[Actually I started writing this post last night, and somewhere along the way fell asleep ... I know, funny ... but I swear that's not a review of the episode. It was a lovely serenade, and gave me funky dreams about playing pot-limit Omaha in Budapest until the turtle came in and put a stop to my check-raise with just a pair of gypsies ...]

Keep Flopping Aces, Lou Krieger’s show on Rounders Radio. Pauly’s his guest - recorded live - as the two geomap everything going on in the poker world today in perspective with its decades-long past.

Click here to listen/download.

And Lou Kreiger’s blog here.

photo: Jen Browning

Shame on me. On August 5, I was wishing the best to my good friends at PartyPoker, who turned 7 years old last week. But I forgot about Pauly – a presumably better friend and fellow blogger and my personal podcast partner and guy whom I speak with regularly and read sometimes as much — whose poker blog, Tao of Poker, celebrated its 5th birthday on that very same day.

(Yeow Yao, sorry dude, I’m not too good with birthdays unless MySpace reminders are involved.) But yo, happy B-day, man … and thanks for all the weed inspiration, ass-kickings, and entertainment you’ve provided all these years.

While I don’t think any of the poker-blogging “old dogs” ever thought when they started that they’d still be around after five — we gotta still be in single digits for the electronic scribes in this niche who have reached that milestone — I’m sure now his fear is that he will still be around when Tao turns 15.

UPDATE: Also happy birthdays to Jennicide (Aug. 10) and Marco Traniello (Aug. 14).

Was just going through some old, buried emails, and I came across one dated May 13, 2008, that I sent myself to remind me of all the good, unique-content posts I had building up that needed to get written before the WSOP. Obviously most of them didn’t make it … and while the time of relevance has passed for some, others still might make for good reads, and maybe someday I’ll have lots of free time and get around to crafting/completing thoughtful narratives. As for the rest, I figure their patent-time has expired, so here they are for anyone else to run with if you’re looking for fresh stories to explore. As for now, I really just wanna be able to delete the email.

[Note: Links and strikethroughs are contemporary add-ons, not part of the original email.]

• What’s Going on with the Poker Bowl?
• Will the WPT see 2009?
• Is High Stakes Poker in Trouble? (They haven’t filmed yet this year)
• My time at the table with a colluder-turned-killer (now in jail)
• Rock, Paper, Kenna: Roshambo with Kenna James
• Tiffany Michelle’s Inner Stripper
• Poker Politics out the Ying Yang
• Dance AJ Dance! (AJ Benza on Celebrity Fit Club)
• Chris Ferguson’s Tip for the Heads-Up Championship
• The Arizona Judge challenging the system with a legally questionable card room
• World Series of Beer Pong
• All sorts of readers writing in with questions about poker lawyers
• Multiple restaurant reviews
• Various social party things attached to playing poker afterwards
• Skill-based slot machines
• Etiquette: Why It’s Bad to Slowroll
• How My Friend Created a Law in Texas that Challenged the Amateur Tournament i created (Lodge tourney becomes $0+5 with state taking the rake - I call my friend out for doing sloppy work, and the courts agree by declaring his law unconstitutional)
• Pauly vs. Pauly (dumb kid’s comic strip “Poker Pauly)

Yeow, if someone actually wrote about all that stuff, it would probably make for a pretty good blog, no?

23 players left, returning to 50/100/10k level

Eliminations:
Aaron Gordon - 24th
Niklas Flisberg - 25th
Phi Nguyen - 26th
Michael Carroll 27th

Chip leader - Dennis Phillips - 14.4m
Tiffany Michelle - 5.1m (still sporting UB gear, athough Pauly says a deal with PokerStars had been made, then spurned)

According to Dr. Pauly, Phil Hellmuth was not allowed to flaunt his massive UB logo for the television cameras while seated at the ESPN feature table. The powers-that-be put duct tape all over the big round UB symbol on the front of Hellmuth’s jersey. No special treatment for the Brat today.

Wonder if the duct tape, along with his one-orbit penalty for berating another player at the end of play last night, will affect his play today. He only had 721K coming into Day 6, and if he doesn’t keep himself from Phil-tilt, he could lose it all.

UPDATE: No penalty for Hellmuth. Evidently, it was overruled! According to PokerNews, WSOP Commissioner said, “The penalty has been overturned, and we will be issuing a formal statement shortly.”

I meet up with Pauly in the Amazon Room, observing the end of Day 1A, where we speculate on on the over/under for the overall main event field size and the price of my watch. Otis then jumps in with tales of being forcibly removed from the tournament area by a mocking floorman amid fears of over-soiled chips and accusations of semi-murder at the tables.

Episode 20: Surviving Day 1A (feat. Otis)

Poker pros, poker media, WSOP execs, agents, and interns convened a couple days ago at the Sapphire Club for the Bluff Magazine party — a delightfully rancorous fête celebrating the end of regular WSOP season and kicking off the main event playoffs … and of course, Tao of Pokerati was there. In this episode, Pauly gets a lapdance, I miss my days in the strip-club biz, and Otis tries to arrange a $1,000 beer pong game with Doyle Brunson. All in all, the poker field trip to the industry’s favorite Vegas titty bar leads to lower-midstakes ballin’ at its most pathetic finest.

Episode 19: Topless Beer Pong (feat. Otis)

We’ve got a new poll up on the right — go ahead and start your ballot-stuffing as we try speculate wildly on who is most likely to win the WSOP main event. Should be fun, albeit different than our last one, which was actually useful.

For the past week we’ve been unscientifically asking Pokerati readers which site — other than Pokerati, of course — was most essential to their understanding of the summertime poker fun that gives them so much jolly. You can see the complete results here. Nearly 200 of you went through the effort of actually clicking an extra button, and to that extent, amongst the geekiest most intelligent of poker geeks, the sites that matter most, in order of their finish:

Tao of Poker
Pauly’s whole purpose in life is to make me look bad, and hey, it seems to be a worthy pursuit. He wins this poll by a landslide.

Hold’em Radio
I’m scratching my head, too, as I haven’t really seen the folks based at Binion’s paying much attention to the WSOP, but hey, they apparently know how to motivate a portion of the “pirate” web community to outvote PokerRoad, so we’ll give them the props.

PokerNews
They paid a hefty price for the privilege of hiring bloggers to slave away write up hands and keep official chip counts, and it’s clearly worth something to people who care about big-tourney action.

More…

Not that we need to do extra pimping for Pauly here on Pokerati, but really, this $50k HORSE event is the one tournament that he theoretically could be providing better up-to-the-hour coverage than PokerNews. The event itself is exciting, of course, and it’s happening right below the press-box, so he can keep an eye on it without being on the floor. Now mix in the fact that there really aren’t that many tables … and presto, you’ve got something a single dude who has been preparing for this one event for months can cover old school — like it’s 2005 — with the skills and wisdom gained from three years of covering tourneys around the world. I mean he can’t keep up with the chip-for-chip hand stuff — and really, how pathetic are any the tens of thousands of you who really care about the finer details of an 8-or-better hand that may or may not be reported in full anyhow — but what Pauly can do that the frontline reporters can’t is see the poker forest through the $50,000 trees. Being hopped up on pharmies while observing from his slightly elevated press-box perch can lead to some interesting perspective(s) … add three weeks worth of repressed violence yet unleashed on fellow WSOPers, a general disregard for the opinions of anyone who doesn’t read his shit, and a little inspirational spark from the recent arrival of Otis, and I think and you’ve got a winner. My best move yet was hooking him up with a piece of the Donkey Bomber, because now , with all my hopes and dreams invested in 1 percent of Tom, I’ve guaranteed my ability to follow my horse in the HORSE start to finish. Seriously, with the hours the dude puts in, he must be on something …

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be following more detailed chip updates here and maybe even on PokerNews where I can chime in on their nifty Shoutbox. Heck, I might even pop in on the action myself on occasion … and California Jen can’t help but give you a few updates and a little extra insight while doing her real WSOP work … but in the interim, just thought Pokerati readers should know that even when sitting right next to Pauly I’ll probably be looking over his shoulder to see what’s really going on.

Dan and Pauly discuss getting over the WSOP hump, and what kind of pressures build on players, backers, media, and just about anyone else who camps out for the duration — providing a glimpse of what weekend WSOP warriors may be stepping into when they fly in for a $1,500 “Donkament”. (Hi Karridy!)

And a special bonus track this week, with Tao of Pokerati’s favorite Angry Frenchman expounding on the caliber of competition in the 1500s while educating Dan and Pauly on life and language at the non-English-only tables.

Episode 12: Going Halfsies

Episode 12.5: Le Donk (feat. Benjo)

I swear this isn’t some sort of tribute to Pauly just because his heart recently skipped a few beats and his head may or may not be more messed than usual … his car accident just reminded me: Oh shit! I forgot to post the next podcast … um, I mean are you OK? Need anything? OK … yes, so WSOP … post podcast.

This time Dr.P and I take a leisurely stroll through the Amazon room while discussing bad t-shirts, sunglass technology, and the relationship between Milwaukee’s Best Light, the WSOP, college kids, and Annette_15.

Episode 11: Floorplay

A couple of things to strongly suggest today:

Tao of Poker - Should be on your required reading list daily. Check out the most recent post called “WSOP Day 18: Never Trust a Junkie” dated June 17th. Dr. Pauly’s insights are unique and thought-provoking, to put it mildly.

Wicked Chops Poker - Another that should be checked daily. Today it is the post about the 60 Minutes interviews that took place here at the Rio this morning. The guys also provide a daily dose of chicks, gingers, poker news, and more chicks.

Today Pauly and I wax poetic with an Ode to NL 2-7 Lowball Single-draw with Rebuys. In doing so, we touch on small big-money fields and what makes for good poker television.

Episode 6: Lowballin’

Shouts out to our loyal, super-longtime listeners, and welcome any new ones. We’re putting these podcitos together in the secret WSOP basement, and if you need to find your favorites to listen to again and again (without the nuisance of all those words and pictures here and on Pauly’s site) you can now bookmark the Tao of Pokerati WSOP podcast archives.

Dear Dan,

This is your 5th WSOP. You should know better than to leave the dashboard to your entire Pokerati empire left alone so that known drug fiends can have access to your entire site and template.

You are lucky that I don’t erase everything!! And hyper link your blog roll to gay porn.

Fuckin’ rookie.

Yours truly,
Dr. Pauly

Dan and Pauly head to the Hooker Bar to talk about finding one’s comfort zone at the WSOP.

Episode 5: Long Road

I know lots of you have heard about the game we like to play here in Vegas called “Hooker or Ho?” Really, in this town it’s not always so easy to tell — and in fact, it’s probably the only place where you won’t get insta-slapped for asking a “normal” girl if she’s a prostitute.

Anyhow, there’s a gender-reversed version the ladies can play called “Gay or French?” Keep that in mind as you listen to Benjo the Angry Frenchman and Pauly question my sexuality and/or my WSOP fashion sense.

Episode 2.5: Poker Couture

UPDATE: Leigh in Vegas sends along a pic that provides proof of my ancestry, which is indeed about 1/8th French. Just please don’t tell anybody, OK?

In today’s episode, Dr. Pauly and I witness a well-known poker author/pro checking out some hot dealer ass, as Dan struggles to come to grips with his inner Sklansky.

Episode 2: Dirty Sklanchez

If you haven’t jumped on the Tao of Pokerati train yet, whazzup? It’s been up for a few hours now. Get on before it’s not hip anymore.

In order to promote the mini-podcast, here is a promo photo for your viewing pleasure. This is also what it looks like from behind our press perch in the Amazon Room. Welcome to my world.

One can only give up podcasting for so long … there’s something about semi-intelligent banter kinda-sorta about poker set to mono.

So please, enjoy the first episode of Tao of Pokerati … featuring Pauly of WSOP poker blogging fame, and yours truly … sharing the insight, wisdom and general frogginess of a Beyond the Table expat.

Episode 1: Game On!

By the way, so far at the WSOP, three separate people have approached me saying, “Are you Pauly?” Each time I’ve chuckled and laughed, because they weren’t even looking at my bald spot for the mistaken identity. Anyhow, shout out to Jenzilla, who was kind enough to deliver my new radio cohost pens.

Good morning. I hope you are having a wonderful day. I am here at the WSOP in the post-wee hours … pretty much just to show up Pauly. And to that extent, I’m gonna bounce around the room a bit, saving and posting as I go along …

Speaking of … funny coincidence. As I was writing this, I had my iTunes on random, and this dueling-recorders interview between me and Pauly in 2005 just happened to come up. Good stuff-ish:

Stupid interviewing

OK, so anyhow, yes … the early hours at the WSOP … things never stop here in the Amazon room, but they do slow down dramatically — no tourneys going on, just five tables of cash action, ranging from a 2/5 NL game where the tired players are mostly just trading chips for the benefit of the rake … to a $25 7-stud game where stacks are in the thousands.

As much as I generally don’t like mornings, the pace here during this time is much more my speed.

The media room at this time:

dscf1162

While just about every change at the WSOP this year has been an “improvement,” one terrible thing — no more free coffee for the media 24/7. Making matters more difficult pre-poker times: the kitchen is closed.

The added bathrooms for the WSOP are a reminder of poker’s trailer-park roots (and its outhouse present).

But poker players expect certain niceties, so where else but the WSOP can you expect to see a port-a-pot with hardwood floors?

UPDATE: The slow period must be over … a sixth table just opened up in the cash area — it’s either a 2/5 or 5/10 game. That’s kinda funny, btw, to think how slow five tables is here — and yet how thrilled any poker room I know would be to be spreading 5 tables of NL (ranging from 2/5 to 10/20), some Omaha, and a big game of 7-stud hi/lo?

Some leftover pics from Day 1, taken by Jen, of and from the press box …

The author of “Oops! I Won Too Much Money!” (wearing a Pokerati jersey in this picture, whether you realize it or not) lording over the poker media with a thoughtful eye.

Pauly says:

Eat the rich. Or at least smell them.

Shortly before the break, Minh Ly walked past the press box …

Minh Ly (to the four of us up here): Hao ma.
Gary Wise: Blah blah blah, Ming?
Minh (still walking): Popa wow me wa.
Gary: Hep now hoo check?
Minh (shrugs): [unintelligible]
Dan (mocking): Moo wa fo ti.
Minh (almost out the door): Ya.
Gary: Did you guys understand any of that?
Pauly: Yeah, he said pocket queens beat by 3-7 offsuit.
Dan and Gary: Really?
Pauly: Really.

Dan made the wise decision to let me start posting here during the WSOP. Since I’ll be nowhere near the real action (being from Syracuse, NY), I’ll do my best to give my views on the action from time to time while the rest of the Pokerati crew will be busy doing all the good stuff at the WSOP that makes this poker enthusiast wish to be there himself. Today’s the calm before the storm as a field of ~300 should take part in today’s $10,000 Pot Limit Holdem “World Championship”.

A few questions pre-WSOP:
More…

Hey Jen, check it out … Pauly has some interesting thoughts on the matter: [via Wicked Chops daily email]

If you play online poker (especially if you are one of the blind fools still playing on UB), it’s in everyone’s best interest to spread the word on this important thread…

Superusers and Silence: How UltimateBet let players get cheated for millions by Steven Ware & Cornell Fiji (2+2)

One of the more interesting things to me, however, is a comment from Change100:

Funny, how on the day you post about the UB cheating scandal, Card Player.com is running these two headlines:

“Absolute Poker Offering Up to 100% Reload Bonus”

and

“Ultimate Bet RAI$E Program Gives Money for Points”

Duly noted. And that, dear readers, is something to keep in mind as you follow the WSOP on the internet this summer. We know your company internet time is limited, after all … and though we “professional” bloggers don’t have nearly the resources of the big-boy poker media, you can probably trust us more not to greedily lead you astray.

Though we make our livings, too, covering poker, it was only a few years ago that we made virtually no money whatsoever … we did it just for funsies and booze/tax deductions … and because of these faint but not-too-distant memories, it’s a little easier for the independent bloggers out here to be semi-principled and give you coverage not driven by the pursuit of potentially dirty cash. Drugs and hookers notwithstanding, of course.

Bluffing hasn’t gone well for me lately … just curious if anyone would believe me if I told them I lost a big shirts vs. skins prop bet to Pauly:

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.