I hate to beat a dead horse, but this year’s World Series continues to solidify its reputation as one of the worst run poker tournaments in history. While watching Day Two of the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em with Re-Buys event, I happened upon this incredible scene. With five tables left a dealer notified the floor man on duty, Chris Held, that James Van Alstyne had a $5,000 chip on top of his stack when they had yet to be officially introduced into the game.

Continue reading »

Tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m., 64 of the best Rochambeau players in the world will gather at the Bad Beat on Cancer Booth for the second annual World Series of Rochambeau. There’s a $500 entry fee, and the top four players will get paid: $10,000 for first place, $7,000 for second, $5,000 for third, and $3,000 for fourth. It may be the biggest prize purse in the history of the sport. The rest goes to charity.

Continue reading »

The farther along we get in this year’s World Series the more celebrities I am seeing. I am still getting over being introduced to Robin Leech. His voice took me straight back to childhood to the days I longed for a 26-room villa on the Amalfi Coast. By the time the main event rolls around Shannon Sharpe will be dancing in the aisles and Tobey McGuire will be slouched in a corner acting cool. I’m not all that upset that I’ll be missing it.

Continue reading »

A quick razz update. With 16 players left Team Full Tilt is going strong. Perry Friedman is still alive with $22,700, Eric Froelich has $24,000, and Carlos Mortensen is in great shape with $85,000. I just watched as Carlos made a wheel with A-2-3 in the hole to eliminate a player. To say the least, in razz a wheel is, uh, a pretty good hand.

Continue reading »

Some people compare watching razz being played to undergoing major surgery… without the pain killers. They’re not far off, but some hands do well to dispel that notion. I was snaking my way through the last tables remaining in the $1,500 Seven Card Razz event a little while ago when I happened upon Perry Friedman’s table.

Continue reading »

When World Series higher ups changed the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha tournament into a re-buy event at the very last second last week, they were shocked that such a move could cause such rancor amongst the players. Obviously, they had never witnessed the start of a re-buy event before, the first several hours of which can turn fine upstanding citizens into lunatic gamblers.

Continue reading »

The Full Tilt lounge is poker’s equivalent of a football locker room. It’s where the Full Tilt players go to relax during breaks in play. Some recharge their iPods. Others flop themselves upon one of the long couches and close their eyes, if only to block out the noisy chaotic casino environment for a second or two. While hanging out in the lounge, I have observed some priceless moments. Here are my favorites:

Continue reading »

I won’t be surprised if Erick Lindgren emerges victorious from today’s final table of the $5,000 Short-Handed No-Limit Hold’em event, and I doubt anyone else will either. He’s already won two World Poker Tour tournaments and he barely looks old enough to drink in bars (not that that’s ever stopped him). But at times poker is as much a game of luck as it is skill, and no one benefited more from the good wishes of the poker gods than E-Dog did yesterday.

Continue reading »

Phil Gordon recommended that I go for a straight-razor shave at Truefitt & Hill in the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace. Phil’s won well over $1 million playing cards in his lifetime. He’s bagged a World Poker Tour title. He’s a bestselling author and a television celebrity. So who am I to disagree? Besides, it was time. I have been sporting a beard that was on the verge of going Grizzly Adams on me.

Continue reading »

You know how at a poker tournament there’s always that pack of people numbly walking the halls complaining about bad beats? Well, at this year’s World Series that tired tradition has nearly been replaced with the bitching from players about the collective ineptitude of the dealers. Totally unbiased aside: it’s completely justified too. Care to hear some examples?

Continue reading »