 episode and was one of the Top Chef Masters contestants in the special mini-season this spring, held a viewing party at his Restaurant RM at Mandalay Bay. I didn't notice until it was too late my emailed invite, but I did receive a note from Rick prior to that telling me that he agreed completely with the column.
I also understand that the M Resort folks were pretty ticked off. That property took it on the chin the most in that column as they're the Top Chef host property in the show but they've done absolutely nothing to market that fact. I've since heard that contractually, they're not allowed.
OK, then. If so, the young property desperate for some national TV exposure made kind of a lame deal with Bravo. It's not a secret in the program that M was the host property and it's not giving away anything about what occurs in the show to invite tourists and locals to come to a viewing party every Thursday. There is no logical reason for Bravo to oppose that.
It also doesn't seem that other resorts are bound to the same constraints. As previously mentioned, Moonen had his viewing party and, last night, Wynn Las Vegas hosted one at Bartolotta di Mare with namesake chef Paul Bartolotta, who was a guest judge. Plus, in a few weeks when Wynn chef Alex Stratta appears, they'll do it again. And the Wynn folks aren't playing coy about the fact that their chefs are in upcoming episodes, either.
While these are not quite a full-fledged, heavily hyped, open-to-the-public viewing events I imagined, it was a lot of fun and very enlightening to spend last night with Bartolotta, his relatives and business associates and some media figures around town in his private banquet room at the restaurant. This "mirror"...
...became a TV:
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I Tweeted extensively during the gathering, although AT&T Wireless' coverage was so lousy that I had to run outside to send stuff during the commercial breaks. (The R-J's Norm Clarke, who uses a Blackberry, was able to Tweet away from his seat, the bastard.)
About 35 or 40 folks attended, including the Las Vegas Weekly online goddess Sarah Feldberg, whose piece on the event should be posted any day now. And there was plenty of interesting "Top Chef" scoop from Chef B. For one thing, he groaned loudly and declared "inedible" and "disgusting" the food for the challenge made by Robin Leventhal, the contestant constantly being bashed by the others. Watching himself eating whatever she made on the TV made him squirmy, in fact.
Bartolotta was in the show to judge the Quickfire challenge and eat at the later meal but not to judge the outcome, so he said he didn't know who would win or lose the week. I don't want to give it away, but he agreed with the decision to eliminate the loser who was not the aforementioned Robin. He said of Robin, "She adds drama to show."
This being party thrown at a restaurant for a chef appearing on a cooking show, it shouldn't be a surprise that there was food and that all of it was delicious. The most dramatic was this branzino (sea bass) baked under sea salt, anise, lemon peel, orange peel:
The most amusing food moment was that the waiters were handing out this...
...just as Top Chef star guest Natalie Portman (like me, a Syosset High School alum) telling the cheftestants she's a vegetarian and that their task is to make a meatless dish. Irony!
Not present was Steve Wynn who I caught leaving Bartolotta as I was arriving at about 9 p.m. He didn't seem to know that Chef B was about to have a TV star turn and a party to celebrate it and promised to return for it, but he never did.
Other local figures in attendance included KLAS-TV anchor Denise Valdez and reporter Jonathan Humbert (here with his wife):
The evening ended with a vanilla semifreddo with fig confit and red wine as well as this, a lemon olive oil cake topped by rosemary ice cream:
Bartolotta clearly was bitten by the TV bug. He's appeared often enough, but this adventure into Top Chef clearly had him dreaming of greater stardom. "I really think I could do a show of my own," he told me. It was unclear whether anything specific was in the works.
Oh, and one more thing. Bartolotta's restaurant phone began ringing with people asking for reservations as soon as the show started airing in the East.
Kafka, Eurodonks, and Repartees
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
I played short-handed LHE 5/10 and 8/16 over the weekend and came across two dream opponents: a total Eurodonk and a total know-it-all. Both were to my immediate left. No matter if I opened or three-bet, those two dickwads called everything every fuckin' time. Unfortunately, I never got paid off with a huge hand. Instead, I got my proverbial nuts kicked on five different instances. Here are three examples... K-K vs. Q-3 and the Eurodonk caught running threes to make me slam my fist on the dining room table... Ad-10d vs Ah-2d and I flopped a diamond flush, yet Eurodonk rivered a four-diamond straight flush to which I used my Lord's name in vain... J-J vs Q-3 and the board runs out A-K-3-K-A.
I screamed and stood up and screamed some more about the unwelcome Kafkaesque experience. Instead of turning into a cockroach, I morphed into a frothing Phil Hellmuth clone. I took two deep breaths and even ripped a bong hit to calm down. Luckily, it took only two hands to get back to normal and shake off the tilt.
In the past, I have come across the same situation. Sometimes I dig in deep and focus and try to get my money back. Other times I'm fired up over the beat and play with a personal vendetta. "I just want to slice the testicles off that assface-fudgepacking-shitstain-cocksmoker-knob!"
The Zen warrior fights ninjas as they jump out of Bonsai trees. The tilt-o-dork foolishly runs downs the street naked shooting off his Uzi looking for a fire fight instead of taking the Buddhist approach and going with the flow.
Every pro, every coach, every poker book will tell you the same thing -- you want that bad player at your table. But going after him and forcing the action is recipe for disaster. You know they're a donkey. Simply let them walk into your trap instead of falling into theirs.
However, when I engage in donkey hunting on tilt (DHOT), I deviate from the normal course of action. According to the definition of tilt, my aberrant behavior fits accordingly. Nothing boils the blood more than a bad beat from an inferior player. The immediate response is that I want payback. Justice. Redemption. Now. I'm not going to fuckin' wait. I won't be happy until there's bloodshed. A good old-fashioned lynching. Hang 'em high. Fry their testicles with car batteries. Mercy is for the weak.
I avoided the urge to go donkey hunting on tilt. I resumed my normal play but with a semblance of vigilance. Yes, I didn't play each hand with "slaughter the donkey" in mind. Rather, if the donkey and I crossed paths, I was definitely prepared to hack it to pieces like the ox scene at the end of Apocalypse Now.
At the same time as I struggled with my own tilt-a-donkey demons, I also had to deal with a yapping know-it-all jagoff who kept complaining that I was raising his big blind. He was one of those players from the shallow end of the gene pool... the result from generations of inbreeding and the fact his mother was stoned on airplane model glue and muscle relaxers at the point of his conception.
The jagoff over-used the CAPS function when unleashing his sophomoric barbs. Calling each other homos and fags after losing a pot? What are we in the fourth grade?
The best way to tilt these morons in the chat is to ignore the jag-offs. Turn off their chat and resume your life because they want is attention and validation. If you do not even acknowledge their existence, they'll either give up or they'll grow angrier and be susceptible to tilt themselves. Staying silent has tremendous long term tilt odds.
At one point the incessant complaining and taunting stopped. The annoying player's connection had went out. I couldn't resist myself and typed, "guess the power went out in the trail park."
I found a couple of ways to be a complete pain-in-the-ass to your opponents and want to share those bits of chat insurgency...
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
Los Angeles, CA
I played short-handed LHE 5/10 and 8/16 over the weekend and came across two dream opponents: a total Eurodonk and a total know-it-all. Both were to my immediate left. No matter if I opened or three-bet, those two dickwads called everything every fuckin' time. Unfortunately, I never got paid off with a huge hand. Instead, I got my proverbial nuts kicked on five different instances. Here are three examples... K-K vs. Q-3 and the Eurodonk caught running threes to make me slam my fist on the dining room table... Ad-10d vs Ah-2d and I flopped a diamond flush, yet Eurodonk rivered a four-diamond straight flush to which I used my Lord's name in vain... J-J vs Q-3 and the board runs out A-K-3-K-A.
I screamed and stood up and screamed some more about the unwelcome Kafkaesque experience. Instead of turning into a cockroach, I morphed into a frothing Phil Hellmuth clone. I took two deep breaths and even ripped a bong hit to calm down. Luckily, it took only two hands to get back to normal and shake off the tilt.In the past, I have come across the same situation. Sometimes I dig in deep and focus and try to get my money back. Other times I'm fired up over the beat and play with a personal vendetta. "I just want to slice the testicles off that assface-fudgepacking-shitstain-cocksmoker-knob!"
The Zen warrior fights ninjas as they jump out of Bonsai trees. The tilt-o-dork foolishly runs downs the street naked shooting off his Uzi looking for a fire fight instead of taking the Buddhist approach and going with the flow.
Every pro, every coach, every poker book will tell you the same thing -- you want that bad player at your table. But going after him and forcing the action is recipe for disaster. You know they're a donkey. Simply let them walk into your trap instead of falling into theirs.
However, when I engage in donkey hunting on tilt (DHOT), I deviate from the normal course of action. According to the definition of tilt, my aberrant behavior fits accordingly. Nothing boils the blood more than a bad beat from an inferior player. The immediate response is that I want payback. Justice. Redemption. Now. I'm not going to fuckin' wait. I won't be happy until there's bloodshed. A good old-fashioned lynching. Hang 'em high. Fry their testicles with car batteries. Mercy is for the weak.
I avoided the urge to go donkey hunting on tilt. I resumed my normal play but with a semblance of vigilance. Yes, I didn't play each hand with "slaughter the donkey" in mind. Rather, if the donkey and I crossed paths, I was definitely prepared to hack it to pieces like the ox scene at the end of Apocalypse Now.
At the same time as I struggled with my own tilt-a-donkey demons, I also had to deal with a yapping know-it-all jagoff who kept complaining that I was raising his big blind. He was one of those players from the shallow end of the gene pool... the result from generations of inbreeding and the fact his mother was stoned on airplane model glue and muscle relaxers at the point of his conception.
The jagoff over-used the CAPS function when unleashing his sophomoric barbs. Calling each other homos and fags after losing a pot? What are we in the fourth grade?
The best way to tilt these morons in the chat is to ignore the jag-offs. Turn off their chat and resume your life because they want is attention and validation. If you do not even acknowledge their existence, they'll either give up or they'll grow angrier and be susceptible to tilt themselves. Staying silent has tremendous long term tilt odds.
At one point the incessant complaining and taunting stopped. The annoying player's connection had went out. I couldn't resist myself and typed, "guess the power went out in the trail park."
I found a couple of ways to be a complete pain-in-the-ass to your opponents and want to share those bits of chat insurgency...
...when a player types "ZZZZZZZZZZZ" into the chat, that's a player asking to be fucked with. When an action junkie seeks an instant fix and wants the play to speed up? That's when I do the opposite. At that point, I slow down and wait to the last possible second to make decisions. It's even more effective if you're in a hand with them.
...when a sore loser constantly berates opponents for sucking out, I'll go out of my way to congratulate the sucker-outer in an attempt to tilt the original sore loser. Nothing pisses off someone with low self-esteem issues than ignoring them and validating their nemesis.
...when someone goes basaltic on you and calls you a donkey, just quote The Big Lebowksi... "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."
...when an opponent quips, "nice catch" that's my chance to break out the infamous line from BadBlood... "Thanks, I have a big glove."
...when an angry opponent says "nice hand" in the chat (when we know they don't mean it), simply shoot back, "Do you want fries with that?"
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
Paris LV Loses Gay Ad Award...
...but should be honored to be among the nominees for this:
Congrats to Harrah's for coming even that close in the first year that the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation gave out such awards. They were up against Macy's, Kenneth Cole, Absolut and, uh, Swanson, in the Outstanding Advertising (Print) category. Yes, the soup company. If you want to see what they were nominated for, you can review all the nominees and winners' work on GLAAD's site.
What beat out gay Paris and lesbolicious soup? Why...
...gay vodka, of course! Which is almost like giving the Cy Young award to Cy Young. Absolut has been doing groundbreaking gay-specific print ads for decades, they virtually invented the craft. Maybe they should consider naming the honor for them and give someone else a chance. You know, like the company that decided to actually take a serious, calculated risk and intensively brand a billion-dollar resort as "the gay casino," a notion that not long ago would have been a kiss of death in heterosexist Vegas.
You may be wondering, if you're not gay, why it's necessary to honor such work at all. But to give you some idea of how far we still have to go before gay people will be present in advertising that appears in the mainstream media -- the two ads above were placed strictly in GLBT publications -- take a look at this brief spot. It's the best GLAAD could come up with to honor "Outstanding TV, Mainstream Market."
Any straight people out there know why it's even considered a "gay" ad? There is an answer but it's so minute, it's so coded and stealthy that when Miles and I saw it on TV once, we thought it could be a coincidence. Not exactly the definition of out and proud, but this is, evidently, the best we got these days.
Congrats to Harrah's for coming even that close in the first year that the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation gave out such awards. They were up against Macy's, Kenneth Cole, Absolut and, uh, Swanson, in the Outstanding Advertising (Print) category. Yes, the soup company. If you want to see what they were nominated for, you can review all the nominees and winners' work on GLAAD's site.
What beat out gay Paris and lesbolicious soup? Why...
...gay vodka, of course! Which is almost like giving the Cy Young award to Cy Young. Absolut has been doing groundbreaking gay-specific print ads for decades, they virtually invented the craft. Maybe they should consider naming the honor for them and give someone else a chance. You know, like the company that decided to actually take a serious, calculated risk and intensively brand a billion-dollar resort as "the gay casino," a notion that not long ago would have been a kiss of death in heterosexist Vegas.
You may be wondering, if you're not gay, why it's necessary to honor such work at all. But to give you some idea of how far we still have to go before gay people will be present in advertising that appears in the mainstream media -- the two ads above were placed strictly in GLBT publications -- take a look at this brief spot. It's the best GLAAD could come up with to honor "Outstanding TV, Mainstream Market."
Any straight people out there know why it's even considered a "gay" ad? There is an answer but it's so minute, it's so coded and stealthy that when Miles and I saw it on TV once, we thought it could be a coincidence. Not exactly the definition of out and proud, but this is, evidently, the best we got these days.
Here We Go Again With Sherm
Circulation figures in newspapers are tricky business. As I reported on Monday, the Review-Journal was one of a few publications that enjoyed an apparent increase during a reporting period that saw disastrous declines.I was willing to consider the prospect that the R-J bump was due to a rise in interest following the Sun's Pulitzer. That made some sense. Otherwise, what had changed? The coverage has been curtailed, sections have been folded into one another and the product overall contains less value.
Then the R-J's own chief told Editor & Publisher that, in fact, there was no gain at all, that the increase was due to new accounting rules that permit the inclusion of the 20,000 subscribers who receive the R-J's electronic edition. That's a surprisingly high number, but let's take them at their word. And this is their word from that story:
Steve Coffeen, director of corporate circulation for Stephens Media, which owns the Review-Journal, says the paper's print circulation is actually down seven percent daily and four percent on Sunday.
"I would say all of it is based on the electronic edition," Coffeen said of the increase. "We have about 20,000 electronic subscribers who were not allowed to be included before because of pricing rules. We didn't change anything, they changed the rules."
How, then, could it be that the publisher, Sherman Frederick, is out there bragging about a circulation increase when his own people are admitting to a decrease?
From Chuck Muth's e-mail missive Nevada News & Views today:
That Was No Joke - Las Vegas Review-Journal publisher Sherman Frederick also spoke briefly at the Keystone dinner and assured everyone in attendance that Sen. Harry Reid’s remark back in August that he hoped the conservative paper would go out of business was definitely not a joke; that it was intended and received as a serious threat. Frederick also noted that the RJ’s circulation has increased since the brouhaha erupted while other papers are losing subscribers.
Oh, dear. Not only is Frederick misrepresenting the circulation change again but he's pretending that there's an increase that was caused by the paper's conservative positions and his personal jihad against Sen. Harry Reid.
So, if the circulation actually FELL 7 percent, can we just as reasonably conclude that people are cancelling their subscriptions because Sherm has been hatin' on Harry? Yes, that's an absurd notion -- there are too many broader factors driving newspaper circulation fluctuations to pin it in any way on any particular article or situation -- but it wasn't too absurd for this guy to claim in the reverse!
As I've documented here, this is not the first time Sherm Frederick has played fast and loose with circulation figures to fit his ego or political purposes. In an April 6, 2008 column, he wrote, "Because of readers such as you, the Las Vegas Review-Journal will be one of the few metropolitan newspapers in the country to post a nice gain in paid circulation this year."
Trouble was, he was writing for a Sunday audience that had shrunk 2 percent. The weekday circulation was up 1.2 percent, true, but in whose reasonable mind is that a "nice gain"? And the paper was still down 7.2 percent at that point from its 2006 figures, so bragging required an amount of hubris that I can barely fathom.
I like the paper and especially like the two-in-one part of what I get on my driveway every day. I wish more people read it and were better informed. But I find it incredibly sad that its publisher knew the reason for the apparent increase, knew that it was actually a decrease and still chose to stand before his ideological brethren and lie.
It's sad, but it's not, sadly, surprising.
WSOP Main Event Day 8, Part 1 on ESPN - Liquidity Crisis, Mucking Winners, and Down to 18
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
The triumphant march to the illustrious November Nine began with ESPN's comprehensive coverage of the final three tables of the WSOP Main Event Championship. The first episode was built around four eliminations while the second episode covered five more as the field thinned from 27 to 18 players.
Phil Ivey was the monkey on the grinder under the bright lights at the featured TV table with a supporting cast of characters; Happy Shulman, Darvin Moon, Joe Cada, and 21-year old wunderkind LuckyChewey.
"At least you go cleaned up for this," said Ivey giving a scruffy Happy shit for looking like he just waked-n-baked before he rolled out of bed.
"I don't care about my appearance... obviously," he boasted like a self-righteous neo-hippie sporting a Phish hoodie.
"I'll take care of you," said Ivey feeling a little bad for his disheveled looking friend. Ivey had a premonition that Happy was going to make the final table and didn't want see him look like a bum. Ivey knew that the November Nine was the mongoloid offspring of the Hollywoodized Disneyfication of tournament poker, so he offered to hook Happy up with a free haircut and shave. Happy respectfully declined, but shit, how can you refuse an offer like that from Ivey?
Ivey gets fruit brought to him by his super fans. They were the original members of the Phil Ivey Fan Club back when they knew him as Jerome, the name on his fake ID. No Home Jerome is no Lew Alcindor or Cassius Clay. Ivey didn't change his name for religious reasons like Ali and Jabbar. When Ivey turned 21, he revealed his true identity. Since then, he's been on a tear. Some Tuesday nights I'm watching the Main Event unfold before me on ESPN and I can't help but think... this is Ivey's time. He's going to win it all.
The scariest moment of Day 8? Ivey leaning over the table asking you how many chips you have left. That's like having a leering neighbor with jailbait-tendencies ask you about the age of your teenage daughter.
During his couch interview, Ivey admitted that he played this year's Main Event in a "more patient" fashion. No more fucking around so he can rush over to Bobby's Room or play golf for $50K a hole with a bunch of out-of-towners who think they can hustle the almighty Ivey. Ivey is aware that he plays his best when he's focused on the task at hand without any distractions (like betting millions on the Lakers or all-night cash games). When Ivey focuses, no mortals can stop him. Only the poker gods can contain him. Well, that and himself. Ivey tossed a winning hand in the muck. Yes, Ivey held pocket eights and he forgot that he had the 8s in a hand against Jordan Smith with four spades on the board. Ivey thought that he was beat to an Ace on the river and he folded without re-checking his hand. Wow. Even the legends are prone to brain farts. I gotta assume that Ivey thought he held the 8c and not the 8s.
Liquidity Crisis: Steve Begleiter played at the secondary TV table with Billy Kopp, Antonio Esfandiari and Frenchman Ludovic Lacay. Begleiter secured a ton of face time and during his couch interview he admitted that he did a shitty job as a 24 year vet at Bear Sterns. I didn't buy his "we followed orders and thought we were doing the right thing" excuse. Either he wasn't in on the right side of the fix, or he was so far over his head that he was trying to gambling his way out of a hole. Doesn't matter now. Heck, if anything, Begleiter knows where the bodies are buried. By the way, "liquidity crisis" is the fancy Wall Street term for being a broke dick.
That's Why They Call Him LuckyChewey: Darvin Moon had his Aces ramshackled by LuckyChewey's trip nines with Jd-9d. With 2 million in the pot, Moon fired out 1 million on the river. A conservative LuckyChewey only called. Maybe he thought Moon had him out-kicked?
Adios! My Lady: Leo Margets, the last woman standing, finally hit the rail when she ran into Warren Zackey in a dark alley. The South African's Ah-10h was ahead of the Spainard's A-7. Zackey flopped a ten and that's all she wrote. Margets finished in 27th place and became the first player to bust on Day 8.
Presto No Good for the Magician: Antonio admitted that he was off the wagon. Or is it on the wagon? Who cares. He wasn't boozing during the Main Event. Clean living for the former party boy Magician. Antonio ran into a brick wall when his pocket fives were outflopped by Begleiter's K-10. Antonio fired out at a 10-high flop and Begleiter re-raised. Antonio shoved all in and Begleiter insta-called. Antonio missed on the turn and on the river. His deep run at the WSOP came to an abrupt end. The Magician finished in 24th place and won $353K.
Pride of the Carolinas: Nick Maimone caught a tidal wave of good card karma on three different instances.... he chopped a pot he should have lost to Darvin Moon... then came from behind to run over Ivey's Jacks with Q-rag.... then he ran his sevens into pocket tens when got it all in on the flop almost drawing dead but turned a set to stay alive.
Stay Classy, Kentucky: Billy Kopp also caught a lucky river card to send one of the three remaining French players, Pierre Cardin, back to France in 25th place. It's eay to call him out for a tinge of Douchebaggery because he was clad in UB gear and then fist pumped after he sucked out on the Frenchman.
Kings and Queens: British pro James Akenhead lost most of his stack when he ran his Kings into Aces, but he got some back when he called an all with Queens against Tommy Vedes A-Q. His royal ladies held up and avoided an elimination.
Hiteth Thy Flop: How do you make the November Nine? Hit your flops. Ivey opened with the Varkonyi. Happy called with Jacks. The flop was Q-10-5. Ivey won the pot.... then Steve Begleiter flopped a straight with 7d-6d on a 5-4-3 board against Ben Lamb who missed with Big Slick.
France 1, Wall Street 0: One of the two Frenchmen remaining, Antoine Saout opened with Aces and Begleiter defended his blind with K-10 off suit to which Norm made a Bear Sterns crack about wishing Bear Sterns defending the investment so their clients with the same vigilance. Saout flopped a set and opted to slow play. He turned a boat and Begleiter walked into his trap. Begleiter fired out at the turn and Saout smooth called. The river was a bland and Begleiter fired out a pot-sized bet with air. Saout raised on the river and Begleiter quickly surrendered.
Buchman Likes Kings: Eric Buchman, my non-Ivey pick to win it all, picked off Jonathan Tamayo's A-Q when his Kings held up. Tamayo busted in 21st place while Buchman surged to 15 million in chips. Best Buchman story? He funded his bankroll after winning a jackpot playing Caribbean Stud in the pits at Foxwoods Casino.
Lambs and Gekkos: Begleiter opened with nines. Ben Lamb three-bet with A-K. Begleiter four-bet to put Lamb all in and he called. A classic race for a 11 million pot. Lamb flopped an Ace and turned a King. Lamb's hand held up and he doubled up. But then the two rumbled a second time. Begleiter opened with Jd-9d. Ben Lamb three-bet with Aces. Begleiter called. The flop was J-9-5 and fireworks ensued. Begleiter checked. Lamb fired out 50% of the pot. Begleiter check-raised all in and Lamb called. The turn and river did not help Lamb and Begleiter doubled up to over 17 million after snapping off Aces. Ouch, I haven't seen a burn that ugly since Gekko and Bud Fox skull-fucked Sir Larry Wildman in the Anacott Steel deal.
Set Over Vedes: Tommy Vedes' deep run ended when he ran his pocket treys into Eric Buchman. Both players flopped sets but Buchman's bigger set held up and Vedes headed to the rail in 19th place. With 18 players to go, you have to tune in next week to find how nine unlucky players fail to advance to the November Nine.
* * * * *
Click here for Flipchip's WSOP Main Event photos. See you next week.
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
Los Angeles, CA
The triumphant march to the illustrious November Nine began with ESPN's comprehensive coverage of the final three tables of the WSOP Main Event Championship. The first episode was built around four eliminations while the second episode covered five more as the field thinned from 27 to 18 players.
Phil Ivey was the monkey on the grinder under the bright lights at the featured TV table with a supporting cast of characters; Happy Shulman, Darvin Moon, Joe Cada, and 21-year old wunderkind LuckyChewey."At least you go cleaned up for this," said Ivey giving a scruffy Happy shit for looking like he just waked-n-baked before he rolled out of bed.
"I don't care about my appearance... obviously," he boasted like a self-righteous neo-hippie sporting a Phish hoodie.
"I'll take care of you," said Ivey feeling a little bad for his disheveled looking friend. Ivey had a premonition that Happy was going to make the final table and didn't want see him look like a bum. Ivey knew that the November Nine was the mongoloid offspring of the Hollywoodized Disneyfication of tournament poker, so he offered to hook Happy up with a free haircut and shave. Happy respectfully declined, but shit, how can you refuse an offer like that from Ivey?
Ivey gets fruit brought to him by his super fans. They were the original members of the Phil Ivey Fan Club back when they knew him as Jerome, the name on his fake ID. No Home Jerome is no Lew Alcindor or Cassius Clay. Ivey didn't change his name for religious reasons like Ali and Jabbar. When Ivey turned 21, he revealed his true identity. Since then, he's been on a tear. Some Tuesday nights I'm watching the Main Event unfold before me on ESPN and I can't help but think... this is Ivey's time. He's going to win it all.
The scariest moment of Day 8? Ivey leaning over the table asking you how many chips you have left. That's like having a leering neighbor with jailbait-tendencies ask you about the age of your teenage daughter.
During his couch interview, Ivey admitted that he played this year's Main Event in a "more patient" fashion. No more fucking around so he can rush over to Bobby's Room or play golf for $50K a hole with a bunch of out-of-towners who think they can hustle the almighty Ivey. Ivey is aware that he plays his best when he's focused on the task at hand without any distractions (like betting millions on the Lakers or all-night cash games). When Ivey focuses, no mortals can stop him. Only the poker gods can contain him. Well, that and himself. Ivey tossed a winning hand in the muck. Yes, Ivey held pocket eights and he forgot that he had the 8s in a hand against Jordan Smith with four spades on the board. Ivey thought that he was beat to an Ace on the river and he folded without re-checking his hand. Wow. Even the legends are prone to brain farts. I gotta assume that Ivey thought he held the 8c and not the 8s.
Liquidity Crisis: Steve Begleiter played at the secondary TV table with Billy Kopp, Antonio Esfandiari and Frenchman Ludovic Lacay. Begleiter secured a ton of face time and during his couch interview he admitted that he did a shitty job as a 24 year vet at Bear Sterns. I didn't buy his "we followed orders and thought we were doing the right thing" excuse. Either he wasn't in on the right side of the fix, or he was so far over his head that he was trying to gambling his way out of a hole. Doesn't matter now. Heck, if anything, Begleiter knows where the bodies are buried. By the way, "liquidity crisis" is the fancy Wall Street term for being a broke dick.
That's Why They Call Him LuckyChewey: Darvin Moon had his Aces ramshackled by LuckyChewey's trip nines with Jd-9d. With 2 million in the pot, Moon fired out 1 million on the river. A conservative LuckyChewey only called. Maybe he thought Moon had him out-kicked?
Adios! My Lady: Leo Margets, the last woman standing, finally hit the rail when she ran into Warren Zackey in a dark alley. The South African's Ah-10h was ahead of the Spainard's A-7. Zackey flopped a ten and that's all she wrote. Margets finished in 27th place and became the first player to bust on Day 8.
Presto No Good for the Magician: Antonio admitted that he was off the wagon. Or is it on the wagon? Who cares. He wasn't boozing during the Main Event. Clean living for the former party boy Magician. Antonio ran into a brick wall when his pocket fives were outflopped by Begleiter's K-10. Antonio fired out at a 10-high flop and Begleiter re-raised. Antonio shoved all in and Begleiter insta-called. Antonio missed on the turn and on the river. His deep run at the WSOP came to an abrupt end. The Magician finished in 24th place and won $353K.
Pride of the Carolinas: Nick Maimone caught a tidal wave of good card karma on three different instances.... he chopped a pot he should have lost to Darvin Moon... then came from behind to run over Ivey's Jacks with Q-rag.... then he ran his sevens into pocket tens when got it all in on the flop almost drawing dead but turned a set to stay alive.
Stay Classy, Kentucky: Billy Kopp also caught a lucky river card to send one of the three remaining French players, Pierre Cardin, back to France in 25th place. It's eay to call him out for a tinge of Douchebaggery because he was clad in UB gear and then fist pumped after he sucked out on the Frenchman.
Kings and Queens: British pro James Akenhead lost most of his stack when he ran his Kings into Aces, but he got some back when he called an all with Queens against Tommy Vedes A-Q. His royal ladies held up and avoided an elimination.
Hiteth Thy Flop: How do you make the November Nine? Hit your flops. Ivey opened with the Varkonyi. Happy called with Jacks. The flop was Q-10-5. Ivey won the pot.... then Steve Begleiter flopped a straight with 7d-6d on a 5-4-3 board against Ben Lamb who missed with Big Slick.
France 1, Wall Street 0: One of the two Frenchmen remaining, Antoine Saout opened with Aces and Begleiter defended his blind with K-10 off suit to which Norm made a Bear Sterns crack about wishing Bear Sterns defending the investment so their clients with the same vigilance. Saout flopped a set and opted to slow play. He turned a boat and Begleiter walked into his trap. Begleiter fired out at the turn and Saout smooth called. The river was a bland and Begleiter fired out a pot-sized bet with air. Saout raised on the river and Begleiter quickly surrendered.
Buchman Likes Kings: Eric Buchman, my non-Ivey pick to win it all, picked off Jonathan Tamayo's A-Q when his Kings held up. Tamayo busted in 21st place while Buchman surged to 15 million in chips. Best Buchman story? He funded his bankroll after winning a jackpot playing Caribbean Stud in the pits at Foxwoods Casino.
Lambs and Gekkos: Begleiter opened with nines. Ben Lamb three-bet with A-K. Begleiter four-bet to put Lamb all in and he called. A classic race for a 11 million pot. Lamb flopped an Ace and turned a King. Lamb's hand held up and he doubled up. But then the two rumbled a second time. Begleiter opened with Jd-9d. Ben Lamb three-bet with Aces. Begleiter called. The flop was J-9-5 and fireworks ensued. Begleiter checked. Lamb fired out 50% of the pot. Begleiter check-raised all in and Lamb called. The turn and river did not help Lamb and Begleiter doubled up to over 17 million after snapping off Aces. Ouch, I haven't seen a burn that ugly since Gekko and Bud Fox skull-fucked Sir Larry Wildman in the Anacott Steel deal.
Set Over Vedes: Tommy Vedes' deep run ended when he ran his pocket treys into Eric Buchman. Both players flopped sets but Buchman's bigger set held up and Vedes headed to the rail in 19th place. With 18 players to go, you have to tune in next week to find how nine unlucky players fail to advance to the November Nine.
Click here for Flipchip's WSOP Main Event photos. See you next week.
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
Tuesday Link Dump: 90 Second Margaritas, A.C. Death Spiral, and the Tao of Knish
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
Here's a few appetizers to munch on today...
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
Here's a few appetizers to munch on today...
How do you make a Margarita in 90 seconds? I shot a video on Sunday morning showing you how. (Tao of Pauly)That's it for now.
Can Atlantic City Raise the Stakes? uses the phrase "death spiral" to describe the lean times in A.C. (NY Times)
Want to gain an edge flipping coins? Then you should read... How to flip a coin. (Marginal Revolution)
I've been enjoying the drama unfolding between Deadspin and ESPN over the Steve Phillips horndoggery incident. Even the NY Times took time to weigh in on the spat. (Deadspin & NY Times)
Why is it bad to smoke weed and OK to sell beer? Ah, the endless debate that potheads and swill drinker have been having for decades. Life is a neverending cycle of intoxicants. Players use steroids to compete, beer companies pay for the broadcasting rights, while I sit at home and smoke weed while watching Miller Lite commercials during the Chargers game. (Salon)
Jim McManus has a new book out. I haven't read it yet, but Shamus has and he wrote a review which makes me eager to read my copy... A Good Read: McManus Tells the Story of Poker (Hard Boiled Poker)
Meet Nick Cage aka IRS deadbeat. The Leaving Las Vegas star has to sell his New Orleans house that used to belong to Anne Rice. No word if he has to give up residuals on Captain Corelli's Violin. (Deal Breaker)
I saw Rounders for the first time at a movie theatre in the U District of Seattle in the fall of 1998. I was one of three people in the theatre that afternoon but everyone in my home game saw it at least once. We added hold'em to the mix shortly after learning about Teddy KGB, Worm, and Mike McD. Anyway, Joey Knish has been a looming figure in my poker world for over a decade. I figured out some of his wisdom and wrote about it for my Sunday column. Take a peek at... Philosophy of Knish. (Poker News)
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
Puzzling over the R-J's circulation gain
The latest newspaper circulation data was released today and it was horrifying. The New York Times has shed 7.2% and is now below 1 million in sales per weekday, USA Today dropped 17 percent and lost its No. 1 ranking to the Wall Street Journal, and overall average daily circulation plunged 10.6 percent. See the report and list here.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal, somewhat surprisingly, defied this trend in dramatic fashion. The circulation data is up 6.56 percent from 165,011 to 175,841. A small handful of papers went up.
I thought I had a hunch as to what had happened here. The reporting period was from April to October of 2009, and in April of 2009 came the single most significant moment in Nevada journalism, the Las Vegas Sun's Pulitzer Prize for Public Service reporting on the construction deaths at CityCenter. Could it be that the public thought, "Huh, that's a big deal, maybe I should take another look at the local paper"? Such an event wouldn't move the needle in a place like New York or Los Angeles where Pulitzers are a dime a dozen, but in a city of rootless migrants, maybe there's a curiosity effect similar to when a little movie wins an Oscar?
Would that it were so. And how bizarre that I've been disabused of my theory by none other than the Review-Journal's own brass. In Joe Strupp's Editor & Publisher report about the few circulation jumpers is this passage:
What a disappointment. Also, a curiosity. He says there are 20,000 electronic subscribers? I assume this is the electronic edition that looks just like the actual paper, not people who read stuff on their website. I must say, I have never, ever met or had any communication with anyone who subscribed to the local newspaper this way. You'd think the people who did so would be techies who also read blogs and such. Right? They're saying more than 11 percent of their readership does this?
Does that make sense?
The Las Vegas Review-Journal, somewhat surprisingly, defied this trend in dramatic fashion. The circulation data is up 6.56 percent from 165,011 to 175,841. A small handful of papers went up.
I thought I had a hunch as to what had happened here. The reporting period was from April to October of 2009, and in April of 2009 came the single most significant moment in Nevada journalism, the Las Vegas Sun's Pulitzer Prize for Public Service reporting on the construction deaths at CityCenter. Could it be that the public thought, "Huh, that's a big deal, maybe I should take another look at the local paper"? Such an event wouldn't move the needle in a place like New York or Los Angeles where Pulitzers are a dime a dozen, but in a city of rootless migrants, maybe there's a curiosity effect similar to when a little movie wins an Oscar?
Would that it were so. And how bizarre that I've been disabused of my theory by none other than the Review-Journal's own brass. In Joe Strupp's Editor & Publisher report about the few circulation jumpers is this passage:
At the Las Vegas Review-Journal, executive are crediting their 6.56% increase, from 165,011 to 175,841, to a simple change in ABC rules that allow the paper's electronic edition to be counted in total circulation.
Steve Coffeen, director of corporate circulation for Stephens Media, which owns the Review-Journal, says the paper's print circulation is actually down seven percent daily and four percent on Sunday.
"I would say all of it is based on the electronic edition," Coffeen said of the increase. "We have about 20,000 electronic subscribers who were not allowed to be included before because of pricing rules. We didn't change anything, they changed the rules."
Steve Coffeen, director of corporate circulation for Stephens Media, which owns the Review-Journal, says the paper's print circulation is actually down seven percent daily and four percent on Sunday.
"I would say all of it is based on the electronic edition," Coffeen said of the increase. "We have about 20,000 electronic subscribers who were not allowed to be included before because of pricing rules. We didn't change anything, they changed the rules."
What a disappointment. Also, a curiosity. He says there are 20,000 electronic subscribers? I assume this is the electronic edition that looks just like the actual paper, not people who read stuff on their website. I must say, I have never, ever met or had any communication with anyone who subscribed to the local newspaper this way. You'd think the people who did so would be techies who also read blogs and such. Right? They're saying more than 11 percent of their readership does this?
Does that make sense?
Letters to Pauly: The Amazing Race, Vol. 5 - Rowboats, Hookahs, and Water Slides in Dubai; Tiff-Ho Move into Second Place
By Trisha Lynn
New York City
Editor's Note: Pop-culture correspondent Trisha Lynn returns as a guest scribe to Tao of Poker.
* * * * *
Dearest Trisha,
What would I do without you and your recaps from Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4?
One again, the poker ladies got trumped by a sports-filled Sunday as football bled into the baseball playoffs and I obsessed over my bets on the afternoon games, reloading the stats page on multiple fantasy football teams, keeping an eye on a few football pools, not to mention Fantasy Sports Live. And then there was the Yankees/Angele Game 6 that had gotten delayed from the previous night.
I have the episode saved on TiVo and I'll take a peek only because of the hookah scene. But wow, the girls jumped into second place with six teams remaining? I'll have to start watching it especially since they head to Holland. Will they try to be window hookers? Or weigh out 500 pounds of hashish?
Thanks again for your stellar updates.
Cheers,
P
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
New York City
Editor's Note: Pop-culture correspondent Trisha Lynn returns as a guest scribe to Tao of Poker.
Dear Pauly,Trisha Lynn is a writer from New York City. She's also a contributor to Movie Make-Out.com.
I wasn't really expecting much from this week's episode of "The Amazing Race" because of how Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho have been blowing leads and just not running good. I also discovered that I shouldn't read too much into what the couch-surfers think about our Maria and Tiffany because while they keep saying that Maria's useless because she's not doing enough solo physical challenges, I remember Tiffany saying in the very first episode that she's the brawn, which means that both of them know each's weaknesses well enough to be a competent team. But just as one should never rest easy with pocket Aces, one should also never count out women who are determined to win; this episode is proof-positive of that very fact.
Personally, I was almost caught flat-footed when the show started on time tonight because the last two weeks were delayed by football games. The "previouslys" catch us up on the action, including a shot of Lawyer Lance's he-man vase-throwing which reminds us all of how glad we are that he and his shrill-voiced fiance are not going to win $1 million dollars.
We're still in Dubai for this episode, starting at the Souk Madinat Jumeirah which I've learned is a shopping center at a fancy-schmacy resort where rooms can cost $700 USD a night. Just like you were disappointed that they weren't roughing it in Cambodia, I'm a little disappointed that they probably got to spend the night in that fancy-schmancy resort before setting off the next morning.
Just ahead of them are the GayBros., who mention that they are still in an alliance with the girls but are confident that if they ever needed to so, they'd be able to outrun the them and everyone else--except for the Globetrotters--to the mat. Oh, boys... that statement is going to bite your hot little asses later on.
But oh, no! The Globetrotters' cab driver took them to the wrong yacht club! Big Easy is having problems rowing the tiny inflatable dinghy to a yacht in the middle of the harbor where they're supposed to receive a watch as a traditional hospitality gift!
The girls and the GayBros. find the club and I sit back in awe as Tiffany powers through the water while Maria figures out that the time on the watch contains the combination to their briefcase which contains the next clue. Then again, I shouldn't have been surprised because right before Tiffany sets off into the water, Maria says, "It might be physical; you're faster." And even Tiffany is proud of her achievement because as she says later in interview that she's so proud whenever she accomplishes a physical task that all the other guys do that the other female teammates don't. Maybe that'll shut up those nay-sayers.
When they leave the club, they've moved up into fifth place because the Globetrotters overthink the watch clue and approach it from the wrong angle. The GayBros. are just ahead of them now, and independently, both teams choose Gold as their next task. The challenge is to weigh out exactly $500,000 USD worth of gold using an electric scale; there's a monitor that shows the exchange rate that helps them out. However, since it's ever-changing, they have to weigh out exactly the right amount of gold before the rate changes. The GayBros. prove that they're more than just pretty faces when they mention that they bought a $2 calculator from Wal-Mart and brought it with them... but they can't figure out how to calculate the number of ounces needed.
When the girls arrive, there's a cute little exchange where they go, "Hi boys!" with a chirrup, and the boys respond with a tired, "Hey...." The girls are ushered into the next room, where Maria has quickly figured out the right formula. Noticing that the boys have a calculator, she asks to borrow it and they agree only if the girls will tell them what the magic weight is. The first time, the rate changes just as they've called over their judges and they have to do it again, but because they've cracked the code, both teams are off and running to the next task.
The other task was to put together 12 hookahs from parts that are packed away in a large crate and the teams had to assemble them exactly. I suspect that if you had been Racing, you would have had that done it in no time.
At this point, I was almost on the edge of my seat because the girls were in third place and they'd never gotten that close to the front before. It was so nerve-wracking that I almost didn't want to watch anyone else because I wanted them to hang on to their lead. The last part of the Race for this week is to head off to another fancy-schmancy resort, Atlantis, The Palm and this is probably the part of the show you'll see lovingly recapped by the gang at Wicked Chops. The task is to ride a near-vertical water slide underneath a shark tank to the very bottom where the next clue awaits. Tiffany goes down first (hurr, hurr) wearing a black bikini top and red bottoms; Maria is next, and she almost loses her yellow bikini top as she exits the slide.
Luckily, the traffic and transit gods must have smiled on them between the jewelry store and the resort because when they reach the mat on a beach at the resort, they look behind them to see the GayBros. racing along the beach in matching red swim trunks a la Baywatch. When host Phil announce that the girls are in second place and the boys are in third, there is a jubilant group hug in the surf. Now there's a group hug that almost anyone would want to be a part of. But let me just say it again, because I can: Maria and Tiffany are in second place this week. Suck it, haters!
NEXT WEEK: Miss America completely loses it and one of the Globetrotters dances in Dutch drag.
Yours,
Trisha Lynn
Dearest Trisha,
What would I do without you and your recaps from Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4?
One again, the poker ladies got trumped by a sports-filled Sunday as football bled into the baseball playoffs and I obsessed over my bets on the afternoon games, reloading the stats page on multiple fantasy football teams, keeping an eye on a few football pools, not to mention Fantasy Sports Live. And then there was the Yankees/Angele Game 6 that had gotten delayed from the previous night.
I have the episode saved on TiVo and I'll take a peek only because of the hookah scene. But wow, the girls jumped into second place with six teams remaining? I'll have to start watching it especially since they head to Holland. Will they try to be window hookers? Or weigh out 500 pounds of hashish?
Thanks again for your stellar updates.
Cheers,
P
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
Steve Wynn: Socialist?
On Oct. 13, Steve Wynn went on Fox Business Channel to say this of President Obama's health care aims:
Two days later, he was on the Encore Theater stage with Garth Brooks explaining how he would approach ticket sales for the country singer's comeback appearances:
Am I the only one who sees the contradiction here? Other observers have been intrigued by how Wynn can extol the joys of doing business in totalitarian China while casting aspersions on Obama's efforts to revive a capitalist economy and provide health care for all. But I'm more intrigued by a different paradox.
Isn't shutting down scalpers the same as attacking the free market and capitalism? Aren't they people who make an investment at Wynn's foolishly under-market price of $125 a seat and take the risk that others will want to pay more? Sometimes scalpers are wrong and get stuck with tickets they can't move; that's the nature of the beast, no?
Let's go over the rules as they are published on the Wynn website:
Specific procedures have been put in place in an effort to ensure that the tickets for concerts are accessible to fans at face value and through authorized sales channels exclusively.
Limit 6 concert tickets per order or per person or per credit card. Persons who exceed the ticket limit may have any or all of their orders and tickets cancelled without notice by Wynn Las Vegas, LLC at its discretion. This includes orders associated with the same name, e-mail address, billing address, credit card number or other information. No exceptions.
Tickets will be available for pick-up at Will Call at Wynn Las Vegas after 12 p.m. PT on the day of the concert upon presentation of valid photo I.D., confirmation number and actual credit card used for payment. Under no circumstance will tickets be distributed in advance.
Ticket holders must enter the Encore Theater with their entire party. Wynn reserves the right to request valid I.D. of the ticket holder prior to entry into the Encore Theater at show time. The person who purchased the ticket(s) must be a member of the party entering the theater.
All ticket sales are final and are non-refundable and non-transferable.
No one has the permission of Wynn Las Vegas to sell this ticket for a price in excess of $143.00.
Management reserves the right to cancel any ticket and refund the face value of the ticket to the ticket holder, if management determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that such ticket was purchased from a ticket reseller at an amount in excess of face value.
Tickets must be picked up no later than one-hour prior to show time or will be subject to cancellation with no refund.
That's cold. No refunds. No advance ticket issuances. Final. Non-transferable. No exceptions. Theoretically you could resell them for $143 or less, but how would anyone get in under that circumstances? You can't even, so far as this reads, GIVE AWAY your tickets. Huh.
At the press conference, the crowd -- including journalists!?! -- cheered this anti-scalping effort. But those folks won't be cheering so loudly when they try to surprise Grandpa with tickets for Christmas during his upcoming Vegas trip and realize he can't get in without the presence of the ticket-buyer, who's not going on the trip. Can I call ahead and make such an arrangement? If so, how do you know if that's really my Grandpa or if it's some ticket-broker client? What if I get swine flu three days before the show? I'm stuck with tickets and Garth is stuck with empty seats? Again, I can't even give these seats away?!?
Today, Wynn Las Vegas staff began a thankless game of whack-a-mole. Jade Bailey-Assam, the Tweeter (@WynnLasVegas) wrote: "We're looking for unauthorized sales of Garth Brooks tkts. Please help & tweet links to sites where you see tkts for sale."
Well, gee, how hard could that be? EBay alone has about 100 entries already. Scalpers have figured out the end-run, that they can pick up the seats themselves on the day-of and personally deliver the tickets. A pair of seats advertised as center section Row H on Feb. 12 has 22 bids now and is at $710 right now. That's three times the face value and there's five hours to go on that auction.
The intensive efforts that would have to be undertaken here are unreasonable and prohibitive. It would require someone being hired specifically to do nothing but root out this alleged evil. As Steve Wynn, in his heart of hearts, must appreciate, entrepreneurs will always find a way. Always.
The folks hurt by this? The normal people, actually. They'll be stuck with tickets they can't resell if they really need to and can't give away if they so desire. I thought of a partial solution, but these rules don't allow for it: Wynn should accept refunds less, say, 10 percent. They know they can resell them, so at least that solves the problem of what people can do if their circumstances change at the last minute, if they get sick or snowed out or whatever. This still doesn't solve many other dilemmas herein, though.
"We are seeing socialism-lite here. It would be OK if it worked, it never works.”
Two days later, he was on the Encore Theater stage with Garth Brooks explaining how he would approach ticket sales for the country singer's comeback appearances:
"People that buy seats are going produce ID. And the ID will be used to identify them when they come for the performance. Our goal is not to have these tickets jacked up to $2-, $3-, $4-, $5oo or $1000, which is the case in Las Vegas. We are taking evasive action from ticket scalpers. [Garth] was very insistent about it."
Am I the only one who sees the contradiction here? Other observers have been intrigued by how Wynn can extol the joys of doing business in totalitarian China while casting aspersions on Obama's efforts to revive a capitalist economy and provide health care for all. But I'm more intrigued by a different paradox.
Isn't shutting down scalpers the same as attacking the free market and capitalism? Aren't they people who make an investment at Wynn's foolishly under-market price of $125 a seat and take the risk that others will want to pay more? Sometimes scalpers are wrong and get stuck with tickets they can't move; that's the nature of the beast, no?
Let's go over the rules as they are published on the Wynn website:
Specific procedures have been put in place in an effort to ensure that the tickets for concerts are accessible to fans at face value and through authorized sales channels exclusively.
Limit 6 concert tickets per order or per person or per credit card. Persons who exceed the ticket limit may have any or all of their orders and tickets cancelled without notice by Wynn Las Vegas, LLC at its discretion. This includes orders associated with the same name, e-mail address, billing address, credit card number or other information. No exceptions.
Tickets will be available for pick-up at Will Call at Wynn Las Vegas after 12 p.m. PT on the day of the concert upon presentation of valid photo I.D., confirmation number and actual credit card used for payment. Under no circumstance will tickets be distributed in advance.
Ticket holders must enter the Encore Theater with their entire party. Wynn reserves the right to request valid I.D. of the ticket holder prior to entry into the Encore Theater at show time. The person who purchased the ticket(s) must be a member of the party entering the theater.
All ticket sales are final and are non-refundable and non-transferable.
No one has the permission of Wynn Las Vegas to sell this ticket for a price in excess of $143.00.
Management reserves the right to cancel any ticket and refund the face value of the ticket to the ticket holder, if management determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that such ticket was purchased from a ticket reseller at an amount in excess of face value.
Tickets must be picked up no later than one-hour prior to show time or will be subject to cancellation with no refund.
That's cold. No refunds. No advance ticket issuances. Final. Non-transferable. No exceptions. Theoretically you could resell them for $143 or less, but how would anyone get in under that circumstances? You can't even, so far as this reads, GIVE AWAY your tickets. Huh.
At the press conference, the crowd -- including journalists!?! -- cheered this anti-scalping effort. But those folks won't be cheering so loudly when they try to surprise Grandpa with tickets for Christmas during his upcoming Vegas trip and realize he can't get in without the presence of the ticket-buyer, who's not going on the trip. Can I call ahead and make such an arrangement? If so, how do you know if that's really my Grandpa or if it's some ticket-broker client? What if I get swine flu three days before the show? I'm stuck with tickets and Garth is stuck with empty seats? Again, I can't even give these seats away?!?
Today, Wynn Las Vegas staff began a thankless game of whack-a-mole. Jade Bailey-Assam, the Tweeter (@WynnLasVegas) wrote: "We're looking for unauthorized sales of Garth Brooks tkts. Please help & tweet links to sites where you see tkts for sale."
Well, gee, how hard could that be? EBay alone has about 100 entries already. Scalpers have figured out the end-run, that they can pick up the seats themselves on the day-of and personally deliver the tickets. A pair of seats advertised as center section Row H on Feb. 12 has 22 bids now and is at $710 right now. That's three times the face value and there's five hours to go on that auction.
The intensive efforts that would have to be undertaken here are unreasonable and prohibitive. It would require someone being hired specifically to do nothing but root out this alleged evil. As Steve Wynn, in his heart of hearts, must appreciate, entrepreneurs will always find a way. Always.
The folks hurt by this? The normal people, actually. They'll be stuck with tickets they can't resell if they really need to and can't give away if they so desire. I thought of a partial solution, but these rules don't allow for it: Wynn should accept refunds less, say, 10 percent. They know they can resell them, so at least that solves the problem of what people can do if their circumstances change at the last minute, if they get sick or snowed out or whatever. This still doesn't solve many other dilemmas herein, though.
I appreciate the idea here. It's admirable. It's nice. Garth wants everyone to enjoy his performances and to pay the face price because that's fair. Wynn wants to oblige his talent to close the deal.
But he might have considered saying this to Garth:
But he might have considered saying this to Garth:
"We are seeing socialism-lite here. It would be OK if it worked, it never works.”
Best of the Best and Today in Tao of Poker History
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
Some quick links to some of the higher-end vomit that I spewed over the last 50 or so days...
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
Some quick links to some of the higher-end vomit that I spewed over the last 50 or so days...
Cezanne = The First Tournament ReporterAnd let's step into the Tao of Poker Flashback Machine...
Anatomy of the Rail
Happy Hires Hellmuth
The Booth
Embezzle
Tangerine Rockets
She Said She Wants to Be a Sociologist
Two years ago today: Schecky Wins Tournament in AustraliaEnjoy the last remnants of the weekend!
Four years ago today: Hammers, Hilton Sisters, Dial-a-Shots, and other Post-Modern Poker Vernacular
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
Last Chance for LAPT Costa Rica Satellites and Introducing EPT Prague and EPT Vilamoura (Portugal)
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
Here's the upcoming schedule for PokerStars events...
Anyway, today at 18:45 ET, PokerStars is running a $530 qualifier to the LAPT Costa Rica. There will be one more next week on Halloween at the same time. Of course, Stars is running tons of super-satellites to win a seat to the $530. I was almost Bubble Boy in one of those sats.
If you're sick of Vegas or of sitting around in your underwear playing online poker, the Latin America Poker Tour gives you a chance to visit exotic countries and live life on the edge. Plus, the fields are super soft. How soft? I'm playing in their $2,500 Main Event.
For more info...* * * * *
The next two stops on the European Poker Tour are Portugal and the Czech Republic. The buy-ins to both events are 5,000 Euros. Satellites are currently running on PokerStars. The Czech Republic is one of the most fascinating cities in Eastern Europe and the EPT will be making their first appearance in Portugal.
If you're interested in playing in EPT satellites, simply download PokerStars today.
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
Here's the upcoming schedule for PokerStars events...
I have been trying to win a seat to the LAPT Playa Conchal in Costa Rica over the past week or so. PokerStars is running daily satellites that guarantee at least one prize package worth $6,000 and I have yet to come close. I've finished 20th twice (out of 200+ runners) and 30th a second time (out of 300+). The daily $7 and $8 rebuys are soft but the turbo structures takes a significant amount of skill out of the mix -- which means anyone can win those sats. I'm confident that I'll make a breakthrough in the next week. Otherwise, I'll be selling pieces of myself.Nov 11-15 - APPT Cebu (Philippines)
Nov 17-22 - EPT Vilamoura (Portugal)
Nov 19-22 - LAPT Playa Conchal (Costa Rica)
Dec 1-6 - EPT Prague (Czech Republic)
Dec 1-6 - APPT Syndey (Australia)
Anyway, today at 18:45 ET, PokerStars is running a $530 qualifier to the LAPT Costa Rica. There will be one more next week on Halloween at the same time. Of course, Stars is running tons of super-satellites to win a seat to the $530. I was almost Bubble Boy in one of those sats.
If you're sick of Vegas or of sitting around in your underwear playing online poker, the Latin America Poker Tour gives you a chance to visit exotic countries and live life on the edge. Plus, the fields are super soft. How soft? I'm playing in their $2,500 Main Event.
For more info...
Click here for a LAPT structure sheet.
Click here for more info about Playa Conchal, Costa Rica.
Click here to Download PokerStars.
The next two stops on the European Poker Tour are Portugal and the Czech Republic. The buy-ins to both events are 5,000 Euros. Satellites are currently running on PokerStars. The Czech Republic is one of the most fascinating cities in Eastern Europe and the EPT will be making their first appearance in Portugal.
If you're interested in playing in EPT satellites, simply download PokerStars today.
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
"repete offenders" Wins Week 6 of Sundays with Dr. Pauly; Sets New FSL Record
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
Wow. Repete offenders won of Sundays with Dr. Pauly over at Fantasy Sports Live and shattered a few records in the process. He scored 206.6 and became the first player to ever break 200 points in an FSL football contest. Congrats bro on a sensational performance!
I thought that I had a decent week with 130 points but that was fools gold. I was one of the few people who did not pick Tom Brady as my QB and my scores suffered in comparison. A total of nine players posted scores of 180 and higher. Talk about a high-powered week of fantasy football! After a hot start, I've been sputtering along the last three weeks. If you can beat my score for three weeks in a row, then you get an invite to the TOC.
Click here for Week 6 results and updated standings.
Click here for more details, rules, and payout information.
Best of luck everyone in Week 7 and in the new series.
If you don't have a Fantasy Sports Live account, you can sign up for one here.
And don't forget to check out Dailyfantasyprojections.com. It has been an excellent tool for me. Buffallo66 runs that service and he's one of the most successful players at FSL since its inception. Right now, he's offering up specials.... $9.99 per month and $99.99 for a yearly subscription.
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
Wow. Repete offenders won of Sundays with Dr. Pauly over at Fantasy Sports Live and shattered a few records in the process. He scored 206.6 and became the first player to ever break 200 points in an FSL football contest. Congrats bro on a sensational performance!
I thought that I had a decent week with 130 points but that was fools gold. I was one of the few people who did not pick Tom Brady as my QB and my scores suffered in comparison. A total of nine players posted scores of 180 and higher. Talk about a high-powered week of fantasy football! After a hot start, I've been sputtering along the last three weeks. If you can beat my score for three weeks in a row, then you get an invite to the TOC.
Click here for Week 6 results and updated standings.
Click here for more details, rules, and payout information.
Best of luck everyone in Week 7 and in the new series.
If you don't have a Fantasy Sports Live account, you can sign up for one here.
And don't forget to check out Dailyfantasyprojections.com. It has been an excellent tool for me. Buffallo66 runs that service and he's one of the most successful players at FSL since its inception. Right now, he's offering up specials.... $9.99 per month and $99.99 for a yearly subscription.
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
The Strip + Petcast Are LIVE 4-6 pm PT Saturday!
We'll be recording two episodes of "The Petcast" followed by a new episode of "The Strip" tomorrow afternoon from 4-6 p.m. PT at LVRocks.Com.First, Emily and I are set to interview Ed Martin, owner of the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, the nation's oldest pet burial ground. Among other famous pets interred, Hartsdale last month handled the cremation of the last surviving working dog on the scene of the World Trade Center post-9/11.
Then, at about 4:30 pm PT, we Petcasters chat up Christina Cooper, co-owner of the Global Wildlife Center near Baton Rouge, La., about caring for a baby kangaroo abandoned by its mother, also a center resident.
After that, Miles and I will discuss the week's Vegas news -- Steve Wynn gets political, Monopoly takes over the town, rumors surrounding Barry Manilow and much more -- and feature a terrific interview with Fleur de Lys owner Hubert Keller about his "Top Chef" experiences and much more.
You can listen live from 4-6 p.m. PT via LVRocks.Com and chat with fellow listeners and us in the chatroom. Or hang on and we'll publish the podcast editions. Your call!
The PMHG: Cheviot Hills
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
Over the years, John "Schecky" Caldwell has been playing poker with a cast of unusual characters in and around L.A. It's a rotating home game game that I've been fortunate to play in a couple of times.
My initiation into Schecky's home game occurred in Beverly Hills in a game that doubled as a birthday party for the hostess' dog. Dozens of tiny purse dogs ran rampant and one even took a leak underneath my chair. The food spread included scrumptious cupcakes from Sprinkles, one of the hottest bakeries in town. I know, it's one of those fucked up things in life that a dog is fed better than 85% of the rest of humanity, but that's just the least bizarre thing you'll see in the City of Angels. Anyway, during that game, I forgot how much fun it was to play in a home game. I busted a 90-year old woman and I lost a hand to a 16-year old girl from Beverly Hills High when she kicked me in the junk with a Royal Flush.
I have a very good record when the games are held in a mansion in Cheviot Hills at a placed dubbed Casino Schmulkwell. The set up is swankier than our pad on the other side of the tracks in the slums of Beverly Hills.
I was a defending champ (of sorts) and won the tournament during last time that I played in Schecky's home game several months ago. I was eager to post back-to-back victories. Plus, Schecky invited a couple of friends from the poker industry in something that he was calling the "poker media home game." Bragging rights were on the line. Schecky even created his own little hashtag on Twitter which meant that the game would be covered extensively.
The night was dark and spooky as a fog hovered over the hills. I anxiously paced around the living room as the Yankees came from behind to tie the Angels at 4-4, then take a 6-4 lead, only to blow it and trail 7-6 in the top of the ninth and attempt a bases-loaded rally that fizzled out when Nick Swisher popped up like a punk to end the game and force Game 6 in the ALCS. The game was torture since I was a Yankees fan deep behind enemy lines. The only saving grace? The kick ass food from 8 oz. Burger Bar on Melrose featuring organic beef products.
The Kobe corn-dogs with signature purple mustard were a big hit, along with the wild boar slides. However, the players unanimously picked the short rib grilled cheese smothered with onion marmalade and bel paese cheese as the best item on the menu.
After we devoured the food, it was time for the tournament...
I won a small pot against Curt with 9-8 sooted. The flop was 10-9-7 and I kept firing at the pot all the way to the river, when Curt finally dribbled out of bounds.
I woke up to Aces and got paid off like a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. I raised Addict on a flop of 8-7-5 with two hearts and he called. The turn was a Queen of clubs and I shoved all in. Addict folded his 8-6 off-suit face up.
During the next level, the short-stacked Rabbi skipped off to the bathroom as a hand was being dealt. Instead of returning to the table, he took a detour to the kitchen to refill his vodka cocktail. While he was gone, he was dealt pocket Aces and missed out.
Kat was the first player out and the foul-mouthed Rabbi was next. He won a special $100 bonus -- essentially he got his name pulled out of a hat. Addict bubbled off the final table in a three-way pot that Shig won to put him into the chiplead.
"Fuck!" screamed Change100 as she tabled Aces. Snake flipped over Jacks. Both glared at me. I was stone cold sober too at the time and had no excuse.
Then it happened. Shig opened with a raise. I put him on Ace-rag so I shoved with A-10. Action folded back to him and he insta-called.
"I hope we're racing," I said before I winced when he tabled his pocket Kings. As the dealer, I had to deal my own fate...
As you can see from Schecky's twitpic, I turned one of my three outs and to add insult to Shig's injury, I also rivered trips. I took over the chip lead which I held until action got three-handed. I played more conservative than normal and folded 9-9 face up to a Schecky raise in early position. He's super tight so I was stunned when he turned over K-J off. Ouch. Well played, sir.
Don busted 9th. Snake was next to go in 8th place when he re-raised all in with A-10 against my Kings. I flopped a set of Kings and he turned a Ace but whiffed on the river. Schecky headed to the rail in 7th, short-stack master Chazbeaner went out in 6th, and my better half (aka Change100) went out in 5th. Poor Curt was the Bubble Boy in 4th.
At that point, I couldn't get any momentum going. Everyone ran for cover when I had a hand and everyone re-raised me when I had air or missed a flop. I eventually busted trying to make a move and finished in 3rd place. When I left, Daryl had a 3-1 advantage over Shig.
I cashed and won the unofficial media last longer (the prize was an expired 2009 WSOP food comp), but I wanted to win the whole damn thing. Regardless of my failure to post back-to-back victories, I still had a wonderful time. I had been holed up and writing the last few weeks so the game was a welcomed break from the monotony of sitting in my office and pecking away at the keyboard.
I always said that poker, when played among friends, is one of the most enjoyable activities in life. Last night was no exception.
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
Los Angeles, CA
Over the years, John "Schecky" Caldwell has been playing poker with a cast of unusual characters in and around L.A. It's a rotating home game game that I've been fortunate to play in a couple of times.
My initiation into Schecky's home game occurred in Beverly Hills in a game that doubled as a birthday party for the hostess' dog. Dozens of tiny purse dogs ran rampant and one even took a leak underneath my chair. The food spread included scrumptious cupcakes from Sprinkles, one of the hottest bakeries in town. I know, it's one of those fucked up things in life that a dog is fed better than 85% of the rest of humanity, but that's just the least bizarre thing you'll see in the City of Angels. Anyway, during that game, I forgot how much fun it was to play in a home game. I busted a 90-year old woman and I lost a hand to a 16-year old girl from Beverly Hills High when she kicked me in the junk with a Royal Flush.I have a very good record when the games are held in a mansion in Cheviot Hills at a placed dubbed Casino Schmulkwell. The set up is swankier than our pad on the other side of the tracks in the slums of Beverly Hills.
I was a defending champ (of sorts) and won the tournament during last time that I played in Schecky's home game several months ago. I was eager to post back-to-back victories. Plus, Schecky invited a couple of friends from the poker industry in something that he was calling the "poker media home game." Bragging rights were on the line. Schecky even created his own little hashtag on Twitter which meant that the game would be covered extensively.
The night was dark and spooky as a fog hovered over the hills. I anxiously paced around the living room as the Yankees came from behind to tie the Angels at 4-4, then take a 6-4 lead, only to blow it and trail 7-6 in the top of the ninth and attempt a bases-loaded rally that fizzled out when Nick Swisher popped up like a punk to end the game and force Game 6 in the ALCS. The game was torture since I was a Yankees fan deep behind enemy lines. The only saving grace? The kick ass food from 8 oz. Burger Bar on Melrose featuring organic beef products.
The Kobe corn-dogs with signature purple mustard were a big hit, along with the wild boar slides. However, the players unanimously picked the short rib grilled cheese smothered with onion marmalade and bel paese cheese as the best item on the menu.
After we devoured the food, it was time for the tournament...
PMHG Starting Table:I limped with Jacks in the first round and they held up. Addict nearly crippled the Rabbi when he snapped off Kings with a Big Blind Special. He flopped two pair with Q-5 and rivered a boat.
Seat 1: Addict - One of the "twin" brothers that comprise two-thirds of the entity we fondly call Wicked Chops Poker. Addict and I have battled numerous times on different felts all over America. Unfortunately, he sat to my left.
Seat 2: Schmulkwell - Our gracious host is an infomercial gazillionaire who built his fortune with knock-off versions of the Snuggie and Sham-Wow. He's so rich that he uses yellow $1,000 Commerce chips as coasters. Shecky once saw him flush a $25,000 Bellagio chip down the toilet. When asked why, he repiled, "Because I could."
Seat 3: Shig - Our beloved tournament director or the Matt Savage of Cheviot Hills. Shig is a cagey mofo and you can never put him on a hand. Every forty-five seconds some would yell out, "Shig when do the blinds go up?!"
Seat 4: Don - Award winning producer of children TV shows. Don has been brainwashing your children and turning them into assassins by using catchy songs to carry out covert ops for our shadow government.
Seat 5: The Foul-Mouthed Rabbi - We love the rabbi. I never met a rabbi who drank and cussed as much as he did. The rabbi was a little off his game and did not get a chance to get underneath the skin of everyone at the tables.
Seat 6: Curt - Former pro basketball player who likes to play up the fact that he has no idea what he's doing.
Seat 7: Your Hero
I won a small pot against Curt with 9-8 sooted. The flop was 10-9-7 and I kept firing at the pot all the way to the river, when Curt finally dribbled out of bounds.
I woke up to Aces and got paid off like a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. I raised Addict on a flop of 8-7-5 with two hearts and he called. The turn was a Queen of clubs and I shoved all in. Addict folded his 8-6 off-suit face up.
During the next level, the short-stacked Rabbi skipped off to the bathroom as a hand was being dealt. Instead of returning to the table, he took a detour to the kitchen to refill his vodka cocktail. While he was gone, he was dealt pocket Aces and missed out.
Kat was the first player out and the foul-mouthed Rabbi was next. He won a special $100 bonus -- essentially he got his name pulled out of a hat. Addict bubbled off the final table in a three-way pot that Shig won to put him into the chiplead.
The PMHG Final Table:I had the lovely Change100 to my left and I drew dealing duties. On the first hand, I was a little confused with the button and dealt out the wrong hands. Schecky picked up on it and declared a misdeal.
Seat 1: Your Hero
Seat 2: Change100
Seat 3: Chazbeaner
Seat 4: Snake
Seat 5: Curt
Seat 6: Daryl
Seat 7: Schecky
Seat 8: Don
Seat 9: Shig
"Fuck!" screamed Change100 as she tabled Aces. Snake flipped over Jacks. Both glared at me. I was stone cold sober too at the time and had no excuse.
Then it happened. Shig opened with a raise. I put him on Ace-rag so I shoved with A-10. Action folded back to him and he insta-called.
"I hope we're racing," I said before I winced when he tabled his pocket Kings. As the dealer, I had to deal my own fate...
As you can see from Schecky's twitpic, I turned one of my three outs and to add insult to Shig's injury, I also rivered trips. I took over the chip lead which I held until action got three-handed. I played more conservative than normal and folded 9-9 face up to a Schecky raise in early position. He's super tight so I was stunned when he turned over K-J off. Ouch. Well played, sir.
Don busted 9th. Snake was next to go in 8th place when he re-raised all in with A-10 against my Kings. I flopped a set of Kings and he turned a Ace but whiffed on the river. Schecky headed to the rail in 7th, short-stack master Chazbeaner went out in 6th, and my better half (aka Change100) went out in 5th. Poor Curt was the Bubble Boy in 4th.
At that point, I couldn't get any momentum going. Everyone ran for cover when I had a hand and everyone re-raised me when I had air or missed a flop. I eventually busted trying to make a move and finished in 3rd place. When I left, Daryl had a 3-1 advantage over Shig.
I cashed and won the unofficial media last longer (the prize was an expired 2009 WSOP food comp), but I wanted to win the whole damn thing. Regardless of my failure to post back-to-back victories, I still had a wonderful time. I had been holed up and writing the last few weeks so the game was a welcomed break from the monotony of sitting in my office and pecking away at the keyboard.
I always said that poker, when played among friends, is one of the most enjoyable activities in life. Last night was no exception.
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
The show is UP: The Podcast-A-Palooza Episode!
Here's the podcast-a-Palooza episode featuring a really solid conversation with Chazz Palminteri. We'll be recording again on Saturday 5-6 pm and our guest will be chef Hubert Keller. More in a post on Friday, but try to join us at LVRocks.Com for that if you can. As always, you can subscribe to the podcast (it's free!) via iTunes or Zune and get the show automatically or click on the date below to make it play for you. You can also right-click to download it to your computer to hear whenever you wish. Enjoy. -sf
Oct. 20: Podcast-a-Palooza 2
Take a Chazz On Us
When the idea first came up, nobody -- and by nobody we mean Steve -- thought it could possibly work. Chazz Palminteri was a career character actor with modest name recognition next to the likes of, say, Holly Madison, and his plan was to bring a serious autobiographical one-man play to the Strip? Fuggedaboutit. But Palminteri has faced down doubts about "A Bronx Tale" before, and here he is now in the middle of a two-week run at the Venetian that has been extended by popular demand. Palminteri joined us live at the 2009 Vegas Podcast-A-Palooza to discuss the show, his friendship with Frank Sinatra and the chronological problem in his play that only three people have ever asked him about in 20 years.
In Banter: Rating the Garth deal, revealing some new slot machine ideas coming to G2E.
Links:
Chazz Palminteri's website
VegasHappensHere.Com's skepticism about Chazz's show earlier this year
The Vegas Gang podcast
Five Hundy By Midnight
Podcast-a-Palooza emcee Dave Lifton's new show, PopDose
The IMDB site on the stinker flick Chazz discussed, Scar City
Our podcast episode with Palminteri's "Bullets Over Broadway" co-star Jennifer Tilly
Steve's Las Vegas Weekly column about Steve Wynn and Garth Brooks
This Week's LVW Col: Wynn Plays It Safe
There was something odd about the Garth announcement. All the spectacle of it came from...Garth. Wynn was almost a bystander. That got me to thinking. And here's what I wrote for this week's "The Strip Sense" column in the Weekly. -sf
Read the rest at LasVegasWeekly.Com.
Back to Basics -- And Garth!
After lots of trial and error, Steve Wynn is playing it safe
By STEVE FRIESS
After lots of trial and error, Steve Wynn is playing it safe
By STEVE FRIESS
Let’s get this out of the way right off the top: Garth Brooks will sell out every seat of every show for however long he appears at the Wynn Las Vegas. Period. This is the top-selling American solo artist ever, he’s starved his fans of live performances for almost a decade, he’s forced Steve Wynn to cap ticket prices at $125, and he’s only got a room half the size of the Colosseum to fill.
That does not mean, however, that that’s all there is to say about this deal. Embedded in this decision, in fact, is a great deal of information about the rough, humbling road that Wynn has traveled on the show front since his flawless days as owner of that other little group of joints he built on the other side of the street.
The charming press event at which Wynn and Garth Brooks made this badly kept secret formally known to the world was a minefield of contradictions to me. I know Wynn well enough to know he’s proud of his relationship with Brooks and excited for what he will be able to offer his guests, but I wonder, frankly, if even he is aware of how much he’s changed his story since the Wynn Las Vegas opened.
Take, for instance, the moment when Wynn said, “There’s nothing like a single performer standing on a stage without any help.” It took a little while for me to figure out why that remark was so familiar, but it did finally hit me: Wynn and I sat together at the first performance of Avenue Q in the same theater in August of 2005, and, as the music began to swell, he leaned over to me and whispered giddily, “There’s nothing like the overture of a Broadway show.”
Ah, yes. Broadway. Remember that plan? Wynn didn’t.Read the rest at LasVegasWeekly.Com.
Cezanne = The First Tournament Reporter
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
Paul Cezanne is regarded as one of the leaders of the post-Impressionist painting movement as his extensive body of work bridged the gap between the Impressionists (like Monet) and the Cubists (like Picasso).
Cezanne's paintings fetch millions at auctions in the 20th and 21st century (his biggest seller was listed at $60.5 million 93 years after his death) but much like the majority of his peers, Cezanne struggled to make ends meet while he meticulously worked on the paintings that would someday grace the walls of museums around the world.
Artists are habitually broke. In order to supplement his income, Cezanne took a couple of menial jobs including a stint as a tournament reporter on the short-lived Aix-en-Provence Poker Tour.
Three-handed
Cezanne's painting helped freeze time as we can take a glimpse into the every day life of the rounders of that day. Action was down to three players at the final table. Claude Benyamine (yes, the great-grandfather of David) held the chip lead for majority of the final table. Clad in his unusual purplish-blue overcoat, Claude aggressively built a stack.
Cezanne accurately depicted the rail in his paintings. Yes, even in the late 19th century, broke dick players were a pain in the ass just as they are today. The busto peasants frequently hovered over the final table players seeking a handout... a baguette, a bottle of wine, a buy-in to a PLO cash game.
One of the final table players was actually a pimp and the woman sitting behind him was one of the fillies in his stable of working girls -- who were acceptable forms of currency in cash games and rebuy tournaments similar to the scene in Almost Famous during the road managers poker party when Stillwater's chief lost Penny Lane and two other Band Aids to Humble Pie's manager for the total sum of $50 and a case of Heineken.
Heads Up
Some of Cezanne's best work was during the heads up championships in Provence. His choice of muted colors in the background symbolized the darkness of the poker scene at the time, yet the fuzzy brushstrokes and gradations attempt to distort the view in order to portray the thick and suffocating smoke of gambling halls that also dubbed as brothels.
Cezanne had a tremendous amount of respect for the players -- which is why they are represented in brighter colors especially their hands and fingers.
Cezanne's paintings were versions of a hole cams. Even though the actual cards were not revealed, Cezanne simply used white to depict the winning hand and grey for the losing hand.
Cezanne's short stint as a tournament reporter ended in 1890 and he moved his family to Switzerland to focus on more meaningful pursuits with his painting talents.
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
Los Angeles, CA
Paul Cezanne is regarded as one of the leaders of the post-Impressionist painting movement as his extensive body of work bridged the gap between the Impressionists (like Monet) and the Cubists (like Picasso).
Cezanne's paintings fetch millions at auctions in the 20th and 21st century (his biggest seller was listed at $60.5 million 93 years after his death) but much like the majority of his peers, Cezanne struggled to make ends meet while he meticulously worked on the paintings that would someday grace the walls of museums around the world.
Artists are habitually broke. In order to supplement his income, Cezanne took a couple of menial jobs including a stint as a tournament reporter on the short-lived Aix-en-Provence Poker Tour.
Three-handed
Cezanne's painting helped freeze time as we can take a glimpse into the every day life of the rounders of that day. Action was down to three players at the final table. Claude Benyamine (yes, the great-grandfather of David) held the chip lead for majority of the final table. Clad in his unusual purplish-blue overcoat, Claude aggressively built a stack.
Cezanne accurately depicted the rail in his paintings. Yes, even in the late 19th century, broke dick players were a pain in the ass just as they are today. The busto peasants frequently hovered over the final table players seeking a handout... a baguette, a bottle of wine, a buy-in to a PLO cash game.
One of the final table players was actually a pimp and the woman sitting behind him was one of the fillies in his stable of working girls -- who were acceptable forms of currency in cash games and rebuy tournaments similar to the scene in Almost Famous during the road managers poker party when Stillwater's chief lost Penny Lane and two other Band Aids to Humble Pie's manager for the total sum of $50 and a case of Heineken.
Heads Up
Some of Cezanne's best work was during the heads up championships in Provence. His choice of muted colors in the background symbolized the darkness of the poker scene at the time, yet the fuzzy brushstrokes and gradations attempt to distort the view in order to portray the thick and suffocating smoke of gambling halls that also dubbed as brothels.
Cezanne had a tremendous amount of respect for the players -- which is why they are represented in brighter colors especially their hands and fingers.
Cezanne's paintings were versions of a hole cams. Even though the actual cards were not revealed, Cezanne simply used white to depict the winning hand and grey for the losing hand.
Cezanne's short stint as a tournament reporter ended in 1890 and he moved his family to Switzerland to focus on more meaningful pursuits with his painting talents.
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
WSOP Main Event Day 7 on ESPN - Donkeys in the Rye
By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday poker night continued on ESPN as the 2009 WSOP Main Event as the field thinned down from 64 players to the final three tables of 27. The coverage this week started out with the focus on "top names" with the cameras hovering around the likes of Phil Ivey, Antonio Esfandiari, Prahlad Friedman, Tom "DonkeyBomber" Schneider, Joe Sebok, and Dennis Phillips. You had to keep your eyes on the broadcast otherwise you might have missed some of their bustouts.
It was a short day for Prahlad. The hooded internet legend who once challenged the manhood and honor of Jeff Lisandro (and lived to tell about it) was the first player to bust out on Day 7. The whitest white boy on the west coast since Kurt Rambis hit the rail.
Joe Sebok wore a "Get Shronk" shirt. Made me smile to see that. Unfortunately, the coolest kid in school couldn't hang on anymore. Sebok busted when his A-9 lost to G-Vegas' Nick Maimone's A-Q. Barry Greenstein stood on the rail as Sebok made his final stand. He tweet'd the hand while Seebs made the walk of shame with his lady friend Amanda.
Dennis Phillips almost busted out when his Queens ran into Steve Sanders (not the douchebag from 90210) who flopped set of Aces on a board with three clubs. Sanders had to sweat the turn and river because Phillips held the Qc. Of course, Phillips dramatically rivered the Jc to avoid elimination. Phillips would not last much longer and he ran out of good juju. Last year's last standing November Niner busted out against a Frenchie (let's call him Pierre Fromage). Both players were all in preflop with A-K suited, but the Pierre Fromage flushed him out with As-Ks when he rivered a spade to seal Phillips fate. Phillips received a hearty round of applause and even got a handshake from WSOP media director Nolan Dalla.
The Magician
Photo by Flipchip
Antonio Esfandiari held court on the featured TV table with November Niner James Akenhead. On the first hand of the episode, Antonio kicked off the festivities when he raised with Ace-shit and the young Brit Akenhead politely moved all in with a shortstack and a pair of nines. Mark Ader shoved in late position with Big Slick. Antonio quickly got out of the way as the two players embarked on a classic race. Akenhead flopped a set of nines and he doubled up to over 3.2 million.
Akenhead added more chips to his stack when he flopped a set of Kings against fellow Brit Adam York's A-J. York made an ill-timed call with Ac-Jh on a Ks-Jc-4c board and all of a sudden became "all peckish."
"Peckish?" said Akenhead. "What are we in a fuckin' Monty Python skit? Are going to start that cheese bit?"
"Venezuelan Beaver Cheese?"
It was Shiny Happy Time out on the secondary TV table. Happy was rocking a Phish t-shirt with the hugable Leo Margets from Spain and online wunderkind Lucky Chewey sitting across from him. Leo, the last woman standing, continued her deep run but took a hit early on when she ran into a set of ochos and spewed a third of her stack.
Happy made a move early on with 7-3 off suit. He flopped bottom pair and turned a flush draw. He attempted a river bluff, but Jonathan Tamayo picked it off with a King high straight. Tamayo became Happy's nemesis. Holding pocket Queens, he four-bet Shulman, who tanked with Ah-Kh. Happy figured that he was up against a big hand (and at best he'd be racing) so he folded and picked another had to fight.
DonkeyBomber
Photo by Flipchip
On one of the out tables, the DonkeyBomber was fighting for his life. He got it all in on the turn with two pair against a flush draw. AngryJulie erupted when he faded the flush draw.
"Is that my baby?" she squealed. "Stack 'em! Stack 'em to the top!"
Poker's anti-mime attempted to gesticulate a multi-tiered stack of chips with her flailing arms.
"Sorry guys," sheepishly apologized the DonkeyBomber. The other players nodded in sympathy. They all experienced moments when their wives and girlfriends engaged in lightly embarrassing behavior. AngryJulie's jubilant cheerleading on the rail was the target of a couple of Norm's snarky barbs.
Kentucky boy Billy Kopp continued his run and joined DonkeyBomber's table, much to the dismay of the DonkeyBomber. Kopp turned a straight against the DonkeyBomber and the former WSOP Player of the Year lost a significant amount of his stack. DonkeyBomber tread water until he had to make a stand. I was on the rail on his final hand. Here's how I called the action on the Tao of Poker on Day 7...
Darvin Moon
Photo by Flipchip
Before Ivey even took his original seat on Day 7, he inspected the leaderboard as chip leader Darvin Moon sidled up next to him.
"I respect you," said Moon in his now-familiar drawl.
Ivey returned blank expression which pretty much screamed, "Who the hell are you?"
Darvin Moon, the luddite logger from Maryland, took a seat at the featured TV table. He didn't even get done stacking his castle of chips before he found himself in a hand. MyRabbiFoo opened with A-10. Darvin Moon overbet to 5 million before he could even sit down. Antonio woke up to Jacks and couldn't believe the redunkulous over-bet. He quizzed Moon suspecting a monster hand, but just making sure he wasn't trying to bully the table on the first hand. Isn't that the advice they tell you when you go to prison for the first time? Find the first motherfucker you see and beat the piss and shit out of him until the guards pull you away and they lock you up into solitary confinement. Was Moon tossing around the weight of his big stack or did he legitimately have a hand? Antonio didn't have a choice and he let go of his Jacks. It was the proper fold because Moon woke up with Kings, which held up, and MyRabbiFoo busted out.
Moon's rush continued when he flopped a set of Aces. Ryan Fair became his next victim and Moon rivered Fair to win another hand.
You could see a waterfall of drool tumble over Antonio's lips and onto the table after Moon settled into the featured TV table. If he could chisel away a chunk of Moon's stack, he'd be on the right track to the November Nine. Antonio found an opening when Moon opened with A-Q and Antonio called with Kd-Jd. The flop was Q-3-3. Moon checked. Antonio fired at the pot and Moon check-raised over 1 million. Antonio missed yet fired back anyway with a re-raise. Moon did not hesitate and 4-bet shoved. Antonio quickly folded. Logger 1, Magician 0.
November Niner Joe Cada stumbled into the two's pissing match. Cada opened with As-6s. Moon called with Ad-Jd. Antonio jammed all in with A-J off. Cada bailed. Moon open-folded his hand. Antonio stayed alive. Logger 1, Magician 1.
Moon flopped a Broadway straight against a well-dressed Frenchie (let's call him Pierre Cardin) who flopped a set of tens. Moon dangled a 2 million river value bet in a 6.5 million pot. Pierre Cardin folded and I have no idea how that happened. French players are notorious calling station, but Pierre Cardin knew something was up. Moon had been showing most of his hands but did not on that instance, although he honestly revealed that he flopped the nuts.
During his couch interview Moon was not shy about his backwoods roots. He spoke a bit about the physically challenging logging business. He once lost a battle with a tree and scuffed up his knee. I wanted him to roll up his pants leg and reveal all of his scars and detail the exact incidents just like Captain Quint in the film Jaws. I wanted to hear the morbid tales of almost-severed limbs, being impaled by falling branches, and having to fight off a flock of trouble-making woodpeckers.
Quote of the Day: "I'm too fat to climb the trees." - Darvin Moon
* * * * *
Click here for Flipchip's WSOP Main Event photos.
You can read my end of day report... Day 48: Main Event Day 7 - Evil Lurks on the Cusp of Greatness.
And here's previous recaps...
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday poker night continued on ESPN as the 2009 WSOP Main Event as the field thinned down from 64 players to the final three tables of 27. The coverage this week started out with the focus on "top names" with the cameras hovering around the likes of Phil Ivey, Antonio Esfandiari, Prahlad Friedman, Tom "DonkeyBomber" Schneider, Joe Sebok, and Dennis Phillips. You had to keep your eyes on the broadcast otherwise you might have missed some of their bustouts.
It was a short day for Prahlad. The hooded internet legend who once challenged the manhood and honor of Jeff Lisandro (and lived to tell about it) was the first player to bust out on Day 7. The whitest white boy on the west coast since Kurt Rambis hit the rail.Joe Sebok wore a "Get Shronk" shirt. Made me smile to see that. Unfortunately, the coolest kid in school couldn't hang on anymore. Sebok busted when his A-9 lost to G-Vegas' Nick Maimone's A-Q. Barry Greenstein stood on the rail as Sebok made his final stand. He tweet'd the hand while Seebs made the walk of shame with his lady friend Amanda.
Dennis Phillips almost busted out when his Queens ran into Steve Sanders (not the douchebag from 90210) who flopped set of Aces on a board with three clubs. Sanders had to sweat the turn and river because Phillips held the Qc. Of course, Phillips dramatically rivered the Jc to avoid elimination. Phillips would not last much longer and he ran out of good juju. Last year's last standing November Niner busted out against a Frenchie (let's call him Pierre Fromage). Both players were all in preflop with A-K suited, but the Pierre Fromage flushed him out with As-Ks when he rivered a spade to seal Phillips fate. Phillips received a hearty round of applause and even got a handshake from WSOP media director Nolan Dalla.
The Magician
Photo by Flipchip
Antonio Esfandiari held court on the featured TV table with November Niner James Akenhead. On the first hand of the episode, Antonio kicked off the festivities when he raised with Ace-shit and the young Brit Akenhead politely moved all in with a shortstack and a pair of nines. Mark Ader shoved in late position with Big Slick. Antonio quickly got out of the way as the two players embarked on a classic race. Akenhead flopped a set of nines and he doubled up to over 3.2 million.
Akenhead added more chips to his stack when he flopped a set of Kings against fellow Brit Adam York's A-J. York made an ill-timed call with Ac-Jh on a Ks-Jc-4c board and all of a sudden became "all peckish."
"Peckish?" said Akenhead. "What are we in a fuckin' Monty Python skit? Are going to start that cheese bit?"
"Venezuelan Beaver Cheese?"
It was Shiny Happy Time out on the secondary TV table. Happy was rocking a Phish t-shirt with the hugable Leo Margets from Spain and online wunderkind Lucky Chewey sitting across from him. Leo, the last woman standing, continued her deep run but took a hit early on when she ran into a set of ochos and spewed a third of her stack.
Happy made a move early on with 7-3 off suit. He flopped bottom pair and turned a flush draw. He attempted a river bluff, but Jonathan Tamayo picked it off with a King high straight. Tamayo became Happy's nemesis. Holding pocket Queens, he four-bet Shulman, who tanked with Ah-Kh. Happy figured that he was up against a big hand (and at best he'd be racing) so he folded and picked another had to fight.
DonkeyBomber
Photo by Flipchip
On one of the out tables, the DonkeyBomber was fighting for his life. He got it all in on the turn with two pair against a flush draw. AngryJulie erupted when he faded the flush draw.
"Is that my baby?" she squealed. "Stack 'em! Stack 'em to the top!"
Poker's anti-mime attempted to gesticulate a multi-tiered stack of chips with her flailing arms.
"Sorry guys," sheepishly apologized the DonkeyBomber. The other players nodded in sympathy. They all experienced moments when their wives and girlfriends engaged in lightly embarrassing behavior. AngryJulie's jubilant cheerleading on the rail was the target of a couple of Norm's snarky barbs.
Kentucky boy Billy Kopp continued his run and joined DonkeyBomber's table, much to the dismay of the DonkeyBomber. Kopp turned a straight against the DonkeyBomber and the former WSOP Player of the Year lost a significant amount of his stack. DonkeyBomber tread water until he had to make a stand. I was on the rail on his final hand. Here's how I called the action on the Tao of Poker on Day 7...
3:15pm... B-52... DonkeyBomber Eliminated in 52nd PlaceDonkeyBomber might have been sitting in a jinxed seat. Ivey took DonkeyBomber's seat and he promptly doubled up Kill Phil co-author Blair Rodman.
Chip Leaders: Billy Kopp, Darvin Moon, Phil Ivey, Ludovic Lacay
Recent Eliminations: DonkeyBomber
Players Remaining: 49
DonkeyBomber lost a couple of pots before the break. AngryJulie went to fetch him a pizza so he could snack on his break. The railbirds are an integral part of the team in some cases, like a Nascar pit crew.
Bomber was short and made a stand with A-7. A French-Canuck called with 9-9. AngryJulie stood on the rail with an obstructed view and could not see the hands. "Do you have the pair or A-7?" she shouted.
"I have the Ace," mumbled DonkeyBomber.
"That's OK. I like it."
The flop missed DonkeyBomber but he turned a seven to pick up a few outs. His Main Event came to an official close when he whiffed on the river. The DonkeyBomber was nevermore. A dejected AngryJulie fought back cheers as she joined in with a shower of applause. DonkeyBomber somberly walked over to the payout desk as his named was announced over the PA system, "The 2007 Player of the Year Tom Schneider from Scottsdale, Arizona was eliminated in 52nd place."
"I'm proud of you!" shouted AngryJulie.
The two were followed by a camera crew as they walked through the vast emptiness of the Amazon Ballroom. At one point they stopped and embraced for several seconds in the dimly lit room as a delicate clattering of chips echoed in the background. He disappeared into the crowd $138,568 richer, but he'll tell you that this is the worst day of his life.
Darvin Moon
Photo by Flipchip
Before Ivey even took his original seat on Day 7, he inspected the leaderboard as chip leader Darvin Moon sidled up next to him.
"I respect you," said Moon in his now-familiar drawl.
Ivey returned blank expression which pretty much screamed, "Who the hell are you?"
Darvin Moon, the luddite logger from Maryland, took a seat at the featured TV table. He didn't even get done stacking his castle of chips before he found himself in a hand. MyRabbiFoo opened with A-10. Darvin Moon overbet to 5 million before he could even sit down. Antonio woke up to Jacks and couldn't believe the redunkulous over-bet. He quizzed Moon suspecting a monster hand, but just making sure he wasn't trying to bully the table on the first hand. Isn't that the advice they tell you when you go to prison for the first time? Find the first motherfucker you see and beat the piss and shit out of him until the guards pull you away and they lock you up into solitary confinement. Was Moon tossing around the weight of his big stack or did he legitimately have a hand? Antonio didn't have a choice and he let go of his Jacks. It was the proper fold because Moon woke up with Kings, which held up, and MyRabbiFoo busted out.
Moon's rush continued when he flopped a set of Aces. Ryan Fair became his next victim and Moon rivered Fair to win another hand.
You could see a waterfall of drool tumble over Antonio's lips and onto the table after Moon settled into the featured TV table. If he could chisel away a chunk of Moon's stack, he'd be on the right track to the November Nine. Antonio found an opening when Moon opened with A-Q and Antonio called with Kd-Jd. The flop was Q-3-3. Moon checked. Antonio fired at the pot and Moon check-raised over 1 million. Antonio missed yet fired back anyway with a re-raise. Moon did not hesitate and 4-bet shoved. Antonio quickly folded. Logger 1, Magician 0.
November Niner Joe Cada stumbled into the two's pissing match. Cada opened with As-6s. Moon called with Ad-Jd. Antonio jammed all in with A-J off. Cada bailed. Moon open-folded his hand. Antonio stayed alive. Logger 1, Magician 1.
Moon flopped a Broadway straight against a well-dressed Frenchie (let's call him Pierre Cardin) who flopped a set of tens. Moon dangled a 2 million river value bet in a 6.5 million pot. Pierre Cardin folded and I have no idea how that happened. French players are notorious calling station, but Pierre Cardin knew something was up. Moon had been showing most of his hands but did not on that instance, although he honestly revealed that he flopped the nuts.
During his couch interview Moon was not shy about his backwoods roots. He spoke a bit about the physically challenging logging business. He once lost a battle with a tree and scuffed up his knee. I wanted him to roll up his pants leg and reveal all of his scars and detail the exact incidents just like Captain Quint in the film Jaws. I wanted to hear the morbid tales of almost-severed limbs, being impaled by falling branches, and having to fight off a flock of trouble-making woodpeckers.
Quote of the Day: "I'm too fat to climb the trees." - Darvin Moon
Click here for Flipchip's WSOP Main Event photos.
You can read my end of day report... Day 48: Main Event Day 7 - Evil Lurks on the Cusp of Greatness.
And here's previous recaps...
Main Event Day 6.5 on ESPN - Four Heavy Hitters, Jaws of Ivey, and AngryJulieSee you next week.
Main Event Day 5.5 and Day 6 on ESPN - Introducing the DonkeyBomber
Main Event Day 5 on ESPN - ElkY and Happy
Main Event Day 4 on ESPN - Bubbles and the World Series of Ivey
Main Event Day 3 on ESPN - Aussies, Ivey, and No Shake for Hellmuth
Main Event Day 2B on ESPN - A Kinder and Quieter Hellmuth and the Always Aloof Ivey Time
Main Event Day 2A on ESPN - The Fossilman and Costanza Show
Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
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