15
#643 – Engulfed by Biloxi #13 – What Comes Out of Gavin Smith’s Mouth
You would not believe some of the stuff that comes out of Gavin Smith’s mouth. Gavin is a wonderful guy – close with his family, generous with his friends, a defender of underdogs and people in trouble, and an intelligent and educated man.
Fuck that shit. That seems to be Gavin’s attitude toward his better impulses.
As I’m writing this, Gavin is sitting on a short stack during the 600-1,200/200 ante level of the WPT Southern Poker Championship. He’s also sitting on his emotions, doing the unglamorous work of a professional poker player without chips or cards. For example, just before the last break, the player on his left and Miami John Cernuto were in a hand – Miami John took the gas pipe to a flopped set of sevens. The tournament director announced that the break had started and the room instantly cleared, beyond the few players still in a hand. And Gavin, who didn’t take his eyes off the players, even though he wasn’t in the hand.
Yesterday, Gavin had some chips, a challenging table, and an audience. He was seated with Nick Schulman and Layne Flack, so it was a sure thing there would be plenty of put-downs, crude banter, and quality poker. Smith finished the day with more than double his starting stack.
That table was positioned just below the stage, on which I was sitting next to Nolan Dalla, the media director. Gavin is friendly with Nolan, so they talked occasionally during the day. Near the end of the day, for instance, Gavin invited Nolan to join him and some friends for dinner in Biloxi. (I said, “I have plans tonight so you don’t need to ask me, Gavin,” to general laughter. Of course, Gavin did invite me but I was unable to make it.)
So there was no reason to think anything was amiss when Smith called up to us. “Nolan, can you do me a favor?” Dalla leaned over our table as Gavin stood up.
“I have this zit right above my ass and I can’t reach it. Can you help me out and pop it for me?”
Nolan, who worked on a book with Stu Unger and has been media director of the WSOP for long enough to have dealt with every kind of character, was, for once, stuck for an answer.
Perhaps he should have consulted Tiffany Michelle.
Just before play started today, I saw him standing behind Tiffany, giving her a backrub. I asked if the unattended pile of chips across from her belonged to him. He pointed to another table nearby and said no. “I’m just looking around for random girls to feel up before we start.”
Michelle didn’t miss a beat. “Feeling me up? Then you’re standing on the wrong side of me.”
This time, it was Gavin who didn’t have a reply.
Leave a Reply