As you might expect I don’t follow the poker scene as closely as I once did, and it was only today that I learned that Gary DeBernardi won the Nevada State Poker Championship. And that was great news to hear, as “Debo” is as good a guy as you’ll ever meet, which I did back…
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Every morning in Vegas I’ve woken up at 7AM, it hasn’t mattered if I went to bed before midnight or at 3AM. Today I rolled out of bed, performed the tasks necessary to move about in society, and walked into the Amazon Room around nine. There was one other person there, a security guard all…
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The eighth episode of Band of Brothers is titled “The Last Patrol”. It’s narrated by David Webster, a private who went through basic training at Toccoa, jumped with Easy Company on D-Day, jumped again during Operation Market Garden, and was wounded in fighting outside Arnhem. He was in England recuperating during the Battle of the…
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Today’s the sixth anniversary of this here blog. The one I don’t write in as much as I should–working on it. Seems a lot longer than six years, to be honest. I remember clattering away during my lunch breaks three jobs ago, writing about my low-limit poker play and troubles with haircuts (might get one…
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When it comes to discussing events that I cover I have two rules: I never, ever complain about covering a Hold-Em-only event, not after my nightmarish time working the $50K H.O.R.S.E event in 2008. I never, ever complain about covering a tournament where English is spoken at the table, not after I couldn’t understand a…
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As I stepped off the elevator and onto the floor of Pittsburgh’s new Rivers Casino, this is the first thought that went through my head: “Man, this is pretty (deleted) weird”. Because the Rivers Casino is a…casino. Looks like a casino, sounds like a casino. Got the flashing lights and the slot machine toodle-oodling and…
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This is the second time I’ve come home from seven weeks in the desert to sweet, summer rain: The trip home was uneventful, though I think I might’ve still been drunk when I woke up to pack. The final table wrapped at 11PM, not the 7AM we all feared, and of course the media rushed…
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When last we left our hero (that’s me) I was bitching about having to stay out till the wee hours partying in Vegas. Woe is me! But though it’s fun to run amok, after 12 hours in the Rio sometimes all you want is a cold beer and some relaxed conversation. That’s the always the…
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Crazy day at the World Series of Poker, one of the craziest any of us have ever seen. Today was the last day to play in the Main Event–they divide the opening into four starting days, you could’ve played on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or today. Friday and Saturday turnout was light, “only” 1,989 players in…
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I’m not a club guy. It’s not my scene. Some people come to Vegas and spend the entire time waiting in line outside the trendiest hotspots on the Strip so they can dance the night away. Not my thing. First of all, I dance like Frankenstein after a double hip replacement. For me to get…
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