“I just wanted to let you know that my wife Jo Anne is having an operation to remove a lump from her breast ….” That’s how I start telling friends and family that Jo Anne has cancer and now you know too.
I always feel a little awkward after an FTOPS series ends, an online equivalent of the feeling at the end of the World Series of Poker. For eleven days, I built by afternoons and evening around the FTOPS, playing, writing, analyzing. As soon as it ended, I instant-messaged Disco Stu, my favorite tournament director, and asked, “What’s next?” (Aussie Millions satellites, he told me.)
FERGUSON AND HISTORY
What constitutes an important day in Chris Ferguson’s poker career?
By anyone’s definition, May 18, 2000, would be an important day. That’s the day on which he won the World Championship. May 2, 2000, would also qualify as important; that’s the day Chris won his first bracelet. You could also include the dates of all Chris’s five World Series wins and both his World Series Circuit championships.
[I wrote this before Event #9 was played on Wednesday night. There is a postscript including information from that event, but nothing, essentially, has changed in the substance of my observations.]
We’re now eight events into FTOPS V, a little more than halfway. I’ve rarely gone deep enough to be able to tell you much about the end of the events, but I have some observations to share.
ONLINE POKER – “ONLY MOSTLY DEAD”
To paraphrase Miracle Max, Billy Crystal’s character in the excellent movie, THE PRINCESS BRIDE, online poker must be “only mostly dead.” I’m just floored by the number of people who are entering these events – over 4,100 for the first event, over 4,300 for the Sunday $322 NLHE. They had over 1,000 for the HORSE and over 1,600 for PLHE.
At 9:20 PM PDT on Tuesday, August 14, Chris Ferguson reached his original milestone of ten thousand dollars, starting from zero on Full Tilt. He did it at a $10-$20 NLHE table, and the landmark hand was As-Js. Chris raised and the big blind called. After a flop of T-8-3 with two spades, Chris bet and was check-raised. But it was a small raise. When Ferguson moved all-in, his opponent folded.
And that’s how you get from zero to ten thousand dollars.
ENTER THE BARRACUDA
At 1 AM, when the razz event was down to two tables, The Suits arrived. Several Harrah’s executives in suits and ties entered the Amazon Room, led by Jeffrey Pollack. They were accompanied by several lawyers.
This group had a mission: get Paul “Eskimo” Clark to sign a medical release. Maybe it’s my lawyer background but this seemed completely reasonable. There was a rumor when Clark collapsed the week before in the tent that he was going to sue Harrah’s for cruel and unusual punishment. I have no basis for believing the rumor but it was clearly Clark’s responsibility to continue playing despite the risks and I can’t blame Harrah’s for wanting to make that clear to him.
Gary Wise, who bailed me out repeatedly during the Series with his knowledge of what was going on everywhere with everybody, told me that Eskimo Clark had collapsed three times at the poker table during the Series. The first time was the week before. The second and third were earlier that day.
I am amazed by the initial reception of this fifth running of the FTOPS. The first event, $200 + $16 NLHE drew over 4,000 players. The second, starting earlier tonight, $200 + $16 HORSE, pulled in a field of over 1,000. I find this remarkable. The guarantee for the first event was $500,000, the same as the (recently increased) Sunday Guarantee tournament.
Tonight is the start of FTOPS V. Despite my record as perhaps the biggest money loser in the Full Tilt universe on FTOPS, I’ll be playing in many of the events and trying to write about them.
Even bigger news: Chris Ferguson is getting very close to his goal of turning ZERO DOLLARS into TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS on Full Tilt. The details are still being worked out but the deal is in the works for me to be present with him when he attempts to reach the milestone, writing about the experience and passing along things you won’t be able to get just by watching (though I definitely encourage you to watch).
I will also be completing Viva Los Muertos during the next few days. I will also be periodically posting tales from this year’s World Series to go with the FTOPS V coverage, Chris Ferguson’s achievement, and some other exciting things planned for August.
And for September? Five little words that should strike fear in the hearts of Customs and Immigrations officials: World Series of Poker Europe!
Phil Hellmuth had made the final 29 when I arrived, a half hour before the dinner break. He had about 2/3 the chip average and looked shut down. He was sitting with his arms crossed at the table, shades drawn, motionless.
“I’m just waiting for someone to make a mistake, but ….” He trailed off.
