kevmath - the (Poker)Proust Q

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If you do a search on Twitter using the words kevmath, you learn not a day goes by that he's not fielding a question from someone, somewhere, in every timezone known to man, on issues related to all things poker. That's because he's a machine. And he doesn't sleep. Well, he does sleep - just not as much, or as often, as the rest of us mere mortals.

kevmath's awareness about issues of importance to the poker community make him a favorite on forums like 2+2, where he's closing in on his 27,000th post and serves as a moderator, and on social media sites, like Twitter, where he's followed by seemingly everyone in poker, from its elite (both @AnnieDuke and @RealKidPoker follow him, as does @PokerKat,  @Elkypoker, @PrimordialAA, and @AllenCunningham) to more than 8,000 everyday grinder-types and poker fans. And that's not even counting all the perennial poker hotties he's got on follow, including @TattyTats, @Liv_Boeree, @KaraOTR, and @BexMcAdam, to name just a few.

2011 was a bit of a break out year for @kevmath (real name, Kevin Mathers). Indeed, given the hours he keeps and the breadth of his knowledge, it wasn't until people actually laid eyes on him this year that the myth of kevmath as Poker's Omniscient One - the ultimate poker media/information cyborg - could be put to rest.

Human, he is, and what a coming out he had, including a first ever trip to Vegas during the World Series of Poker, where he found himself working and living for 7 weeks and giving interviews to the likes of Pokerati, via Dr. Pauly, and The Circuit (click links for those interviews).

If you've followed kevmath for any length of time, on either Twitter or via 2+2, you might think that his life revolves around poker. And you'd be right. But there's more to him than that. Yes, he is Poker's Brain of Brains, but you may not know he's got a fondness for Hüsker Dü, a thing for suited connectors, and a heart for service that's rooted in a deep respect for friends and loyalty. That's where the (Poker)Proust Q comes in. 

kevmath is the latest to reveal a little of himself through poker's (ok, my) take on Vanity Fair's Celebrity Proust Questionnaire. kevmath was kind enough to respond to my out-of-the-blue request and fearless enough to let us in on some of the special things that make him unique. Unlike those Vanity Fair PQs, though, kevmath had to answer these questions within the constraints of Twitter's 140-character rule, and he did it like a champ. Like Maria Ho before him, I found kevmath to be brave and humble. Given what he does for the poker community on a daily basis, he's a veritable rockstar, too.

And with that, here's kevmath...in his own words:

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
The day I agree with other people's opinion of me.

What makes you laugh?
When I see something funny. 

Where do you feel most at home?
When I'm on Twitter. Hard to say, since I mostly stay at home.

Of what achievement in poker are you most proud?

Actually getting a paid job in the poker media.

What is your most treasured possession?

I don't really have any.

What is your greatest fear?
That my peers will consider me a failure.

What trait do you most deplore in yourself?
My constant failure to accept praise.

What trait do you most deplore in others?
Negativity toward them self.

What is your greatest extravagance?
My collection of i-pods.

On what occasion do you lie?
When talking about gambling.

When and where do you remembering being your happiest?
That's a tough one. I have an answer I want to give but probably best not to use it. Pass.

If you died and could come back as a person or thing, what would it be?
Anyone who could appreciate the opportunities that were given them.

What is your favorite journey?
Vegas, but I've never really had many journeys.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Kindness.

Which living person do you most despise?
Rupert Murdoch.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Any phrase where I qualify something, even though I'm nearly certain I'm right.

What is your greatest regret?
Waiting so long to finally "come out" of the shadows. Saying no to way too many offers to be in poker media. My crippling lack of confidence.

Which talent would you most like to have?
The ability to write in a style that pleased the reader.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

I have things I think are the greatest love in my life.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

To be truly happy.

If you weren't involved with poker, what would you be?
Nothing comes to mind.

What is your most striking characteristic?
Trying to help everyone.

What do you most value in your friends?
That they let me be their friend, even when I act like an idiot.

Who are your heroes in real life?
Those who are devoted to helping others with little reward.

How would you like to die?
Peacefully, in my sleep.

What is your motto?
A lyric from one of my favorite bands, Hüsker Dü: "Walking around with your head in the clouds makes no sense at all."

What is your favorite NLHE hand?
8-7s

Who's a better rapper, Jeff Madsen or Prahlad Friedman?
Prahlad

Who *really* should've won The Apprentice, Annie Duke or Joan Rivers?
Annie should have won, simple as that..

Who is your favorite Micros character?
Obvious answer is the Tatjana Pasalic character, but of the three main characters, it's Tommy.

What is your favorite karaoke song? 
Never done karaoke.

What is your best @AlCantHang memory?
When he came back to the WSOP this year, he definitely came at a time when I needed him around.

@KaraOTR or Angelina Jolie?
Kara, obv.

Who wins in a baby oil death cage match, Dr. Pauly or Hunter S. Thompson?
Hunter

What is the best thing about Twitter?
The best thing about Twitter is that it's a great way to distribute information quickly. 

Who is your favorite Tweeter

@alexpokerguy

Who is your favorite Main Event Champ?

Doyle @TexDolly Brunson

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Who in the Heck Watches Poker on TV?

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Well that would be me. And probably you. And a whole heck of a lot of other people, too.

Despite my family’s misgivings about, both, my Twitter ramblings and my love for poker, I apparently was not alone in my love-fest for this year's ESPN WSOP coverage. They done good and viewers are responding. And sure, while hardcore American fans (who can no longer play online poker) constitute a large majority of these numbers, it seems to me that it can't just be fans who are watching.  Per PokerNewsReport,

The most up-to-date Nielsen ratings – which is an audience measurement system used in the USA – show that the 10 programmes aired on ESPN2 gained an average 0.4 household coverage rating. To you and me, that’s about 351,000 households and 415,000 people watching each episode. But the figures for ESPN’s primetime airing are even more spectacular, with a 0.5 rating as 646,000 viewers tuned in, while people who watched the broadcasts on the Internet via ESPN3 enjoyed an astounding 23 million minutes of programming. ESPN’s senior director of programming and acquisitions, Doug White, was certainly thrilled by the numbers, saying that the channel liked “how the show looked from a production standpoint and from a ratings standpoint”. In fact, as White pointed out, “these shows performed very well against the early morning (1-5am ET) average, increasing by around 136% overall”.

Personally, I'm going to watch the coverage no matter what. I love poker and since I had just returned from my Vegas trip, my heart was still burning with the addiction - ESPN's line-up was a terrific fix. 

I wasn't the only one, though. At my weekly home game this past Friday, I was pleasantly surprised to hear several other players (female, to boot!) confessing that, like me, they'd stayed up til 4 in the morning  to watch hands, listen to commentary, and wait it out til the bitter end to see just who would make up the November Nine. There were a lot of us and, once again, I was reminded of @JoeTall's sardonic "yeah, Poker's dead alright" comment.

Even the non-poker playing/loving members of my household were riveted by the battle unfolding on the screen. We made a game of guessing who was holding what and would sweat the amount of money riding on each decision, as though we were there. It was great fun.

I'm glad I wasn't alone. In fact, watching the coverage while chatting about it on Twitter was sublime. And while I can't be positive, I'm pretty sure we made our voices heard on at least one night of coverage when we somehow got Olivier Busquet back on the panel. How great is he? (thank you @barizzio for the link) Every time he and @TuckonSports spoke, I felt like I was watching a DeucesCracked educational video.

I know I'm not the only one loving on this coverage, but let me not be the last to say - thanks, ESPN. You guys rock. I hope everyone (@LonMcEachern, @MagicAntonio, @KaraOtr, @NormanChad, @TuckOnSports) will be back, but especially @OlivierBusquet. Because I need all the free training I can get.    

Guess I better clear out my DVR because I don't want to miss a thing. 

Maria Ho - The (Poker)Proust Q

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Can I just say, once again, that I love Twitter?

I think because of Twitter (and, maybe, a certain Sapporo-filled Vegas night?), I received a message from Connie at the fabulous WinStar Casino on the day I left my WSOP dreams on the McCarran tarmac. I was hoping she was calling to tell me I'd won some obscure, random Red River lottery that you didn't have to actually enter to win. That, unfortunately, wasn't the case. But, it was close.

Instead of riches, Connie was offering me the opportunity to interview Maria Ho. Maria freaking Ho. Maria of the "I bested 864 other people, and came thisclose to fading Allen Bari, to runner up Event #4 of this year's World Series of Poker for a whopping $540k" Ho.

Not gonna lie...I jumped at that chance. And I immediately started writing out a bunch of poker theory/strat questions and asking Twitter friends for help. I even solicited (and graciously received) advice from a veteran poker journalist, whose work I love reading, @WriterJen.

But as I sat there trying to formulate questions, I started thinking...who am I kidding? Yes, I want to know how Maria got so good at poker. I want to know about her transition from UB to Rise Poker. I want to know about advice she might give amateur players on how to improve their game. But I'm not a journalist and I didn't have a year (ok, she didn't) to spend picking her brain on those issues. And besides...what I really wanted to know, and what I thought others might be interested in, too, was who she is as a person, the inner stuff we all have in common but don't often hear about from our heroes.

So, I took a chance. And rather than re-invent the wheel, I took a bit from Marcel Proust (yeah, it's a stretch), a bit from Twitter, a bit from my own curiosity, and came up with a modified version of the Proust Questionnaire. I'm calling it the (Poker)Proust Q,* and Maria's my first willing participant.

Maria was better than a great sport. Because unlike the PQs you see in, say, Vanity Fair, she had to answer these questions on the fly, without any opportunity to put more than 5 seconds of thought into them. I found her open and uninhibited willingness to take this non-traditional poker interview route to be fun and refreshing...actually, these are two words that I think suit her quite well.

You know she's a hell of a professional poker player, but you may not know that Maria speaks Mandarin, graduated with a degree in Communications and Pre-Law, and that she's got a thing for lips. That's where the (Poker)Proust Q comes in. Maria was wonderfully game to give this a go. Thus, she is the first in what I hope will be a series of (Poker)Proust Q's from these people in the poker community I've come to view as modern day rock stars (don't hate, at heart I'm just a big ol' fan). I hope you like this and will check back in to see what other brave poker rock star(s) might open the door to us, sharing a little something that we don't often get to see.

And with that, here's Maria...in her own words, for this, the inaugural (Poker)Proust Q:

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being in an environment where I’m surrounded by the people that I truly love and care about. I think anywhere that my family and friends are is really what makes me happy at the end of the day. If we lived in a cardboard box somewhere but I got to see them every day and spend quality time with them, that would be my idea of perfect happiness.

What makes you laugh?
Some people would call it off-color humor. I love people who are super witty and who think on the fly and who have that kind of sarcastic humor, I find it really funny. I’m not a conventional humor kind of girl. Off the wall, crazy, border-line absurd is what I find funny. 

Where do you feel most at home?
It’s not a place; it’s who I’m with.  If I can take my family with me anywhere, then that’s home.

Of what achievement in poker are you most proud?

It’s not any one specific thing, but in poker it would have to be that for six years I’ve supported myself solely on money I’ve made through poker and I’ve never really relied on anybody else’s help for that. Pretty much, I’ve done it on my own without being backed or staked by anyone so I’ve always taken pride in the fact that I haven’t really gone broke in this game yet and I’ve never played above my means. I’ve taken it really slowly and made sure that I can continue to build and grow my bankroll and career and say that it was all on my own terms.

In life?
That I am a very loyal and sincere person, reliable to my friends and family. I’m proud that I’m one of those people that others can call on when they need something. I’ve become that for a lot of people that I care a lot about and I’m really, really proud that I can be that person to them.

What is your most treasured possession?
It’s definitely not any physical or tangible thing. I would have to say, my family.

What is your greatest fear?
That I would go through life not having at least one person fully know and understand everything about me. I think we all want understanding.

What trait do you most deplore in yourself?
I’m quick to jump to conclusions. I can be a little confrontational in situations that might not need that level of heated aggression and passion. I could learn to reel that in a little bit.

What trait do you most deplore in others?
Dishonesty.

What is your greatest extravagance?
My car (a Maserati Gran Turismo, link has some crazy sound so watch out)

Like lawyers, poker players are often thought of as really good liars. Outside of poker, on what occasion do you lie?
I make it a point not to lie about things that are very important or that I think is going to hurt someone else.  But, and this is embarrassing, but I do still lie to my mom still about where I am.  Like, even though I’m 28 years old she’ll still call me at three in the morning, “Where are you?” and I’ll make something up because I don’t want her to worry.  Sorry, Mom.

When and where do you remembering being your happiest?
In grade school. I feel like when you’re that young, you have no troubles whatsoever and you never worry about anything…you just don’t sweat any stuff at all. Anywhere from second to sixth grade I was super happy and I just didn’t have much to worry about. It’s nice to be a child – your parents do all the worrying for you.

If you died and could come back as a person or thing, what would it be?
Myself.

What is your favorite journey?
Amazing Race was one of the best experiences of my life. It was definitely the most adventurous thing I’ve ever done and the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I learned a lot about how I am in those kind of situations because I felt that I was tested and challenged at every point on that show. Not every day in life can you say that about something you’re put through.  I was put to the test and I realized I can do anything I put my mind to and that’s a nice confirmation.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
I don’t think any virtues that are highly touted are overrated.

Which living person do you most despise?
Wow, despise is a strong word…I don’t really know anybody that I despise.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Like, um, and ya know.

What is your greatest regret?
When I was younger, I was really stubborn and I let pride get in the way of friendship sometimes.  There are people out there that I wish I had kept in better contact with and I let things pass me by a little bit. Some friendships I could have done a better job of staying in touch with people or making more of an effort. I regret that.

Which talent would you most like to have?
I’d like the ability to affect some kind of change in every single person that I meet. There are people in life who make you want to be better, do something greater, like a Mother Theresa…that’s a quality I’d like to have. 

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Definitely my family. No boy. Ever. Ever.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Being alone, not having people around you that you can talk to and count on and be yourself with.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
To be less judgmental.  I think sometimes I’m a little quick to judgment on things or people.  I’m pretty opinionated. I’d like to be more open minded to everything before I make any kind of rash decisions or judgments.

If you weren't a poker professional, what would you be?
A teacher.

What is your most striking characteristic?
I feel like I have a really big heart. I like to give more than I like to receive.

What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty and their trustworthiness.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Batman because he did things for people for the good of the people and not because he wanted any credit or recognition.

What is your motto?
Live in the moment and be happy with what you have and try not to focus on what you don’t have. Make the best of every situation. Do everything like it’s the last time.

What is your favorite NLHE hand?
Aces!

Who's a better rapper, Jeff Madsen or Prahlad Friedman?
Prahlad

Who *really* should've won The Apprentice, Annie Duke or Joan Rivers?
Annie Duke

Who is your favorite Micros character?
Oh no!  I don’t really watch the Micros.

What is your favorite karaoke song?
Baby Got Back or anything that gets the crowd going.

What is your best @AlCantHang memory?
Generally speaking, he is always down to get really hammered and I don’t know anybody who has a liver quite like his.

@KaraOTR or Angelina Jolie?
Hmmm...I think I have to go with Angelina Jolie on this one because I’ve got a thing for lips...I'm a big lips person and maybe this is going to sound border-line lesbian but Angelina is just really, really, really beautiful to me.

What is the best thing about Twitter?
Best thing about Twitter is you can spread information so fast and it makes people get to the heart of what they really want to say, no beating around the bush because of the whole 140-characters rule. And how easy it is to access.

Who is your favorite Tweeter

It’s a toss-up between Erik Seidel and Doyle Brunson. I think they have some really funny, off-color humor that I like. Just really witty humor, Erik is definitely well known for that. And Doyle, you would not think that somebody, for his age, would have quite that sense of off-color humor, but Doyle definitely brings that in his tweets a lot.

Who is your favorite Main Event Champ?

That’s hard. I think anybody recently, they’ve just been good ambassadors. Moneymaker, for example, and those since him, have had a really tough job in terms of being an ambassador for a game that’s huge and is growing.  All of them have done a really good job of bringing this game into the mainstream. 

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* yeah, so I made that (Poker)Proust Q thingy at the top all by myself with Microsoft Paint. If you think you can come up with a better logo, take your best shot biznatches!

"Where's Nike? Where's Pepsi? Where's Apple?"...indeed.

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I'm in such a hole at work, having taken seven days off to try my hand in Vegas at this year's World Series of Poker. I took my shot, but came up short this time. Each night, I review what I need to get taken care of and tick off the list as soon as I can each morning so I can check in to Twitter to find out what's new. It's hard out here for a pimp lawyer/delusional poker pro wanna-be. I keep thinking there's gotta be a market for a poker obsessed twitter-holic, but I think I missed the boat (besides, there's so many of us!) and unless (until) I fulfill my goal of being the first woman to win the WSOP Main Event, I just have to keep my chin up.
 
But let's look at the demographic that I'm a part of...a female, (well) over the age of 22 who can't really use her looks to get anywhere but who's trying hard not to go quietly into that good night, a mom, a regular joe with a decent job and a love of only the best music (not even debatable) - yep, the one who does most of the grocery and basic household shopping. Just yesterday I took the little one to Academy for new shoes. Sounds familiar, right?

That's why my ears really pricked up this morning when I heard Paul Harris make a comment on his Final Table Radio Show (link here, also a don't-miss listen for @KaraOTR fans).  First off, he said that women only made up 3.5% of this year's Main Event. Ugh. Then, when discussing beefy jerky and slippers (this year's big sponsors), Harris asked, "Where's Nike? Where's Pepsi? Where's Apple?"  And he's right. Where are they?

No one can say for sure what this year's attendance numbers would've been if there'd been no Black Friday (info re same here and here), but we do know that 75,672 entries in a total of 58 events was a record and that 6,865 entries into the Main Event was the third highest ever (@JessWelman is the go-to source for all "WSOP By The Numbers" info). And while they're all in Vegas, they really are a captive audience with (at least some) disposable income.

The more I write, the angrier I get. Who are the idiots holding up the purse strings to get online poker regulated? Why is the American Gaming Association (AGA) not in support of the Barton Bill? What lobbies are behind each that are just generally screwing up my (and your) right to play?  And what can a regular schmoe like me do about it (@PokerGrump wrote an interesting take here)?

I wish I had an answer for that. All I do know is that everywhere you look at the tables in the Rio, you see people who look like you. They're young, they're old, male and female, they're American, Italian, Swedish, Hungarian, Mexican, French, and every nationality under the sun. They're listening to music on an iPod, playing Angry Birds on an iPad, tweeting/texting on an iPhone, decked out fairly decently, and often in tennis shoes, and ordering a drink from a cocktail waitress.They're spending money and taking a shot. Some are beneficiaries of a tremendous pay-out, most count their pennies, or left over Rio chips, and make plans for next year.

Sitting at a Rio DeepStacks one night I listened as @JoeTall and two other pros scanned the room and marveled at the numbers. Joe Tall said it best, "yeah, poker's dead, alright."

Ain't that the truth...

Pics or It Didn't Happen - Vegas 2011 Photo Dump

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So here's your standard Southwest Airlines. Back of someone's head. Don't think he was a poker player. Not an auspicious start to this photo dump. But I'm putting the good ones up first to enhance your viewing pleasure. Because that's how I roll. You're welcome.

 

Hash House BLT. It apparently got me off on the wrong foot, from which I never recovered, because shortly after eating this, I went to play a 6pm Rio DeepStack and bluffed into the nuts within 3 hours. That was a real blast.




  

Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler. I saw him out in the hallway as I was heading into the Pavillion to register for that 6pm. I was all, "Allen Chainsaw Kessler?" as I stuck out my hand to shake his hand. He was all suspicious, like, "Uh...Yes?" as he reluctantly shook my hand. I said, "I follow you on Twitter! Hi, I'm PokerLawyer!" And he was all, "Oh! Ok!" Two beats, then confused look and furrowed brows..."Um...who?"  GLGL, sir! 

I saw a guy work on this for two days. I'd leave in the morning, he'd be out there with a level and other carpentry type tools.  I never saw him with any gray duct tape, but I think it adds a classy touch. Nice job, Imperial Palace.

Yeah, so if you look closely, that's Vanessa Selbst, who gave a great presentation for Bad Beat on Cancer right before the Ladies Event. I asked her a question, but when I tried a follow up, she was all, "Did I say I was done talking **********!?!?" Yes, I mean, no....I mean, ah hell..I fold.

I have no idea what the hell was going on because there was some screaming and some dancing and ladies waving swatches of cloth and then BOOM there was Jen Tilly. Sweet.  No one gave me sweet lady kisses or chips so it was a freaking total bust. Get it? Heh heh...I said bust. In the same sentence with lady. Oh, never mind.

Karina Jett, top right in the green shirt, ended up taking second. I was rooting for her and hollered, "Go Karina," as she raked a pot three-handed, and she looked over and smiled. Then security threw me out.

The next day, I busted out of everything there was to bust out of. Yes, I was quite surprised about that, too. Anyway, Mom and Aint Carol were leaving the next day so I decided to hang with them for a bit at Bellagio. They taught me how to play penny slots. Which apparently cost more than 1 cent to play. Which is bullshite. And of course, I lost $40 in, like, 10 minutes. But, the champagne was good, as were the noodles. And then....and then...and then there was the Sapporo. Goooood stuff.

 So I made sure the my elderlys made it back to their room at the Westin, lifted a $20 off my mom for pain and suffering, and headed back to the IP because, you know, comparatively speaking, I was just really getting tired of all that Bellagio fakery passing itself off as true class. Not to mention the fact that I couldn't get a wingman from the batsignal I sent out. Nice.

Jokes aside - the people I played with that night at the cash table were good people and funny. There were the WSOP dealers done for the day but still looking for action and reeking of an apparent 420 cloud they couldn't avoid walking through. There were the canucks and the sporty ladies and the drunks and two local, serious regs.






And then there was this guy.  The 20 year old stud from Liverpool. He told me I was too old for him. Broke my heart. It's ok. I slit the tires on his jazzy when he wasn't looking.

 Made a new friend in purpleshirted Carl-Henrik, who claimed to be some kind of Prince in Sweden. No harm, no foul, because I myself started out as a deaf mute. I miraculously regained my ability to speak as the night wore on (might've had something to do with the Sopporo. It's possible.) After showing him (and the entire table, can I get a cameo?!) the last episode of The Micros (here's a link to their terrific WSOP episode), he demanded that everyone call him "Swede Tooth," which we dutifully did.

End of the night disaster, $6 straddle preflop, entire table calls. BU raises to $25, entire table calls. Everyone checks the flop to the BU, who bets. Folds back to me and I shove. Of course, he quads the turn.  Nicely done you Russian bastard. Phil Helmuth would have similar luck with three such drawing hands at the $50k final table.

The next day, I busted yet another event (yes, I too am still surprised) and proceeded to sweat my friend @txcardslinger who ran deep in the Ladies Event over at Golden Nugget. She did great but ran a short stack (A9o) into BB's Aces, eight from the money. GTFO.

At the Rio, I got acquainted with SoCo, which I'd never had before, thanks to @AlCantHang (that mythical guy from Twitter you all want to be). It was, ok they were, quite refreshing.

Here he's contemplating a fanboy crush.





 

@PokerVixen was kind enough to carry me and @txcardslinger to our rooms one night in her sweet top down ride. That's the night I also met @WriterJen!

Another night, I got to meet some SuperModels at the hooker bar, including Kara Scott (@KaraOTR), @MarieLizette, @JenShahade, @AlCantHang, @Travich and @KevMath. Pretty sure Kara's part zombie and that she tried to slip something in my drink. I managed to hold her at bay - though it wasn't easy. Really quite pushy, that one.

And then, of course, there is The Godfather of Poker, Mr. Doyle Brunson himself...here he had just raked a pot from Allen Bari. Jason Mercier was also at the table...yeah, just trust me. They were there.

 Lots of tough players in this field...sorry you can't see any of them, other than Doyle.

Wait, here's a fantastic one of Patrik Antonius. Promise. That is him. Yes, I know it's the back of his head. It's still him.

And here's Joe Six Pack Gus Hansen. He was about to deck the interviewer, no lie. Ask @ftrainpoker.

And here's Doyle again, this time at Binions...groupiedom. Sorry, can't help it. Look closely and you can also see a really young Phil Helmuth and Johnny 'effing' Chan.

And here is what I guess they're referring to as the Mother Ship of tables at WSOP - where Phil Helmuth came oh so close to winning his 12th bracelet. Again, if you're not watching the @ESPN_Poker livestream to catch these tables, you're missing out. That's Rast there to the left of the dealer. 

And here's the Poker Brat himself right before the dinner break.

 I took one last shot at a Rio DeepStack, to no avail, but did see Leo Margets in line to register for the Main Event. She graciously allowed me to take her picture. She's carrying posh bags from cool Vegas shops. Gogogogo! 

I, on the other hand, went home with this...

Next year, Vegas. Next year...

For a true WSOP photo blog, be sure to follow @WhoJedi for his great photos. 

There is No Shame in Fandom...is there?

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I woke up this morning listening for the squeals of bikini clad girls and the steady *thump* *thump* *thump* of a DJ's bass before realizing that (a) I could actually breath because second hand smoke wasn't seeping through my a/c unit, (b) my sheets and pillows felt good and smelled even better, and (c) somebody wonderful was sleeping next to me. Ah, the contented stretch of being home, in my own bed.

Of course, that's not to say I didn't have trouble falling asleep last night. You see, I left Vegas on the very day the WSOP Main Event started, the day Doyle Brunson, the Godfather of Poker - who everyone feared wouldn't play the Main this year - kicked things off with the familiar "shuffle up and deal!", and the day 897 people entered to take their shot at the Big One.

And remember, this is only Day One. There will be 4 Day Ones, and 2 Day Twos. If you make it past your starting draw, you still have five long days (12-15 hours each) of poker to navigate before finding yourself part of the lucky few who'll make up this year's November Nine.Yesterday, 560 fortunate players crossed that hurdle and will start again, in four or five days, depending on what Day 2 they drew.

Regardless of whether the numbers are down from last year (which I don't see happening, but we'll see), the field will be massive.  What other sport draws competitive numbers like that? I can't *wait* to see the stories of some new faces...that's always the best part.

I'm also really glad to see some of the changes in the reporting. If you can't be in Vegas but love watching the action, you really need to be checking out ESPN's live streaming coverage (follow @ESPN_Poker for reports and links to same). The reporting is excellent and the commentary is even better, as they're using actual poker pros to discuss hands and strategy and to obtain interviews with the players. It's kind of a 2+2er's dream, imo.

In addition, I really think ESPN scored a coup when they signed Kara Scott, @KaraOTR, to assist, because while she rocks the camera with her looks, that's actually secondary to her ability to speak to the issues, get players to open up (which is a unique skill and talent that you either have or you don't - and she does, in spades), and (more importantly) ask the questions that you find yourself wanting to hear answers to. There's no way all that coverage will end up on TV so don't miss out by skipping the livestreams. I only hope that this won't keep Kara from playing because she's good.

Despite my inability to run deep or cash in anything this year (which I'm bitter about, but starting to deal with), I had an amazing trip. I met everybody I wanted to meet (well, except for @kimshannon, who was too busy killing cash games in AC with @OnAFoldDraw, slackers) and played a ton of poker.

I'm amazed at the people who make up the poker community. Sit down at any table, cash or tournament, and you will find people from every walk of life and from every corner of the world. As someone who loves stories, this is so right up my alley it's not even funny. And part of my problem with playing this game of late is that I find myself focusing more on the people and their stories than my hand and the proper play. There's a time and a place to be that voyeur...trying to actually *win* at poker is not that time.

I also think the trip helped me either get comfortable with, or give myself over to, my total Twitter/poker addiction. I mean, I guess I could try to fight it...but why? It is what it is and so long as I'm not neglecting the really important things in my life, I need to just accept it and quit worrying about what people think about it. Soon as I start trying to censor myself, things get stupid, so what you see is pretty much what you get, folks. I used to joke that Twitter isn't real, but I'm kind of starting to think differently (not that it's a real living thing, but that the connections it brings are or can be).

That said, I was asked about what I get out of Twitter and what is it for me. I don't know that I can really describe it...I believe we're all social creatures. Everyone wants to be loved and validated and appreciated. There are lots of ways we get that in life and real people in your day to day activities are key. Because I work solo, and often all day in my office in front of a computer, Twitter is an immediate social outlet. So that's a big part of it.

And after this trip, I have to say - without Twitter, I never would've met any of the people I met while in Vegas. I mean, come on! Twitter put me in a position to meet Doyle Brunson, @TexDolly. Can you believe that? Honestly, I can't. But it's true. THAT ALONE IS WORTH A KAJILLION BILLION DOLLARS TO ME. (ok...well, maybe not a kajillion, but you know what I mean).

But I also got to meet @WriterJen, @AlCantHang, @WhoJedi, @Maridu, @DMBakes (HELLO!), @KaraOTR, @PokerCurious, @NicolakPoker (I bet you'll like his blog) @3dgar, @JenShahade, @two_isles, @pinkladiespt, and so many other people (from Sweden to England, Mexico to AfriCAH! as PitBull might say). I mean, it's crazy incredible. And I know there's people I'm leaving off (I'm sorry, but I'm totally following you on the Twitters). Now...if I could just meet Ballz from @TheMicros, my life would be complete.

I got on Twitter when I started my own practice. That official "work" Twitter fell quickly to the wayside as soon as I found Daniel Negreanu (the first person I followed on my @PokerLawyer account) and other players online.

So to the question - what are you hoping to get out of Twitter? Nothing...it's given me plenty so far and I don't think I could ask for anything more.

Thanks for making my trip amazing, people. I was only halfway kidding about the "come home with me/live in sin" thing.  If I could get away with it, I'd totally try. ;-)

I hope you won't forget me, Vegas (despite your making me feel like Ben Folds in the video below)...Until I get to see everyone again - safe travels and lots of run good, from me to you.

Tournament Torture

Tweet

Wanted, first off, to say thanks so much to folks who railed/encouraged me this weekend: @rosietexecano, @_TXAG98_, @BigBlindAces, @suzysbad, @MN_Tiny, @willhwk, @tadmrichards, @matmoeb,@txcardslinger, @tripsteur, @Psx120, @Candipartypoker, @willaramirez, @CheeseYQueso, @ricdoherty, @pokerhag, @HeartforGaming, @wndywitch, @LuckyStein - you guys rock and I appreciate the rail. For an amateur, being able to tweet updates is so cool.

My poker schedule, like everyone's, changed after Black Friday.  Since that day, the only place I've been playing online is Lock Poker and Bodog and I mainly feel like I'm doing it just to keep in practice. Whereas, before, I was able to play 20+ tournaments a day, I'm lucky now if I can get in three.  And honestly, like @thegroupie wrote about in a post, I've been worried because it seemed I could not final table anything in the wake of Black Friday.

The other things I've been doing is playing in local live games, and that's what the tournament this weekend was about. I've played in it once before, with some success, and so I was excited when I got the email giving details: $350 buy-in, fairly good structure (at least until late, just like last year), good food and interesting people.

The tourney drew enough to fill four tables and first prize was a little more than $4500. The most interesting thing about the tournament, to me, was not so much the hands, but the players.  Lots of internet pro action going on, ranging from jeffbeesdat, ranmachan, ChipRick, and others.  As the tourney began, I was sandwiched between jeffbeesdat and ranmachan, and told myself if I could hold my own at the table, I might have a shot. Turns out, I held my own.

I chipped up pretty early with AKo. The interesting thing to me about the hand was the river and my thought process before making the decision.  I want to back up and say - I'm reading Tendler's The Mental Game of Poker.  I highly recommend it, if for nothing else - the warm-up, preparation components.  Pre-tourney, I utilized what I'm reading and wrote out my goals for the game and one of those goals dealt with my decision-making.  I didn't consciously think about my written goals during the hand, but maybe subconsciously it helped me because I really thought through it before making my decision.

Blinds are 50/100 and we are all quite deep with 15k avg stacks.  Folds to me in LP. I raise 3x PFR and ranmachan flat calls.  Flop comes Txx rainbow, all low cards.  Turn brings x, I barrel again, he calls.    At this point, I'm done with the hand but I'm wondering, if he has a set, why not raise? If he has AT, why not raise?  River brings A. I bet again and now he raises quite a lot.  Because of his play to this point, the only hand I'm really worried about is AT. I figure, if he has a set, why wouldn't he raise me on the turn? Sure, my turn barrel is questionable, but knowing he's an internet pro, I figure it's possible he's floating me.  So, I tried to maintain initiative while also trying to pot control with my bet sizing. Why didn't he raise me there, I wonder...I'm a little sick because I don't really want to call off any chips with a losing hand this early in the tourney and all I've got is TPTK, which is just gross.  After thinking through the hand, I just didn't believe he had a set and if he played AT like that and got there on the river, well, God bless him.  Fortunately, he turned over 7s and I took a nice pot. Maybe that was a dumb play, but I felt like I was thinking and I went with my read and it felt great being right.  It also felt great when jeffbeesdat said, "great call."  I think he meant it.  ;-)

I took some hits but was able to stay around 25ish bbs when we broke to three tables. At that point, it was pretty much either chip up or go home time as antes had kicked in. A good player (R) immediately two seats to my right was playing great position poker, which meant that nearly every time I was BB or SB, I was getting raised.  The great thing about that kind of play is that, while you don't have a hand every time, the one time you do have a hand, you've pissed off the player enough that *that's* when they shove and that's what happened here. R woke up with AJo and raised my BB. I had made the decision to ship my ~22bbs and, having me covered, he snap-called.  He flopped a J and I rivered a K and that was all she wrote, brother.

Once at the final table, I finally started getting real hands (As, Ks, AK) and chipped up quite nicely. The structure was such, though, that you really couldn't be lackadaisical or unnecessarily leak chips. Plus, it is *so* important to be able to calculate odds and do poker math at the table, without the benefit of a calculator (which my lazy butt/brain uses at home).  I leaked some chips in two critical hands not realizing that a player was committed once they called my raise and I was getting odds to call their flop shoves, but instead folded. 

Those two plays pretty much put us all fairly even 6-handed, with jeffbeesdat (immediately on my right) the cL.  Once again, an aggressive player (C) was raising every button on my BB.  Instead of just min-raising, though, he'd raise 3.5 or 4 times the BB, effectively putting himself AI if anyone called and checked back to him.  Finally, after the fourth time, he was short and his only raise was an actual AI.  I look down at A2o. Not Harrington's A8 cut-off limit, but the guy can't have a hand every time.  I snap call and immediately hear "great call!' from jeffbeesdat and some of the other players, which made me feel good...but...I did ask, "what's so great about it?!" jeffbeesdat said - "you're here to win, not coast." And he's right.  C was *pissed* and berating my play, asking how I can call so lightly, as he turns over 4-6o.

Sure enough, flop brings a 4. Turn brings a 6 and, just for good measure, the river brings another 6.  While I had him covered, I was left with about 3bbs and so I shoved my SB when a MP player limped and couldn't triple up.

I easily could've been out of the tournament on the K2 hand, but that time I got to inflict a little tournament torture on someone else.  And, of course, mine came 6-handed.  That's ok, I really felt great about my play and have so much to work with and work on.  The great thing about playing live is meeting people like jeffbeesdat, ranmachan, and ChipRick; and, learning from them. 

I know the WSOP is going on and I wish you guys luck if you're playing - do your best and take your time.  Hopefully we'll be seeing each other across the felt, at a final table, soon.

Thanks again for the rail - and for reading my blog.  Now.  I suddenly have a hankering for waffles, syrup, bacon and a bikini... ;-)