Of all the skills that it takes to be a winner – which I’ve read about extensively and don’t possess – being able to deal with winning and losing huge amounts of money/chips one hand at a time over the course of a tournament (and career) is critical. It’s tempting to look at the wealth that a top professional possesses and dismiss it by saying that a $10K buy-in is nothing to them. But if you look into it a bit deeper, there’s a lot more to it than that. Take Mike Matusow for example: the guy’s accumulated over $6.5 million in carer tournament earnings, but what’s he spent to get there? What is that a return on? The point is, to get to that level, the pros have won and lost a lot of money – and dealt with it.

Clearly, having the money and being able to effectively use it are two entirely different animals. While you don’t necessarily have to have an abject disregard for money that some pros appear to exhibit, you can’t be hung up on it. I think Doyle best summed this up in Super System:

“You must have respect for your money and know its value…but if you want to be a strong No-Limit player you can’t think you’re betting a Lincoln Continental every time that you bet $10K or $15K. If you do think that way, you’ll never make it playing No-Limit.”

In a nutshell, if you’re completely freaked out about the money that’s on the line, you’re not going to be focused and your game will reflect it. While a $10K buy-in is a bit rich for my blood, I like to think that for the majority of the folks who are still playing in the Main Event are well within their personal limits and likely to be playing serious poker. Either way, following what they do on the way to the money and the final table will definitely be entertaining. 

Any thoughts on the $50K HORSE event? That was a pretty sick final table.

A horse is a horse, of course of course, but not when he’s Scotty Nguyen. I agree that was a pretty sick final table, but with that many high-level pros in the field, how could it not be? Being the “home team” guy that I am, I was a little disappointed that Erick Lindgren or Huck Seed couldn’t seal the deal and bring home poker’s most prestigious title, but it was a fine showing by our guys nonetheless. Plus, it looks like EDog will be taking home the Player of the Year award, so he’s got that going for him.

I do appreciate what Scotty brings to the table though. How can you not love an Asian dude with a Jeri-curled mullet who constantly swigs from his beer can and shouts catch phrases like “that’s poker baby!”? In fact, if you don’t like Scotty Nguyen, then you have no soul. Pardon me; I think it’s about time to get my Jeri curl on…

If you were lucky enough to win a WSOP bracelet, do you think that you’d ever actually wear it?

No, next question.

Actually, let me get this out of the way as well. I’m making a fairly iron-clad prediction here: I will never ever, never never never win a WSOP bracelet. Just not happening. Things more likely to happen before I win a bracelet: peace in the Middle East, the mighty Memphis Grizzlies winning an NBA title, Earth being destroyed by a comet, and Angelina Jolie and Madonna getting into a cat fight over a starving African child. Actually, that last one might’ve happened already, I’m not too sure. At any rate, the point is that I can’t even win a $5 donkament online, so how the hell am I ever going to win a WSOP bracelet?

Now, if by some strange fluke (like the rest of the tournament field simultaneously dying) I do win a bracelet, I almost certainly would never wear it. I’m just not a bling kind of guy – my natural inclination is to wear things that make me inconspicuous, not make me stand out in a crowd. So, if you’re a baller and want to rock some nice jewellery, go on with your bad self. Me, I’m more likely to pawn my bracelet so I’m able to buy-in to my next donkament.

You guys have the inside hook up, any good gossip from the WSOP this year?

Yeah, we’ve got the inside hook up alright. We’re like McNulty on The Wire, except we’re not drunk Irish men and we don’t know anything at all. Actually, on second thought, maybe we’re exactly like McNulty. Hey man, at least we’re not like Cheese.

As for the inside scoop, there really isn’t one. Maybe it’s because we’re really not in the loop, or maybe it’s because there’s just nothing too exciting in terms of gossip going on this year. Yes, Phil Ivey has all sorts of prop bets floating around out there, but I really don’t know the full details on all of that since I’ve yet to infiltrate Ivey’s inner circle. Other than that, it’s been a rather mellow year as far as I know. Where’s Brandi Hawbaker when you need her? What? She’s dead? When the hell did that happen? That’s kind of depressing.

On a lighter note, it’s two for one day down at the IHOP – time to go get my pancake on. Until next week…

Yeah, I’m approaching the $50K HORSE event from the wrong end, but as long as I don’t step in a big pile, who really cares?

Hold on – scratch that – what I meant to say is that this is the tourney that all the big names pros really want to win. Sure, the Main Event provides the big-ass payday that everybody wants, but the HORSE event is the bidness. 148 pros ponied up $50K each for a shot at what has become the game’s most prestigious title and, in the end, some really big names played their way to the Sweet 16, including Brunson, Bloch (15^th place), Negreanu, and Ivey (12^th place).

The final table was even more impressive, boasting names like Greenstein, Seed (7^th place), Lindgren (3^rd place) and Scotty “It’s All Over Baby” Nguyen. Lindgren, who started the final table with the chip lead, busted third and added more than $781K to his roll. Nice money to be sure. Oh, if you’re curious, second place pays more than $1.2 million while the winner grabs almost $2M.

Wow, what a shitty headline. I should apologize for that. Really, I should, but nah….

For those of you who don’t know to whom I’m referring, please meet Martin “I really need a nickname” Kläser, winner of WSOP Event 43. Why is Martin worth your time and effort? Simple – he’s a 21-year old kid with game.

Martin became a pro last October after winning our Million Euro Challenge Freeroll tournament and then beating both Chris Ferguson and Gus Hansen heads up to collect €350K. Not a bad way to start a career, if I do say so myself. Then, he followed that up by heading to Vegas last week, buying into his first ever WSOP event, and winning the whole damn thing. That’s more than another $200K in the coffers and one of those shiny bracelet things for his wrist.

!@#$% 21-year old ^%#$!# whipper-snapper punk kids. Uh, I mean, well done Martin, well done.

Now, if you’d all excuse me, I’m off to check my bankroll and cry in my beer.

But wait, before I rant too hard or too long on this subject, let’s take a look at what the show is really about. According the official press release, All In is a “fast paced, witty, very sexy, and fun show about the final nine players at the World Series of Poker who are real people from all walks of life.” Sounds thrilling so far, doesn’t it?

The release goes on to state that the show’s “clearly identifiable characters sing songs that are chock full of double entendres, poker analogies, quotes, lingo, and suggestive situations.” Oooh… reserve my seats now. Front row center, please, because I want to be as close to the rail as possible.

So, without any idea of what the actual script or on-stage production may look like, here’s a little of what I’m expecting:

• The “easily identifiable characters” will be ankle deep caricatures of some of the game’s most colorful players like “The Poker Punk” (Hellmuth), “Pammie Knight” (Duke), “Jehovah” (Ferguson), and more
• A pivotal, dramatic moment will occur when the Poker Punk crashes his motorcycle after staging a self-promotional exhibition that features him jumping over Humberto “The Chark” Brenes
• Musical highlights will include Knight’s big solo, “I’m Holding (Your) Nuts” and the closing number, “It’s All Over, Baby” featuring the Scotty Nguyen dancers

Honestly though, if there’s one thing the poker world doesn’t need right now, it’s a musical. I mean really, does anyone think that this is going to convince anyone to take poker players more seriously? Is this really the image the game wants to be sending when there’s still political fighting over the UIGEA going on in Washington and 60 Minutes cameras are filming at the Rio? Personally, I don’t think so.

As far as I can tell, this is nothing more than another ploy for Caesars, Hellmuth and everyone else involved to try and cash in on the four-month final table delay they’ve instituted for this year’s Main Event Final table. Come on, can’t you see the marketing now?

Why wait for November to see how the final table plays out? Visit the Rio Hotel in Vegas this fall to experience all of the highs, lows, and drama of the final table while enjoying a nice 32oz Porterhouse from our exclusive Poker Kitchen. Experience it all for just $59.95.

Look, I’m all for improving poker’s image and expanding the game’s base to as many potential players as possible, but I just don’t think a poker musical is gonna do the job. Who aside from the most dedicated poker-tards would even be interested in such a thing? What makes the producers think that anyone who isn’t already remotely interested in the game is going to understand the quotes and lingo they so proudly tout as an integral part of the show?

Maybe I’m wrong, but my guess is that the millions of dollars that have been sunk into this (Hellmuth wouldn’t be involved in a “cheap” production) could be better spent on something worthwhile like supporting the PPA or attracting a better class of working girl to the Rio for the Main Event. You know… something real poker players would appreciate.

If you think D-Ben had an easy time of it at the final table (he is an Omaha Hi/Lo specialist), check out the line-up he had to face:

• Tony Ma
• Jason Gray
• Ram Vaswani
• Toto Leonidas
• David Chiu
• Mike Matusow
• Greg Jamison
• Eugene Katchalov

While there are some folks there who you probably don’t recognize, consider this – Vaswani, Leonidas, Chiu and Matusow own a combined nine WSOP bracelets. That’s as many as our entire team of 1,000+ pros has won so far this year. So, Benyamine now has a WSOP bracelet, nearly $1 million in tournament winnings over the past three weeks, and Erica Schoenberg. Damn, I hate him – and not just because he’s French.

We’re not nearly as anal about keeping stats as our friends who follow baseball, but then again, we’re not nearly as geeky as they are either. Still, the FTP pros have put up some impressive numbers so far this year:

• 9 bracelets
• 41 final table appearances
• Nearly $9.5 million in combined prize money

Benyamine is leading the FTP pack with the most prize money won (still nearly $1 million) and the most final table appearances (3). Following close behind are Team Full Tilter’s Andy Bloch, Chris Ferguson, Erick Lindgren, and Mike Matusow who have each reached two final tables so far this year. Also doubling up on final table appearances are David Singer and David Chiu. Hell… forget 2008 being the Year of the Pro… it’s the Year of the Pro Named David.

Yes, it’s true… we do have a few pros who aren’t named David. In fact, our most recent non-David addition is Robert Williamson III, a long-time friend of Full Tilt Poker who finally took the plunge and started playing as a red pro last week.

A WSOP bracelet winner and yet another Omaha specialist, Robert is one of the coolest cats in the game and always good for fun stories around the table. And hell, you’ve just gotta love a guy who drinks beer with hot sauce in it, don’t ya?

Phil Ivey may be best known for ruthlessly taking his opponent’s money at the poker tables (and on the golf course… and in huge prop bets), but now the Phenom is giving something back.

You can help support Phil’s Budding Ivey Foundation to provide educational opportunities to at-risk children by – you guessed it – playing poker. Phil is holding a charity tournament at the Golden Nugget on July 1^st where a $1,000 donation and $500 “re-donations” throughout the first hour give you a chance to take down a first-place prize worth at least $10K and help some needy kids.

So, with all that in mind (out of mind?), I figured I’d just take the path of least resistance (read: laziness) and put together a list of random thoughts that have flashed through my addled brain over the past few weeks. Enjoy. I hope.

• 2008, the Year of the Pro – Ever since Nenad-Nenad Medic grabbed the very first bracelet of this year’s WSOP, it seems like the pundits have been calling this the year of the pro. Of course, the fact that a number of big name pros (Lindgren, Singer, Negreanu, Greenstein, Pescatori, etc.) have gone on to grab bracelets throughout the series – and even more have made impressive final table appearances (Andy Bloch and Chris Ferguson, anyone, anyone), seems to be adding credence to the claim.
  
  Still, for as well as the pros are running, I don’t think we can really call the 2008 Series the Year of the Pro unless a big name player takes down the Main Event. OK, maybe we can, but still, I think this title has a lot more credibility if someone other than a random donkey (cough, Yang), takes the title.

• The death of televised poker – Maybe “death” is a little strong, but it certainly seems like the game we love to loathe is in intensive care as far as broadcast television is concerned.
  
  GSN recently announced that it’s renewing High Stakes Poker, which is great news for all of us who love to watch our favorite degenerate gamblers in their natural habitat. On the other hand, the once mighty World Poker Tour has gotten the axe, and is currently being shopped around to disinterested buyers. Without a stable TV deal, it seems like the WPT could be sent to the rail and the $10K tournament circuit could be significantly smaller next year. All in all, pretty bad news for pro and amateur players alike.
  
  On the positive side, if the death of the WPT means never having to see Humberto Brenes and his annoying Chark anymore, I would personally consider this a mercy killing. See ya chum.

• It really sucks to be the Bubble Boy – Honestly, I’m not mentioning this because of any recent personal experience. Hell, I haven’t even sat at a poker table in more than two weeks (Big Donkey has been going Cold Turkey, but that’s another story).
  
  No, what brings this to mind is that, as I type, Howard Lederer just busted out of the $5K Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo Championship one off the final table after playing for more than 16 consecutive hours. Ouch is an understatement. Even worse – fellow Team Full Tilter Chris Ferguson laid the smack down on the Professor. Still worse than that, Howard’s little sister Annie will be joining Chris at the final table when play resumes. (To say Annie has pwned Howard at past World Series would be kind, seeing as she’s personally knocked him out of four different events over the years. Ah, sibling rivalry – feel the love.)
  
  Anyway, it’s a good thing that Howard isn’t prone to tilting (as far as I know). Otherwise, a beat like that could lead a man down a very dangerous whiskey-soaked path.

• Random lists make for shitty posts – Yup, I’ll admit it. This is a pretty shitty post, even by my standards. Oh well, they can’t all be winners. If you want to see something more interesting, feel free to send your comments, stories and extra cash to us here at pokerfromtherail@fulltiltpoker.com.

Have you guys prepared for the inevitable moment when a WSOP final table is made up of nothing but FTP pros? It’s gonna happen sometime, and it looks like this might be the year.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves quite yet. Yes, there are about 9,000 Full Tilt Poker pros at this point and we’re having one hell of a series, but the odds still say that an all FTP final table is somewhat unlikely. You can forget about this happening in any of the smaller buy-in, larger field donkaments at the WSOP – there’s just too many landmines to avoid and too much variance to take into account with that many players in the mix.

Now, maybe (and I stress that maybe as much as possible) there’s a chance of an all FTP final table in one of the bigger buy-in, smaller field tourneys where only the best (and wealthiest) players compete. But it’s still relatively unlikely to happen – there are too many good players in a tourney like that and it’s hard enough for one of our pros to make a final table, never mind six to nine of them all at once.

That said, if this event did happen to take place, it would certainly be a momentous occasion for us. But, then again, it wouldn’t be altogether unexpected – we don’t sign all these pros so they can sit around and do nothing for us. We are Full Tilt Poker, and we rule the poker world!

Is it just me, or are the pros doing extremely well at the WSOP this year? Does this mean all the fishes are gone, or is it just the pros turn to run good for once?

Don’t you just love it when one question leads perfectly into the next question? I sure do. In the writing business, we call that a good transition. It’s the equivalent of a nice post-flop continuation bet in poker. But enough about Chinese food, let’s answer this question.

Yes, it does seem as if the pros are doing exceptionally well at the Series this year (and not just the Tilters). From Danny N. to Barry G. to any of the 36 FTP pros who’ve won bracelets this year, these damn pesky pros don’t seem to ever let up. Does this mean the well is dry and all the fishes are dying a slow, painful death by suffocation? Maybe, but probably not.

I think it’s a combination of factors that have led us to this point. There are just more good players out there than probably ever before, and maybe a few less fish. Combine that with the fact that the pros are definitely running good this year and there you have it. But I really wouldn’t worry about the sea of fish drying up any time soon – where there’s money to be made, there’s a fish waiting to donk all of his chips away.

What’s the deal with the Iron Man Mid-Year Bonus? I’ve never played in the Iron Man Challenge, is there something special I need to do here to qualify for the bonus?

Well, we’re getting a little late in the month to be answering this one since there’s not enough time left to qualify if you haven’t already been playing, but we’ll tackle it anyway (cause we’re nice like that). Let’s just start at the top and run through this whole Iron Man Challenge thingy (for lack of a better word):

You qualify for the Iron Man Challenge by earning X numbers of points a day for X days a month. There are four different levels of Iron Man you can qualify for – Bronze, Silver, Gold or Iron. So, for instance, I usually go for Gold level every month, which means that I have to do 25 days at 100 points per day. Sometimes I’ll go for Silver level, which means either 20 days at 100 points per day or 25 days at 50 points per day. At any rate, go here to check out all the info on the insanely complicated Iron Man Challenge, so I can move on to greener pastures.

Now, the Iron Man Mid-Year Bonus is our reward to those Iron Man players who’ve put a lot of work in throughout the course of the year so far. For every month a player has qualified for Iron Man in these first six months, they’ll get a bonus amount corresponding to what level they qualified for each month. You get $25 for each month at Bronze, $50 for each month at Silver, $75 for each month at Gold and $100 for each month at Iron. Add them all up at the end of this month, and that is your Iron Man Mid-Year Bonus. For instance, I’ve done four months at Gold this year and two months at Silver, so I’m in for a $400 bonus that I’ll never be able to clear (so I’ve got that going for me). The only caveat here is that you have to qualify for the Iron Man Challenge in June to be eligible for the bonus.

Hopefully that cleared things up for you a bit. The basic premise of the Iron Man Challenge is “play more, win more.” So don’t commit the crime if you can’t do the time (which really doesn’t apply here, I just like things that rhyme). Until next week…

Through 26 events at this year’s World Series of Poker, our 5,000 Full Tilt Poker pros have won seven brand new shiny gold bracelets, 27 of our pros have made final tables, and all together our pros have earned more than $6 million in prize money. Yes, its official, Full Tilt Poker rules the world! And I’m not getting paid to say that (well, actually I am, but my pay has been downgraded from the Peso to the Thai Baht, so I’ve got that going for me).

I’m predicting right now that by the end of the Series we’ll have won 73 bracelets, had at least 3,000 of our pros make final tables, and earned at least $50 million in prize money (which, non-coincidentally, is about 1.6 billion Thai Baht − or about enough money to buy a condo in North Hollywood). One more prediction: by the end of the Series, Full Tilt Poker will be home to at least 10,000 of the world’s finest poker players. That’s right, you heard it here first.

Congratulations on winning a bracelet, next stop Disneyland?

A hearty round of congrats are in order for three of our pros from this past weekend, as Jens Voertmann, Max Pescatori and Kenny Tran all won themselves one of those shiny bracelet thingies. Hooray for everyone!

Jens won his first bracelet in Event #22, the $3K HORSE donkament. Voertmann managed to fight his way through a star-studded final table, including Team Full Tilter Jen Harman and Full Tilt Poker pro Steve Zolotow, and take home nearly $300K for his first-place finish. Max “The Italian Pirate” Pescatori won his second career bracelet by besting a field of 457 players in Event #24, the $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold ‘em/Omaha tourney. This was another tough final table which included Allen “Clever Piggy” Cunningham, but it was “The Italian Pirate” for the win and just under $250K in prize money. Last but most certainly not least, we had Kenny “The Man” Tran taking down Event #25, the $10K No-Limit Hold ‘em Heads-Up Championship. Tran took down eight consecutive heads-up matches to claim the top prize of just over $539K, besting Alec Torelli in the final match for his first ever bracelet.

Just a quick round-up of other Tilt related happenings:

Full Tilt Poker awarded 150 seats to this year’s Main Event yesterday − hooray for us! If you still dream of hitting the big time and making your way to the Big Dance, we’re running our final WSOP qualifiers over the next week or so – get all the details here.

The MSOP is still running and I’m still losing all of my money chasing that oh-so elusive winner’s watch. My bankroll is so decimated at this point that I have to satellite into even the smaller buy-in events. The lesson here is that playing a large donkament while shotgunning beer after beer might not be the best idea…

And finally, for those of you who haven’t heard yet, newly minted Team Full Tilter and uber-hunk Patrik Antonius has issued a challenge to all the high-stakes online players out there that he’s ready to start kicking ass and taking names. So if you’re feeling frisky and would like to donate some money to the Antonius fund, he’s waiting for you on the site even as we speak.

Hopefully Big Donkey will be back next week to bring you up to speed on all things Tilt (and save me from this horrible indignity). If not, don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Maybe a little from column A, maybe a little from column B. That’s the best part about Ivey being Ivey – his utter disregard (and disrespect, possibly) of money. I like to imagine that Phil is so rich that he uses his money for more mundane everyday occurrences than anything else. Spill some milk on the kitchen counter? Ivey whips out a pack of hundred dollar bills and wipes it up. Out of Post-It notes? Phil Ivey to the rescue. No TP? Well, let’s not go there…

The point is that Ivey obviously has enough money to play in all these WSOP events with his only goal being to win a bracelet, not earn more cash. That’s why he can stroll into one of the rebuy events with about 100 “just in case” rebuys waiting in his back pocket or on a chip-filled tray. You absolutely have to be both rich and crazy to do that sort of thing. I’d love to get to the point someday where money just has no meaning to me. Maybe then I’ll start wiping my ass with hundred dollar bills …

What’s the deal with the WPT? Are they done, or just dying a slow death? 

I don’t think that they’re done or dying a slow death, but poker on TV just ain’t what it used to be. I’m not saying that the product is bad (hell, it’s probably better produced than it’s ever been), but the market just isn’t the same. The poker boom has come and gone, and now we’re left with a veritable wasteland of has-been poker TV shows. The market has been super saturated, which means that at this point only the best of the best will survive.

All of which should be seen as good news for the WPT. Yes, their TV contract with GSN has expired and will not be renewed. But they’re still one of the best and most well known poker shows on the market. Somebody will want that name brand recognition on their station, be it SpikeTV or one of those other “especially for men” channels. The show must go on, and I’m certain that the WPT will be back for a seventh season.

Been playing in any of the MSOP events? Those things are the biggest donk-fests that I’ve ever seen.

Like many of the other low-stakes ballers out there on Full Tilt Poker, I’ve been doing my best to donk it up in as many MSOP events as I can. I tend to agree that these have been some of the most donk-tastic poker playing experiences I’ve ever been a part of. It seems that most of the time any Ace is good enough to push with, any King is good enough to call with, and any suited connector or small pocket pair should be played as if they’re Pocket Rockets. In one event I held A-Q and pushed all-in after an Ace came on the flop. I was called by two players, one holding A-6 and one holding A-3. The turn brought a 3 and the river was a 6. But hey, that’s poker baby!

I am happy to report that I finally cashed and very nearly made a final table in Event #17, a $15 + $1.50 NLHE triple shootout. After taking down my first table by waiting while one guy went on a heater and eliminated most of the competition until I utterly destroyed him heads up, I made it all the way to heads-up play again at the second table. And as much as my first heads-up match was a complete beat down, my second heads-up match could be aptly described as a lesson in how not to play heads up. I was weak, I was scared, I got my ass handed to me by a guy who probably has most of his experience in play money SNGs. It was embarrassing and demeaning beyond my worst nightmares. Now my confidence is completely shot and I’m playing poker like a deer caught in headlights. But the donk-fest must go on, and I shall keep playing these MSOP events until I either make a final table or die trying. Until next week…

After Nenad Medic’s victory in Event ,#1 David Singer made it two out of three for FTP pros by taking down Event #3, the $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold ‘em. Hot on the heels of his win in the $25,000 Heads-Up World Championship, Singer was the last one standing out of 713 players, taking down Jacobo Fernandez heads-up to win $214,131 and his first bracelet. Singer obviously runs good at life – his very pregnant fiancée was there to drag his ass away at any moment support him with their baby due the next day.

Erick Lindgren finally got the monkey off his back by finally winning his first WSOP bracelet in Event #4, the $5,000 Mixed Hold ‘em (No-Limit/Limit). Lindgren overcame a pro-heavy field of 332 players and a stacked final table which also included Howard Lederer (6^th, $74,199) and Roland De Wolfe (4^th, $117,030) to collect the $374,505 first place prize and shiny (something shiny? Where? Oh sorry got distracted) new bracelet.

It’s not that we’re prone to conspiracy theories, but this little doozy popped up – David Singer and Erick Lindgren both just won their first-ever WSOP bracelet and they both did it in the exact same way. Oooooh spooky! On David’s final hand the chips were all-in on the turn with the board reading 3d-5s-7d-6c. Jacobo Fernandez turned over 7c-3h for two-pair, but Singer rolled over Qs-4s for a turned straight, which held up.

In Lindgren’s case, the chips were all-in on the river with the board reading Tc-5c-3d-4h-8h. Justin Bonomo showed 5s-4s for two pair while Erick had Ah-2d for the turned straight. Both losers had two pair and both winners hit their gutshots on the turn – feel the chills down your spine? Lol live-riggaments.

Chris “Jesus” Ferguson obviously didn’t get the memo that said a Full Tilt Poker pro must win every event, spoiling a clean sweep of the first four events by coming in third in Event #2 for $388,287. Greg “FBT” Mueller also narrowly missed a win and his first bracelet – taking second in Event #11, a $5,000 No-Limit Hold ‘em Shootout for $298,638. All in all, the pros have cashed for over $3.6 million so far – and we’re not even a quarter of the way through the Series.

Apparently, there are a few hardy souls out there who are looking to write their way to Vegas for the Big Dance. The entries that we’ve received thus far have been entertaining and it’s clear that folks have put a lot of effort into their work. In fact, check them out for yourself:

katiemother - Post 1 and 2

TuscaloosaJohn - Post 1 and 2

lightning36 - Post 1 and 2

Looking at this list, it’s definitely worth noting that katiemother, TuscaloosaJohn, and lightning36 scored big-style in Battle of the Bloggers tournaments. Each of them took home a $2K WSOP prize package – well done and congratulations.

If you’ve not entered yet, you’ve still got a few days to take a shot at being our “Blogger on the Rail.” Check out the Write Your Way to the WSOP page for full details.