LAS VEGAS–Shane is out, Marco is still in … with about the exact same stack he’s had all day — 10k.

TBR is at about 15,000 in chips. And I gotta say, I think he’s playing well. Watched him limp with KQs, call a late-position raise, miss the flop completely, then masterfully check in a way to entice the other player to check, too. At that point it became his pot to steal, which he did. (Go Batfaces!)

UPDATE: Level 6 … blinds at 150/300 +25. TBR gets A6s in middle position, raises to 1,100. Two callers. Flop misses him, it checks around, turn gives him the nut flush draw. Early position bets 2,200. TBR folds. Other guy calls. He wouldn’t have gotten there on the river. (Good fold. Questionable raise pre-flop.)

He’s got 12,300 chips … with two hours to go before the end of Day 1 (like the real end of Day 1). If he goes into the four corners for about another week he should cash out for about $40k no problem.

UPDATE UPDATE: There’s a guy who looks exactly like Lodge/Rounder player David Highsmith with about 25k. But I am not sure it is him. He has funny reading glasses around his neck and acknowledged my presence with only a nod.

NON-UPDATE: Not sure where Marco Palacios sits/stands. His table has been broken down … haven’t found him in the field.

DALLASY PRO UPDATE: With one more level to play for the night, Robert Williamson just picked up a “monster” pot. Has grown his stack from 3,000 to about the same amount as Randy’s. One difference … RW3 has almost all small chips … meaning he has been stealing antes with a small stack (while his M is still valid). TBR, on the other hand, has only big chips left. Needs to make change for the antes.

LAS VEGAS–Gentle Shane is sitting with about 6k in chips. Two to his left is fellow Dallas pokerer Marco Palacios. He is still at almost exactly 10,000.

TBR has been surprisingly up and down. As high as 20k+ … then back down to 11k, then back up to 19, then back down to 12. When I found him, he was in the big blind. The pot was heavily limped into and the small blind moved all-in for about 8k. Randy checked his cards and found AKs. He looked at them for about three seconds and mucked (as if it weren’t even a hard fold).

Last I saw, he had 11,050 chips, a near-empty bottle of water/backwash, and a pouty lower lip.

LAS VEGAS–I woke up this morning with a new commitment to Pokeratizens … and access to Adderall.

(Haven’t taken any yet, but I could!)

I recognize the coverage here has become a little thin. Pauly reminds me of it every day. But no longer. With a little less than two weeks left, starting, er, right now … you are gonna get it all. Right here. I promise.

All I gotta do first is send a memo to my cohorts at PokerBlog. Then send one to the site’s backers in England. Oh, and at 3 pm today I have to meet with someone semi-important for a story I am working on for Southwest Spirit. (I think the story is due today … eesh, deadlines.) And then at 6 it’s off to the Palms … where the lovely, gold-diggery Anna Benson is throwing a $5k media freeroll. Anna, of course, is a white woman who’s not afraid to use the word nigger “nigg-r” — so very Eminem of her. And the more media that stays at the Rio to work, of course … the better chop I may or may not be in a position to propose.

So yes, expect lots of great and amazing coverage here at Pokerati. Refresh every five minutes. Whatever you do, don’t go looking to Wicked Chops for something similar but better … because you just may well find it there.

And speaking of Batfaces … Troy Darling was sitting with about 8,000 chips and many hours to go yesterday. Not sure if he’s still alive. TBR and Gentle Shane take their seats in the main event today. I’m sure I will be covering them hand-for-hand. Right now both of them are pretty much dead even — with 10,000 chips.

LAS VEGAS–Fawcett is out — he couldn’t have played AK worse, in my respectful opinion — Troy is hanging on at about the starting stack … you can find plenty of good coverage at PokerBlog, and in the meantime, I’m about to go on the radio. Click here to tune in to “Bad Beats” w/ Eddie & Brad on AM-1300 The Zone in Austin.

Show starts at 7 pm central time.

LAS VEGAS–Quick Batface update … I’m nowhere near the Rio poker room right now; my apologies for the lack of updates … I’ve spent too much time steering the PokerBlog ship. But Deco Chic reports:

“Your friend Fawcett’s a poser. Every time I try to take a picture he smiles. I have to sneak up on him because he totally stops paying attention [to the hand] and he’s going to lose all his chips.”

With dinner break approaching, Scott’s at just below 10,000.

Also, non-Batface Dallas exoatriate Chantel McNulty is at 12,800.

LAS VEGAS–There’s been a lot of talk about dealer troubles and bad floormen at this year’s WSOP. I’m sure they’re doing the best they can and will diligently re-assess all issues after the 2006 WSOP has come to a close. If not, they really should. Because the Nevada Gaming Commission may or may not be investigating.

Frisco pro Scott Levy was playing in the $1,500 PLO event a week-and-a-half ago. At dinner break, players leave the room. During that time the floor takes care of coloring up. Levy reportedly had counted his chips before he left, and upon returning found more than a fourth of his stack gone. Ouch. He balked to the floor but to no avail … and went on to cash in the tournament — splitting the last payout spot three ways. His share: $597.

Afterward, he filed a complaint with the Nevada Gaming Commission, which didn’t like how it was left to the players to protect their own chips yet are forced to leave the room as the questionably qualified floor people fiddle with them. So on top of his winnings, he got a refund on his buy-in … a la Daniel Negreanu.

[Question for later: How many buy-ins were refunded after play began at this year's WSOP?]

Plenty of other players have had similar complaints about disappearing/mishandled chips. As a result, some players have begun a new ritual before various breaks … counting their chips before they leave the room, writing the total down on a piece of paper, having the dealer sign it, then leaving that “receipt” by their stack. Though I’m not sure how binding all this is, it’s not a bad idea considering how much is at stake in the main event and how much crazier the color-up process is sure to be.

LAS VEGAS–Clonie is out on day 1. She just couldn’t seem to get much going. What were the odds that Fawcett would outlast her?

LAS VEGAS–As mentioned before, what will probably be the biggest convention of legal-minded poker people and poker ambassadors in the modern poker era is going down this afternoon — just as the biggest poker tournament in the history of the world gets underway. So much talk in the hallways, in the media room, in the hopitality suites, on cell phones, and at the table about various poker laws. No one is screaming the sky is falling, but there’s an underlying buzz by a noticeable percentage of people who — for reasons beyond the game itself — don’t want to see the poker party get crashed.

Be sure to check out Iggy’s post on PokerBlog.

We all know what has to be done. But the question is how to sell it to the people who just don’t understand. Is it a matter of morality? Of personal liberty? Of fiscal practicality? Of luck vs. skill? Probably all of the above.

Click here to hear the CATO daily podcast about anti-poker legal efforts and the threats they pose to the non-poker world.

LAS VEGAS–There’s a new piece of Pokerati Polling down on the right sidebar. Seriously, wanna know what you think.

Also, don’t forget to keep up with more WSOP at PokerBlog.

LAS VEGAS–David Williams comes close to bracelet #2 … finishing in second place in the $5k 2-7 lowball (w/ rebuys) event. Tough final table, too. Daniel Alaei won. Philipe Rouas — who I am pretty sure is the guy who flopped the set of jacks in that $1,500 hand with Michele Lewis (perhaps she can confirm?) — took third.

Apparently David had never played that game before.

LAS VEGAS–Defending Pokerati Invitational champion Tom Schneider will be fighting for a bracelet today, as he has made the final table of the $1,500 NLH Shootout. The six remaining players have all won two sit-n-gos in a row. After level 1 it looked like some big names might find their way to the featured table … Andy Bloch, Howard Lederer, Mike Caro, John Phan, and Eric “E-fro” Froelich all won their first leg … but none of them could do it twice. Tom did, and he was the last to qualify, as he faced off against a kid who even when severely outchipped played great poker and just wouldn’t go away.

All this was going on in the shadow of the crowd growing around the Phil Hellmuth final table.

In the first two rounds it was an all-or-nothing affair. Now, each and every player you outlast comes with a five-figure difference in payout.

Click here to follow the action.

(He better finish quickly, because he’s got a radio show to do tonight!)

UPDATE: Tom is out. 5th place. $28k. Nice job, Tom. But seriously, so many final tables lately without a win? We gotta work on a certain part of your game.

More…

More…

LAS VEGAS–Phil Hellmuth is heads-up yet again for his 10th WSOP victory in a $1,000 NLH event. This time he’s not up against a no-name … he’s facing the anti-Phil in the form of the accomplished Juha Helppi.

(Get it? Helpy? Funny.)

I wonder how it’s going to turn out.

OK, I’m off to the Bodog party … at Tao in the Venetian. I have a bracelet and everything.
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LAS VEGAS–Last week I reported getting a lot of chips in the $1,500 NLH event by cracking Olga Varkonyi’s aces (and a flopped set of jacks) with my pocket 10s. Not the case. I probably misidentified her because I thought it would sound cooler. And I thought that TBR had knocked her out of last year’s main event, which I thus figured we could use to turn the Batfaces into her true nemeses. But upon checking facts with TBR, it turned out he didn’t knock her out either — he was just sitting at her table when that happened. Huh. Interesting.

So with Olga out of the equation, the lovely long-dark-hair lady whose dreams I presumably crushed on the turn was actually Michele Lewis, a pro from Houston. Michele was actually the first woman to make a final table in the 2006 WSOP. And she has cashed three times thus far. That’s better than I have done.

Here’s Olga. The main picture in this post is of Michele. (Did I mention she’s pretty and talented?)

Pokerati regrets the error. The misidentification one, not the bad play with my TT vs. her AA.

Thanks Sarah Bilney for setting the record straight!

LAS VEGAS–In yesterday’s $1,000 NLH with rebuys, Daniel Negreanu supposedly rebought 48 times. (How do you even have time to rebuy that often during the rebuy period?) Apparently, part of his strategy to put as many chips on his table as possible — without giving away any sorta tells in the process — entailed raising blind, and when reraised, moving all-in … still without looking at his cards.

With this strategy, Negreanu coulda made the final table and still lost money. But he did not make the final table. So instead of losing $2k, he loses the full $48/49k.

Gregg Merkow only had to rebuy six times. With 73 people left — out of 754 who started — he is in 11th chip position. And with the WSOP coming near its end … only three weeks left! … he is proving to be the Dallas player having the best Series. Four cashes so far, one final table, and a solid Bellagio tourney finish tossed in the mix.

UPDATE: Mike Matusow was in for 21 rebuys (which almost seems paltry now). He busted out just before the bubble. All this kinda makes you wonder who’s really the dead money in this game, no?

LAS VEGAS–Jen Leo’s episode of PokerDome airs tonight … 9 pm central. She may be no Rhowena Colclough, but perhaps she could be? I mean by winning. Not by doing soft porn. I mean not that Jen wouldn’t make good soft porn, er, I mean …

Also, here’s Otis eating two keno crayons for $400. I missed this part of the night — I guess I’m outta drinking shape, because I passed out by 2:30 am and — very strangely — was awake before 9 am. Just pacing myself. The party week kicks off tonight — John Phan is throwing a party for Liz Lieu at Pure. I just finagled my way onto the guest list. A little disappointing that her publicist didn’t know how to spell my last name, while Pauly is on the guest list simply as “Pauly.”

Seriously, if he says he’s “Paul McGuire,” he’ll get turned away. But “Hi, I’m Pauly,” will do the trick … even without slipping the door dude a $100 bill.

LAS VEGAS–Be sure to tune in to “Bad Beats” on AM-1300 The Zone in Austin. I’ll be going on the air in about 20 minutes (7:05 pm CST) to talk about what’s going on at the WSOP. (If only I knew!)

Also, Eddie and Brad, what’s up with your near non-presence on AM-1300’s website? I swear, sometimes they treat you like second-class citizens there. I’d say it’s probably because you are only about poker and there are very few Longhorns at the final table, but really it probably has more to do with Eddie’s being black. Seriously, like you’re not even listed in the line-up. When you go to company parties, do you have to drink from a separate water fountain?

LAS VEGAS–Once upon a time I was a teacher. In fact, one of my graduated students used to blog for Pokerati. (Nick, you’re still welcome to … ) Not sure why so many seem to have shunned writing lives in favor of lucrative careers in health sciences, but regardless, it’s always good to hear from them … especially to hear that they are making good poker friends:

From: Scott Selinger
Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 9:34 PM
To: danm
Subject: The next hot scoop at the WSOP

Hey Lieutenant,

You still in Sin City “covering” the WSOP? You gotta cut me some slack cause I’m terrible at reading poker blogs. From the looks of that picture on your site, you don’t look like the happiest guy in vegas. My semi-professional advice would be to get some combination of hookers, liquor and cheap buffet in you.

Anyhoo, I’ve got a friend named Nath Pizzolatto who just got 2nd at the 2500 shorthanded table the other day. I have absolutely no idea what that means, but if you need a colorful interview or anything like that for your site, give him a look. I think y’all have got some similarities, plus you’ve got a knack for finding diamonds in the rough. I mean, look how far I’ve made it since your tutelage. Give his blog a look if you’ve got some time between all the slot machines and drugs.

And if you’re gonna blow us off at the campout, yet again, you better win a bracelet.

Scott Selinger, MS-2
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Scott, duly pimped … and dude, did you know he outlasted Greg Merkow (9th place)? That’s pretty impressive. Hope you are well and resisting the urge to insult various deans’ wives and daughters. And even if not, that’s OK too.

LAS VEGAS–One day, in the MBL Garage …

Spaceman: “I saw black shoes and a bald spot, so I knew it had to be you or Pauly.”

And just now … in a matter generally unrelated …

Otis: “If there’s one thing about strippers, it’s that they’re liquid.”

LAS VEGAS–Over at PokerBlog Tuscaloosa Johnny and I have had some interesting discussion about various rules of the game. And today I got into it quite a bit with a guy who sat down at my $2/$5 table.

He was a skinny old man who looked like he belonged in the movie Jaws, or had just come from the boxing gym. He was wearing gray sweats and an Everlast skull cap. He put his chips in the pot with forceful vengeance. During one hand (in which I was not involved), he moved all-in, and another guy called. With the board all out, neither man would show his cards.

“You have to show,” I said. “He called you.”

“No I don’t,” he said. “I moved all-in on the turn.”

??

The dealer reaffirmed that the last aggressor had to show his cards first. “You see, he’s basically paying for the right to see your cards,” I tried to explain.

“Well if that’s how they do it here … I’ve never seen it that way anywhere else.”

“I’m pretty sure it doesn’t make a difference if you make your last bet on the turn or river or pre-flop,” I said, “But I could be wrong.”

“You are wrong,” he sneered.

Hmm. “I’ll bet you $5 I’m not.”

“Well you’re obviously right if you ask them here.”

“OK,” I retort, “I’ll wager $20 that Robert’s Rules of Poker says so!”

“There’s no such thing as Robert’s Rules of Poker,” he growled back.

“I’ll bet you $100 there is!”

He shuts up, as do I, feeling probably too self-satisfied.
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LAS VEGAS–Right now the final table of an Omaha Hi-Lo event is underway. And two other Omaha tourneys just got started today. But it’s kinda weird, because one of the events wasn’t on the schedule. In a nutshell, the plan was for a $1,500 PLO event. But then the Europeans started complaining that there should be rebuys. WSOP officials relented, and outta nowhere declared, OK, rebuys it is!

Well that didn’t leave a lot of people who registered for the event — thinking it would cost them $1,500 instead of, say, $6k — very happy, and they started withdrawing. So the poker gods decided to go back to the original plan, and then to appease the Europeans, added a $1,500 PLO (w/ rebuys) … which got started at 4 pm today.

The ever-Dallasy Robert Williamson is currently playing in both. He’s seated next to David Williams in one event, and Greg Raymer in the other.

There was a big tournament that didn’t finish up until 11 am Dallas time yesterday. Chip Reese whittled away Andy Bloch to take the super-prestigious HORSE event bracelet. But that wasn’t the only tourney going on at the WSOP. While the HORSE final table was coming to a conclusion, so was the $225 second-chance tourney. By the time I had to take off for the airport, Josh from Jackie’s (in Dallas) was kicking ass.

It was a true “second chance” event for him. Josh had busted out of the $2k NLHE event relatively early. So he bought in to the second-chance with a drink-lots-of-tequila strategy in place. But with that, he accumulated a lot of chips. And eventually he decided, holy shit, I better shift gears. At that point it was all about Red Bull and massages. At the final table, he was a decidedly big stack after having knocked out more than a dozen people …

More…

Only for a short time. Who knew that poker is still going on elsewhere, outside of Vegas, that has nothing to do with the WSOP? Today is the pre-season kickoff for Lodge Amateur Poker, as we’ll be throwing a heads-up tourney. I’ve only done two of these before, so I’m not sure how TD-intensive it will be. But if possible, I will try to live-blog the event (complete with strippers!) for those of you who can’t be here. Am pretty sure CardPlayer hasn’t bought the exclusive semi-live coverage rights to this one — though they probably should.

Am also getting excited about my return to Vegas. I am slated to play in the $1,500 NLHE event on Tuesday … a seat I won way back when in a United Events charity tourney. My tourney play has been garbage of late … but I’m feeling pretty confident that I have made enough mistakes over the past six months to get them out of my system.

LAS VEGAS–By the way, I made a mistake when I reported that Robert Williamson was the last Dallasy player standing. He went out on the bubble — in 10th place — but none other than T.J. Cloutier was still alive. It looked good for a bit — I was routing for him to beat Doyle Brunson heads-up … woulda made a great story — TJ can’t win “the big one,” but he wins the bigger Big One and denies his friendly rival the all-time bracelet lead.

Didn’t work out that way, of course. TJ went out in 5th place, and Doyle went out in 8th by pushing all-in with absolutely nothing and getting called drawing near-dead.

About a half hour prior to that, when the players were on a 15-minute break, a random guy walked up to Brunson and said:

“Excuse me sir, I’ve got this friend, he’s read all your books, and it would mean a lot to him if I could get a picture with you.”

Yeow, what was this dude thinking, I thought.

“Not now, man!” Brunson scowled as he hobbled off toward the bathroom.

LAS VEGAS–Once again, the pros almost have the hang of playing this hammer thing. Heads-up in HORSE, Hand #129 … again with the 7-2 suited … there’s the first mistake, but still, Andy is kinda new to blogging; I made a similar mistake when I started out … anyhow, Chip Reese gets it all-in, and Andy Bloch calls … oops, Chip had no idea he was up against the almost-hammer. Alas, Reese turns a straight and doubles up.

LAS VEGAS–The craziness continues to build. We’re just two weeks away from when the real carnival begins. Whatever you do, please don’t take the brown acid:

There are MARKED CARDS all over the place at the WSOP. I’ve seen them in every cash game I played. ANDY BLOCH got a 10-minute penalty at the start of the HORSE event for raising a stink about the easily dented COPAGS. Even DOYLE BRUNSON voiced his disgust — no new decks for the biggest tourney buy-in in history? — as did ANNIE DUKE.

Click here to follow the action today, as they get to a final table, and maybe a winner. DOYLE is still alive, along with many other big names. ROBERT WILLIAMSON is the lone DALLAS guy.

In the big $50k HORSE event, RODEEN TALEBI learns that prayer is not always the best strategy.

TEXAS DOLLY seems to be a little on edge (with HARRAH’S?). He reportedly was also screaming (several days ago) at a diminutive bathroom-attendant lady who wouldn’t let him use the indoor men’s room — holding up his crutch while balking at her suggestion that he walk the 200 yards to the outdoor facilities.

A scene from the MILWAUKEE’S BEST LIGHT GARAGE (which is just before the bathrooms). You can see why I don’t mind the walk.

Here is another shot.

An intelligent poker-playing attorney with GAMING INDUSTRY insight pointed out to me yesterday that the AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT could be used to defeat the GOODLATTE BILL … denying online poker could be denying certain citizens their right to comfortably play the game.

ALLYN JAFFREY SHULMAN (Barry’s wife) offers a solid explanation of legally unenforceable problems the bill faces.

Last week’s issue of CardPlayer featured DOYLE BRUNSON on the cover wearing his 10 bracelets. Brilliant idea — presumably taken from FULL TILT’s ad campaign launched about a month earlier. Only problem … Doyle has given nine of his away. Look closely at the cover and you will see one of those bracelets belongs to JOHNNY CHAN. And seven other were borrowed from BILLY BAXTER for the photo shoot.

THUNDER KELLER has a forum post for people to mock CardPlayer’s live coverage.

But gotta say, as much as bloggers love to hate CardPlayer this year, they really are doing a nice job getting their site back in working order. Chip counts and prize payouts and individual players are easier to follow now (wait til they start getting into the money), and the CHIP-STACK HISTORY feature is actually pretty cool.

GREG MERKOW is kicking butt in the $2,500 6-max NLHE event. GLYNN BEEBE from AUSTIN is too — showing he’s an upwardly mobile Texan that shan’t be ignored. Visors are apparently back in poker style.

HARRY DEMETRIOU has a significant open-letter outlining his BEEFS with the WSOP — and specifically why he didn’t play in the HORSE event. A $2k juice does seem a bit extreme.

Even MIKE SEXTON is (diplomatically) pointing out the important issues poker faces in its immediate future.

POKERBLUE is addressing one potential problem head-on — publicly announcing the stake that each of its players will have in each other at the main event. Wonder if FULL TILT will do the same. Their private-company money breakdown — complete with $120k “buy-ins” seems a bit “mysterious.”

I haven’t watched TV — save for a little poker on in various bars — for two weeks. From what I understand, the world may or may not be blowing up. It kinda doesn’t make sense to me, because here at the WSOP, there are tons of Arabs, Jews, Degos, Polacks, Blackies, and Bumpkins — and everyone seems to get along. Where else can you find such a diversity of people sitting around playing a game?

To the driver of the elegantly pimped ROLLS ROYCE parked in PHIL IVEY’S spot … your alarm is going off. It may or may not have something to do with a certain BLOGGER trying to look inside.

My personal LAS VEGAS/WSOP roller coaster bankroll-impact log. (Current.)

JUSTIN WEST writes a great recap of day 1 of the HORSE event. He’s an out-of-nowhere aspiring ANDY GLAZER with a refreshingly real voice, and he’s got solid blogger chops whether he wants to admit it or not.

A little more than two years ago, ANDY GLAZER committed suicide. It took a while for the poker world to admit as much publicly. The game seems past the point where sugar-coating was the standard. (Andy would have wanted it that way, right?)

Frightening resemblance: JUSTIN and MIKE PAULLE.

JENNIFER TILLY has been good to poker — credit her for significantly improving the hotness of women in the ladies event (and, of course, the quality of all x-chromosome play).

Her belt buckle. The bottom reads “will kick your ass!” No wonder the UNABOMBER’s in love.

LORI the DEALER may not have gotten married in Vegas, but one couple did — in the Rio poker room at the WSOP.

THE FAT GUY has re-done his website. (It was my privelige being his GUINEA PIG.) On it he brings up a really good point about the ridiculousness — and legal questionability — of a SWAT TEAM being used to bust-up a poker game.

GRUBBY has gotten a sweet gig designing slot machines.

Don’t forget to check out the Vegas Vacation recap fun at THE BATFACES.

LAS VEGAS–Check out my recent post over here (on what eventually looks to be a really good site). In the part where I talk about the Crew all hanging out together in the middle of the HORSE tourney … Scott Fischman was wearing a shirt with 7-2o on the back, and below that the shirt read, “seven-dewey clothing.”

LAS VEGAS–Speaking of table-mates, it seems that just as one group of Rounder Clubbers leaves Las Vegas, another rolls in. Not counting the guys who live at Rounder Club West (Don and Doctor Steve), I’d like to wager that the World Series won’t have a day without at least one Dallas-based Rounder Clubber. The guy I ran into today was Terry K. Didn’t even hear that he was going to show. Fascinating, I know.

But kinda interesting considering they have no $35 tourneys here at the WSOP. Seriously, anyone want any action on this?

LAS VEGAS–I just took my worst beat of the WSOP. I won’t even bother to recount it, because the bad beat stories — while not as ubiquitous as last year when you could smoke in the halls here — are really more bad people stories, generally by the folks telling them.

But I will say this … I guess I can accept his calling my small raise pre-flop with those shit cards in the big blind. I even understand his check-reraise, thinking I was bluffing. But calling another couple hundred on my re-reraise?

I stood up from the $2/$5 NL table literally wanting to walk up to the guy — who was previously a solid player before going on tilt about an orbit-and-a-half earlier — and punch him hard and square in the side of the head. Yeah, that would make me feel better! And everyone at the table would know he had it coming. But alas, I’ve got other good stuff in life going on, so violence is probably not the answer. Still, I wanna. Mix in a slow-roll and you can understand why I would shrug my shoulders if major harm came this human’s way in the near future.

Terry K was at the table. Perhaps he can fill you in on the details.

Buy-in(s): $600 (2)
Cash out: $0
Net: -$600

Lessons: Maybe it doesn’t work so well to play silly with your first buy-in, knowing you’ll get the calls you need with your second buy-in and beyond. Might need to rethink that strategy … as it seems to invite these sorts of bad beats. That, or violence is the answer.

LAS VEGAS–Poker Donkey has been monitoring CardPlayer and writes in with word of another pro trying to wield the hammer:

As seen at www.cardplayer.com during the $1000 rebuy event.

Sat Jul 08 16:24:00 PDT 2006
Williams Flexing
After a pre-flop raise to $750, David Williams goes over the top and make it $3,000 to go. After the original raiser folds, Williams exposes 2d7d, much to the chagrin of his opponent.

– maybe next time it will be offsuit!!!

Speaking of CardPlayer, kudos to Barry Shulman for cracking the whip and continuing to re-improve the new website … it’s starting to get functional again. The green-badge CardPlayer kids, however, are continuing to be assholes. They already have better access than most of the rest of us. And their new thing … when photographers are trying to take pictures of the final table, the guys doing chip counts with their pens and notepads will move in the way of the shot. Nice move, guys. They have done it to me, Otis, Justin, Dan from PokerNews, and others.

I actually think it’s funny — and probably would be doing the same thing if I were a young, underskilled dipshit reporter. And I am having fun needling the “kids.” My new get-rich strategy at the WSOP … get punched by one of them, then sue sue sue! (After all, the super-restrictive credentials say the organization any credentialed media is representing is responsible for various misbehavior.)

Until then, the CP kids are making sure they will almost never earn a hammer pin (something all the bloggers here are wearing) … so they should probably think about that the next time they glare a real writer/photographer’s way.

LAS VEGAS–It’s kinda funny sad seeing the people who are still at the Rio at this hour. Almost no pros I recognized … and no tourney action of course — just an odd assortment of really big stacks and really small stacks, all looking totally beat. Anyhow …

“AMARILLO” SHAWNEE BARTON (from Amarillo) had a commanding chip lead heads-up in the Ladies event. She’s the teaching assistant for JIM MCMANUS’ history-and-literature of poker class … but that didn’t stop her from being overtaken by MARY JONES, who wins the bracelet, about a quarter-mil, and a special watch.

MIMI ROGERS made the money in the Ladies event. So did ANJELA BRUNSON — daughter-in-law of DOYLE.

The $1,000 NLHE event kicked off yesterday — 2,800 entries, 600 of whom were alternates. All players started with 1,500 chips … further breaking the WSOP tradition of $1=$1 in TC.

The hot sauce used on the WINGS in the Poker Kitchen is FRANK’S RED HOT.

The cash games here allow the MISSISSIPPI STRADDLE, i.e. doubling the big blind on the button. And at least one dealer (followed by a floorman) says when that happens, the small blind — not UTG — is first to act pre-flop. Will have to ask LINDA JOHNSON if this is correct.

Between the satellite area and the Poker Kitchen is an enormous ICE MACHINE — three stacks (some 20 feet?) high. It has sprung some sort of leak … big huge puddle in a high-traffic area.

The two most recent bracelet winners from AUSTRALIA — JOE HACHEM and MARK VOS — apparently hate each other. And now they hate each other more. (Via Jen Leo.)

The pros have almost figured out how to play THE HAMMER. In a $50/$100 NL cash game, ANDY BLACK, seated between ANTONIO ESFANDIARI and a guy with huge bricks of Benjamins in his stacks, made a sizable raise into a pot with about $10-12k in it. Mr. BIG STACKS folds, and Black turns over the 2-7 … suited. He then jumps around and gloats … and two other players pay him $200 each because of some previous side action on the hand.

The pros are gettin’ there. Next-time unsuited.

Meanwhile, CLONIE drew a tough table in the $10k Omaha event. TEX BARCH was possibly her weakest opponent.

And down the hallway from the WSOP are a bunch of little TEEN DANCERS competing in leotards. My distorted position: the WSOP is not for kids. Or at least not kids in leotards.

Who knew? Well probably lots of folks, but not Pokerati … DAVID WILLIAMS’ MOTHER, SHIRLEY, competed in the WPBT Summer Classic at CAESAR’S PALACE.

LAS VEGAS–While Tulsa was grinding his way to the final table at a Caesar’s tourney a few days ago, some of the Batface bustouts couldn’t help but notice a certain beautiful girl at the table. They wanted me to take her picture. I wanted to take her picture, too. But knowing a thing or two about time and place, particularly when it pertains to the purrrty casino photography rules, I declined … or so it seemed. Indeed, patience is a part of the game … So here she is, fellas, as per your desires. Click to enlarge.

(It shoulda been obvious that she was at Caesar’s just warming up for the WSOP Ladies event.)

Her phone number, by the way, is 702-382-6366. She wants you to call.

More…

LAS VEGAS–About an hour ago,as the final table of the Ladies Event got down to five players:

Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP commissioner: Nolan, excuse me, do you have the bracelet?
Nolan Dalla: Uhh …

[5 minutes later ...]

ND: Hello, this is Nolan.
Voice on other end of the phone: Hi Nolan, this is [another black-badge wearing big-wig]. Do you know who has the bracelet? We can’t find it.

LAS VEGAS–A possibly reliable source (a WSOP assistant tourney director) tells me that there are plans to lower the buy-ins to World Series of Poker Circuit main events to $5,000. The idea behind it is supposedly to draw more people while still maintianing a super-sizable prize pool; and to keep the $10k WSOP main event semi-unique and prestigious.

LAS VEGAS–The Batfaces aren’t the only Dallas pokerers here at the WSOP. Several Lodge players, Rounder Clubbers, Dallas dealers, and sundry other Dallas players have made their presence known here.

SUBWAY JON cashed in a 7-card-Stud event. DAVID WILLIAMS went on to win his first bracelet in the same tournament.

In the Ladies $1,000 NLHE, they had more than 1,100 people register. They’re now down to about 200, and LA THE DALLAS DEALER (sorry, I don’t know her last name). Defending champion JENNIFER TILLY is also still alive.

Pokerati’s beloved LORI THE DEALER did not arrive in time to register … so instead she played craps. TJ CLOUTIER was playing craps today, too. A few thousand bucks a roll. He did not enter the Ladies event.

Dallas dealer LINDA TRAN did buy in, but was eliminated relatively early.

SHARRON “Evil Omaha” NIX looked like she was in good shape, but she went out, too. So did KAYRI HEISZ. But that’s OK. They’re both better prepared for next year.

SHARRON knocked out ISABELLE MERCIER.

Other Dallas pokerers seen at the tables here include: RODEEN TALEBI, CHANTEL, PRIMO, RAJ, DON JONES, DAVE DULY, GINA TORRES, et al.

UPDATE: JENNIFER TILLY has been eliminated. She has the coolest belt buckle.

Another interesting thing about the Ladies Event this year … They all started with 1,500 in chips … as opposed to 1,000. Previously at the WSOP all events had a 1:1 dollar-to-tournament-chip ratio. Not sure what this means for the future of the World Series.

UPDATE: LA’s last name is SENGPHET, and she is currently second in chips.

C-

That grade goes to Pokerati for yesterday’s work. Started off going to the Bloggers Tourney at Caesar’s Palace, where Howard Lederer gave a great speech about poker legal issues and what he’s learned about the lobbying process in Washington. I had my camera with me … but not my digital voice recorder. (Doh! Woulda made a great podcast! Instead I got a ho-hum photo of Howard holding a microphone, against a drab background.)

Then, during the Todd Brunson ass-signing, I had my voice recorder, but not my camera! To make matters worse, while deciding if I should run back to the media room … and/or just stick around so as not to miss it … and/or to play my AJ in a $2/$5 cash game … I froze … decided not to run back for the camera, yet didn’t get audio either.

My apologies. King of Multimedia I am not.

LAS VEGAS–I’ve never been much of a fan of Todd Brunson. I dunno, he just kinda walks around like he’s the son of Doyle or something. And the one time I met him — at his father’s pre-main-event party last year — he made it very apparent that VIP access or not, I was hardly worth his time. But after seeing him in action tonight, I think I might gotta reconsider …

Earlier this evening, Todd wandered over to the low-stakes cash tables with Freddie Deeb’s (very cute) daughter. He was good-fun drinky, and Ms. Deeb (sorry, I can’t remember her first name) was letting us all know she just turned 21 three weeks ago. (Happy Birthday!)

Then he sat down and began playing some $4/$8 limit … yakking it up all jovial with the little people. Very cool. He also showed good poker consideration by asking the dealer to blind him off (instead of dealing him out) whenever he got up and disappeared to other spots in the poker room for a while.

Brunson the Younger then stood up to make an announcement. (”I never realized he was so big,” observed a player at my table.) He was offering $5,000 to any man who shows up for tomorrow/today’s Ladies event in drag. The stipulations: they had to be wearing a visible Doyle’s Room logo, and if turned away plea “discrimination!” I’m not sure if they had to be allowed into the tourney or not. (The Tiltboys pulled off such a stunt a few years back at Bay 101 and were met by some with humor, and others with extreme disdain. And I’m not sure Todd really cared whether or not you got in … so long as you get on TV. “If 10 people do it, that’s fine! I’ll pay out $50,000!)

(At least one Rounder Clubber is seriously considering the offer.)

A little while later, a young low-stakes lady asked Todd Brunson to sign her (spacious) butt. Jaws dropped and camera-phones flipped open at multiple surrounding tables as he ever-graciously abliged.

LAS VEGAS–Sitting in the media room, late at night …

Casino employee: $200 is a good price. She must’ve either thought you were cute or she looked like Dan.

Poker writer: I did a hooker once. Cost me $600 and gave me herpes.

LAS VEGAS–The $2,500 NLHE event kicked off yesterday, and it didn’t take long for the contingent of Batfaces to start dropping like flies: Gentle Shane, Darling, Tiny B, Tulsa, Hong Kong Sue, and Fawcett (who still thinks it’s “great!” that he decided to run a bluff with a weak hand, heads-up, out of position against a world champion in Men the Master) … buh-bye. TBR looked like he might again nurse a tiny stack into the money, and Clonie for a while was kicking butt. But the last man standing from this crew anti-crew was Zach Ballenger … aka Son of Sue.

Gonz-theory proven, he’s pretty much dead-average in chips … and a solid enough player (perhaps the most underrated tournament Batface?) that he should have a nice payday. And of course if he happens to make it to the final table … well then it’s a whole new tournament from there.

Other big names alive include Minh Ly, Mike Matusow, Max Pescatori, Men Nguyen, David Plastik, David Chiu, and Scott Fischman (who got a healthy chunk of his chips from Zach).

UPDATE: 99 got paid; Zach finished 50th … $8,901.

UPDATE UPDATE: Batfaces are reclaiming their losses … Tulsa is at the final table in a Caesar’s tourney … he’s guaranteed like $1,400; in solid chip position to win more.

TEXTY UPDATE: And the text message that just came in from Sommer says: “[Darling] is now up $33k. Also, i may be in his wedding tonight.

LAS VEGAS–Amir Vahedi did not make the money in the $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo event, but he looked like he was gonna when Pokerati tracked him down to ask our favorite tipster the to expound on the key components of Omaha tournament strategy.

MP3 File

LAS VEGAS–A few people have asked how my own poker is going here at the WSOP. All I can say with certainty is that I’ve misplayed a lot of hands. Having been here less than a week, I’ve played eight sessions:

Red Rock - 1/2 NL
Buy-in(s): $420 (3)
Cash out: $421
Synopsis: When down all night, you rock if you can get away anywhere near even.

Rio - second chance tourney (reg. req.)
B: $225
C: $0
S: Bad chip selection proves costly. Out in level 3.

Rio - single-table satellite
B: $125
C: $0
S: 5th place. Shaking off the rust.

Rio - 2/5 NL
B: $600 (2)
C: $1,473
S: I am smart. S-M-R-T.

Rio - single-table satellite
B: $125
C: $0
S: 3rd place. Old Texas cowboy threatens to beat the crap out of hyper-talky obnoxious guy with his cane. One bad call in the end, but I think I’m getting the hang of it.

Rio - single-table satellite
B: $175
C: $500
S: 2nd place chop. I become dominant chip leader by flopping quads early and playing the 27o with power late. “That’s how you play the hammer!” I shout. But then I get totally outplayed heads-up, and bust out re-raising all-in with the hammer vs. pocket 3s. Oops. (Cursing of all bloggers ensues.)

Rio - single-table satellite
B: $175
C: $0
S: One very bad play early — trying to get clever with 7-8o — leaves me unable to recuperate.

Rio - 2/5 NL
B: $600 (2)
C: $968
S: Very roller-coastery. Get below average cards and play them slightly below average (failing to capitalize on two monsters).

From the dept. of: Ooops!

The final table of the $5,000 NLHE event at the WSOP looks to be the most exciting yet. Marcel Luske, Vinny Vinh, and Isabelle Mercier are all there … so is Phil Hellmuth, with his record-tying 10th bracelet on the line.

But who’s not there is ESPN. Their crews have gone home for the weekend. I actually have a sidebet with Pauly. My $1 against his says they will be there … certainly word will spread in time for them to capture a little potential history, right? We’ll find out tomorrow. (For the record, I was willing to put up more; he’s the pussy.)

LAS VEGAS–Went to a little party last night in the Full Tilt suite — very nice place. The free booze, bracelet showcase, and Mike Matusow are admirable, to say the least. The occasion was to celebrate Clonie’s appearance on the “cover” of Maxim’s July issue.

According to CardPlayer, it was a “cover shot and centerfold” in a special edition of Maxim. According to Pokerati (and the actual pages it was printed on) it was a “special advertising section” — meaning Full Tilt ponied up some big bucks to turn Clonie into masturbatory fodder for teenage boys the Farrah Fawcett of Poker.

(By the way, if anyone out there would like to transcribe her interview — it really is good — Full Tilt PR has given me the go-ahead to post.)

The above photo comes from a larger-than-life banner hanging up in the Full Tilt suite. You know the best thing about that shot? No, it’s not come-hither look nor the devil-may-care attitude about chips as she lies on a table … it’s the hand she’s holding. Check it out … I think she’s sending me a message!

You see, way back when, I asked her to do me a favor … “Never let some photographer pose you holding a royal flush,” I begged. Not only is it the most cliche shot in poker, but also it’s unrealistic. Who cares how you play your royal flush on those super-rare occasions when you get one? I explained to her that it would be a much more respectable photo shoot were she holding something like a full house, like maybe Queens-full-of-Kings … or better yet, Aces-full-of-Queens. After all, that’s the kinda hand she makes her living on.

So take a close look … whaddya see? That’s right: Q-Q-A-A-A.

Thanks Clonie. I, of course, feel the exact same way. (However, I do wonder if we should be a little concerned that the boat she’s showing includes two aces of clubs.)

LAS VEGAS–I ran into Felicia Lee (the Susan Powter of Poker?) and her lovely husband Glenn. I was prepared for her to say somethng along the lines of, “hi, how’s it going you bad-blogging, sexist no-good motherfucker?” — because that’s how she rolls/shows she cares — but in fact she was pleasant and delightful, particularly for someone who recently busted out of a tourney.

She had just come from the Orleans … which seems to be smartly capitalizing on the influx of poker players in town.

OK, that may apply to everywhere in V-town this month. But the Orleans, for all its relative Vegas nothingness, knows its poker. And its offering games that cater to the people who want to play big tourneys for hundreds of dollars, as opposed to thousands. Felicia and Glenn had just played an Omaha event with 600 players, many of whom were “second tier” pros. (Tom McEvoy, for example.)

To make the action even more appealing, the Orleans has supposedly cut the juice on tournament buy-ins in half. And they are running hour-long (or maybe 50 minutes?) blind levels. And they are giving you more starting chips than usual.

LAS VEGAS–I hear from a semi-reliable source (who may or may not be a tournament director) that Ultimate Bet was hard at work when Dutch Boyd made the final table a few days ago. Boyd, of course, recently signed with Ultimate Bet … and UB agents were supposedly offering fans around the final table $5,000 a pop to wear UB gear.

At first I found this figure unbelievable. $500? OK, that might make sense. But $5k? Well, it turns out to be not so unrealistic of a number. Other reliable sources confirm that coughing up, say, for example, $100k would be very worthwhile for an online poker site to get guaranteed TV exposure surrounding a televised final table. In fact, certain websites are hovering around the final tables … ready to offer short-term sponsorship deals to the any unknowns who happen to make it to center stage at The Show. PokerStars, Full Tilt, Party, et al. don’t do that sort of ambush marketing, but 888, Interpoker, and possibly Ultimate Bet do.

LAS VEGAS–Norm MacDonald popped into the media center last night (at 4:20 am, almost on the dot) when I was all by my lonesome, and we talked a little single-table strategy. Though he’s no pro, the former SNL Newscaster apparently is no slouch at the tables — at least not at those in the sit-n-go section.

Click below to hear what he’s got to say about shifting gears and chopping pots.

[display_podcast]

Also interesting that he gives credit to my new corporate gigsters at PartyPoker … and yet today there was a special mingling at the PokerStars suite. Either he’s not sure who’s buying him into all these tournaments or it doesn’t really matter because he’s better than James Woods.

LAS VEGAS–Early this AM it was unusually stormy here in V-town. Like big rain drops and thunder and loud-cracking lightning. I was back at Rounder Club West, and couldn’t help but wonder if the people still playing poker even had a clue.

Today is overcast and relatively pleasant outside. Not cool … but not deathly hot. Inside the Rio poker room, however, is apparently another story.

Fat man in the outdoor bathroom area: They should put tables out here and run satellites for people who want to be comfortable.
DanM: Um, yeah, that would be good.
FM: It’s like 60 fuckin’ degrees inside. So fuckin’ cold.
DM: Oh yeah?
FM: I was down to heads-up — I had like a big chip lead — and I asked the other guy if he wanted to chop. He said he never chops, but hell yeah, it’s so cold he just wants to get out of there!
DM: Huh.
FM [running waddling back inside]: Yeah, they should have sit-n-gos outside.

UPDATE: The sun has come out.

LAS VEGAS–Blogging live from the Milwaukee’s Best Light Garage … turns out the ’80s Rocker Lady does not work in the kitchen. She works in the bathrooms. (Posh Enterprises is the company providing the luxury porta-potty services, and it’s the name on her green smock.) Anyhow, the song now playing is “Evil Woman” by the Electric Light Orchestra. She has both arms in the air, and her eyes closed as she makes strange (non-sexual) humping motions.

’80s Rocker Lady: Man, they play the best music in here!

[Exit stage West, still dancing, to Boston's "More than a Feeling".]

LAS VEGAS–Yesterday’s $2,500 short-handed NLHE final table was a good one, to say the least. Seeing Joe Hachem contend for a second bracelet is the sorta thing we want from our previously unheard of poker champions, right? He joins Greg Raymer in providing validation that poker in the New Millenium — the game we all spend way too much time with — really is a game of skill … skill that can be learned, honed, and developed by the, er, Average Joe.

But still … Hachem doesn’t have a blog. Dutch Boyd, however, does.

So congrats, Dutchy! Sure, a lot of bloggers have given you grief about that “youthful indiscretion” where a bunch of people lost money and your girlfriend got boobs, but hey, that’s in the past. You’re a champion now! And a blogger champion! So seriously, you’re my favorite blogger — always have been. 2006 Baby!

Further evidence that this is the blogger’s year — the Hammer is coming more and more into play. PokerDonkey sends along word of one particular hand:

From the $1500 pot limit event on Friday:

Can Kim Hua raises to $60,000 preflop and Rafe Furst smooth calls. The flop comes Q77 and Hua bets $55,000. Furst makes the call and the turn is the 3. Hua checks and Furst bets $53,000. Hua raises enough to put Furst all in and Furst immediately calls, showing AA. However, Hua turns over the powerhouse hand of 72 and Furst is in need of an ace on the river to stay alive. The river comes out the A and the crowd around the final table erupts. Furst catches a full house on the river to double up and stay alive.

Wow, the Hammer almost cracked aces, as it is designed to do. If Can Kim Hua had a blog, he woulda won the hand.

LAS VEGAS–Camped out in the Milwaukee’s Best Light Garage–same comfy leather chair. But today there are no young 20something skanks hotties. Instead there is one 40something lady (previously skanky hot, presumably) who just wandered over from the Poker Kitchen, where she is doing some sort of work, I can tell by her green smock. Anyhow, as I type, she is swaying in the air conditioning, and the song playing is “Dear Mr. Fantasy” …

80s Rocker Lady [swaying hips and thrusting fist skyward]: All right, Traffic! Whoo!

You know the best thing about this MBL is how cold they serve it. I mean the one I’ve got right now … ice crystals on the surface. Amazing how a few degrees of extra chill in Vegas can make a miserable beer surprisingly palatable.