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#572 - Stop the Presses (and Stop the Depression)!

Posted by Michael Craig

First, I am changing the contest rules to Buy the Coach.

Second, I am officially over my spiralling depression.

I had a nice talk with my dad - he’s always there when things are messed up in my life and I think I’m always there for him, though I routinely miss birthdays and anniversaries and neglect to keep in touch sometimes - and I paid my bills and my taxes. Then I came up with an idea to ROCK my coverage of the WSOP Main Event final table AND my contest.

Please read on!

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Hey, I’m GIVING AWAY buy-ins to FTOPS X!

Posted by Michael Craig

A couple days ago, I announced the start of the Blog’s third essay contest, Buy the Coach. Maybe the process of explaining how you’d prepare for the final table of the WSOP Main Event is a daunting one or you’re taking admirable care in crafting your entries, but I haven’t gotten very many responses.

I’m giving away three $200 + $16 buy-ins to the FTOPS X Turbo NLHE event on November 11. Right now, it looks like your chances of winning are excellent - if you enter.


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#571 - Dispatches - Part II - Life on a Losing Streak

Posted by Michael Craig

I’m trying to maintain some equilibrium in my life because, after all, results-oriented thinking should be discouraged in poker. The key is to play well all the time. The results will follow, but not always equal to the quality of your play.

That’s the theory, anyway. But results feel good - or bad. Getting aces cracked doesn’t pay any bills. In fact, for the most part I can’t even WRITE about losing the way I can about winning.

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#570 - Dispatches from an Uncommunicative Correspondent - Part I - A Wayward Son Seeks Forgiveness

Posted by Michael Craig

Dear Uncle Tilty:

Nobody can say it hasn’t been a rocky road for us lately. The World Series was a disjointed mess. London was a disaster. When I look back on it, I think some of the writing was good, but there were definitely times I wanted to quit, and probably some times where I should have been fired.

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#569 - Contest Announcement! - BUY THE COACH

Posted by Michael Craig

NOTE: THIS CONTEST IS BEING MODIFIED. SEE #572.

The Full Tilt Poker Blog - Essay Contest 3
BUY THE COACH

You’ve made the Final Table of the Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker. Congratulations!

But don’t rest on your laurels. You’ve made $900k but there’s up to $8.1 million more on the table. With almost four months between making the final table and playing it out, you have an unprecedented opportunity to improve your chances.

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#568 - No “Tilt” in the OJ Simpson Case

Posted by Michael Craig

I just read the news that OJ Simpson was convicted in that robbery case that involved the Palace Station, some of his memorabilia (including, I thought I once heard, the suit he was wearing when he was acquitted in his murder case, which has to qualify as ”ironic” on some level), and a group of “friends” who raced to sell their story to TV, tabloids, and tabloid-TV. Not surprisingly, several of them “flipped” at trial.

It’s probably now safe for me to tell my side of the story. That is, the Full Tilt side of the story.

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#567 - London 2008 #74 - Postscript - Juanda = Champ, Craig = Chump

Posted by Michael Craig

Congratulations to John Juanda, 2008 World Series of Poker European Champion. Like nearly everyone else, I was following the marathon final table from home, thanks to outstanding daily reports from media director Nolan Dalla and superb table-reporting by Pokernews.com.

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#566 - London 2008 #73 - DON’T Call Me Mint Jelly

Posted by Michael Craig

The Ignoble End of PayLamb.com

On the Lam … from Uncle Tilty

When All the Laughter Died in Sorrow

I Fear for Uncle Tilty’s Health … and My Own

“Put on Some Damn Pants!”

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#565 - London 2008 #72 - WSOP-E - Night of the Living, Conclusion - Howard Lederer is Still Alive

Posted by Michael Craig

Howard busted at 3:03 AM in third place. I stuck around with Andy Bloch and Jennifer for a few awkward minutes. I couldn’t come up with anything to say to Howard but something lame, and said it anyway. I shook his hand and said, “It’s useless for me to even say, ‘you played well Howard’ because you played tremendously and it didn’t have a thing to do with the outcome.”

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#564 - London 2008 #71 - WSOP-E - Night of the Living, Part VII - Clenching

Posted by Michael Craig

IMAGE 5

Howard Lederer in profile, still sitting at the table, still leaning slightly forward, a swirl of chips spread across the table. He looks so similar to the earlier images (and really, the later ones too) that the first impression is that you can’t tell anything about how the game is going by looking at his face.

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