#154 - WSOP #4 - They’re Back, Part D

The rest of Friday morning dissolves into a blur of images, of people and places not seen for far too long. We may be a bunch of captured escapees greeting each other in the exercise yard, but it sure seemed good to see everyone and everything - even if some of the memories were bittersweet.

Annie Duke - We saw each other just briefly at Jennifer Harman’s charity tournament and the unveiling of her picture in Caesars’ poker room, but hadn’t really visited since last year’s World Series. Back when I was in L.A. every other week interviewing her brother or Chris Ferguson for the Full Tilt book, we would get together so often that Jo Anne would gaze dreamily at pictures of Joe Reitman on the Internet, just to know if I could carry on a fantasy fling, she could too.

Annie was thrilled and excited about the huge ad in USA TODAY for Ante Up for Africa, the tournament she and Don Cheadle are hosting the day before the Main Event. She didn’t even notice that the special section devoted to poker had a caricature of her - a very nice one - and a bit saying her nicknames were “The Duke” and “Annie Legend.”

I think Annie Duke would punch me if I called her Annie Legend, even for fun.

We made vague plans to get together. “Text me,” she said, repeating the message of almost every other poker pro in the house. Professional poker players are high-high-high on the list of the most frequent and agile text messagers.

I was so happy to see Annie that I gave her four hugs, and got at least one in return. I wished her luck during the last one and she whispered in my ear, “I’m a little bit sick.”

We all are, babe. That’s part of the charm.

Phil Gordon - Phil got MARRIED since the last time I saw him. I’m predicting a big Series for Phil and I told him, in addition to anyone else who will listen. He, too, was thrilled by the ad in USA TODAY’s special poker section devoted to his favorite cause, cancer cures. Like Annie, he had high praise for Harrah’s efforts to promote his cause. Phil and I also discussed, as commentators on the game, how a lot of outside media would spin the inevitable decline in Main Event numbers into a “poker is dead” sound-bite and what we could do, while being responsible and impartial, to rain (or at least urinate) on their parade.

Pauly - I saw the King of Bloggers, the Mayor of the Tilted Kilt, in the media line. It was the first time in half a year and I was amazed at how Paul looked … good. I mean, healthy, fit, clean. Not the poster boy for the Seven Deadly Sins that I had grown to love and fear. But he assured me, “It’s the ‘before’ picture.”

Johnny Chan walks by, carrying a gold shopping back. There’s Liz Lieu, looking gorgeous, yet way too skinny for a healthy human being. Chris Ferguson arrives and is mobbed by poker fans.

Howard Lederer, I learned, is not here for the start of the Series. He is attending his 25-year high school reunion. I e-mail him that I insist he give me the details for this blog. “If you don’t,” I write, “I’m just going to make it up, and what are you going to do then?”

I finally get out of the Rio at about 1 PM. I had shown up at 9 AM just to sneak in and register. Half my ensemble is pajamas and I haven’t bathed or shaved.

I stop by a sandwich shop on the way back and am drawn into a conversation of three people about the quality of food offered casino employees. “Bellagio is best,” Jennifer tells me. Jennifer is smokin-hot; I don’t catch the names of the two dudes she’s with. “After that, Wynn is great. Caesars has good food but they make you eat it in a pit.” What’s bad? “I think the worst is Riviera. When I worked there, everyone said to stay away from the EDR [employee dining room], including people who served the food. Tropicana is no good, and New York New York? That place is terrible.”

END