Why We Play (Legally Questionable) Poker

Is there any doubt that these guys are clearly the two best writers in poker? Sorry McManus — you\’re still great and all, but that was like so 2004. The above stories (about life in the poker underground) are totally must-clicks, and I\’m not just saying that because they also happen to be quality linkers. You wait and see … These are the guys etching out the tales of an era that will be read decades from now.

UPDATE: Wow. Apparently ESPN is no Rolling Stone. Pauly\’s said thanks but no thanks to the top gig in town. And, of course, in true Tao fashion, he\’s taken what is essentially an age-old storyline and given it the juice:

That all changed after a conference call on Tuesday afternoon. A suit in the upper brass (and non-poker person) had an issue with my philosophy of covering poker. The WSOP is not figure skating. It\’s cut-throat poker in Las Vegas, held in one of the most dangerous cities in the world where crystal meth abuse runs rampant, gangbangers frequently blow each other away, female players offer anal sex for tournament buy-ins, and poker players get robbed in the parking lot of the Rio by gunpoint. Heck, just this past weekend, a pro named William Gustafik was brutally stabbed to death by his wife… in Las Vegas.

That\’s just the beginning. If you dig deeper, it gets worse.

Seriously, it\’s gonna be an amazing World Series this year, isn\’t it?