It’s the first episode without the Wolfman, but you should still listen as the WSOP media-osos gather outside the Amazon room to discuss $50k HORSE, late registration policies, WSOP parties, PokerPalooza, the big question of whether or not the WSOP is polarizing into varsity and JV divisions, and … the best and worst ideas in play at the 2009 World Series of Poker.

Special pass-bys by Charles Barkley, Mike Tyson, and Oliver Tse … plus the Insider and the Tight Laydown. Dr. Pauly sits in with the crew … and gotta say, as the first episode I’ve ever heard just as a listener, this Poker Beat thing is a pretty good show!

on PokerRoad

The Poker Beat
Caldwell, McGwire, Wise, Nemeth, Stapleton
7/2/09

One of the great WSOP traditions is fast becoming the Bluff/Sapphire party (3rd year?) … where hundreds of Amazon-entrenched pokerers — from pros to media to dealers — who have lived for more than a month in a pen mostly void of conjugal relief gather to collectively release steam before hunkering down for the main event … and what a perfect night when the other big party is the “elitist” Ante-Up for Africa afterparty. There’s something delightfully egalitarian about being entertained by 98-percent naked aspiring starlets making money while having a grand-ole beglittered time … personal degeneracies be damned.

AlCantHang fills in for yours truly to record the first ever Tao of Pokerati episode mid-lapdance — an “event” joined by DrizzTDJ and (briefly) Calfornia Jen. Change100 gives the (awesome) play-by-play. Plus Kathy Liebert … and is that Tom McEvoy?

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.27: The Best Party of the Year (feat. AlCantHang)
1:27

Episode 11.28: Grindcore Poker (feat. Change100)
2:51

(Interlude …)
0:05

$50k HORSE starts late with a smaller field than hoped for, but the final “Donkaments” are selling out — leaving some players, known and unknown, shut out. Is it all a twitter-based conspiracy spearheaded by Harrah’s? (And if so, who’s on the inside?)

presented by:

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.26: DonkTwit Conspiracy
4:54

For those who missed it live … here’s this week’s episode of The Poker Beat, where the topics of the day include Jeff Lisandro, the Lindgreanu / Greensandro bet, National Poker Week, and Miami John coverage.

on PokerRoad

The Poker Beat
Huff, Nemeth, Wise, Michalski, Stapleton
6/25/09

A mid-tourney Phil Hellmuth piss break catches no one’s attention but Dan’s and Pauly’s … whereupon we explore the role of VIP bathrooms at the WSOP — and how the need for private urination is only going to increase in coming days.

presented by:

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.23: Poker VIPees
3:02

A $2,250 Mega-Sat for the $50k HORSE breaks out right in front of us, where suddenly the seasoned pros are kicking it old-school — playing with jovial intensity and the hope that their real poker dreams can be bought at a bargain. It’s the poker economy, the regular economy, and backer variance in play … with satellite sponsorship deals, backing syndicates, and a question about what kinda team Russian backers will deploy. Special appearances by Michael Mizrachi, Allan Kessler, Bill Chen, et many medium-higher-rolling al.

presented by:

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.21: HORSE Hunting
4:09

Episode 11.22: The Satellite Economy
5:06

The “hardest working man in poker” takes a three-week Appalachian vacation in the middle of the World Series (really, how important is mid-June anyway?) but comes back rested, revived, and totally seeing tracers …

presented by:

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.20: Pauly Returns
5:07

Did we say it? We did … watch out for Jeff Lisandro to make a mad dash for that previously elusive Player of the Year title.

The back-to-must-read Dr. Pauly and special Tao of Pokerati guest BJ were there when it happened — seeing Lisandro beat author/writer/real-player Michael Craig heads-up in $2,500 Razz. And in analyzing his relatively quick victory, they declare him arguably one of the best international players in the game, and the best 7-stud player in the world. BJ also breaks down the WSOP Player of the Year race, which is not mathematically locked up so long as Phil Ivey is still alive in any event (like he is right now), and Ville Wahlbeck also has a chance but not really, they say. No word yet on which anthem the Aussie-Italian-semi-American will dedicate this gold bracelet to.

UPDATE: Australia.

presented by:

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.19: Lisandropalooza
3:49

Just earlier today, Benjo was delivering his Angriest Frenchman scorn, telling me essentially to suck-it, because “You are never in zee bahd mood, Dahn Meehowskee!” But that was before Miami John Cernuto suffered a medical emergency in the $2,500 Razz tourney (he’s mostly OK now, or at least in stable condition), and yours truly tried to cover it Pokerati-style … only to end up in a scuffle with security. Major tiltage ensued, and Pauly, of course, is right there to capture my fiery journo-righteous ire as I totally misidentify my antagonist, and Dr. P, not on tilt, reports truer facts of this unusual tournament situation.

presented by:

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.18: The Angry Michalski Episode
5:00

Oh, and … brought to you by Dream Team Poker.

For those who missed it live … here’s yesterday’s Poker Beat podcast to get you through “the grind”, the hump, the “dog days”, whatever you wanna call the Series in mid-June. In this episode, we discuss what a bracelet really means to a guy like Greg Mueller, just how good really is JC Tran, and, in this Year of apparent Multiples, what’s a guy like Roland deWolfe all about? Also … “Full Tilt’s” lawsuit (via Kolyma) vs. an Aruba-Aussie payment processor run by 25-year-old Crocodile D-bag … and “celebrity” tournament director Matt Savage joins us to discuss the TDA Summit — and specifically rule changes related to texting at the table.

on PokerRoad

The Poker Beat
Huff, Caldwell, Michalski, Nemeth, Wise, Stapleton + Savage
6/18/09

Sorry for the slowdown in getting podcasts to you. For those who can’t always handle semi-informed snarky banter for more than 2-4 minutes at a time and need more vulgarity and shticked-up grit, Tao of Pokerati (brought to you by Dream Team Poker) will also be back very soon.

Bring it!

Recording now … tune in live or get your podcast on:

http://www.pokerroad.com/the_poker_beat/live/

Benjo and I put in the extra-long hours to bring you a show when almost nothing’s going on at the Rio — you know, save for some big cash games, tired cash games, masseuses, cocktail waitresses, satellites, logistics maneuvers, etc. Not another media soul in site to witness the late-nite mayhem.

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.17: Graveyard Shift
4:18

presented by …

Before Pauly skipped town to go all hippy on the leeward side of the Appalachian Trail, he and I had a little chat about the press setup at the WSOP (with an unintentional guest appearance by TD Steve) in which he gives off a tell that he might be serious about blowing this joint … And then we have another chat about what goes into backing bloggers in bracelet events and the general strategy employed by guys like Tony G putting players into a donkament.

presented by:

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.15: Press Badgered
3:05

Episode 11.16: Blogger Backing
4:14

For those who missed our debut special-for-the-WSOP Monday episode live, here’s the podcast … where The Poker Beat crew waxes poetic about Phil Ivey’s bracelet, Daniel Negreanu’s non-bracelet, non-Finnish national anthems, Ladies events, what makes an “online” player, and Joe Sebok’s lie detector prop bet over his knowledge of Beth Shak’s marital status or lack thereof. Also, Chops shows up to declare this World Series the “Year of the Brother” … or maybe it’s the Year of “tha Brothah” … but either way, leave it to the Entities to celebrate poker in all its multicultural greatness.

on PokerRoad

The Poker Beat
Caldwell, Michalski, Nemeth, Chops, Stapleton
6/08/09

This episode, btw, marks my personal umpteenth appearance on The Poker Beat — making me the “last man standing” amongst hosts and panelists (Go free labor!) and the only guy to appear on every episode since the show’s inception. While that factoid may mark a certain pathos, I’d also like to point out that I am the only one — even with all those extra minutes — who has yet to be called out by the Insider for a factual misstatement.

That’s not to say I haven’t made any errors — made a big one about something really important a month ago, but I guess it just slipped by our wheezey, phlegmy ombudsman.

Oops, Pauly goes out of town and the show turns to pot … can you say irony? Got a couple of episode posts out of order, so catch up with what you missed as we explore the differences between a “donkament” and a big buy-in “small field” event — with a touchy-feely cameo appearance by Tiffany Michelle and a passby from a Wicked Chops sub-entity. Meanwhile, in the $40k, it’s about old dogs vs. new dogs and online player backing pools greg raymer chris moneymaker paris hilton boobs naked.

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.12: Donkey Shows
2:01

Episode 11.13: Big Game Jack
3:56

As you may or may not know, Dr. Pauly skipped town for a few days to go “see a band” (WTF?) … That left Benjo and me to report on the final table of the Champions Invitational: Tom McEvoy beats Dan Harrington and Robert Varkonyi to win himself a Corvette and, of course, the plausibly coveted Binion Cup … providing him sellable items should he ever need a little bankroll stimulus. And we hear about Phil Hellmuth’s oddly graceful 10:1 hands-shaken to hands-played ratio as he, like Pauly, makes an early but not-so-unexpected exit at the WSOP … temporarily derailing an Angry Frenchman’s plans to stage a potentially violent coup.

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.14: Early Exits
5:00

Brought to you by Phish Coventry and psilocybin.

A patch-wearing Team Pokerati player goes almost-deep in the $1k Stimulus Special, and Pauly seizes on his own feint connection to the player by becoming an dirty-rotten-scoundrel agent to potentially exploit his winnings. That’s my take on it … Pauly sees things a bit differently, however, and contends he’s the one looking out for players, because he’s the one sweating their action and making sure they get appropriately paid for their torso real estate. All I know is that Pauly claims to now be first-time WSOP casher Cliff Fisher’s representative, and Cliff busted out of the tourney shortly after Pauly started hounding him.

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.11: Donkey Agents
5:05

It’s a special moment as Vitaly Lunkin, from Moscow, receives his bracelet for the $40k, and Benjo and Pauly are there to hear the first ever playing of Gosudarstvenny Gimn Rossiyskoy Federatsii, aka the “State Hymn of the Russian Federation” — while contemplating what a European bracelet and Harrah’s diamond card means for international relations. Meanwhile, yonder down the Rio hallway, two elderly Texans race their scooters on what reliable sources say is a $50,000 prop bet. But with Amarillo Slim on his comeback tour, did Doyle Brunson take a dive?

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.9: Ruskies Win
3:03

Episode 11.10: Scooter Race Action
6:51

The money bubble bursts in the $40k NLH — Neil Chriss suffers — and Pauly, Benjo, and I are there to capture it live while talking about sheep hookers. By the time this event gets to the final table, it’s about whether Greg Raymer is old-school or new-school, and if I would ever spend my Sundays at a strip club. (A few hundred Lodge players, of course, know the answer to that.) Plus: how a four-figure strip-club bill in Week 1 turns into a five-figure blowout by Week 6, and who knows what kinda party’s in store when a Frenchman wins a bracelet.

Special appearances by Short-Stacked Shamus and a lovely French woman.

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.7: Bubble Party
4:01

Episode 11.8: $40K Final Table Dance
4:25

Benjo is back, just in time for the first ever “brasslet” ceremony, which raises a burning new question of poker etiquette that players never before had to consider: To stand or not to stand for the national anthem when you’re in the middle of a hand? Pauly and the Angry Frenchman also speculate on which will be the first non-American nation to book a WSOP win. I show up for the night shift, of course — just in time for hand-for-hand in the $40k — only to have Pauly fill me in on everything I missed between my arrival and my last reading of the Tao.

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.5: Star-Spangled Hammer
3:08

Episode 11.6: Night Shift
2:47

Your favorite intrepid degen journos are back for the 40th WSOP — and what better way to get poker’s version of summer camp started than with some festive prop-betting over a friendly game of bowls at the South Point Casino? Of course it doesn’t take long for old grievances to re-emerge, and by the 9th frame of the second game, Pauly and Dan engage in a battle of dirty tactics that serves as perfect preparation for the world of excuse-making, tilt-induction, substance abuse, and repressed homosexuality that they’re about to step into.

Tao of Pokerati at the 40th WSOP
Las Vegas, NV

Episode 11.1: How We Roll
2:42

Episode 11.2: Questionable Tactics
2:57

See the video here.

Thursday is Poker Beat day … and today we’ll be talking about the WSOP, beef jerky, Dream Team Poker, and Twittering poker.

(Follow @Pokerati here.)

Tune in live or get the podcast:

http://www.pokerroad.com/the_poker_beat/live/

I’m actually on the bench for today’s show to make room for Dennis Rodman. But if he doesn’t show, I gotta be ready to go.

Today’s episode should be mostly about Annie Duke and Celebrity Apprentice, and the upcoming WSOP:

http://www.pokerroad.com/the_poker_beat/live/

If you’re not already listening … The Poker Beat is on the air now. Good show already:

http://www.pokerroad.com/the_poker_beat/live/

On the air … recording now:

http://www.pokerroad.com/the_poker_beat/live/

For those who missed it … or those who like to play the same song over and over again on CD or iPod … here’s the audio from today’s conference call — featuring WSOP Commissioner Chief Twitterer Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP Media Honcho Seth Palansky, WSOP Top Dog Tourney Director Jack Effel, and ESPN’s Senior Director of Programming and Free Online Poker Pimping Doug White, letting us know what’s in store for the 2009 poker haj:

WSOP Media Conference Call
April 28, 2009

Pollack, Palansky, Effel, White, reporters

For a scan of what this hour+ call covers, check the live-blogging from Wicked Chops.

Dr. Pauly joins the mix today … and he and I will be talking about the all-important topic of Celebrity Apprentice. Gary and BJ will be talking about the less important 38 percent drop in field size for the WPT Championship:

http://www.pokerroad.com/radio/the-poker-beat/

I feel compelled to explain that I am writing this post on my laptop, on the back patio of Risky’s Bar-B-Q in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, during possibly the most beautiful day that Spring will bring to my beloved city. I smile as I listen to one Australian tourist at the table behind me attempt to explain to his mates the American concept of “All-You-Can-Eat Ribs”.

How It Works
The Best Real-Money Poker Tournament
in Texas

Doc Fletcher: “It’s like trainin’ a horse. After a while you don’t have to keep whippin’em. They go where you want to go.”

Interview with Stephenville Tournament Director Doc Fletcher 6:58

Zoom up and out to a poetic blend of southern culture and urban bustle that has made my fair city of Fort Worth a Texas jewel, and the subject of 3.4 million Asian tourist photos. Somewhere a diminutive, fair skinned traveler points out the genitalia of the bovine shaped shrubbery (ala Scissorhands), and covers her mouth to giggle before turning and rushing off in very short, quick steps. And I order another Dos Equis.

A couple of blocks away is the ornate and grandiose Bass Hall. The Hall is big sister to the Maddox Muse Center, which was once slated to host, what was at the time to be, the largest poker tournament in the state of Texas; The Southwest Poker Invitational. Well,… Until the powers that be leaned on us, referencing an obscure liquor license, used for the occasional wedding reception, and shut us down and took tens of thousands of charitable dollars out of play. The call came on Friday; The tournament was scheduled for Sunday. Just like that 325 players and countless deserving beneficiaries of the charitable event were sucked out on at the river. I remember well, because it was my tournament. Go Texas!

More…

We’re going on a little early … 12:30 pacific … as former PokerNews honcho John Caldwell officially joins the crew today. Tune in live or catch the podcast later on PokerRoad.com. Also on today’s episode there’s gonna be some Dan vs. BJ action, over the relevance, facts, and significance of Mitch Garber’s reported heading to Harrah’s. The important question is, of course, which one of us is Hannity, and which is Colmes?

Dannity and Bjolmes.

Tune in to listen now … or later … your call:

http://www.pokerroad.com/radio/the-poker-beat/

Team Tao of Pokerati hits Caesar’s Palace (and Bellagio) for the first open-field running (second overall) of Dream Team Poker. Have a listen to join Pauly and Dan + Shaniac on our ventures to the registration and jersey-issue cocktail party … a pregame breakfast at Cafe Bellagio (where we declare ourselves the favorites, or at least a Top 10 team) … and then back to Caesar’s for the tournament itself. Along the way we analyze the intricacies of team play, formulate an alliance against TJ Cloutier, negotiate a deal to off Jerry Yang, and show you how big bets on March Madness might be the secret antidote to tilt. Intense strategy talk and hand breakdowns to boot …

Chapter 10: Go Team

Episode 10.1: Gel Time

Episode 10.2: Shirts vs. Skins

Episode 10.3: Spam and Eggs

Episode 10.4: Karma, Villanova, and Thor

Episode 10.5: Bustout Strategy

Episode 10.6: Better Luck Next Time

For those who missed it live yesterday … this week’s episode employs a slimmed down cast with just me and Gary Wise, which is kinda like the difference between The Beatles and Wings, but still … with BJ, Parvis, and Ringo off on other ventures, Gary, Huff, and I break down in nitty-gritty detail whether or not Vivek Rajkumar is just a flash in the pan, the $10k field sizes of Bay 101 vs. the Wynn Classic, Dream Team Poker, and Greg Raymer’s ambassadorial efforts on behalf of the PPA. But really, I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but you can skip all that and just listen to the last few minutes for Joe Stapleton’s “Tight Laydown” … I’m starting to believe more and more that the whole “show” we poker journos do really is just an elaborate set-up for the real show, which starts somewhere around the 58th minute.

(Plus “the Insider”, too!)

on PokerRoad

The Poker Beat
Huff, Michalski, Wise, Stapleton
3/19/09

on PokerRoad

The Poker Beat
Huff, Nemeth, Michalski, Wise, Parvis, Stapleton
3/12/09

On this week’s episode, our little consortium of poker media geeks report from the LAPC, phlegm it up about the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, give you a poker law and politics update, and looks a little closer at what it means when Perez Hilton gets into poker and whom David Williams is banging.

on PokerRoad

The Poker Beat
Huff, Nemeth, Michalski, Wise, Chops, Stapleton
2/26/09

So we’re really kinda having some fun over at The Poker Beat. Turns out the shop a bunch of us media types talk amongst ourselves is kinda interesting to at least a few people … and dare I say even more captivating than an hour-long episode of ClubWPT? What’s really making the show work, I think, is that all of us panelists actually wanna listen to the segments we’re not on … it’s turning out to be a great way to find out reliable info about important stuff we may not cover closely, which all turns out to really be just a 57-minute set-up for Joe Stapleton jokes (which really are kinda funny).

On this week’s episode, BJ reports from the LAPC about field sizes and Scotty Nguyen’s repeat performance in the $10k HORSE Event; I chime in to discuss WPT Season 8 and try to fill BJ with job insecurity; Parvis and Gary Wise get all Durrr Challengy vs. Patrik Antonius; and podcast newbie Chops joins the fray to break down the Erick Lindgren vs. Dane Cook comedy feud and Mike Matusow’s fiddna to go ballistic on Russ Hamilton.

on PokerRoad

The Poker Beat
Huff, Nemeth, Michalski, Wise, Parvis, Chops, Stapleton
2/19/09

NOTE: The five guilty in South Carolina just got fines, not jail time.

Just gettin’ ready to go “en studio” to record the next episode of The Poker Beat. This should be a good one … topics open for discussion between me, BJ, Gary, Stapleton, and Parvis (under the Scott Huff whip) will include:

– Russ Hamilton and Layne Flack on RawVegas.tv
– The Bluff Magazine Online Challenge (complete with breaking news about JJ Prodigy; oops, he did it again!)
– Steroids in poker?
– The poker event sponsorship biz
– Vanessa Rousso and Tiffany Michelle baring some but not all

Listen live here.

And feel free to call in and harass at 866.925.8255.

The Poker Beat Podcast
February 12, 2009

… is coming up. Be sure to tune in live here. Not exactly sure what’s on the agenda today — I just go wherever Scott Huff tells me to — but I’m pretty sure I’ll be talking about Clonie’s lawsuit, UIGEA developments, and other assorted poker hubbub.

We’ll have the podcast version up here, too, as soon as it’s recorded.

Show starts in 5 minutes.

UPDATE: Podcast ready …

The Poker Beat
5 Feb 2009

via PokerRoad

As Kevin points out, I’m helping kick off a new podcast today in pursuit of my aspirations of becoming a talking head who mouths off smugly about things he only kinda-sorta knows about.

The Poker Beat (a Scott Huff joint) will essentially be like Meet the Press or The Sports Reporters for poker. Should be interesting. My segment will be with Scott and occasional 2008 Pokerati poster (and WPT tournament reporter) BJ Nemeth.

Click here to listen live. Eventually the folks at PokerRoad will have it up in podcast form, too, so you can listen at your convenience and/or sync with iTunes. But today is our first go, so everything’s new and rolling out as we go along. But it should be more professional than my previous podcast endeavors — like we have an outline and everything!

ADDENDUM:
Here is the link to send a supportive email to some influential folks on behalf of fully legal poker in Texas.

UPDATE: Here’s the full episode, for listening at your leisure — http://www.pokerroad.com/the_poker_beat/1-29-09/TPB_1-29-09.mp3

In this special episode, I begin interviewing possible Benjo scabs should the Tao of Pokerati’s non-American correspondent go on strike and find none other than Garthmeister J sitting with a big stack during the first break in a $110, 100-player Binion’s tourney. Our favorite work-vacationing Aussie gets his jabs in, calling Benjo his favorite Tao of Pokerati personality “that crazy French guy on crank”, while learnin’ us on why American beer is like sex in a canoe and why Binion’s will always hold a special place in his poker heart.

Book 9: Coup d’ePoker (feat. Garthmeister J)
Episode 9.1: Poker on, Garth 4:24

Also, an extra-special guest appearance reminding us that Tao of Pokerati is the favorite poker podcast of former members of Public Enemy, and that black could theoretically be a foreign accent, too.

Yeesh, you go AWOL for just a blip, and suddenly everyone thinks you’ve pulled a Mike Matusow. En route to the Bahamas, the Tao of Pokerati’s favorite Frenchman, Benjo, stopped off in Pauly’s New York hood for some All-American New Years Eve shenanigans (Benjo’s version here and, even funnier, here), and in the process they turned to stimulating discussion of playing poker in prison (tight is right!), the best French players in 2008 (David Benyamine and Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier), what Frenchie players are and are not broke, Benjo’s love for keno and Marrakech hookers, the “Budapest Incident” turned Lesbian Vomit Show … all capped off with a how-to on ordering from the international buffet of Gotham prostitutes. Tao of Pokerati at its finest — always the case when Benjo’s in town!

Book 7: Big Apple Benjo
New York City

Episode 7.1: Jailhouse Rocks (and Maniacs)
3:15

Episode 7.2: The (French) Year in Review
4:49

Episode 7.3: Hookers around the World! *
5:06

*This episode brought to you by Asian Delight Massage.

UPDATE: Benjo nails another French claim to greatness, as ElkY took down PokerStars $25k “High Roller” event in the Bahamas yesterday. Clearly the only “best” French poker analyst in the biz.

Pauly and Benjo escape from the bitter gray snow of NYC to report from the high-70s breezes and clear ocean skies of Paradise Island at the Atlantis Resort, where what looks to be the biggest poker tournament outside of the United States in all of history — the 2009 PCA — is getting underway. If poker is dying, that word clearly hasn’t made it yet to the Bahamas.

Follow the on-table action at PokerStarsBlog, and the off-table adventures at Tao of Poker and LV-OTR. Or just listen to Pauly’s report for a conchilicious taste of all the pokery gayness goodness going down right now in the Bermuda Triangle as the ever-French Benjo threatens to disappear sans a contract for podcast big-bucks:

Book 8: The Islanders
Episode 8.1: International Hotspot 3:25

Worthy opponent or dead money? The youngest WSOP main event champ in history.

Caught up with Peter Eastgate, 23, as he scoped out the $400/$800 NLH action at the Golden Nugget yesterday … The reigning WSOP champ goes into today’s HSP game down $100k — if you consider the results of a warm-up session at Bellagio (against Daniel Alaei and Bryn Kenney) part of the same trip — and speaks about what it’s like to play with a freshly inflated bankroll against more experienced players in bigger games than you’re used to.

Curiously enough, the guy he really fears at this table is the only dude younger than he is — 22-year-old (Fort Worthian?) Tom Dwan, aka durrr.

Peter Eastgate, Las Vegas
12-20-2008
4:29

Sure, the Bellagio 5-Diamond is a pretty big deal to the pros — it’s one of those tourneys that harkens back to pre-boom days of the WSOP, both in competition and relative size of the buy-ins. Every table is star-studded, and the no-names who make it to the Fontana Room have fought hard to get there, knowing mathematically maybe one or two of them stands a chance of doing something truly special.

You wouldn’t know anything about it, though, from the 82 bloggers who were in town for the fourth or fifth (anyone know?) annual Unnamed Winter Blogger Holiday Gathering — this year honoring the netty nuptials of Pablo and Gracie (ceremony officiated by Rev. AlCantHang). While all that mattered to the professional world was going on at Bellagio, what attracted reps from the other 99.9 percent of poker players out there was shaking down and out at the MGM and Venetian … where friends, colleagues, and acquaintances gathered for boozing, boasting, bitching, and busting chops, all surrounding a big-but-affordable challenging tourney that would reward on-the-felt bad-assness with real American dollars while everyone else still enjoyed ever-festive poker-bloggery times.

A full moon was closer to Earth than usual, naturally enhancing the funk. Dr. Pauly busted out the portable satellite Tao of Pokerati studio, and before you knew it, our recorded commentary degenerated into lunar analysis of semi-annual drunkfests, slumped-over gambling addicts, donk-ass keno play, and, of course, hookers in a down economy on the late-night Vegas prowl. Recorded live from an extended weekend’s worth of bars, sportsbooks, bedrooms, bathrooms, and casino floors … with guest appearances by Derek, Human Head, Bobby Bracelet, Mean Gene, and PKPNF, before and after his unsuccessful relationship with Betty Underground.

Aural delights below:

More…

A lot of poker people are in town for a lot of reasons — the big blogger tourney at Venetian, and the $15k pro event at Bellagio, to name two. Apparently Donkey Bomber is hitting the meth again, as the self-proclaimed bankroll management and mixed games expert calls in after a long-ass high-stakes session binge and seems happy to report how he turned $800 into a $48,000 loss.

Unstuck? (feat. Tom Schneider)
1:21

No word on whom he was playing against, but either way … Well done, Tom. I’m sure Julie is proud of your amazing comeback. Keep at it.

This was my “career horoscope” yesterday:

Assuming you understand others is a big mistake. Bypass the analysis and stick to your own work.

Oops, but oh well, too late now … The podcast is up.

Because Gary Wise relies on me to tell him and his listeners how to think Hevad Khan canceled … (right)click here to listen to/download the entire episode (including the opening segment with Dewey Tomko) or press the buttons below to hear my segment — where GW hems and haws as I analyze the 60 Minutes and Washington Post pieces, then speculate wildly on the cheating scandals and their relationship to the present business/legal/political landscape and what it all may or may not mean for the future of the entire world! poker industry.

Wise Hand Poker (feat. Dan from Pokerati) 42:08
RoundersRadio

Back in October, Dan blogged about Dutch Boyd purchasing Steve Hall’s domain (www.pokerfolio.com) that had expired while Hall took a hiatus after the WSOP, relegating him to a new domain with much smaller traffic. I commented that Dutch Boyd on NWP Radio, when questioned about the “takeover”, that he would give the domain back to Hall for the price he paid for it ($60).

Fast forward to earlier today, when Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler posted on 2+2 that Hall still has not gotten his domain name back from Boyd. So is Dutch Boyd playing hardball, or is he so wrapped up in his battle with Pokerhost that he’s forgotten all about the photographer and his humble web home? A poker community is watching…

Here’s the clip from the Neverwin guys talking with Dutch about the domain:

Your WSOP Experience is hardly complete without a drink or seven at the notorious Rio hooker bar … and while I skipped out early on post-coronation festivities, Pauly stuck around to yuk it up with Otis and Howard (from PokerStarsBlog.com, and England). Frightening observations of obese depravity lead to existential musings on the pathetic existence of all who domicile in Vegas (umm …) and while the trio don’t talk with Peter Eastgate as he walks through the Rio casino eerily alone for a guy who just won $9 million, they do interview one of the working girls … and before you know it they’re negotiating a deal to shoot a tag-team porno, all of which eventually deteriorates into threats of a lawsuit.

Hey, that’s just how things float early after sunrise on a Wednesday morning at the Rio.

Book 5: Tao of Hooker Bar

Episode 5.1: Boundless Nature, Las Vegas
6:05

Episode 5.2: Hurricane of Hookers
7:25

Episode 5.3: Cage-Savvy Coochie
3:05

Keep Floppin’ Aces, on RoundersRadio. Lou Krieger’s guest will be none other than my own podcast co-homie, Dr. P. He tells me:

Our topics will be the WSOP final table and November Nine in Las Vegas and if we have time, we’ll chat about my experiences in London and Budapest.

There’s also a call in number if you want to ask any questions…. 810-496-3428.

Usually I don’t listen to these things live — I generally let Shamus direct me to the best episodes and download the podcast. But I happen to be in front of the computer right now, and the Chicago-Columbus MLS Cup playoff game is plenty exciting with just the video, little sound. (Currently 1-0 Chicago in the 40th minute; great uniform match-up, too — bright red vs. bright yellow.)

If you are seeing this after the fact, you’ll be able to find the full episode for your podcast pleasure here a couple days from now.

UPDATE: Chicago 1 - 2 Columbus in stoppage time. Great game — so many beautiful shots and tackles — but doh!

The 2008 WSOP has come to an end, and with crews tearing down the set … Pauly and I give our after-the-fact analysis of heads-up play and The November Nine Experiment.

Book 4: WSOP Final Table
Episode 4.14: That’s a Wrap 3:49

You can’t’ tell from the groovin’ tunes in the background, but Pauly y yo are in the PT Theater as the heads-up battle is just one hand from completion — and I’m suffering from severe WSOP separation anxiety tech tilt as Pokerati goes offline at a fairly critical time, presumably at the hands of loyal Tao of Pokerati listeners. (Bastards.) From there we speculate on the future of the WSOP’s relationship with Milwaukee’s Best Light, particularly in light of a pretty major biz merger we missed during the start of the regular WSOP.

Book 4: WSOP Final Table
Episode 4.13: Web Player Down! 4:53