Kevin Mathers, the venerable 2+2 moderator and longtime blogger-editor at Pokerati, will not be posting here for the foreseeable future.
No joke … he has been relieved indefinitely from Pokerati blogging duties. Technically, we had to “let him go”. Sucks, but we just couldn’t afford the increasingly valuable services of the hottest independent info-tweeter in poker. Here is a copy of his termination papers:
Kevin, I saw your interview on TWIP. Good job. I also just read Can you send me relevant threads from 2+2?
Hey, so, you are fired. Sorry. Hard times.
I really wanted to believe you were a bot.
See you on Twitter or something?
Rumor is Kevmath is headed to the minor leagues Bluff, where he and Jess Welman would form quite the menacingly mighty poker-reportage duo. Of course without Kevmath, Pokerati will change … we’ve got Gahagan to work double time and some other changes in store, but we might have to cut back on some previously standard coverage elements, such as “facts”.
But @Kevmath did leave behnd a Pokerati farewell … after 30 months, 579 posts, and 1,642 comments, all of which helped make this a better place … seriously, how lucky were we to have him as long as we did? Glad the “for hire” media finally came around.
Check back to read what hopefully won’t be the last time we see @Kevmath around these parts.
Voting is closed. Your votes never really counted anyway, nor probably should they, because they don’t match up very closely with how my blue-ribbon 10/330 went. Frankly, I have a feeling the Pokerati masses can be asses will come much closer to how the real 2010 Hall of Fame inductions go. As for now, around these parts, Harrington and Seidel are clear frontrunners:
(In the real voting top two get in.)
Dan Harrington – 157
Erik Seidel – 97
Linda Johnson – 56
Phil Ivey – 54
Barry Greenstein – 49
Tom McEvoy – 25
Chris Moneymaker (write-in) – 20
Scotty Nguyen – 20
Chris Ferguson – 16
Daniel Negreanu -12
Jennifer Harman – 4
Love a good Twitter fight … but sometimes social media can hurt!
Was gettin’ all geared up for an exciting #FollowFriday when I got this reminder of how much things have changed. Alas …
But hey, I’ll always have this bit of inspiration — recorded during the 2006 WPBT Winter Classic, shortly after passage of the UIGEA … a time when Twitter hardly existed and I believed, along with Phil Hellmuth, that poker’s future was in ringtones:
Much more to say on the matter … but just to set the record straight, after further research I am now fairly confident that the rumor propagated across the internet about a Harrah’s sale of the Rio being “complete” was not accurate.
Pretty sure something was close to done and may or may not have fallen apart, and that Harrah’s is still looking to unload the home of the WSOP on someone … with any serious offers of $300 million or more getting a real look. But I don’t really know even that. Meanwhile, any poker media who ran with the story needs to consider their willingness to rely on such unsavory sources, and should probably go sit in a corner and think about what they’ve done.
Jess Welman only finished in 8th place in Event #1 of the Detox Poker Series for a $3k score. But it was the biggest of her career thus far, came with an ROI of infinity having won her seat in the media freeroll, and already she’s gotten more press than the 8th place finisher of the November Nine will likely get.
Here’s her first bustout interview with Marco from QuadJacks … and naturally she credits all her great play + rungood recently to skills acquired in the Pokerati Game:
(At least that’s what I heard … no?)
Big ups to the best red-headed co-panelist on The Poker Beat … who also happened to be the only player in Event #1 to show up with muffins.
Everybody seems to want more of him … especially in Europe, where he’s arguably the most famous faceless person in poker since Isildur1/Viktor Blom.
The Dutch contingent of PokerNews Radio tracked down Kevmath — the great Googler from 2+2, Pokerati, and PokerStarsBlog — to discuss the latest in the ongoing UB Scandal (as per the recent feature from Wicked Chops).
Always providing reader-service … for those who may not have more than a few minutes to get caught up on the scandal they long got too confused about to follow … Kevmath gives the quick essentials of the current situation as seen through his insightful culling of the internet.
Getting caught up and back in the swing of things — slowly but surely — so what better way than to listen to the most recent episode of The Poker Beat?
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Episode 69: Cutting Loose with Change100 – Dan and Pauly give Change100 a little guff for working “Michalski hours” after showing up at 9pm. Her WSOP assignment is official over, but she’s at the Rio to check out the last bits of Day 7 as a self-admitted scenster. A potential elimination hand occurs during the beginning of the episode and Pauly ditches the crew to cover the action inside the ropes. Meanwhile, Dan and Change100 have a leisurely chat about how much more enjoyable the WSOP is when you don’t have to be running around like a madman covering hands.
Episode 70: Emerging Narratives and November Nine No-Names with Benjo – The power trio returns for a rare episode featuring Dan, Benjo, and Pauly. While sweating the final four tables, Benjo quickly recaps some of the more interesting narratives from the Main Event. The discussions shifts towards whether or not we care if the final nine players are a bunch of unknowns.
Episode 71: Vampire Weekend with Benjo – During the last break of Day 7, the agents were slithering around the Amazon Ballroom and the hallways sucking the blood out of anyone in still alive in the Main Event without an endorsement deal. Benjo and Pauly discuss the sleazy side of poker and their plans to take over the live updates and become the biggest player management agency at the 2011 WSOP with BrokeDickPoker.com
A few quicklinks, as I clean off my desktop while getting ready for the pseudo-final stage of the 2010 WSOP, which got started pretty much earlier today …
Do we have to fear the WSOP-Media event becoming the next ladies event? Technically it’s discriminatory and demeaning to media. But for some reason far fewer protested when Michael Craig’s assistant Shauna took his seat to play her first ever poker event.
Sunday is a day off for the remaining players in the Main Event, with only the media event scheduled at the WSOP.
Day 2b eliminations
Day 2b got underway Saturday afternoon with Bruce Buffer, who finished with 160,000 in chips, offering the command to shuffle up and deal to the 2,700+ hopefuls at the Rio with varying chances of making it to Monday’s Day 3. Some of the notable names who won’t be returning include Phil Ivey, Todd and Doyle Brunson, Darvin Moon, Andy Bloch, Josh Arieh, Roy Winston, Orel Hershiser, Shannon Elizabeth, Sam Simon, John Phan, John Duthie, Chris Ferguson, and Team Pokerati/Loudmouth Poker sponsored pro Tom Schneider.
Day 2b survivors
After four levels of play, concluding in the middle of level nine, the unofficial chip leader is David Assouline from Canada with 387,800.
Notables also returning Monday include Vanessa Selbst (265,000), Archie Karas (242,700), Dan Bilzerian (216,600), Phil Galfond (195,400), Jason Mercier (186,300), Karina Jett (170,000), Eric Buchman (134,200) and Dan Harrington (114,500). The full list of the over 2,500 players returning to day 3 are available here, while the Day 3 table draw is now available.
WPT Bellagio Cup VI starts today
Saturday, the WPT held a press conference announcing various changes for the ninth season, with their first event in the US at the Bellagio starting today, Bellagio Cup VI. In a last-minute scheduling change, late registration is now available until Tuesday afternoon, with four 90-minute levels Sunday and Monday. Here’s an interview RawVegas.tv had with CEO Steve Heller and Kimberly Lansing:
Already realized a few others I forgot about … beyond the usual poker-media-world suspects you’re probably already following such as @ftrainpoker @writerjen @jakatkin et @alcanthang. I’ve also recently become a fan of @eric_ramsey’s micro-wit+info … and I think you know Pokerati’s diggage of @Tim00, even when he’s not just pimping his favorite 1/2 nl/plo game @hardrockpoker. And those are just in addition to the solid poker-twitter-media obvs @PokerListings and @CardPlayerMedia …
I really hope this attempt to share with you a few notable follows doesn’t turn into a cryfest amongst twitterpals I’ve yet to meet who have yet to buy even me a beer in real life … But a couple other twitters you might not know about but probably should:
@All360Poker — the guys who’ve brought those funky Google Earth cams into the Amazon. Plausibly revolutionary.
@BJsPocketGuide — brand new on twitter, but WSOP regulars love this annual mini-book. Very reliable guide on paper … curious to see what becomes of this account in the future.
@_otis_ and @genebromberg finally showed up in Vegas, too, so be following them for sure; don’t even get me started on all the Euros who just recently arrived.
And if only we could get Tony the Rio’s head security honcho tweeting … I’d betcha he’s got tweets to rival @LostVegasBook!
Every year at the WSOP, there are those “working it” who win, and those who lose … and plenty of us who have done both before and now do the bare minimum just to maintain and somehow stay in the game. Whether it’s being media, flooring, dealing, executiving, whatever … it’s not too different from what the full-time players have going on in their own poker pursuits.
One of the clear winners this year has been Tim Fiorvanti, aka @Tim00, aka “Timtern”. This WSOP youngster returned for his second Series to be a pathetically paid PokerRoad intern … and shortly into it got an additional gig as a pathetically paid Bluff Magazine writer. Nice!
Furthermore, while he hasn’t exactly torn the game up, he has become a regular and respected player in Pokerati’s 1/2 nl/plo @HardRockPoker. Thus, I was delighted to see him take-it-down further, throwing projectiles from press row to earn proper respect from Pauly, Benjo, and even the real professor, Shamus, who showed even gray-haired academics aren’t afraid to put it all on the line against any young or not-so-young poker challengers.
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Sometime after midnight, we let it all hang out with the gang in the press box who engage in a silly, yet innocuous throwing-things prop bet that began with Pauly and a single piece of wadded up paper. Before everyone knew it, Benjo, Shamus, and ten other bored members of the press (both foreign and domestic) were joining the fray. Degen prop betting often keeps the free press sane during those late night insane hours, as Tim the Intern took down the inaugural Small Ball Cup.
This suit, filed in Las Vegas federal court, is the latest strike in a legal tit-for-tat between that adds to a list of matters on the table and off making 2010 arguably the most challenging WSOP year since Harrah’s took over.
Everest first sued Harrah’s on April 1, claiming breach of contract after the French ESPN affiliate electronically replaced Everest logos during 2008-09 WSOP broadcasts with “virtual signage” from Full Tilt, an Everest competitor. On those grounds, Everest refused to pay the final $8.4 million on a three-year contract, money the WSOP was expecting before this spring. That suit came, of course, shortly after the WSOP announced its $1 million “TOC” freeroll.
Buffering: So far the only live-streaming WSOP action has been from the WSOP-Academy sponsor’s exemption TOC sit-n-go, which took place on a single table with their own felt, not one bearing the marks of Everest Poker.
Harrah’s denied those claims, and followed with a suit of its own against Everest, alleging breach of contract and other infractions while seeking the promised Everest funds. And now, as mentioned, Everest has added further litigation to the Everest vs. Harrah’s docket, all of which is pending.
Daniel Negreanu is the E.F. Hutton of poker. He relishes the role. He knows that if in the throes of passion he utters, “Do it. Do it. Do it just like that. Make sure there is a 150-300 level!†that — no matter whether he ends the night in warm, introspective afterglow –the tournament he plays the next day will have a 150-300 level. It’s the perk of being the most outspoken of the best poker players in the world. You’re allowed to open your mouth, makes billionaires dance, and change the world in which you live on a whim. It would be something you could respect about Kid Poker, if he only knew when to keep his mouth shut.
There was a time when world markets turned on whether Alan Greenspan had a good breakfast. The same is true of Negreanu. With a mere sneer, he can change the structure of a tournament. With a grumble in his tummy, he can get tofu served in the casino kitchen. With a wink and a smile, he can create a television show. His words—almost always—are game changers.
Make no mistake: most of the mainstream poker media exists because of and at the will of the online poker companies. If not for direct or indirect funding from the likes of Full Tilt and PokerStars, most poker magazines and websites you read regularly would go under in six months or less. It’s not a matter of news; it’s a matter of how they create revenue to stay afloat.
Ninety percent of time, the Negreanu-affected changes make the poker world better. There is no denying the man’s intelligence, skill, or innovative acumen. The problem is, Negreanu doesn’t respect his power. He wields it like a drunk with a gun. Most of the time he knows to keep it in his pants. Ten percent of the time, he waves it around the bar threatening to shoot whomever he’s imagined has upset his sense of order or eaten his veggie burger.
OK, gonna try again at this link-dump thing … no writing, no context, not even any particular order or story arc here … just a random assortment of Safari tabs and windows over-cluttering my computer while I try to do Pokerati’s WSOP thang-luu …
“We all agree that one political party is stupid and the other is evil; all we are debating is which is which.”Something for certain poker media types to think about when we go twitter-crazy trying to spread political insight on current events, but really may be just contributing to negative stereotypes of tourney journos being little more than (poorly paid?) chip counters. [Poker Shrink]
Crap, guess that’s technically writing right there … before you know it, brevity with a single href= spins out of control into its own multi-link set of tangents, as happened when I tried to note, simply, that Harry Reid won a primary. [Pokerati]
Ask Brian Nadell what happens when poker players step into potentially hostile political territory. He may be an accomplished poker pro with 13 cashes and eight final tables at the WSOP, but that doesn’t necessarily make this online player at PokerStars suited for Washington DC.
At least he recognized as much before June 1, and dropped out of the Nevada senate race. One look at his campaign video and you’ll see why sometimes, no matter how badly you wanna win, it just makes sense to chop. [Hendon Mob, Nevada Appeal]
Good move?
Blowing off the primary homestretch did leave Brian Nadell with extra time (and presumably cash) to play early events at the WSOP. And on Monday this week, he appeared on Poker Road Radio, live from the Rio. [Poker Road]
PokerNews normally does a really good job with everything they do, but what in the world is up with the chip count coverage at the WSOP this year? They have a page for it, but clicking on it would be a complete waste of your time because not only is it rarely updated, it’s also nowhere near accurate.
Yeow. Can you imagine if Negreanu and @AllenKessler had children?
Similarly, a generally fine poker granny pundit has strong feelings about the quality of this year’s WSOP reporting, saying, “the live coverage has reached a new low.” [Poker Hag]
Now let’s take a momentary break from linking for …
Pokerati Trivia: Which international flag hung proudly in the Brasilia Room last year, but is not on display in the Pavilion Room this year — despite it’s strong connection to poker?
Ooh, I know!
An email yesterday from a poker media-y colleague: “today officially started my World Cup fever!!” I agree. Lots of jerseys showing up at the Rio, and peeps starting to make plans for where they’ll be watching the first matches. Just two days left to fill in your Wicked Chops FC brackets. [Soccerati]
Man-U midfielder Darren Fletcher’s Scottish national team didn’t qualify for the Cup, so instead came to the WSOP; he lasted about 90 minutes in the $1,500 donkament that The Other Guy (not-Durrrr) won. [PokerStarsBlog via CalvinAyre]
Annie LePage, one of Pokerati’s favorite Las Vegas small-tourney rounders, comes to the 2010 WSOP looking to cross the 5-figure line in cashes. While she would make fine Team Pokerati material, she instead is representing for PETA (and the Maven). Check her out as she expounds on the evils of meat + good poker health via Vegan living. [Hendon Mob, PETA.org]
OK, cool, but that’s not counting barbecue, right? On that note …
Extra-big ups to The Fat Guy, who used to write about poker, but now just writes about “Food, Music, Books, and Tractors”. TFG recently overhauled Pokerati’s technological infrastructure to better accommodate Tao of Pokerati. With bigger online media ops facing early-WSOP heartache and unconstructive criticism due to “faulty hamster wheels”, I’m pretty thankful Scott (and his trusty sidekick Ed), have kept Pokerati’s machinery running relatively smoothly for five years — pretty much 24/7 actually, ever since the Great Crash of 2007 when we ran out of duct tape. [Tao, The Fat Guy]
OK, good enough for now … More-better random links TK. OK, maybe one more …
Funny: the Bad Beat on Cancer banners seen around the Rio show a hand that isn’t actually a bad beat — the pocket Aces got there on the river! [Poker Grump]
JoeOE18: Had a great session with Deus Ex. Then got to another boss. Contemplating giving up and moving on to something fun. Wish there were cheats. 24 hours ago
Everybody seems to want more of him … especially in Europe, where he’s arguably the most famous faceless person in poker since Isildur1/Viktor Blom. 
Episode 69: 
