Don't Tell Donald.

This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the World Series of Poker.  The Main Event, as it came to be called as more games were added over the years, is down to the last three players.  And one thing we know for sure, the winner this year will not be an American.  Current chip leader Hossein Ensan is an Iranian who has lived in Germany since 1990.  In second is Halifax native Alex Livingston.  In third place is Italian poker pro Dario Sammartino.  The last American player was Garry Gates, who will have to console himself with the 3 million bucks of a fourth place finish.

This won't be the first time a non-American has won the big prize.  The first was Iranian born, London based Mansour Matloubi back in 1990.  Jonathan Duhamel became the first Canadian winner in 2010.  And Swede Martin Jacobsen was the last non-American to win, back in 2014.

So please, don't tell Donald Trump.  He'll just go on a big rant about foreigners taking over "America's game," stealing American money etc. 

Trouble For Phil.

It seems pro poker players just can't avoid trouble.  The latest facing problems is Phil Ivey.  The Borgata Casino and Spa in Atlantic City is suing Ivey for cheating them out of 9.6 million dollars.  But not for cheating at poker, rather for cheating at baccarat.   The lawsuit claims Ivey and a companion used a flaw in cards to arrange them so they could tell which card was being dealt, and hence enhance their chances of winning.  The company that made the cards, New Jersey based Gemaco Inc, is being sued by the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City, who claim card problems led to gamblers defrauding them of 1.5 million dollars.  And on top of that Ivey is being sued by Malaysia's Genting Group in the UK for cheating at baccarat, alleging he and an accomplice cheated them out of 12 million dollars.

If Ivey did cheat both of these casinos for the amounts they alleged that's a hell of a lot of money.  You'd think someone running that lucky at baccarat would have been spotted fairly quickly, given that baccarat, like most casino games, is supposed to favour the house quite heavily. (It seems that in the UK case the staff at Crockford's Club casino did spot something odd, as they refused to pay out Ivey's winnings.) You also have to wonder why someone like Ivey would engage in such extensive cheating given the damage it would do to his reputation if discovered.  On the other hand we've seen multiple examples in the past of how the big sums of money involved in gambling seem to cloud the judgement of the pros, the most notorious example probably being the goings on at Full Tilt Poker before the US crackdown on online poker. 

Go, Carlos!

I had kind of forgotten that the World Series of Poker Main Event is running, but this morning I took at look at the current standings.  Starting day 7 there are 27 players left.  A big surprise is that Carlos Mortensen is currently sixth.  Mortensen won the Main Event in 2001, before the big poker boom.  And now he has a very good chance of reaching the final table this year.  A lot of people have wondered if a previous Main Event winner will ever win more than one Main Event again, and the general consensus is has been no.  Even reaching multiple final tables seemed unlikely given the current inflated player fields.  Can Carlos prove them wrong?  There's also a good chance JC Tran, another well known pro with extensive tournament experience, will make the final table as well, as he's currently in fourth place.  Sounds like a pretty cool final table could be shaping up.

Full Mess Poker.

The cover story for the January 2013 issue of Bluff is a profile of Erick Lindgren.  Lindgren is a familiar face to many poker players and poker watchers, having appeared numerous times on programs like Poker After Dark.  But as the article reveals he's a man with major problems.  His gambling addiction has put him into Chapter 7 bankruptcy, as he owes numerous people several million dollars in unpaid gambling debts, some going back almost a decade.  Yet he's still playing poker, as that's pretty much the only way he has to possibly pay back those debts.  Generally when you think of addicts trying to fight their addiction you think of them having to avoid the addictive activity, but not in this case. 

The article includes discussion about Full Tilt Poker, which Lindgren was a spokesplayer for before the US crackdown.  Some of what's in the article won't be new to anyone who has been following some of the revelations made by people like Howard Lederer online.  But for me it was a surprise just how messed up Full Tilt's management in the months before Black Friday seemed to be, with Full Tilt pros like Lindgren being given loans with little thought put into how such loans might be paid back.  In fact just before the crackdown Lindgren was reportedly give a 2 million dollar loan twice.  In other words the company loaned him 4 million dollars, instead of the 2 million they were supposed to.  It's not hard to imagine that even if the US government hadn't gone after Full Tilt the company would soon have been in the news for screwing up its finances.

Online poker players can only hope that PokerStars, which now owns and runs Full Tilt, has better people running the fnances than the old Full Tilt did. 

Could You?

If you're watching the WSOP Main Event final table you just saw Steve Gee eliminated in 9th place when his all in bluff move failed.  Could you make a move like that, knowing that if you failed your chance at the bracelet would be done?  I don't think I could.  On the other hand I don't think I could call something like that either.  Hopefully we'll get a chance to find out some day.

Poker 101.

No, a straight is not better than a flush.

I just saw someone on Pokerstars who apparently thought a straight was better than a flush.  I really hope he was kidding.  At least he was playing in a freeroll, with no money needed to participate.  Better yet it was an Omaha Hi/Lo tournament, and Hi/Lo is one of the more complicated forms of poker.

Gold For Saskatchewan.

You'd think I would have remembered, but I didn't.  The World Series of Poker is well underway, and Saskatchewan can now claim a braclet.  Tyler Bonkowski of Regina won $220,817 in the 3000 Dollar Limit Hold 'Em tournament, $3000 being the amount each player has pay to play in the tournament. Along with that nice chunk of change he gets a World Series gold bracelet, as do all winners of a WSOP event.   Note that you won't find the actual tournament Bonkowski competed in in the Star Phoenix story.  I think it's a reasonable guess that the writer isn't a poker fan.  Bonkowski is from Moosimin by way of Regina.  This is his forth cash at a WSOP event, and the first victory for a Canadian player at the 2011 edition.  The Main Event, the highlight of the series, begins July 7th.

The Refresh Button.

It's time to refresh your poker lineup, GameTV.  You're playing Premier League II for about the 30th time since I first started watching poker on your network.  I'm sure there are a few viewers who have memorised every hand by now.  A lot of your other poker programming is equally tired.  You've got your money out of those progams, now it's time to move on.

Some People Should Not Play Poker For Money.

Seriously, some people should not spend a cent of their own money playing poker.  Not because they don't have skill, but because they are too volatile.  Sitting here playing an online freeroll tonight I just saw someone go completely on tilt when things didn't go their way, calling another player who offended them various names.  If they get so worked up about a tournament where nothing is involved but a bit of their time I'd hate to see how they'd react to doing poorly in a tournament they actually paid to enter.

How About Some Omaha?

Just a thought for the folks at shows like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker. How about the occasional Omaha game instead of Texas Hold 'Em? I'd love to see some of the pros go at it in Omaha, especially someone like Mike the Mouth, who claims his best game is Omaha.  The World Series of Poker broadcasts have covered the game so it's not like regular TV poker viewers will be totally unfamiliar with it.  I know the game can be confusing, but it can also be very exciting given some of the wild swings that can happen in a hand.

I Disagree.

This poster, seen in a bus shelter, is one of several that are part of an anti-gambling addiction campaign from Saskatchewan Health.



Here's a closeup of the main text of the ad.  I can't agree with it.  Many people certainly overestimate their skill at poker.  But this ad in my opinion implies poker is far more of a game of chance than it is.  If poker is such  a result of "luck of the draw" why do people like Phil Hellmuth, who has won 11 World Series of Poker bracelets in various events, exist?  How is it possible for people to get better at playing the game?  We're not talking about something like roulette, where the player has no physical influence on the game after he or she chooses the number they want the ball to land on.  My own experience is that I've done better as time has gone on as I've learned what works and what doesn't.  Am I a great player?  Nope, and I know my limitations.  But you won't convince me skill doesn't play a major role in poker.

Playing The Phils.

There have been some pretty odd ideas used for cartoons over the years.  An example would be Rambo and the Forces of Freedom, a kid's cartoon spun off Sylvester Stallone's Rambo movies.  But somehow I doubt we'll be seeing a cartoon based on poker anytime soon.  But you never know.  Watching poker this morning the thought came to mind that if somone were to do a poker cartoon based on Phil Hellmuth the obvious choice to do his voice would be veteran voice actor Billy West.  West wouldn't have much trouble doing a voice recognisable as Helmuth's.  It would be even more appropriate given that one of West's best know roles is that of Phillip J. Fry on the cartoon Futurama, and Hellmuth is a Phillip J. as well.

How Not To Play Poker.

I'm currently playing a poker tournament over at Pokerstars. It's a mixed game, alternating between Pot Limit Hold 'Em and Pot Limit Omaha High. One of the players currently on my table actually asked how you play Omaha. Seriously, it should be obvious to anyone with a clue that you don't play a game unless you have at least a vague clue of the way it works.

As for me I'm not doing great, but at least I finally managed to win a hand. I'd hate to go through a tournament and not win at least one hand.

It's Not Just For Dogs.

Yes folks, we finally have evidence that it's not just dogs who play poker as that classic painting indicates. The cats are in on it too. Hmm, that may explain the way some people play online, they're actually cats.

The Ballad of Eskimo Clark.

I don't listen to modern country music, but I don't get the impression they're much on "story songs" these days. A lot of country hits in days gone by were mini tales of some real or imagined event, like Johnny Horton's "Sink the Bismarck" and Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John." The saga of Eskimo Clark at this year's World Series of Poker is the kind of thing I could imagine being made into one of these songs.

Paul Clark is known as Eskimo due to his supposed resemblance to the logo of Alaskan Airlines, although he's originally from Louisiana. He's won 3 WSOP bracelets to date, but his quest for a fourth at this year's edition just might kill him. Last week he collapsed during the Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo event. Initial reports speculated on a heart attack, and many blamed the hot conditions inside the tent his table was located in. Yesterday he collapsed twice during the $1500 Razz event, prompting paramedics to be called in during the second incident, although Clark convinced them to let him continue playing. Some sources are claiming it's the result of low blood sugar, but others are saying that Clark is having strokes, and the fact that one side of his body went numb during the second incident yesterday sounds like evidence of a stroke to me. Clark has signed a waiver absolving the tournament of liability should he suffer permanent damage.

Clark made it to the end of the event, coming in third, with Katja Thater winning. But at what cost? Is winning a fourth bracelet worth the health risk to Clark? He thinks so, but it seems like obsession taken too far to me. And even if he is able to compete in further events and does win a bracelet it's gong to be overshadowed by his collapses.

Take That Action.

Many professional poker players also like to bet on other things, and the bets are sometimes whimsical or outrageous. For example vegetarian Howard Lederer won a bunch of money when someone bet him he couldn't eat a hamburger and he did. Given such bets it makes me wonder if someone has this bet going: When and by whom will Mike "the Mouth" Matusow get punched out at a major poker tournament or on TV after he makes one of his typical nasty comments. If you've seen Matusow on something like Poker Superstars you know what I mean.

The Anonymous Ones.

Anyone who pays more than a vague bit of attention to poker probably knows that the Big One, the World Series of Poker main event, has been going on for the past few days in Las Vegas. Tomorrow is the final table, with the winner set to take home 12 millon bucks American, minus the US taxes, of course. Even the 8 players who don't win will make at least 1.5 million a piece. Not bad for a few days of work. The final table players are Richard Lee, Erik Friberg, Paul Wasicka, Dan Nassif, Allen Cunningham, Michael Binger, Doug Kim, Jamie Gold, and Rhett Butler. Even many casual poker fans will notice something about this group, namely that none of the really big names are at the final table. No Chris Moneymaker, Howard Lederer, or Phil Helmuth. Last year's winner Joe Hachem didn't come close to the final table. Of this year's final table players Allen Cunningham is probably the closest to being a poker celebrity, a seasoned pro who already has four WSOP bracelets. That's what makes poker so appealing to many, the idea that maybe, just maybe, with some luck and some good play they too might be at that final table someday. After all they're watching a bunch of guys that most folks have never heard of duke it out for the top honor in poker, while the famous figures of poker have to sit back with the rest of the world and watch.

Moneymaker

As part of my ongoing effort to learn a bit more about poker this week I read Moneymaker by Chris Moneymaker and Daniel Paisner. Its a first hand account of how Moneymaker went from being an unknown amateur no one would have considered even a minor threat to winning the 2003 World Series of Poker. Its a pleasant and quick read. What's interesting is that Moneymaker had been gambling in one form or another since he was a little kid, and that his college and after college gambling had left him in debt. Whether one could call Moneymaker an addict is debateable, but his gambling debts were such that only the promise of money from a friend lead him to win a free seat to the World Series via an online poker tournament instead of in effect throwing the tournament so he would win the second prize of $8000. A free seat at the pinnacle of US poker events was far less valuable than actual money that could go a long way to paying off debts a young accountant with a wife and baby couldn't afford. Equally ironic was that winning the 2.5 millon dollar grand prize ended Moneymaker's financial problems, yet introduced a whole new set of tensions that proved equally as hard on his personal life as being in debt had been. Definitely an interesting case to consider when you see the jubilation of the winner of such an event.

I've been watching Spike TV's new series King of Vegas. Perhaps by the time its done I'll have a bit less vague idea of how to play poker. On the other hand I could probably play blackjack without making too much of a fool of myself.

It would be interesting to know what exactly is behind the rise of interest in poker over the last 3 or 4 years. Is it simply because its being seen more on the TV sports channels? Beats me.