@Kevmath laid down the gauntlet on Twitter this evening on the ever-popular “Words With Friends” app. Soon @RealKidPoker and @Mark_Gahagan were in on the action, offering up their WWF user names publicly on twitfeed. Now I’m three-tabling them all headups.
Negreanu just countered back after I triple-word scored on “SIZED”. Seems he’s playing from his new iPad from NAPT at the Bike.
@RealKidPoker: “34,575 end lvl 4. Nice little comeback reminiscent of my start in EPT Vienna. A bit tired, and playing words with friends to pass time.”
Gahagan may have just pulled ahead with his 57-pointer “VIEW” off my “QUIDS”, but I’m not drawing dead yet. As for Kevmath, I’m on the warpath after he used a questionable “ER” to position off a triple word score.
If HR2267 had already passed, I’d be looking to lay some cash on this tonight.
The WSOP may be over and the vanity plates dispersed across Vegas and Southern Cali, but we still have lotsa leftover pics from the Rio’s summertime parking lots (and others around town) … providing a unique glimpse of the poker players populating America’s roadways.
Yep. Standard raise:
We know this Bentley belongs to David Williams — am extra-smooth ride befitting a WPT World Champ for the long haul from Panorama Towers.
Everybody likes a sneak peak into high-roller hotel rooms … and this YouTube vid gives more than a glimpse of the Bruce Willis and Marilyn Monroe suites at Planet Hollywood. PHo’s poker room is under new management, btw, that seems to be working hard to bring good, friendly customer-servicey low-stakes action ever since their previous management team turned out to be a bunch of (alleged) crooks:
Back in the day, you know, like 2007, rooms like these — with amazing views, foosball, and a bidet — were reserved for people willing to pay a few thousand a night or gamble with 10s of thousands. Now, as 2009 comes to a (bittersweet?) close, such suites are being given away for free to semi-famous YouTube bloggers who know a guy who knows a guy who once worked at Best Buy and sold stereo equipment to a previous high-roller with leftover comp points.
Economy prediction: Bargain luxe + favors will be hot in 2010, too.
I like PokerNews’ globetrotting on-camera chick Gloria Balding’s Top 5 thingies …
This go-round she tackles some of the challenges of international travel that are unique to poker players jetsetting into and out of action … and specifically the need for a good poker face when moving through Customs.
That's one damn fine-lookin' Tomato Salad Phil Gordon ordered at N9NE.
As you know, poker players gotta eat …
From the official non-gaming pimpers for the Palms, on Friday night:
Phil Gordon, professional poker player, author and commentator, had dinner at N9NE Steakhouse with five friends on Friday evening (11.6.09). He enjoyed a Tomato Salad and 12oz Filet accompanied by Mushrooms and Asparagus. Also at N9NE Steakhouse was Gary Sheffield, MLB outfielder for the New York Mets, who was joined by two friends for dinner. Sheffield enjoyed the Lobster Bisque followed by Surf n’ Turf.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, through the connecting “skytube” over to Palm’s Place, the PPA was hosting a very private dinner with some of their biggest supporters at Simon. There wasn’t much tweeting about it from those in attendance — including Howard Lederer, Barry Greenstein, Mori Eskandani, Erick Lindgren, or even @PPAPoker — but we can deduce that this had something to do with the PokerPAC arm of things … and @RealAnnieDuke was kind enough to give us a little peek of Lindgren multitasking during the meal … though we’re not sure what the poker political big-wigs + Joe Reitman were chewing on.
While we’ll happily take credit for being the first to recognize the amazinggayness cultural importance of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face … props to WCP for tipping us off to this major sociopolitical statement wrapped around a poker-themed song:
UPDATE: And so long as we’re pilfering Wicked Chops content today … they’ve got the latest episode of PTV Cribs up, with Evelyn Ng showing her new pad in Panorama Towers (I’m pretty sure) after being foreclose-booted out of her previous rental at the property. She talks a little DJ Hero, too … so hey, we’re still on theme:
Do you like fast cars? I like fast cars. Hassan Habib likes fast cars — red ones — and he gives me hope that a rapidly balding man can compensate for the onset of inadequacy as he shows off his 2004 Ferrari f360 Spider … all with an entertaining Pakistani accent:
Every once in a while we come across something in Las Vegas that has nothing to do with poker, but still, every poker player should know about it … (and when we happen to learn about it from a writer for PokerNews — thanks, Garry! — all the better).
Check out the Big Dig Adventure — which might even be better than shooting off machine guns (a popular offering here in LV) when it comes to shaking off a bad beat or plotting vigilante justice for Russ Hamilton and slowrollers. It’s basically a one-of-its-kind Brobdingnagian sandbox where, for less than $100, you get two hours of moving dirt with heavy Caterpillar-brand construction equipment — bulldozers, skid-loaders, and hydraulic claw-arm excavators. They also have “dozer races” and a high-roller option where you can run over, flip, and crush cars. I gotta think that’s a little more fun than taking out your frustrations by raising with 4-7 in middle position … and it’s good to see something pop up in these tough economic times to fill the entertainment void left by the after-poker shutdown of The Real Deal.
If so, you can spend a weekend with Daniel Negreanu.
The weekend in August is limited to 18 people who will be picked up from the airport in a limo and put up at the Venetian. Participants will be allowed to hang with Daniel for a BBQ at his home in Las Vegas, receive catered meals, get VIP service at a nightclub, and participate in two days of poker seminars and workshops, culminating in a private poker tournament.
“If you’re a serious poker player looking to improve your game, I invite you to join us for ‘A Weekend with Daniel Negreanuâ€Â, said Daniel. “Not only will you leave a better player, but you will have a great time and live the life of a high stakes poker playerâ€Â.
Here’s a question: If someone has $15k or $20k set aside as “poker” money, is it good bankroll management to spend it all on one weekend of instruction and good times?
I find a new level of respect for Annie Duke every time I speak with her.
Last month, she taught the WSOP Ladies Academy I attended, and we had several chances to speak about life and ladies-only tournaments.
On life, Annie changed hers drastically after the 2007 WSOP. She admitted that she didn’t feel so great after smoking and drinking tons of caffeine throughout the Series, so she just stopped. Cold turkey. She went smoke-free and caffeine-free in one day, and she switched to eating only organic foods. On top of that she began running – not just a mile or two but ten or twenty. When we spoke in January, she was up to nearly 20 miles at a time and preparing to run the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon on June 1st in San Diego. She’s going to challenge herself with the run while raising money for Ante Up for Africa.
Her comments on ladies-only events in poker went into my article on PokerWorks. As always with Annie, she doesn’t mince words or filter herself, which is something I admire.
Now, I’m going to think about her healthy ways while I put on my workout gear and eat some fruit light up and drink my caffeinated tea.
