Bracelet Winners go 1-2-4 in Limit Shootout

Greg Mueller becomes the fourth double bracelet winner at this year’s WSOP, taking down the $1,500 Limit Holdem Shootout, good for $194,854 as he denied Marc Naalden his second bracelet this year. The only year where more players have won more at least two bracelets was 2003 (Ivey, Juanda, Men Nguyen, Ferguson, Chan and Flack) . Millie Shiu finished in 3rd, tied for the highest placing woman in an open WSOP event this year(Ming Reslock in the $1,500 Omaha-8 and Laurence Grondin in the $2,000 NL Holdem). David Williams finished in thirdfourth..

Lunkin Looking to Make it Five in $50k HORSE

Vitaly Lunkin, winner of the first open bracelet ($40,000 NL Holdem) leads the remaining 19 players in the $50,000 HORSE event going into day 4. Three players will make zero on their investment, as they play down to the final table today starting around 2pm. Here’s how the remaining players will be seated:

(Table 58)
Seat 1: Erik Sagstrom – 1315000
Seat 2: Erik Seidel – 464000
Seat 3: Steve Billirakis – 576000
Seat 5: David Chiu – 397000
Seat 6: Mike Wattel – 779000
Seat 7: Chau Giang – 616000

(Table 60)
Seat 1: Huck Seed – 672000
Seat 2: Ray Dehkharghani – 262000
Seat 4: Brett Richey – 671000
Seat 6: Todd Brunson – 145000
Seat 7: Vitaly Lunkin – 1527000
Seat 8: Frank Kassela – 499000

(Table 62)
Seat 1: Tony G – 642000
Seat 2: David Bach – 1265000
Seat 3: John Hanson – 815000
Seat 5: Ville Wahlbeck – 842000
Seat 6: John Kabbaj – 678000
Seat 7: Freddy Deeb – 1300000
Seat 8: Gus Hansen – 801000

Durand Looking for Durability in $1,500 NL Holdem

Day 3 of the $1,500 NL Holdem starts with 30 players remaining, with Thibaut Durand (1,650,000) holding the chip lead when play resumes around 1pm PT. Owen Crowe (1,025,000), Josh Schlein (875,000), and Alex Jacob (274,000) are the most recognizable names remaining. When the final table is eventually reached, bluffmagazine.com and wsop.pkr.com will stream all the action.

Australians go 1-2 in Triple Chance

Day 1 of the $3,000 Triple Chance NL Holdem ended with 149 players remaining and it’s two Australians who hold the top spots when play resumes around 2pm today. Tim Horan is the chip leader (149,000), followed by Harris Pavlou (137,300). Notables returning on day 2 include Jeff Lisandro, Antonio Esfandiari, Shane Schleger, Nick Binger, Mike Caro, Noah Schwartz and Praz Bansi.

Prescott Gives Field Allie Can Handle in Stud 8

Day 2 of the $1,500 Stud Hi/Lo 8 or Betterevent resumes around 2pm with 146 players remaining, with Allie Prescott leading the field with 52,500 in chips. Notables returning include Jim Geary, Annie Duke, Marcel Luske, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Jon Turner, Matt Savage and Norman Chad.

Monday’s Tournaments

The 12pm $1,500 NL Holdem Donkament is already sold out, although there’s always the slim chance they’ll open a few more seats during the day. This is the seventh event of the $1,500 NL Holdem of this year’s WSOP, so it’s a “new” event, not having a winner last year. The 5pm (if it starts on time) event is the $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball event, won last year by John Phan for just over $150,000 in a field of 238. The WSOP Staff Guide projects a field of 262 entries.

Today and tomorrow will both be extremely busy with six tournaments going on at the same time, so check out www.wsop.com for live updates, and Pokerati for other stuff during the day.

Lisandro Wins Bracelet #3, Wins Stud Triple Crown

Jeff Lisandro becomes the first player to win three bracelets in one WSOP after Chris Moneymaker initiated the poker boom in 2003, takes down the $2,500 Razz event, good for $188,370. Lisandro has won all three of his bracelets in stud events in each of the three disciplines of stud (Stud high, Stud Hi/Lo and Razz). Lisandro held the chip lead at the beginning of the day and was never seriously threatened. Michael Craig finished in 2nd, good for $116,405. Other notable finishes: Kenna James (6th), Al “Sugar Bear” Barbieri (10th), Ville Wahlbeck (12th) and Nikolay Evdakov (13th).

Seniors Six-Pack

Half a dozen players remain in the $1,000 Seniors NL Holdem World Championship, led by Scott Buller with over 2 million in chips. Michael Morusty, Charles Simon, Dan DeLatorre, Michael Davis and Barry Bounds make up the remaining players.

Thang Flung From Omaha-8

The $2,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better has 70 players remaining, only 45 get paid. The unofficial chip leader is Frankie O’Dell (109,000), followed by day 1 chip leader Josh Schlien (85,000), Pat Poels (71,500), Marsha Waggoner (54,000), Mike Matusow (38,000), and Max Pescatori (28,000) among the familiar faces. Thang Luu unfortunately was eliminated before the dinner break earlier today.

Brummelhuis Bringing It in Pot-Limit

The $10,000 Pot-Limit Holdem World Championship is down to 35 players, only 27 get to cash with day 1 chip leader Michiel Brummelhuis remaining chip leader (570,000). Isaac Haxton (450,000), Eric Baldwin (430,000), Darryll Fish (310,000), Vanessa Rousso (280,000), Sam Simon (173,000), and Eugene Todd (165,000) are among the remaining.

Mixed Holdem Brings Mixed Blessings

The $2,500 Mixed Holdem event drew a field of 527 players, of which just 184 remain. The unofficial chip leader is David Baker (unknown if that’s the one from Michigan or Texas) at 73,000. Eli Elezra (51,000), Marc Naalden (46,000) and Jean-Robert Bellande (42,000) are some well known folks with chips.

More updates during the evening over at www.wsop.com and Pokerati for more Lisandro stuff and other commentary about all things WSOP.

de Wolfe wins de Triple Crown

Roland de Wolfe became the second player (after Gavin Griffin) to win poker’s Triple Crown (Winning a WSOP bracelet, WPT main event and EPT main event) with his triumph in the $5,000 PLO 8 or Better event, defeating Brett Richey in heads-up play. Dual Omaha bracelet winner Scott Clemens finished in 3rd.

Obligatory Limit Holdem Winner Mention

Sweden’sTomas Alenius defeated Jason Tam heads-up in the $1,500 Limit Holdem event. Day 3 chip leader Al “Sugar Bear” Barbieri finished 3rd. Fortunately for the WSOP staff, they have Sweden’s national anthem already downloaded.

Heads-Up Down to Sweet 16

Round 5 of the $10,000 NL Holdem Heads Up World Championship is down to its final 16 competitors, with one more round of play before the winners return on Monday. Among the survivors: Jason Mercier, Mike Caro, Leo Wolpert, Roberto Romanello, Bryan Pellegrino, Yevgeniy Timoshenko, Dustin “Neverwin” Woolf, Johnny Chan and WSOP runner-up in 2008, Alec Torelli.

$2,500 PLO Debut a Success

A larger than expected field of 436 started the $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha event, with 153 returning after the dinner break. The unofficial chip leader is Jesse Rios, with another four levels of play to finish the day.

Late Night HORSE

The $1,500 HORSE event started about three hours ago and a field of 770 left the starting gate. No established chip leaders at this time, but they have eight levels of play to leader going into the first turn. Check out www.wsop.com and give Pokerati a visit during the rest of your Sunday evening/early Monday morning.

More here (Charleston.net) and here (Up for Poker).

This is exactly how California became California, poker-wise — it took arguments about skill in the courts to pave the way for all the great poker there. I don’t know the details of the cases, but Mike Caro was one of the guys who testified, bringing charts and graphs to show statistics of specific games — hold’em, Stud, and 5-card Draw, I believe.

Meanwhile, also going on last week and drawing lots of non-poker attention (Lexington Herald-Leader, Business Week, Physorg.com) … a Kentucky Court of Appeals will attempt to begin to start to decide: Does a single US state have the right to venture across its own borders to seize internet domains of businesses based in Costa Rica and run out of a protected Indian nation in Canada … and who will get to hold onto these domains while the courts figure it all out. The court will supposedly be making its decision in January, and judicial facial tells suggest poker is leading in this court 2-1.

You know, the evidence thing has me thinking … one of the hardest things for Kentucky to prove in their case will be that online gambling does actually hurt regulated Kentucky gambling interests. You don’t have to look much further than the WSOP to present actual numbers refuting this claim. So what evidence will Gov. Beshear and the state be able to present — they have the burden of proof, after all — that suggests the opposite? I don’t think it exists, at least nothing stronger than what the poker side could present.

• There will be no tent. (The audience applauded.)
• A concierge, possibly a team of people, will be available for those with questions throughout the series.
• There will be no more than 55 events.
• The exact list of events will be announced in December or January.
• He is in the process of trying to arrange a way for players to begin buying into the events at any Harrah’s property as soon as the events are announced.
• Since 2009 will be the 40th anniversary of the WSOP, 2008 will host some events to kick off a year of tributes and celebrations.
• New WSOP ads will air soon that feature the voice of Don Cheadle.
• Close to $1 million was raised for various charities at the 2007 WSOP. There will be affiliations with charities again in 2008, including Ante Up for Africa.

Mr. Pollack went on to say that they meet with members of the player’s council almost weekly in order to make the 2008 better than in years past. He admitted, “We are never going to get it exactly right,” but they will continue to do the best they can.

The remainder of the conference was filled with some solid poker advice from George Epstein, Lou Krieger, and Tony Guerrera – each of whom brought some quality insight to the attendees. Barbara Enright and Charlie Shoten discussed their history with poker, some experiences, and what keeps them going.

Robert Turner talked a bit about protection from collusion and cheating in online poker. While many of the tips were not specific, other than play low limits and inquire about the site’s ownership and security measures, he did emphasize the need for regulation in the industry. (When Mike Caro joined the conversation, he mentioned that he is sponsored by Doyle’s Room, the site that just came back to the U.S. Someone in the audience asked Mike, “Who exactly owns Doyle’s Room?” Mike seemed a little taken aback and responded, “Ummm, it’s Doyle, right?” Hmmm. Point made.)

Jeff Sandman and Michael Waxman flew in from D.C. to talk to everyone about the Safe & Secure Internet Gambling Initiative. The organization is currently lobbying Congress, alongside the PPA, to educate Congress about the regulation needed in the industry and the reasons to back away from prohibition-type legislation. For those who can spare a few minutes to help in the poker fight, their website has helpful information and can connect you directly to your Congressional rep.

Some key ideas from the day’s speakers:

• “If your only goal is to win pots, you can play and bet every hand, win some of them, and become the world champion of winning pots. But if your object is to make the right decisions, you can be a champion poker player.” – Mike Caro
• George Epstein gives speeches and poker lessons to seniors to sharpen their minds, leading to better overall health and quality of life.
• Lou Krieger gave top-notch poker tips. There’s a reason he has authored 11 poker books.
• Stan Sludikoff, long-time publisher of Poker Player Newspaper, has been speaking to Lyle Berman about a poker television channel. Plans are still being formulated but he insists that it will happen.
• Marsha Waggoner gave the best quote from Vince Lombardi: “Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser.”
• Russell Fox is an expert on taxes as they relate to poker players – amateurs and professionals. He knows his laws and seems to be the tax pro to the poker biz.
• John Pappas is extremely dedicated to the PPA. As Executive Director for only a few months, he has recruited numerous members of Congress to sponsor pro-poker legislation. And he bought me lunch.

Mike Caro was the keynote speaker and introduced each guest throughout the day. The most interesting thing was that during his wife’s initial welcome words, Mike went around the entire room to quietly meet and shake hands with each and every person at the conference. Quite the nice touch. And he has quite the dry but keen sense of humor.

George Epstein, an 81-year old poker enthusiast, provided some interesting anecdotes about poker. The guy actually gives speeches to groups of senior citizens and teaches them poker because he believes it stimulates the mind, helps memory, and leads to healthier living. A meeting with a group of early Alzheimer patients is next on his agenda. He also discussed a very interesting 1870 court case in which the members of the jury were deciding if card games were skill-based or gambling, so the evenly-divided members of the jury were ordered to play cards by the judge. The members who believed card games were skill-based took so much money from the deacons on the other side that the judge ruled it was a game of skill.

Lou Krieger and Susie Isaacs perhaps gave the best actual poker tips and advice. With so much experience behind each of them, they were able to break down some important and oft-neglected points. Vince Burgio talked about the life of a poker pro, and Marsha Waggoner’s speech centered around staying positive and focusing on winning. And Robert Turner kept the post-lunch crowd interested with some tournament game selection advice.

Stan Sludikoff not only discussed the TV poker channel that he is in the process of developing, along with the help of Lyle Berman, but he also mentioned that Poker Player Newspaper will celebrate its 25th anniversary this November. All archived issues of the publication, going back to its first issues, will be available online soon. In addition, there is a new poker website coming soon – Poker Player Newspaper will market it – that involves no rake. Lots of good ideas coming from one of poker old-timers.

Russell Fox seems to be the resident tax expert to numerous poker players, and he certainly knows of what he speaks. Here are only a few of the interesting facts he doled out:
1. Amateur players can only deduct expenses that are absolutely necessary to their play, such as bank fees to make a bank withdrawal at a casino ATM. Very few other expenses are allowed.
2. Professional poker players can deduct anything necessary and ordinary – very inclusive of many daily expenses.
3. Online poker players must keep records, but a detailed Excel spreadsheet is acceptable.
4. Live poker players must keep handwritten records of each and every minute of play.
5. Keep tax records and receipts for six years.

John Pappas has quite a bit of experience in politics, and his passion for it – along with a passion for the poker cause – shows in only the first few minutes of conversation with him. He is very excited about the first Washington D.C. Fly-In that takes place this week. Members of the PPA who attend will be taught the finer points of lobbying by Pappas and Alfonse D’Amato, and meetings are already scheduled for attendees to meet with members of Congress. The PPA is also preparing to launch a voter registration campaign in 2008.

Day 2 will feature Jeffrey Pollack talking about the 2008 WSOP, Jeff Sandman explaining the Safe & Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, and numerous pros giving poker tips and hosting several discussion panels.

Poker at its Renaissance

The game became a worldwide obsession virtually overnight. Now what will become of the game?

By Dan Michalski — published in All In Magazine, premiere issue, June/July 2004

The future of poker arrived in 1984—when legendary Vegas gambler Bob Stupak faced off against Orac, a poker-playing Apple II computer. It was heads-up no-limit Hold ’Em for $500,000, in a showdown that would later air on ABC’s Ripley’s Believe it or Not. At one point in this first-ever televised poker game, Orac had flopped a set, and Stupak, looking at top two pair, was raising into the stone-faced machine.

As he was programmed to do, Orac put Stupak all-in. Stupak called, and that’s when the computer crashed.

“It just froze,” recalls Mike Caro, “the mad genius of poker” who created Orac. According to the rules for this unusual match-up, even though the cards had already been turned over, the hand had to be replayed. Stupak would get a better deal after the machine re-booted and would go on to claim victory for humankind.

“I suspect—I probably shouldn’t say this, but I do—I’ve always wondered about what happened there, in what manner Stupak really won,” says Caro laughing. “I’ve always thought someone might have pulled a plug somewhere.”

Caro’s whole intent with the exhibition was to show that poker was a game worthy of serious analysis, like chess or bridge. The cards were bar-coded so Orac could read them, and as a result, the television audience was able to watch the game knowing what the players were holding or folding. Additionally, with this information, Caro was able to show on-screen statistics and probabilities, so viewers could better understand what was at stake with each play.

Now, 20 years later—thanks in no small part to a confluence of computers, television, and big-money Texas hold ’em—poker is suddenly huge. Five different networks now carry the game on TV, with more poker shows in the making. Casinos across the country have been expanding their poker rooms, and at this year’s World Series of Poker, the tournament director had to truck in 100 extra tables to accommodate a record number of buy-ins. Online (a concept hardly conceived when Orac was the only machine that knew how to play) poker rooms seem to be opening up by the dozen, with real-money players signing up by the tens of thousands.

Beyond numbers and dollars, poker has become part of the cultural landscape and public vernacular, too. Tim Russert, hosting a political debate on Meet the Press, recently described a presidential election strategy as “drawing for an inside straight” (the Dems needed Ohio to win the Rust Belt), and People magazine dispatched a reporter to Tunica, Mississippi, this year to find out how Ben Affleck was coming along on his chip tricks. (He’s struggling.) Surely it’s only a matter of time before the Oxford English Dictionary adds new definitions for words like “turn,” “river,” and “flopped the holy nuts.”

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“You better hope he wins,” said Eric Seidel to Mike Matusow. “If Moneymaker can pull this off, it’s going to be worth at least $5 million to you and me over the next two years.”

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But is poker’s unprecedented growth sustainable? That’s hard to say. What is certain is that there’s more money in the game now than ever before, and a new generation of young poker stars with Hollywood appeal. Meanwhile, the old pros like Caro—along with Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, various Binions, Mike Sexton, and others who spent the past couple decades trying to grow the game into an industry—say poker is just beginning to blossom. Believe it … or not.

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The man who may not get enough credit for poker’s rise to prominence is Saddam Hussein. About a year ago, if you recall, the Pentagon issued a deck of “Iraq’s Most Wanted” cards so soldiers on the ground would know exactly whom they were chasing.

The cards caught on with the media and the public, and though it would be some time before we snagged the Ace of Spades himself, every capture led to news reports of getting “the ten of diamonds” or maybe “the two of clubs.” Fun. Thanks to war coverage, the TV-watching masses were now being schooled in the basics of Texas Hold ’Em. A pair of fives were nice to have in custody; a couple face cards even better; and oh the joy of being dealt bullets when American troops shot and killed Saddam’s two sons!

At the same time, viewers seeking an escape from all the shock and awe found themselves stumbling across a new show on the Travel Channel called the World Poker Tour. Hmm, interesting. Then ESPN aired its “miniseries” on the WSOP and saw ratings increase steadily with each episode (and continue to do so with reruns). These were uncertain times. The world was at war, the economy was in the crapper, and here was a motley crew of people competing for millions of dollars in a surprisingly exciting card game that seemed simple enough to learn. Historians will someday say that the world was just waiting for a Chris Moneymaker to come along and renew our faith in the human spirit, not to mention the American dream of turning $40 into $2.5 million and a shiny bracelet.

On the last day of the 2003 WSOP main event, a handful of eliminated pros gathered around the final table to watch the action. Moneymaker—the Tennessee accountant who had never before played a live tournament—had amassed a sizable chip lead when Mike Matusow turned to fellow professional Eric Siedel and said, “I can’t believe another donkey is going to win the World Series of Poker.”

“You better hope he wins,” Seidel responded. “If Moneymaker can pull this off, it’s going to be worth at least $5 million to you and me over the next two years.”

“Are you crazy?” Matusow said, dismissively.

But indeed, the influx of new players brought into the game by Moneymaker’s victory has been good not just for poker itself, but specifically top pros. Many have been enjoying a virtual feeding frenzy thanks to the belief that, truly, “anyone can win.” Phil Ivey, for example says he can now earn $200,000 a week in side games, perhaps $1 million during this year’s World Series. Wow. That’s almost Michael Jordan kinda money. No wonder Donald Trump has taken note.

While the WSOP and the WPT had been negotiating to expand poker programming, Trump also wanted in on the action. In late April he inked a five-year deal with ESPN to broadcast Trump’s U.S. Poker Championship. While there’s no word on whether or not Phil Helmuth will re-market himself as the Omarosa of Poker, the deal made it official that poker will stay in the public eye for at least a little while longer. A few weeks later, the WPT came to terms with the Travel Channel—also a five-year deal.

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In addition to the storybook name, Moneymaker represents an altogether new breed of poker player—one reared in cyberspace and possibly holding down a day job. He legitimized online poker, and online poker made the game accessible to just about anyone. Suddenly, a psychological contest that often relied on one player’s being able to stare down another in an attempt to see not just his cards but also his soul was reduced to a series of clicks among avatars.

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Where else can you find people from all walks of life, from nations all across the world, 24 hours a day, sitting down together to enjoy a game? Nowhere—except in an online poker room.

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Perhaps surprisingly, however, instead of destroying poker, this simply added a new dimension to the game. A whole new set of tells came into play, as well as software that records all the action it sees on a table. The statistical analysis it provides—at your fingertips and custom-tailored to your game—has proven a help for players looking to plug leaks. And because you can also keep tabs on your opponents, now, instead of having to remember what someone did in a certain situation previously, all it takes is a few button clicks to see that likelihood that he’s going to check-raise from early position.

Online poker is definitely a real factor now. Not only do internet sites sponsor big tournaments, but online players are proving to be quite sophisticated with their play and capable of holding their own in live action. At the WPT finals this year, seven of the top 50 finishers earned their way into the tournament by playing satellites on PartyPoker.com. But online poker is more than a bunch of aspiring Moneymakers playing Tetris for dollars … In fact, it’s a revolutionary event in the history of civilization.

Think about it: Where else can you find people from all walks of life, from nations all across the world, 24 hours a day, sitting down together to enjoy a game? Nowhere—except in an online poker room. You see where this is headed, right? When the world is your multitable, global peace can’t be too far away. Obviously.

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OK, so perhaps some people are overestimating poker’s reach. Pocket queens look good, after all, until an Ace or a King shows up on the flop. But the bottom line is that new players are flocking to casinos; poker books have become a constant on Amazon.com bestseller lists, and home games have turned into weekly rituals fueling an economy of casino-quality chips, tables, and sundry poker doo-dads. (Ask yourself … did you ever think you’d know so many people who own dealer buttons and cut cards?) While some contend this is all just a fad that will go the way of day trading and cigar bars, others believe poker will only continue to build on itself.

“In five years it will be like Wimbledon,” says former World Series champion Scotty Nguyen. “In the future poker getting so big, bigger than Wimbledon tennis, bigger than golf, you know, bigger than everything! You know, man, just like NBA. You know, Super Bowl. Every World Series going to be like Super Bowl. Millions are going to watch.”
While Nguyen might not realize that the Super Bowl is actually viewed by billions, seeing poker as a “sport” (hey, it gets your heart pumping) may not be such a stretch. ESPN has already increased its WSOP coverage this year from seven episodes to 22, and major networks have been looking into adding poker to their programming line-ups.

Might we see live poker telecasts someday? It’s certainly plausible. Professional golf proves that with enough cameras and an active control room, you can take a 4-day event with minimal actual action, mix in some player profiles, statistics, whispery analysis, and the occasional out-of-nowhere Cinderella story, and you’ve got compelling television drama week after week, year after year. Considering that more people play poker than golf, poker certainly has the potential to follow in the footsteps of the PGA.

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But golf had one thing going for it that poker doesn’t—and that’s that it’s legal everywhere. … For poker to continue to grow, some battles off the felt may have to take place in legislative and judicial arenas.

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But golf had one thing going for it that poker doesn’t—and that’s that it’s legal everywhere. Poker, however, has its roots in the underground, and is still illegal to play (even around a kitchen table or online) in several states. From its earliest years to today, many pros cut their teeth in the legally questionable back rooms, storefronts, and basements that make up poker’s minor leagues. While these semi-secret games used to be reserved for serious, high-stakes players only, poker’s increased popularity has new low-limit underground games and tournaments sprouting up across the country.

In Texas, where hold ’em originated and had long been tacitly tolerated, police have started cracking down—raiding poker rooms, arresting the operators, and ticketing players. It’s a reminder that for poker to continue to grow, some battles off the felt may have to take place in legislative and judicial arenas. Three cases are currently pending in Texas courts against poker clubs that could challenge the state’s interpretation of certain gambling laws.

But creating legal poker has been part of the game all along. It was poker players, after all, who brought charity tournaments to Florida in the 1980s, and fought the court battles that opened legal poker rooms in California in the 1990s. The statistics you see on the television screen today were part of that successful effort.

“We had to explain how poker works,” says Mike Caro, who testified as an expert witness in the California cases. “I brought in all my statistical tables and analysis to show them [7-Stud and Hold ’Em] were not games of luck, but games of skill.”

Though it took a few appeals and many years of legal grinding, in the end poker won. Interestingly enough, as poker caught on in Southern California, entries into the WSOP also began to rise, and payouts began to exceed a million dollars. Shortly thereafter, TV started to pay attention.

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This past March, Caro traveled to Doyle Brunson’s house in Las Vegas, where they spent three weeks working on a forthcoming update of the 1978 poker-strategy classic Super System. The two were sitting around a table in Brunson’s office editing the chapter on no-limit Hold ’Em when, after reading about halfway through his decades-old manuscript, Brunson looked up at Caro and in his deep Texas accent said, “You know, this is still pretty damn good.”

For as much as the world of poker has changed, the game has stayed fundamentally the same. And to that extent, it has shown real staying power. The inclusion of chapters by Daniel Negreanu and Jennifer Harman in the new Super System suggest that poker has been happily passed to a new generation of players.

Back when Super System was conceived, there was a lot of hesitation about giving away the magician’s secrets. But Brunson and his gang ultimately decided that whatever improved the game would help grow it, and whatever grew the game would only make it better for people who understood the game. They couldn’t have been more right. The original book took a long time to finish, however—if only because every time all the authors would get together to work on it, someone would invariably suggest they take a break to go play poker.

But this time was different. “I kept thinking we would put the book down at least for a little while to play some poker,” says Caro, “but Doyle would have none of it.”

For all poker had become, there was still work to be done. And Brunson could rest assured that the game would still be there when they were finished.

Dan Michalski is a Dallas-based journalist who has written for the New York Times, Texas Monthly, Men’s Health, Maxim, and others. He runs the poker blog Pokerati.com and has a friend whose two-and-a-half-year-old daughter likes to watch the World Poker Tour and can do a dead-on impression of Howard Lederer.