Meanwhile, a lot of people have finally read and are talking about the more pokery Harrington’s new(ish) back-to-back cash game books. Supposedly they’re great — that’s what everynone’s saying. I’m starting to wonder if one of the reasons I’m doing so poorly in golf tournaments these days isn’t because I’m one of the few players who hasn’t read his Iliad on tournament play yet.
Evidently, there is a televised golf game today. I know this because the TV screen that typically shows chip counts was just showing golf. Not only that, but there was a massive crowd gathered around the screen. More people were watching golf than gathered to watch the NBA Lakers/Celtic game the other night.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, cheers erupted throughout the Amazon Room. Evidently, Tiger Woods made a putt. And though half of the crowd dissipated after the big whoop-tee-doo, many stayed behind to watch the replay of the ball inching toward the hole and sinking. One of the tournament directors even came over the loudspeaker to announce that Tiger advanced to the next round of something-or-other.
I knew golf was popular - and gaining popularity with poker players - but this was an interesting scene to watch.
Here are some pictures snapped at the WSOG, by yours truly in between rounds at the tasty complimentary buffet organizers had set up inside. Mmmm, ribs.
So the WSOG has been a really cool event … it grew this year from 60 players to 80 players, probably only 30 of whom were poker players. I hope it continues to grow to the point that poker has only a minor connection to it … because when they can get the Charles Barkleys and Michael Jordans competing in it, then I gotta think it would be a huge TVmajig. (Currently it will be airing on CBS as a time-buy, paid for primarily by Full Tilt.)
Here’s an article about the WSOG in USA Today. What I find most fascinating are the comments it has gotten — comments not by staunchly pro- or anti-poker people … but by run-o-the-mill Americans who have a slight interest in reading a not-so-prominent article about a quirky variant of golf. They give a lot of insight into the challenges that poker faces in the future (on TV and otherwise):
Part of my master plan for covering the 2008 WSOP has already gone awry …
Last year, you could make a $1,000 charitable donation for access to a VIP Players lounge across the hall from the Amazon Room. Inside was a pool table, putting green (where Phil Ivey $5,000 putts became a semi-regular occurrence) and food catered by Del Frisco’s. Oh, and free booze, too, I think. Yum. So this year, Pauly and I were gonna pony up the G. After all, we spend nearly a thousand bucks on food being at the Rio for 6+ weeks anyhow, so why not do it in a feel-good, tax-deductible way that would provide extra-comfortable seating, superior meals, and super-premium access to top players shooting the poker and non-poker shizznit … off-the-cuff but plausibly on-the-record while the rest of the media is locked down in the media kennel being fed terrible $8 hamburgers and occasional free sandwiches that lose their flavor after about Day 2.
Alas …
Informed sources tell us plans for the 2008 “V-VIP lounge” are still being finalized, but based on feedback from last year’s VIPs (those who got in before lounge access was sold out) that it wasn’t as exclusive a getaway as they had hoped for, this year the price of admission will be a $7,500 contribution to the Nevada Cancer Institute. Supposedly the whole experience will be much more high-end. Not sure yet about what that entails, but the big-dollar pros can at least be confident that it won’t include a couple of bloggers sitting with them drunk and shirtless begging for autographs.
Charles in Fort Worth writes in wanting to know how to donk off his bankroll without chasing straights and flushes:
Hi Dan,
I have an idea for a sports bet and since you are my connection to the world of gambling I thought you could give me some help on who and how to place it.
I want to place a $500 bet on Tiger Woods breaking the record for the most majors won. He currently has 13 and needs 6 more to break the record. I want to bet $500 on him breaking the record within the next 8 and 10 majors. Who could I contact to get the odds and place the bet with. Please let me know what you can find out or where I can go to make the bet. Thanks
And as always, feel free to call 888-820-8091 — or email — to let us know what you think of the show, the people on it, and our topics for expostulation. There’s even talk of an “Oops I Won too Much Money” hat for someone.
LAS VEGAS–Pauly has a great breakdown of Erick Lindgren’s $340,000 prop bet against Phil Ivey and others on the golf course. Bold not only because of the amount, but because it was against Ivey, who has done a nice job earning a reputation as quite the golf-time hustler. And Pauly himself had $2,700 riding on the outcome:
Just sitting at home doing a little blog-piddling — you know, because I’ve got a million important things to do — and I’ve got Day 4 coverage of The Colonial golf tournament on in the background. One of the ads — for tourism in Michigan — struck me as rather similar to a Full Tilt ad. Watch below and see for yourself …
Golf
Poker
Both are pretty good, no? Perhaps they were made by the same company? Either way, I gotta think one was inspired by the other — and it’s pretty cool if the golf biz (and a state intertwined with it) sees a similarity between the duffers and donkeys one might want to reach.
UPDATE: Oooh, try watching them at the same time — audio on and everything. Fun!
I spent the last few days playing in the new World Series of Golf, and did I have fun? Hell yes.
Each player buys in for $10,000. On the first hole each player antes $100. After each player hits their first shot, there is a round of no-limit betting. Each player can call raise or fold. Then, the players that did not fold hit their next shots and there is a new round of betting. Antes double every 3 holes. When someone accumulates all of the chips, they win. There are a few other minor rules, but they’re not important for this post.
Let me first start by saying that this event was a pleasant surprise at every corner. No expense was spared in the treatment of the players, the quality of the parties and food (free beer, they must have called mom), the marketing materials and the media exposure — you’ll get to see some of it next month on NBC, and more of it on the Golf Channel.
I played in a foursome on the first day and went to hole 18 before I beat out Pat Arthur from Texas. He’s one nice guy and an incredible golfer. I then played in a 3-some the next day and went to hole 19 before being eliminated. Before you see it on NBC, June 23rd and 24th, let me say it now very loudly and clearly, I AM THE BIGGEST CHOKER ON THE PLANET. There, now when you guys say it, it won’t hurt so badly.
Why will people want to watch non-pro golfers? They are betting huge sums of money and then having to perform in a sport in which they have never been under this kind of pressure. You will be surprised at how well people rise to the occasion and low they will go into the depths of failure. I experienced both. I had a couple of very important shots, and all I could think about is, “How do you play golf? Why did I eat pizza for breakfast? Wait a minute I didn’t eat pizza. I like Phoenix, it’s fun there, but dry. Dan sure is gay at times. Karridy has a sexy voice. I guess I should swing now that my thoughts are clear.†Trying to be politically correct, I am a mental short person. Funny, I think it’s more offensive that way than saying I’m a mental midget. Oh well, here comes the worst shot I’ve ever hit in my life.
My prediction is that this will be a major event every year and that the WSOG will have $10,000 checks falling out of the sky from people wanting to play in this event. It was really that cool.
Dan: So how did it in today?
Tom: Got knocked out on the 19th hole
Dan: Did you cross the bubble and school phil Ivey?
Tom: Wil talk about it on sgow
Dan: Promise i an not smirking.
Tom: Thx
Not sure how to interpret this, really, but whether he’s got another tale of a pre-bubble bust-out or wants to moan about some obscure score-sheet snafu, it should make for good radio.
And speaking of … for those who aren’t subscribing, check out the Beyond the Table jukebox on the right, as there’s a new episode up — this one mostly about poker politics, palm trees, and pot. Duuude. Multi-faceted, to be sure.
UPDATE: You can also hear Tom explain why he drove to the WSOG on the current episode. Meanwhile, Phil Ivey arrived by helicopter. (Scroll down to very bottom.)
This means that Tom has defeated the other four players in his party, becoming one of the lucky few to advance to Day Two. According the the WSOG website, thirty of the 36 players advancing (One from each of the 36 groups) will receive $10,000, making this essentially a freeroll for our fellow Pokerati “blogger.”
SCHEDULE OF PLAY DAY ONE:
36 Groups (5 players per group) capped at 180 players
One player advances from each group.
DAY TWO:
6 Groups (6 players per group)
One player advances from each group into the finals.
Thirty of the 36 players get paid $10,000 for advancing out of Day one into Day two.
DAY THREE:
1 Group (6 players)
Play for $450,000. Winner receives $250,000
A player only has to beat a maximum of 14 other players to win the event.
The World Series of Golf commences today at Primm Valley. Our very own Donkey Bomber has paid the $10,000 entry to participate in the inaugural event that is being billed as “Golf meets Texas Hold’em.” The unique structure of this tournament places an equal emphasis on Golf skills and general gambling prowess, giving a career gambler like Tom a distinct advantage over much of the field. But he won’t be the only professional poker player to hit the greens today. Reports are that Phil Ivey, Phil Gordon, and Steve Dannenmann are also representing.
The WSOG will be aired on NBC on June 23rd and 24th.
From a phone call to Tom, just before the first round:
It’s been like a whirlwind the last couple of days. Meetings, gambling, parties. It’s a tough life, I tell ya.
A new episode of (the new and improved!) Beyond the Table is up. We’re still tinkering with the technology you see on the righthand sidebar and below … so any functional usability feedback will be totally ignored because you are probably not smart and we’re tired of fucking with shit warmly received and carefully considered.
Beyond the Table - 4/11/07[display_podcast]
This week, you’ll get the clickable privilege of hearing, Tom, Karridy, and Dan enlighten you about:
Segment 1
Chris Moneymaker urinating during an interview
Covering the WSOP as a blogger / “working” the WSOP as a player
Getting stood up by Cash Poker, and other televised cardsy infomercials
World Poker Tour moves from Travel Channel to GSN.
Deal or No Deal strategy
ZeeJustin kicking simultaneous ass online by playing two tourneys at once
Criminal poker and the lack of recourse
Segment 2
Tom heading to Bellagio for the 5-star WPT Championship
Phil Ivey may be kicking poker-player butt on the golf course, but not so against everyone all the time. Just last week he was supposedly playing a rematch against NBA legend Michael Jordan (aka the Doyle Brunson of Basketball). Not sure where or who won how much this time, but just two weeks prior, the twosome were at it on a golf course in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico — according to a presumably reliable secondhand source — and Ivey lost $250,000.
One possibility is that Ivey sees golf-gambling with Jordan as a win-win … even if he loses on the links, Ivey’s having a good time with MJ while bilking him for all the knowledge, wisdom, and marketing genius that “the greatest” in a far-bigger-than-poker game might have to offer. That could be worth millions.
The other possibility, of course, is that Ivey is simply running the classic hustle on even richer guys who are more likely to pay up. (Also potentially worth millions.)
In golf … not poker. Anyone watching semi-live poker on TV is aware that the pros have been joshing [tag]Phil Ivey[/tag] about his emerging prowess on the links. The snickers usually attached to the props now make a little more sense …
Here’s a seemingly reliable thread (and well-written recount by Blair Rodman) about a recent outing he had in Las Vegas with Hendon Mobster Ram Vaswani, phenom internet kid Eric Sagstrom (aka Eric 123), and Marc Goodwin, an accomplished poker Brit. Apparently Ivey ran a classic hustle on these guys, and as the story goes, Goodwin and Sagstrom stormed off the course, stuck $450k each … while Vaswani, a fellow Full Tilter, stuck out the beating for 18 holes, even though he knew way before then that he would end up owing Phil $900k.
Supposedly Ram didn’t have the cash readily available, so he worked out some sort of payment plan. No word on whether or not he’s being charged interest.
Now the debate on the forums is whether or not Ivey “cheated” by misreporting his golf abilities before the round started … or if gambling is simply gambling and Vaswani is the only guy who honorably handled his mistake of placing a big bet without doing proper research.
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New episode of Beyond the Table is up. 
Textual conversation with Tom last night about Day 2 of the inaugural 
The 
Phil Ivey may be kicking poker-player butt on the golf course, but not so against everyone all the time. Just last week he was supposedly playing a rematch against NBA legend Michael Jordan (aka the Doyle Brunson of Basketball). Not sure where or who won how much this time, but just two weeks prior, the twosome were at it on a golf course in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico — according to a presumably reliable secondhand source — and Ivey lost $250,000. 
