#865 – My New Master Plan

You know what I would really get a kick out of doing? I sometimes imagine that I have the power, charisma, trust, and ability to accomplish unusual challenges, and it would be awesome to arrange a meeting between the world’s most successful gambler and the world’s most successful businessman. I know what you’re thinking: Geez, Craig, is your ego big enough? Do you think the world revolves around you and that you also control the tides? But think about what it would be like if such a meeting did occur?

Oh, wait. I did get them together. For three days in February 2006. And it was VERY interesting.

When Andy Beal and Phil Ivey played high-stakes poker on February 21-23, 2006, it was regarded as a clash of titans. As unimaginable as it seems, three years later both men are even more colossal figures. In 2009, Phil Ivey won a pair of World Series bracelets and made the Main Event final table. He has supposedly made eight figures in proposition bets, weight loss bets, golf bets, and other wagers. (Who knows how much he has lost during that period, but the wins have been, I am certain, TITANIC.)

And how about Andy Beal? He is being regarded as the smartest banker in the world and, according to the new Forbes 400 list, his net worth TRIPLED over the last twelve months. He is now, by their reckoning, worth $4.5 billion, and was the single biggest accumulator of net worth during that period. (He was the biggest practically by default: most of the big names lost a substantial amount from their net worth during 2008-2009.)

The fortunes of these two men – who at various times and to various degrees, have been my friends, sources, and subjects – have gotten me thinking about those three days at the Wynn when it was just the two of them going at it in a Gentleman’s War. It’s still hard for me to believe I was sitting at the table, able to write it all down. I’m proud of what I wrote back then and I’m going to reprint at least some of it here soon.

In addition, there were some things I couldn’t write about at the time – not things I witnessed but other things I learned of on the condition I keep them secret. Maybe I’ll find out if the veil of secrecy has been lifted. Or maybe three years of perspective has changed what those poker games meant to me.

So you can look forward to finding out more about that collision between Phil Ivey and Andy Beal in this space. And, incidentally, the possibility they haven’t seen the last of each other ….

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