I’m still alive, but Pauly’s out. Before bringing our Hollywood poker weekend to a close, we decide we should get a firsthand taste of the real Commerce degen experience, so Pauly escorts me to the ATM to make good on an a charitable WPT rebuy acquired-at-the-table debt before he jets off to Uruguay.

Episode 5: ATM Roulette

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This would be our last episode of the book on the 2010 WPT Celebrity Invitational. In the end, cards didn’t fall my way as I finished sans audio and had to twitter in my results:

@Pokerati Out to vince van fuckhead. All in preflop my AQ < 57s. I respect his play
12:55 AM Feb 21st via txt

Your intrepid player-correspondents catch up on the first break at the star-studded WPT Celebrity Invitational to talk about how the tourney is going … I’ve battled back from chip-and-a-chair conditions at a table full of pros (and rebought with Pauly money) to stay alive, while Pauly has been taunted by errant nipples and offered blow in the bathroom. We’re not even deep, but we’re already taking note of would-be final tableist Trishelle Cannatella, too, before getting distracted by the pathos of Commerce steerage.

Episode 4: A Roomful of (Hollywood) Cliches

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We were still waiting for cards to get in the air at the WPT Celebrity Invitational when we found the red-carpeted smoker’s terrace at the Commerce. The first ever PartyPoker Party in LA, too — LA: It’s Very Different than America — as Tao of Pokerati runs into its first ever security issue.

Episode 3: Newcomer’s Welcome

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Pauly and I arrive at the Commerce to see more big-name degens than we do celebrities, but it’s still early …

Episode 2: Commerce She Bangs

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While you listen, be sure to check out some more detailed WPT Invitational tales on Tao.

As Pauly and I are prone to do whenever we get together, we couldn’t help ourselves from kicking into 3-minute-podcast mode in Los Angeles this weekend as we both got ready to take on the Hollywooded up field at the WPT Celebrity Invitational for the LAPC … and explore How-TF we got into the field in the first place.

Episode 1: Slumming It in Not-So-Beverly Hills

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BTW, if you want to hear a different side of Dr. Pauly, be sure to check out his Lost Vegas podcast episodes. A lot more sex and drugs in those.

Pauly and I size things up on the first break, and are there as a winner is finally declared.

Episode 9: Cutting down Moon

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Episode 10: Cada’s Commencement

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As the November 9->2 comes to a close, Pauly and I evaluate the make-up (TV- and industry-wise) of the Final Three … and when Antoine Saout goes down, a double-crushed Benjo finds himself baffled by Joe Cada yet still tickled that his countryman’s play allowed him to lock himself in a giant room for 17+ hours to witness this final table spectaculaire.

Episode 7: The Final 3

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Episode 8: Wave the Flag

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Pauly and I look further into drinking with Padraig Parkinson, and in general what it means to be at the WSOPenn and Teller Theater at about midnight with seven players still remaining.

(NOTE: Ivey busted a few minutes after we finished recording this episode.)

Episode 6: Not-so-Last Call

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Pauly and I get practically weepy at Mike Sexton’s Hall of Fame induction, with help, of course, from Padraig Parkinson.

Episode 4: Voter Hesitation

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Episode 5: Touched by Sexton

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Benjo joins us all the way from France … and boy, have you ever heard our favorite poker Frenchman so excited before? That’s what happens, apparently, when Darvin Moon attempts to make a play … and let’s face it, always a better episode when Benjo’s in studio.

Episode 3: For Those about to Rock, We Saout You

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We’re back … with the world’s shortest poker podcast … so short, we’ve already got two episodes for you.

Episode 1: Pre-action Action

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Episode 2: Homme-team Advantage

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Amir Vahedi will be leading Iran whether Ahmadinejed likes it or not.

On the same day the APT had their inaugural international team poker event, the WTP (not to be confused with the WPT) announced their team leaders … with Phil Hellmuth taking the role of Captain America this time.

I may not be able to say it for long, but I’d like to point out that at the moment Pauly, Lana, and I have more team poker titles and prize money than Hellmuth does. Of course who doesn’t, but still … just sayin’.

The beginnings of the World Team Poker league:

Country Team Captain
1 USA - Phil Hellmuth
2 China – Johnny Chan
3 Vietnam - Men “The Master” Nguyen
4 Philippines – Toto Leonidas
5 Lebanon – Freddy Deeb and Dany Joe Georges
6 Australia – Jeff Lisandro
7 Iran – Amir Vahedi
8 Israel – Eli Elezra
9 Mexico – Mario Esquerra
10 Korea – Kevin Song
11 Egypt – Mark Seif
12 Switzerland – Chris Bigler
13 Greece – Chris Tsiprailidis
14 Russia – Ralph Perry
15 Germany – Dan Heimiller
16 Armenia – Chris Grigorian

I’m of course looking forward to whatever Dream Team Poker’s next event is … and plausibly defending Team Tao of Pokerati’s title. Seriously, having played in three Dream Team tourneys now (winning one), and taken part as either a player or analyst (?) in a few other team-concept no-limit hold’em freezeouts, I have some genuine strategy thoughts on this format … and fugk, just as much authority on it as Matt Parvis or Jamie Gold.

Anyhow, check out their rockin’ new promotional vid from the WSOP team tournament … they’ve got a few different musical varieties on their site and YouTube, but I liked this one best:

Starring Kenna James … with splash appearances by Lacey Jones, Liz Lieu, Jerry Yang, Dennis Phillips, Susie Isaacs, Alex Outhred, Barry Greenstein, David Williams, Evelyn Ng, Gavin Smith, Bryan Micon, Pam Brunson, Jose Canseco, et al.

ALT HED: Pauly Sniffs Cash

Watch Dream Team Poker at the 2009 WSOP on RawVegas.tv

While the 2009 WSOP Main Event pushes forward, the Dream Team Poker tournament rages on in the Brasilia Room at the Rio with three tables in play. It is an exciting event to watch, especially when friends capture the team prize!

Big congrats to Team Tao of Pokerati, which just found out that their team took down the first place team honors! Lana, Pauly, and Dan will split the $33,017 cashola for outperforming every other team in the tournament (there were 122 of them), and the guys are still in it to win it individually as well. About 20 players remain…

UPDATE: Looks like Dan cashed in 17th place for double his individual buy-in. Congrats! @Pokerati just twittered… “17th place individual. 1st place team. This cashout cage area is pretty cool!”

UPDATE 2: Pauly finished in 13th place for nearly three times his buy-in. Per his twitter… “out in 13th place. my A7 lost to kenna james’ 6-6. boooooo!”

Congrats to the team on a great showing!

Team Tao of Pokerati 2: Lana, Pauly, Dan.

It was a triumph for me individually — I’ve made the money with an about-average stack, and made my first Day 2 ever in any tournament. (Stop laughing.) But from a team perspective … that’s where the real money is, and Team Tao of Pokerati (Dan, Pauly, Lana) is the only team with more than one player remaining. (Pauly, Dan.)

We’re guaranteed a 5th place team finish, and would have to really screw up to not get at least 4th. We need a 15th and 14th place finish individually (or better) to win it outright.

Click below to see the full Nolan-esque official report.

DREAM TEAM POKER WSOP EVENT DAY 1 REPORT
2009 World Series of Poker
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada
Official Report
No-Limit Hold’em / Dream Team Poker Structure
Buy-in: $500 +60 per person / $1680 per team

Number of players: 366
Number of Teams: 122
Players Remaining: 27
Teams Remaining: 26

Total Net Prize Pool: $177,510
Top Payout Individual: $16,473
Top Payout Team: $33,017

Places Paid Individual: 36
Places Paid Team: 10

July 12-13, 2009

Tournament Highlights

Ø The Dream Team Poker Tournament started with 122 teams and 366 players. Play ended with 27 players remaining representing 26 teams.

Ø One team, Tao of Pokerati, has 2 players remaining and is the favorite to take the top team prize of $33,017 to split between the three team members

Ø There were 59 women entered into the tournament, comprising more than 16% of the entire field.

More…

Pauly and Benjo are on site in the Amazon room to discuss what really may or may not have gone down on Day 1d. It wasn’t pretty, but at the same time, kinda a beautiful thing, no? On to Day 2a (and 2b), where the real carnage begins.

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

Episode 11.30: The Day 1d Debacle (feat. Benjo)
5:51

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Union talks with Benjo are going well — we still haven’t come to complete resolution, but it’s good we’re still all at the table — and thus, to the tune of the Star-Spangled Banner on American Independence Day / La Quatrième de Juillet, he joins Pauly to give a report from Day 1B as Doyle Brunson gets cards in the air … But not before the sometimes-Angry Frenchman is put on self-loathing tilt by a fucking wanker someone wearing a Zidane jersey and America’s insistence on calling soccer football.

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

Episode 11.29: Poker de la Liberté (feat. Benjo)
3:06

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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

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

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(Interlude …)
0:05

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$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

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I catch up with Pauly just before the end of Day 1 in $50k HORSE. As the good doctor and I celebrate our victories having bet the under on the projected field size for this event, Pauly breaks it down even further to explain the Warren Buffet method of prop-betting and his 40k+50k=300 formula for the 2009 WSOP.

But before you start thinking Pauly is smart, consider his thoughts on the connection between the Mark Sanford affair and Michael Jackson’s death … which is the model he uses to surmise that the God Save the Queen anthem fiasco might actually just have been a cover to distract from the real stories about the significance of losing a third of the starting field size in an event that’s supposed to be one of the biggest deals of the year in all of poker.

presented by:

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

Episode 11.24: Running Numbers
3:30

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Episode 11.25: Tinfoil HORSE
3:52

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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

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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

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Episode 11.22: The Satellite Economy
5:06

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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

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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

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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

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

One cool adjustment to this year’s WSOP is that the media tourney will be played Dream Team Poker-style. I think it was a pretty brilliant move. Because even though way back in the day playing in the media event — with Cousin Sal at my table and Jim McManus in the same tourney — was the highlight of my 2004 … over time it’s gotten a little less important to me to spend a WSOP off-day playing in a turbo live event with only a feel-good charity donation on the line. In fact, I’ve missed the last two, because you know, whatever …

But this year, I’ll definitely be back, captaining the Pokerati Hotties:

DanM
California Jen
Kevin Mathers

Mathers apparently won’t be able to make it, so playing in his stead will be alternate Robert Goldfarb.

As anyone who has participated in a team poker event has discovered, these things are extra fun. And, frankly, I’m looking forward to accumulating jerseys. You already know about Team Tao of Pokerati — Pauly, Shaniac, and myself … and indeed, we’ll be playing in the real-money event on July 12 (and hopefully July 13). Not only do we want to redeem ourselves, but we figured since DTP took the boldly progressive move of sponsoring our little podcast, the least we could do is buy into their big event.

If you want to play in this $500+60 x3, Team Wicked Chops is hosting an online freeroll (June 25) for a seat on their squad. Tao of Pokerati woulda offered something similar, of course … but we don’t know you, so we couldn’t really take that chance.

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

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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!

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

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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

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Episode 11.16: Blogger Backing
4:14

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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

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Episode 11.13: Big Game Jack
3:56

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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

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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

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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

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Episode 11.10: Scooter Race Action
6:51

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Our Tao of Pokerati mobile studio made BJ’s PokerRoad Nation photoblog … which clearly, you can now see, totally ups the quality of poker photography:

Says BJ:

Two of poker’s most experienced WSOP reporters, Dan Michalski (left) and Dr. Pauly McGuire, record an episode of their joint podcast, The Tao of Pokerati, from media row on Sunday night. Michalski has been blogging from the WSOP at Pokerati.com since 2004, and McGuire at TaoOfPoker.com since 2005. While some media outlets see the others as competition, bloggers like Michalski and McGuire see themselves more as coworkers and peers — working together improves everyone’s coverage.

Meanwhile, a Tao photographer using a hidden camera smuggled into Pokerati headquarters reveals our secret to podcasting success:

view on flickr

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

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

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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

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Episode 11.6: Night Shift
2:47

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Dan joins Pauly at the Rio, where everyone’s settin’ up shop and getting the lay of the Amazon-ish land. In doing so, the podcastic duo begin scratching at the complex corporate relationships between Harrah’s, the WSOP, the Rio, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau, technology, and strip clubs … but abandon attempts for bathroom humor to explore over-under prop-betting lines on the anticipated field size for the 40k, along with the World Series of Divorce.

With special appearances by Devilfish (trying to position himself as the Zac Efron of Poker?) and Change100.

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

Episode 11.3: High School Musical
2:50

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Episode 11.4: Getting Pissy
3:19

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For a more verbose explanation of any and all WSOP shenanigans, don’t forget to get your daily fill of Dr. Pauly at Tao of Poker.

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

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Episode 11.2: Questionable Tactics
2:57

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See the video here.

I blame it all on a text that put me on tilt for about four critical frames … regardless, to close out his most recent visit to Vegas, Pauly and I went bowling at the South Point casino for an intense heads-up match and some prop-betting education … and because he’s not on Facebook and we couldn’t wager status-update control, we had to play for cash:

Go Team (cont.)
Episode 10.7: Bowling for Dollars

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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

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Episode 10.2: Shirts vs. Skins

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Episode 10.3: Spam and Eggs

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Episode 10.4: Karma, Villanova, and Thor

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Episode 10.5: Bustout Strategy

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Episode 10.6: Better Luck Next Time

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Pauly is a better faster writer than I am — so it’s always good to have him in town to make me work less. Read his detailed recap of Dream Team Poker weekend here and his less-detailed first impressions here.

Likewise, over at Wicked Chops, they’ve got the Hottie Beat covered … and PokerListings has manhandled the actual tournament action.

Tao of Pokerati Dream Team teammate Shaniac has some great music to listen to while you’re waiting for more.

Meanwhile, Team Aced did their thing to keep Aced.com in the public eye as a potentially legitimate newfangled online poker room with celeb-pro representative Jamie Gold, LV poker-room man Houston Waldie, and Gold-girlfriend Ashley Nataupsky — who is still alive for the individual championship — locking up the team title earlier today.

The vibe on Day 2 (final three tables) was quite distinct from Day 1 (field of 444 playing down to 27). From an informed source on the ground at Caesar’s:

It was great. People really had to watch the standings when making plays. They might have had pot odds on a few calls, but people were laying down hands to hold. It turned into one big last longer prop bet.

While I get some work done from home in sunny, springy Southern Cali, my Pokerati pals are actually looking for fortune and fame on the felt playing some tournament poker.

Dan is playing the much-hyped Dream Team Poker event at Caesars Palace. On his team? Shane “Shaniac” Schleger and Dr. Pauly, playing as the Team Tao of Pokerati, also known as Tao of Pokerati’s 420 All Stars. Look for some Tao of Pokerati episodes to come as they record some of their intense strategy sessions and gossip about the other players. Sure, these three may be taking more breaks (certainly at 4:20pm today) than other players in the room, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be inspired to take it down.

Karridy is competing in the Texas Amateur Poker Championship. At last post, he was the chipleader with 50,000 chips in Level 4. After his recent visit to the WSOP Academy at Winstar, he might just have that extra insight that will take him all the way.

Go Guys!

Keep up with them both via CSR reports as the day progresses.

UPDATE: Karridy finished 12th in his event. 300something entries, so almost definitely in the money, but probably just short of the big money. –DanM

UPDATE: $1,190.

I’m not sure what to make of this video … I think I like it, but I also like documentaries about insects and the Steve Wilkos Show … and if Tao of Pokerati can talk to hookers with the likes of Benjo and Professional Keno Player Neil Fontenot, then why can’t Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho walk the streets of San Jose in pursuit of hockey tickets, which they acquire with assistance from Layne Flack and Rick Fuller? Would dismiss it as just a personal non-pokery vid (and not worth posting) but they did add music to the background:

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

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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

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

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

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*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

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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…

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

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Episode 5.2: Hurricane of Hookers
7:25

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Episode 5.3: Cage-Savvy Coochie
3:05

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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!