Run good challenge

[Content Disclosure: 114% Poker, 66% Poker Tournament, 49% Poker Blogs & Poker Bloggers]

One of the perks of writing about poker is that esteemed poker bloggers get invited to play in esteemed poker events. OK, so they don't ask us to play in the World Series of Poker but we get a media event there and this year there were nice cash prizes to donate to you favorite charity. Now, however, PokerListings is running an elite poker bloggers tournament, rightfully named: the Run good challenge.

This month long series of tournaments will be played out over four Saturdays with three preliminary events and a final table playoff. The game and structure will change week to week. The aforementioned elite list of esteemed bloggers will be:

Dr. Pauly
Change100
Michelle Lewis
Pokerati Dan
Kid Dynamite
Shortstacked Shamus
The Entities (A WickedChops conglomerate)
Spaceman
Poker Shrink (that would be me)
Lacey Jones (tentative)
Dan Skolovy (PokerListings ringer #1)
Matthew Showell (PokerListings ringer #2)

The PokerListings players are there for promotional purposes only, as they pose no actual threat to this elite lineup of esteemed poker bloggers. There are actually substantive cash prizes involved, so we may expect some semi-serious play from the one or two invitees capable of anything but donkey moves.

The whole spectacular kicks off on Poker Stars next Saturday, September 6th at 2 PM EDT. The multitude of rabid fans, avid readers and greedy family members are invited to stop by and harass the other players.

A Book Review: Noelle's Ark

[Content Disclosure: 0% Poker, 27% Life, 39% Olde Friends, 45% An actual book review, 19% L.A.]

Noelle's Ark is a book written by a good friend of mine. The main premise of the work is focused on her relationship and redemption with and from another very good friend of mine, now gone from us. These are actual people, I knew Jimmy and Noelle during the years I lived in Los Angeles (1975-1990). This is a true story, though fictional. One of the many projects I am working on falls into this same genre, I would offer to Noelle's readers the first line of my book:

"If this upsets you, remember it is pure fiction. If it doesn't, then its not."

I am surely recommending this work to you, if you are a reader of this blog; you would either enjoy or be trapped by it. Both are acceptable outcomes. I will encourage you with the opening paragraph of the publisher's blurb:

Jimmy Splendor was an atheist. When he woke up in heaven, he didn't believe he was dead, and he certainly didn't believe he was in heaven. Greeted by his father, whom he hated on Earth, Jimmy took off running for seven years Earth time (only a few minutes in heaven). He finally met an angel named Oleo, who encouraged him to help his former wife, Noelle, who was still having severe nightmares years after Jimmy's passing.

You can find and purchase Noelle's Ark here.

Motivation

[Content Disclosure: 50% Poker, 50% Life, 25% Yikes!]

My brother called it "having a goal".

Someone else referred to it as a "deadline".

Amy, my writing partner simply said:
"Oh Crap! They really expect us to finish this book?"

In any case, now on Amazon.com:

Mike Matusow: Check-Raising the Devil (Hardcover)

by Mike Matusow (Author), Amy Calistri (Author), Dr Tim Lavalli (Author)

List Price: $24.95 Price: $16.47 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details You Save: $8.48 (34%) Special Offers Available Pre-order Price Guarantee. Learn more.

This title has not yet been released. You may pre-order it now and we will deliver it to you when it arrives.

LINK to active Amazon page: There is actually very nice "Product Description" and an "About the Authors" taken directly from the book proposal we wrote last year.