Images of Me (5)

 

One of many images of the Poker Boyz at Binion's in downtown Las Vegas. This one is circa 2010.

Playing the Cards You're Dealt

"We play the cards we're dealt."

"Just play the cards you're dealt."

"You can only play the cards you're dealt."

Interesting, yes I get the intent of the aphorism. No, not a metaphor, a simile or an analogy. Can you tell I've been immersed in editing the last few weeks?

Anyway, the meaning is simple. We get certain plusses and minuses in life and we make the best or the worst of them. Usually somewhere in between for most of us. But that's not how card games work. 

A single hand is not a lifetime, it's a moment, an opportunity, a chance. You play or not. Folding your hand is always an option. It isn't like life, you don't commit everything to a single deal of the cards, unless you choose to. 

In any card room or casino, these words are always spoken: 

"There's another hand just around the corner, 

you don't have to play this one."

That feels more like real life to me. We are presented with circumstances, sometimes of our own making, other times not. Free Will intervenes and allows us to play or pass. Yes, I know sometimes you feel like your choices are limited or non-existent, but so many of those situations are of our own making.

Most of the time, as adults, we have options. In this First World society, we have gobs and gobs of options. Sure, some things are fixed, even immutable but others not so much. Take your health for example. Can't change your DNA or not eat all those years of burgers and ice cream. But you can intervene now.

You may be holding a poor five card hand but the rules of this game allows you to discard and draw new cards. Your choice, play the hand you're dealt or step up and change the content of your hand and perhaps your life.

Voldemort Death Card image first found on Deviant Art

Molly's Game (Book Review)

Bloggers at times get asked to do reviews based on their content. Long, long time ago, this blog was devoted to professional poker. But it's been awhile since I've been asked to review a poker-related book. So regular readers be forewarned, thar be some poker ahead.

Molly's Game is a breezy summer read. As the tagline says: "From Hollywood-elite to Wall Street's billionaire boy's club, my high-stakes adventures in the world of underground poker." Molly Bloom is, was or portents to have been the young lady who ran several high stakes poker games on both coasts.

Why "portents?" Because, although the names and dates synch-up for this to be a work of non-fiction; at times the literary gloss is just too shiny to ring completely true. But first, the good news.

Many of the negative reviews of this book harp on the lifestyles of the rich, famous and degenerate players in Molly's game. Those critiques are fairly shallow. I mean it's not like the promotional blurbs didn't make it clear what the story was about. If you don't want to read about certain aspects of a culture, than don't. But critiquing after the fact that the players were rich and amoral is like calling politicians low-life, lying scum. I mean who doesn't know that?

The story is told well, almost too breezy at times to even be a 'beach read.' But Molly Bloom and her editor know how to keep the story moving and still allow for a break to take a dip in the pool or the poolside bar.

My problems with the story center on the poker. How and when the choices were made to explain or not a specific poker term seems arbitrary. Certainly, the main storyline was about the players and not the game, but when action at the table was described it often showed a lack of poker knowledge. Just a bit of research or using a poker savvy editor would have easily caught a couple of glaring errors. For example, no poker player 'folds the nuts' because he was talked out of his hand by another player. 'The nuts' refers to the best hand possible, a hand that can't be beat.

All in all, an interesting read if you don't break out in a PC-inspired rash when rich, careless people are the subjects of the story. Poker players will have to hold their tongues over some lazy descriptions of the game but otherwise I give Molly's Game a just slightly less than tumid thumbs up.

Molly's Game is available in all formats (hard, soft, audio, kindle) from Amazon.

Biloxi, Mississippi

The little grey Cube has at long last turned West.

On the way from Florida to Texas and eventually California; I just had to stop in Biloxi, Mississippi to see my red-neck, libertarian, Tennessee fanatic and poker room boss extraodinaire -- Mr. Johnny Grooms.

A few of my poker buddies have joined me for a weekend of poker, war stories and debonairs. For those familiar with skill game which is poker, our report is as follows: bubble, suck-out, bubble, bad beat, asshat, bad beat.

Total Road Trip to date: 5,350 miles

Shakopee, Minnesota

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Another layover, this time just South of Minneapolis. We played the annual Idoru 99 Fall Poker Classic last night. A really outstanding mix of fun players and several old friends. I got here Thursday night, on Friday I had a really informative tour of where my friend Mike works plus a truly outstanding massage from a local provider. My back is feeling much better after a full week of driving. Much, much better.

The wet storm that has followed me across the country is still around and now with 40 degree daytime temperatures. I am assured by the locals that winter is not here yet, but I seem to remember telling warm weather friends this same pack of lies when I lived here.

Next stop, Ann Arbor in about two days. Then some down time in the old familiar haunts.

For the Poker Boyz -- as soon as I locate the appropriate connector for my camera, I'll post the picture of me, Mike and Joel at the big game. BTW, Mike final tabled and finished 5th, while I (the interloper) loss an all-in fest against the monster stack and finished 2nd.

Pictures as promised:

Mike Matusow

Four years ago we were waiting for Check Raising the Devil to roll of the presses and hit the bookstores. My good friend and writing partner Amy Calistri and I had finished a two-year project getting Mike "The Mouth" Matusow to tell us his story of poker, drugs, jail, strippers, psychiatrists and redemption. We had edited and re-edited Mike's words capturing we hoped his authentic voice to tell his life story.

The book was greeted with great reviews from the poker press but only one acknowledgement in the psychological literature, even though Check Raising the Devil remains one of the only honest depictions of a bi-polar and ADHD success story. One thing we did hear a lot was that we were too late. The poker boom was over or Mike's career was done.

Well the poker boom continues around the world and a few weeks ago Mike won the 2013 NBC National Heads-Up Championship and a cool $750,000. Way to go Mike. Pretty good for a guy who is over-the-hill.

Full Tilt Poker

Yes faithful readers a poker post. Looking over blog traffic stats the other day I was surprised by how many of you have hung with me since the 'all poker all the time' days of this little blog. So today an all poker post and thanks for reading.

If you don't already know - Full Tilt Poker is back. 100% back in action outside of the U.S. but playable in the States in anticipation of going full money live as soon as certain jurisdictions open up. There are a couple of new features including the ability to move funds seamlessly between your accounts at Full Tilt and PokerStars.

For those who have forgotten, Full Tilt had some really unique features that made it very player friendly. Check out this article to refresh your memory of the total coolness of the Full Tilt software, I want to dwell on just one of those features - Rush Poker. 

I know a lot of "real" poker players think that Rush Poker is just for action junkies, but I find it a really interesting twist on the game. With players able to fold and immediately move on to another table and another deal, many players bet only premium hands. I found that raising from the cutoff or button frequently took down the blinds from players who had already folded and moved on to their next table. The EV+ of optimal play at the Rush Poker tables was well above what you could expect in a regular ring game. Of course, you have to think through the challenges that the Rush format adds to the game. Try Rush Omaha Eight or Better and try to figure out the correct strategy there. 

Anyway, Full Tilt Poker is back. I for one am glad they are. Now you have to wonder if and when they will bring back some of the Red Pros who made the site what it was before the mismanagement ruin the run for everyone.

Facial Recognition

Poker players and crime profilers know how important it is to read facial expressions. Do you know what cards these cats have? or what crimes they've committed.

What?

Frak!

Turn around and go back where you came from.

the dog did it

Palin, really?

(readers choice on this one)

Hello lunch.

Ooooh no you didn't!

Smug

Get back in the truck now!

Yes laughter.

a little closer, just a little closer ...

Doh!

Las Vegas Boyz Trip 2011

We had one of our Poker Boyz trips to Las Vegas last week. Mike, as always, provides great photos for us and seemingly doesn't mind the intermittent nagging - "Get a shot of my with the stripper!" He also wanders around early morning and late at night for shots like this one. We did stay at the MGM this trip.

If you don't show up for a Poker Boyz trip, you get your head put on a stick and rude sometimes evil photos are produced. Viewing of those more seedy and salacious snapshots is restricted to bona fide PB members and blackmail.

OK, maybe not completely restricted.

Poker was played. This is me making a final table at Binion's. Two-tiered seven-way chop for the poker players out there.

Matty with Chihuly art at City Center.

Me, also with Chihuly.

Amy at our annual visit to the Cat Condos at the LV-SPCA.

me with kittums at spca

Las Vegas

Once again it is time for a Poker Boyz trip to Las Vegas. A bare quorum of the usual suspects begin arriving tomorrow. We are all staying at the MGM Grand after several weeks of email negotiations regarding a) room rates & deals; b) walking distance to several appropriate poker rooms; c) daily access to the lion habitat.

There may be a random report or two from Las Vegas if anything of interest occurs. But the likelihood is that there will be:

-a lot of poker

-dinners, drinks, snacks, buffets

-interesting even strange encounters with non-indigenous wildlife (tourists)

-an excursion to my favorite SPCA shelter for a cat condo purr-fest

-a memorial stop at the Sahara before it closes

-meet-ups with several friends from 'the olde days'

-a Bellagio run for the usual sites and current art exhibit

-a downtown run for a tournament at Binion's and the annual picture

-one quick & dirty business meeting

Since most readers these days have little or no interest in card games or Las Vegas, I have queued up appropriate non-gaming posts while I am away. 

Poker Writin'

I am happy to say that I have regular readers who have never seen a single poker post on this blog. I am perhaps even more pleased that many of you who originally followed me here in the good olde poker days have stuck with me since I left the poker subculture. This weekend my very good friend and oft times writing partner Amy Calistri has decided to reflect on a series of articles she and I wrote four years ago. The final table of the 2010 World Series of Poker is playing out this weekend, as a homage Amy has reposted on the "Biggest Error in the World's Largest Sporting Event." I completely agree with her characterization of those pieces, she writes:

"The articles were neither fun to write nor particularly well written. But they ended up improving the integrity of the game I love. And for me, the old adage proved true. I didn't care who won or lost. In the end, I cared how the game was played."

For those of you who are poker players the articles might be of interest. To the non-poker readers, Amy's comments on who we were and who we still are might bring some insight into some of the other topics I blog about these days. The opening of the first article contains Amy's current thoughts on who she and I are when we put on our writer's mantle.

LINK to Amy's blog.

Just Because

I just wanted to post this photo because well its my blog and I can. Got back to Berkeley late on Saturday after eight days with the boyz in Las Vegas. Once again another great trip, despite the continuing slowdown in Vegas and the missing Zippy.

Annual Poker Boyz Excursion

For the next seven days I shall be participating in our annual Poker Boyz gathering in Las Vegas. Attendance this year is nearly complete (with the exception of Zippy who is not allowed to travel west of the great oil spill). Joel is on his way from Minnesota. Mike is already here in the Bay area, he and I will be driving over today. The Bill of the wild variety will be making a slightly late arrival in Henderson to join up with the Debonair one. Randy arrives from the land of pelicans and oranges and the leader of the leaderless pack, Amy is on her way from deep in the heart of.

Over the next seven days we will play some poker tournament or another; eat at some restaurant, buffet or local favorite spot; laugh a lot and repeat. A minority contingent will make a cat run to the SPCA before heading to yet another poker tournament. I am sure we will hit Binion's at least once, since most of us are staying at Monte Carlo that room will see some action, along with MGM, Aria, Venetian, M and even one or two other random poker dens approved by our local poker pro.

The World Series of Poker finishes it's summer run today, so we can thankfully skip the Rio but there is always a chance for a tournament and a steak at the Gold Coast. Hell we might even make it to the north end for a late night tournament at Sahara. We all take a piece of all the money winners and this time we actually hope to break even as a group, something we have not done in awhile.

For my non-poker readers, I have left some thoughts moldering in the cyber stew. I would not abandon you to a full week of silence. I am not the type of guy who has his fun and then doesn't call. Enjoy those post-dated ponderings but expect no live missives from Las Vegas, I have said all that Sin City stuff before.

A Little Poker

This is a little poker story followed by some nostalgia from my days in the world of professional poker. For my non-poker readers, trust me, you will know when to stop reading.* 

Early last week the fire alarm system in my building was being worked on, which meant that the very loud clarion clanging cacophony  was going off just outside my door every five minutes. On the third detonation I slipped on my shoes, grabbed my keys and headed for the car. I really didn't have a destination until I was a block or so from the apartment when I thought of the Oaks Card Club in nearby Emeryville. Fifteen minutes later and I am slipping into an Omaha 8 seat and being greeted by the friendly table captain.

It takes a standard couple of rounds for the locals to ask where you are from and where have you played before. When I mentioned Las Vegas, the World Series of Poker came up and I was asked if I had ever played in the WSOP. Normally what would follow would be my admission to covering the Series for the last four years, which would lead to question about why I am not there this year and eventually the Matusow book comes up and -- well -- I have been there before and just wasn't interested in going there again, at least not that day.

"You ever been to the World Series?"

"Nope, never have."

As soon as I said it, I knew those were the right words. Most days I just don't have any interest in what I was so immersed in for the past five years. I do keep track of a few players at the Series, but those are my friends. I do read a few of the writers currently working the tournaments at the Rio, but again those are my buddies and I am more interested in what they write about away from the poker tables than anything that happens during the games.*

I covered the WSOP for four summers (Gold-Yang-Eastgate-Cada) and I look back at that I remember much more about the time away from the poker tables and infinitely more about the preliminary events than about the main event. Except for Mike's great run in the '08 main, while Amy and I were finishing the book.

For my media buddies sweltering in the desert heat, I offer this bit of historical pondering. Notice my years of coverage and compare them to yours, I think I perhaps didn't choose my tenure wisely.

(Jamie Gold-Jerry Yang-Peter Eastgate-Joe Cada)

(Robert Varkonyi-Chris Moneymaker-Greg Raymer-Joe Hachem)

(Scotty Nguyen-Noel Furlong-Chris Ferguson-Carlos Mortensen)

(Russ Hamilton-Dan Harrington-Huck Seed-Stu Ungar)

(Mansour Matloubi-Brad Dougherty-Hamid Dastmalchi-Jim Bechtel)

(Berry Johnston-Johnny Chan-Johnny Chan-Phil Hellmuth)

(Jack Strauss-Tom McEvoy-Jack Keller-Bill Smith)

(Bobby Baldwin-Hal Fowler-Stu Ungar-Stu Ungar)

(Johnny Moss-Sailor Roberts-Doyle Brunson-Doyle Brunson)

(Johnny Moss-Johnny Moss-Amarillo Slim Preston-Puggy Pearson)

I think only two of those groups might be more forgettable then my four year stint.

(Matloubi-Daugherty-Dastmalchi-Bechtel)

or

(Yang-Eastgate-Cada-??????)

There But For The Grace of Homer Go I . . .

I played a small poker tournament yesterday but this is not a poker story. This is a pondering morality tale with a poker backdrop.

It was a small tournament only two tables, Bill and I played. The young lady on my right was an OK player, her husband at the other end of the table was not. She wore too much perfume and over the course of the hour or two it took for her to bust out, I liked her less and less as her mood darkened and she complained about things irrelevant to the poker game. Some might call it: "just bitching". She went out 11th, so she bubbled the final table. Only the top two places were scheduled to be paid but when we got to four players (both Bill and I still in) the short stack player began to ask about a chop. The chipleader was not interested, so for about thirty minutes the stacks went up and down as the blinds went higher and higher. It became a shove-fest. I bubbled in 4th and the remaining three players chopped the cash.

But this is not a poker story. Last evening, I was down in the casino at Monte Carlo as I exited onto the Strip I saw several LVPD officers talking with the young lady and her husband who had played in the tournament. Out of curiosity I listened in.

It appears that after she busted out, she took her dark mood to another casino and playing what I believe was carribbean stud and won herself $40,000. She then decided to continue drinking heavily and to switch to playing craps, which apparently she did not understand well. While she was drinking, throwing dice, showing her tits and generally having a great time (did I mention she had ditched her husband?). Anyways at some point she had $5K of her $40K windfall on the craps table and the other $35,000 stuck in her purse in cash from where it was lifted by a crafty pick pocket. Hence, the police.

It took about five minutes of eavesdropping to get the gory details of her sad story, I believe I overheard rendition six or seven. All the while the husband kept chiming in with: "I don't know, she dumped me after she drank dinner. She still had all the money then."

So yesterday I bubbled a little poker tournament, all in all not a bad day . . . considering.

[my apologies for the poker jargon to my newer non-poker playing readership]

All Work and No Omaha

To those loyal readers who have been starved for a poker story--today I accommodate you. Everyone else--move along, there is nothing to see here. (For the non-poker players, who read on, simultaneous translation is available on the Jargon Channel)

I have made it as far as Arizona on the final quarter of my trip and I am hunkered down for a couple of days in Scottsdale near Casino Arizona. So, yes there is some poker playin' goin' on Lucy. It's been nearly three weeks since the Boyz were in Mississippi. Amy, Randy & I sorely missed an Omaha fix in Biloxi, but I was determined to play some four card poker before the trip was over.

This is not a bad beat story, although there was one terrible decision on my part. Early saturday afternoon the poker room had over 30 tables in action with two Omaha8's going. But the list was long, so long that I was sure they would open a third table. I hopped on the O8 list and, just in case, the even longer 4/8 hold'em as well.

Sure enough, they called the Omaha interest list but couldn't get nine takers, shortly they did open a new hold'em table and I took a seat. This was a typical no-fold'em table with 3 to 7 players seeing the flop. The elderly gentleman two to my left saw the first nine flops and all nine rivers as well; then he rebought for his second $100. This had all the signs of a juicy table with a monster fish and several dull toothed carp chasing him.

For a full hour I played only one hand, my un-raised big blind in the first round. I won nothing but was only down the $12 for the blinds. Our fish was bleeding chips and had just taking out his 4th c-note, when they called my Omaha table. I was torn, he was down three hundred in an hour, but he said as he pulled out his cash: "This is my last chance today." So I moved to the O8 table, which was immediately behind the 4/8 table and I happened to take a seat where I could see the generous gentleman who immediately runner-runnered a big pot, which meant he would be around longer. Hmm, maybe I should have stayed. Remember, I got exactly none of his first $300 and was card dead and just not having any fun.

The Omaha table was lively, way more fun than getting rotten cards in the hold'em game. Over on my abandoned first table, the "last chance today" gentleman proceeded to lose all chips he had won in that one suck-out pot and then went on to pull a grand total of $1200 out of his wallet in a little under four and a half hours. The player who took my seat, bought in for a single rack of whites and was up nearly five hundred bucks when Old Faithful finally left the table.

Oh, I had a lot of fun at the Omaha table and managed just over a one big blind an hour profit. Sometimes it's not about how you play your cards or how you play your opponents but simply where you sit down and when you stand up.

I would just like to say: Doh!

---

promotional photo of me and Mikey at '09 WSOP

photo credit to MeanGene

Lest We Forget

Before I forget, on our recent Poker Boyz excursion to the cardrooms of Biloxi some of us were able to reconnect with a long lost member of the group. Zipman had not been seen in over four years. Zippy lives in Slidell, Louisiana and we have been ragging on him pretty good about missing the last half-a-dozen outings. Because he lives so close to Biloxi, he drove up for several tournaments and lots of laughs. At one point, the question was raised as to why we had seen so little of him since '05. His answer reminded me and I would like to remind you.

He said simply: "We had a city to rebuild."

In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of southern Mississippi and Louisiana. Eighty percent of New Orleans was flooded and huge sections of the lower 9th ward remain as they were on that fateful day.

The Bush administration handled Katrina and her aftermath about as well as if Sarah Palin or Dan Quayle were in charge. We all remember the thousands stranded at the SuperDome while our FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) did nothing. The federal government has remained oblivious to the disaster that was New Orleans. Not something that would have been tolerated after the L.A. quake or if a natural disaster had hit Chicago or Boston. I guess the Civil War isn't really over yet.

But. . . I have heard that a democrat is now in the White House and I believe he made some promised on the campaign trail to the citizens of New Orleans. How is that working out for you folks still in plywood and duct tape trailers nearly five years later. I know, you didn't get the trailers for over a year, so you really can't say you have been stuck in them all that long. I mean wasn't Iowa nice that first year?

Bottom line, we did more for the victims of the SouthEast Asia tsunami than we have done for the American citizens who lost their homes, jobs and families in greater New Orleans. Remember this April when you pay your taxes, you need to live someplace where they speak English without an accent or at least have a powerful Senator or two.

Thanks for reminding us Bob: "We had a city to rebuild."

The Western Turn

After many months traveling to points north, than east and further east and recently to the south... our wanderings have now taken a final directional change, my head has turned back to the west. The return has begun but not without several more interesting stops along the way.

A quorum of the PokerBoyz have assembled at the Beau Rivage here in Biloxi, Mississippi for several days of camaraderie, story telling and yes, even some poker. Amy is in from Austin, Mike is down from Minneapolis; Randy and I made the drive from Satellite Beach yesterday. For absent members of the gang, we as a group want to wish you well and to announce that last evening we did share a meal and a far amount of ridicule with Zippy. Yes, he lives and breaths and was here in all his flesh. He has not been playing much of the game, but will be joining us for several evening events this week.

Apparently, despite the check-in line last night, occupancy at the Beau is down; so we have all been upgraded to the Gulf view rooms. A pleasant site this morning to watch a sunrise over the water. Temperatures will be a bit nippy while we are here, however, except to drive to another casino for a tournament, there was not a lot of outside activity planned for the week. On today's agenda -- poker. Those seeking meaningful insight into the universe should stop back next week.

Who ordered the fried cat fish?

Exit Interview from the World of Poker

A few weeks ago I announced that I was getting out of the poker biz. Since then several of my poker media buddies have asked me why. Last night someone said: "You have any tips for those of us hanging in with the poker beat?" Well I learned long ago from my favorite writing cohort that every writer should learn the art of shameless self-promotion. So I offer here my poker exit interview. I asked a wise, honest, intelligent media maven to conduct the Q&A.

Why are you leaving Poker behind and abandoning all your friends in the poker media?

No one in the "poker media" would ask that question. It's the economy stupid. Along with the U.S. governments assault on internet freedom. With poker magazines down more than 50% in pages printed and online sites getting 90% less poker ad spots, there simply is no money left to pay for ongoing quality poker journalism. Besides that... aren't we all tired of hearing 'a queen and a queen only'?

How did you get started in the poker biz?

My poker buddy and co-author Amy Calistri called me up back in 2005 and asked me to cover a WSOP circuit event in Indiana for PokerPages. I told her I really wasn't interested and she told me that I really was but I just didn't know it yet. She was right, as she is about 50% of the time, and I started covering events for PokerPages.

Who else have you worked for in the biz?

I worked for PokerPages and then at the '06 WSOP, I wrote a Series for PokerNews, where I followed Liz Lieu, Gavin Smith and Tony G. for the entire WSOP. At the '07 Series, I started with PokerNews and then after some creative differences, I switched to CardPlayer doing their Pro Blogs. I was also writing on PokerBlog at this time for PartyPoker and covered the '08 Series on PokerBlog, while Amy and I were finishing our book with Mike Matusow. For the '09 WSOP, this past summer, I did a series with Negreanu, Hellmuth and Matusow on this little blog here. I have also written some magazine pieces and I have worked with ChiliPoker and MadeInPoker on their French language sites.

Who is the best poker player in the world?

Impossible question to answer. Day to day, year to year the success of professional poker players is dependent on table draws, suck-outs, cold weather and bad ju-ju. Johnny Moss or Stu Ungar might have been the best at one time, but today the fields are just too big to have someone dominate the game. I do have some favorites.

I learned the most about poker from Mike Matusow. Working on the book with Mike for nearly two years, I got to see him play a lot of poker and I spent a lot of time on the rail sweating him. He would often tell me his reads on the other players, so I got to watch a lot of high level poker and see the game through the eyes of a real professional.

OK, who is the best person in poker or are there any?

Well I am sure there are lots of good folks who I never met. It's actually easier to tell you about all of the idiots, jerks and fools who populate the poker rooms but on this one I do have an answer. The best person I met in five years of covering professional poker is Bill Edler. No one else even comes close. I won't go into detail, no need to embarrass Bill, but he calls everyone he likes "my friend" and he means it. I am proud to be Bill Edler's friend.

Well I gotta ask, who then are the top bad guys?

During the WSOP this past summer, I asked the senior staff a question like: "Who were the players that give you the most trouble at the tables." The list was surprisingly uniform.

Alan Kessler and Steve Zolotow were on the top of nearly every list. This is unfortunate because both Alan and Steve have some good insights about the game but they both will bitch about anything and everything, all day every day. The boys who cry wolf, as it were.

Next, came Brandon Cantu and David Singer. Again a lot of complaining about any and every aspect of the game but in this case seldom with any legitimate points. Just noize for the sake of noize.

Men Nguyen made every list for his nasty tirades against dealers and junior floor staff. The Master never takes on senior floor staff, he instead goes for the soft spots and makes a fuss about nothing. By the way if you are playing at a table with Men when he does this; his intention is to keep you from playing back at him. It's all an angle to intimidate other players. Don't fall for it.

Todd Brunson, Michael Binger and Andy Black got a lot of votes. Todd would be at the very top of my personal list because he is simply a mean, unhappy person and he often takes it out on dealers or new poker media. One would think that there was an award for random assholery.

Annie Duke would get everyone's award as Queen Bitch. Annie is much better than she used to be, but when she is in one of her moods. Well everyone, even Joe, gives her a wide berth. About as wide as what you have to give the Queen Mary under a full head of Bikram steam.

Special status goes to: Barry Greenstein, Andy Bloch and Howard Lederer. They do complain too often but most of the time they have valid points. Not always points of great import but they are generally right and therefore the staff has to take the time to listen.

Finally, most agreed that a special emeritus award has to be given to Sam Grisle for years of mean spirited nastiness.

Are the professionals really that much better than the rest of us?

Yes, so much better than ordinary players are just not able to comprehend how good they are.

Want to tell us why they are better?

For the same reason that Gretsky or Pele or Tiger Woods were just that much better than everyone else. I firmly believe you can learn a lot about poker but there is also an innate skill set that makes the really great just much better than the rest of us. I have heard the pros discuss thousands of hands and they are just taking in more information than we are and they have more options to react to that information than we do.

What's the best and the worse thing to happen to poker while you were covering it?

The takeover of poker by big corporations is my answer to both questions. Despite what the PR talking heads say, poker tournaments are run for the benefit of the sponsors and the owners not the players. On the other hand, the poker boom would never have been so big without corporate sponsorship. The main issue is, of course, money. Unless and until some of the profits from poker go back to the players, it will continue to be a game with unpaid actors making profits for the corporations.

By way of naming names, Harrah's is guilty in the sheer greed category. But the WPT wins the booby prize for complete business incompetence. The jury is still out on PokerStars and the EPT, APT, CCP and LSMFT.

Who are the best writers still covering poker?

Not that I was one of the best. I just wrote from a different perspective. A lot of very good writers have come and gone, just as I am going now. Those have to include Andy Glazer, Jay Greenspan and Amy Calistri. The best pure writer in poker now is Brad Willis. As an insider, no one finds more entertaining stories than Michael Craig. Dr Pauly is a force unto himself and I still do a complete read of the Tao once a week.

There are four or five more writers who are still doing the actual day-to-day around the felt reporting gig. Rather than insult those I leave off the list, let me just say I respect what you are doing, particularly in these times of shortened copy and small payment. Hang in there and try to enjoy the ride. Oh and one piece of advice: When the time comes, get out before you burn out.

Do you still play poker?

Not so much. I am going back to the midwest next month and will play an annual home game in Minnesota that one of my poker buddies runs. Maybe I will play one tournament at the Canterbury Park Fall Classic while I am there. But I really am done with poker. I don't have an addictive personality and given the choice between sitting through a day of Texas Hold'em or reading a good book. Well, no drunk with a baseball cap and sunglasses ever throws a Hellmuthian tantrum while I'm reading.

Any final words for the poker fans?

Read my next book, I promise to mention poker at least twice.

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photo credit: archives

Neither Farewell, Nor Goodbye

This is my 200th blog post on this site since I began in January 2007. I thought I would use the mathematically significant milestone to announce a substantial change. With a couple of mild reservations overwhelmed by too much hard evidence -- I am getting out of poker.

For readers of this blog, who are mostly dedicated to the poker content, I thank you. You have been a great audience and I have been happy to entertain you with what I hope was a unique perspective on the world of poker. I will truly miss many of the players and staff I have come to know in the last five years. To the friends I have made in the poker media, well you know the state of our sad profession, no need to drag everyone through another litany that begins with the UIGEA and the corporate gagging of the game.

I am not shutting down the blog, in fact, I am revitalizing the content and will be writing nearly as much as I have over the last several months but with little or no poker content. I humbly invite any and all of you to continue logging in. I have two, maybe three, new writing projects going and I will be sharing progress on those with you. I am also beginning phase two of my non-domiciled travels, which I have now extended until at least the end of '09.

In laying poker aside, I am also putting the Poker Shrink to rest. But that nagging, clinical, at times insightful persona will still be around, for now let's just call him -- The Shrink. So not goodbye at all, just a shift in perspective, content and focus. I welcome all of you to Keeping Your Head in All the Games 2.0