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Monday, July 31, 2006 

MR BULL GOES TO SCHOOL

Recently returned from the Rio where I travelled this morning with the Puzzleman and trusty Rusty. I must confess that despite SS doing the driving, I felt like a dad taking his son to school on his first day. It's all down to him now and my feeling of impotence was rather grim. However, despite the obvious - almost tangible - nerves in the car, my boy seemed pretty cool and collected, aided largely by the Om Nama Shivay on the stereo, which counterbalanced the Vegas skyline wierdly but effectively.

The Rio Pavilion, where fortunes and reputations will soon be won and lost, was a scrum. Merchandising stalls, promotions girls, journalists, players and supporters fight for space in an atmosphere of nerves and testosterone. We saw Joe Hachem - last year's winner - striding purposefully towards the poker room surrounded by a phalanx of reporters and cameramen and by a bevvy of supporters. SS took this as a good omen.

The various shrines around our room and the plethora of herbs, potions and strange foodstuffs have hopefully done their job and the Puzzleman should be more relaxed and calm after the first hour and a half at the table. I'll be down there for the main break at 6pm our time and shall of course report back.

suerte,

Bull x

9:30 PM | Permalink |  

 

INTRODUCING RUSTY STARMAN

I am delighted that I get to wear my own clothes - I have not signed the PP form which requests that I wear their clothing, so I am now responsible for my own hotel bill. A small gamble, but 100% worth it. For one I am not an obvious internet qualifier; secondly I am at least allowed some sartorial elegance, although I arrogate nothing with my indigo shirt. Most importantly it allows Rusty Starman to sit in my top pocket. There is a story, behind The Starman, which will one day be told, but for now suffice it to say, he is a little yellow teddy-bear, with a red chequered cravate, and sunglasses courtesy of my new 'daughter', Isla, which rest around his neck, so that he can observe the action, unimpeded. He hasn't been playing long, but he's popular with the punters, and he's learning fast - he also smells faintly of Basil, which is an excellent stimulant for maintaining a clear mind. So Mr. Bull, Rusty and I will be off soon - the trio at The Rio. We shall speak again later. Ciao.

6:22 PM | Permalink |  

 

TWO HOURS AND COUNTING, MR. BOND

I have slept well - last night Mr. Bull refrained from snoring like a steam-train with attitude, and Sarah, his lady was prevented from communicating by a simple use of the off button on the mobile phone. So I awoke but with one dream that I remember, my first American dream in fact, which meant nothing until I vocalised it. I was in a building and was doing some sort of service, being asked to choose a room to clean (my cleaner delightful Anita is doing so as I speak). I chose the atrium, and found myself cleaning the floor. Mr. Bull pointed out that maybe this meant I'd be wiping the floor. Living the American dream, I guess.

6:11 PM | Permalink |  

 

BINION'S HORSESHOE - GALLERY OF CHAMPIONS

It is now July 31st. I have a feeling my diary automatically archives at the start of each month, so there will be a blank sheet next time I write. It is looking like we will play 15 hours tomorrow, finishing at 3 a.m. or a little after. I am as ready as I will ever be. On arriving this time in Vegas, after shuttling North from The Joshua Tree National Park (Thank you John Double-D for your excellent recommendation of The 29 Palms Inn - very special indeed), I came through London Bridge (not Charlie's place - no, the real McCoy - street lamps and all at Lake Havasu, Arizona). I overshot on the freeway and found myself downtown, which seemed appropriate, so took a quick visit to Binion's Horseshoe. This has always been the home of the WSOP, since it began in 1970, when Johnny Moss overcame Nick 'The Greek' Dandalos, up until last year, when numbers meant it had to move. Last year they played only the Final Table at the Horseshoe, but this year it all goes on at the circus that is The Rio. So I went to check out the poker room at Binion's to find myself standing in front of The Gallery of Champions and thirty different faces. Two players, Johnny Moss and Stu Ungar have won it three times. Two players have won it twice, Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson, back to back in fact. Who is going to be the 31st face? Could it be me? I was trying to find a price online, as I fancied a little flutter (at least 1000-1). This is the 37th year, so I feel like I am ahead in the numbers game - the omens of late have been good (like dumping my roll last night, it's a great sign - yeah right). Thank you to all for your messages of support, and to those who have helped along the way - they mean a lot. I'll try and do you proud - but whatever else I intend to have fun doing it. Til tomorrow.

8:44 AM | Permalink |  

 

THE LAST SUPPER

The talk is now over. This is now it. I start in exactly twelve hours time - Table 133, seat number 9. I have stayed away from poker for the last few days (what I got up to at The Palms was surely a different game). I thought I'd be frantically reading Harrington and the like to gen up my game - but really the key has been to stay relaxed. Dinner at The Bellagio was something special, capped by the creme brulee trio - we were in fact surrounded by a trio of poker players, Padraig Parkinson, Kevin O'Connell, and Steve Davis - the cueman (I was queueing behind Ronnie O'Sullivan at McCarran airport - at the other end, Gatwick, I had a brief exchange with Howard Marx, a high-roller if ever there was one). Steve Davis was on the wine as he is already through the first day with a just below average stack of $22,000 chips ($10,000 to start with). I mistook Kevin for a guy I'd met - anyway Kevin is playing tomorrow - luckily not at my table. Julian Gardner had a good run: $78,000 after two players no-showed and 6 of the remaining 7 were running scared. Keir will be playing again Tuesday with an average stack of $26,475 - blinds coming in on Day 2 at $300-$600 with a $50 ante.

7:55 AM | Permalink |  

 

WSOP - DAY 1A: MIRACLES CAN HAPPEN

AN EXTRAORDINARY HAND

Fri Jul 28 18:40:00 PDT 2006
Jack Mahalingam is all-in for $5,000 and is called by an opponent in late position. Mahalingam shows 8S 8C and his opponent has 5H 5C. The flop is 6S 5S 5D and his opponent flops quads. The turn is a 9S giving Mahalingam a gut-shot straight flush draw (his only way to win). The river is the 7S giving Mahalingam the straight flush and the hand.

Thanks Mike for the tip-off. I have been almost utterly oblivious so far of the goings on, focussed as I am on tomorrow's assault. I went down there Friday and got somewhat freaked. I am feeling more relaxed now, after a massage and a day swimming in Lake Mead. On Friday Mr. Bull arrived and I took him off to the desert - he thought I was about to stop the car and reach for the shovel. We chanced upon Lee Canyon, in the Spring Mountains - amazing pine forests, home in fact of the oldest tree on planet Earth - whose name I have forgotten. I returned yesterday as I was going mental and freaking Mr. Bull out. I ended up going for a jog (something I never do) and by accident jogged my way to a youth correctional facility - never one to obey a stop sign. After that I walked up to 10,000 feet to the Las Vegas ski resort. The upshot was I feel great - not so in my mind or even out of my mind, but back in the body physical.

I dumped some money at The Palms last night, just to get those mistakes out of my system - rationalisation is a boon sometimes - too embarrassing even to mention. I have had the shiatsu and apparently my chi (qi?) is now balanced, and began my favourite book again for the third time - Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist" - which seems rich with significance, "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it". We shall see who wants this the most - certainly not Phil Hellmuth, the room cheered as he busted out on Day One. Still he has a few other events left to try and take the overall lead in bracelets won, currently Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson and Hellmuth share the lead with 10 apiece.

I have bought Mr. Bull the book that began the dream for me: James McManus' "Positively Fifth Street". My Dad's oldest friend Rory sent it over for my Dad's birthday four years ago, and I intercepted it before the brown paper hit the floor. It is a great read, and it planted that seed: to win The World Series of Poker...and then... World Champion of Bridge - I am not asking a lot.

4:20 AM | Permalink |  

Friday, July 28, 2006 

MR. BULL TALKS POT ODDS

I don't know what odds we could get on my boy taking down the whole tournament, but whilst attempting to research this pertinent issue, I started to wonder if not SS, then who would be wearing the main bracelet come the fat lady singing (and they won't be spoilt for choice).

You can bet on many weird and wacky options - the winner's age, sex, religion possibly, sexual orientation hopefully, but I will focus on three good bets in my humble estimation (and I am no bookie batterer). Leaving the outright winner bet alone - and there are good odds to be had on any player you may fancy due to the huge field of players at the beginning (the grand national looks like a game of snap) - lets start with highest placed woman. Victoria Coren never lets herself down on Late Night Poker, but I think she is too nice. Annie Duke is rightly fancied at 12-1, as is Kathy Liebert at 8-1, but that's too obvious. For a bit of value and a bit of Oriental oomph, let's plump for Xuyen 'Bad Girl' Pham at 16-1. Remember each way bets pay top four placed players. She would be the rock 'n roll result. Continuing that theme, top placed European player throws up many good value options. The aggressive Gus Hansen seems overpriced at 28-1 but does he have the stamina? We shall see. Julian Gardner (28-1) and John Shipley (25-1) have both been there and both possess oodles of experience and talent. But I am going to go for another enfant terrible in the fearsome figure of the one and only Devil Fish. Mr Ulliott has the talent, the aggression, the experience and the bracelet to prove it and can be backed at 22-1. The favourite to be top US player is, sensibly enough, the excellent Phil Ivey. The old pro Doyle Brunson can be had at 25-1 and there are a host of other fabulous players such as Dan Harrington deserving of your consideration, but I am going to go for a trio of bad boys (sorry miss Pham) and suggest you put your wad on Phil Helmuth at 20-1. He walks the walk, talks the talk and frequently does what it says on the tin. May I suggest a patent on those three rebel rousers?

Well that's plenty from me, but it's certainly wet my whistle. The royal straight flush is 175-1 to be the last winning hand of the tournament, which must be a mug's bet. Two pair is 9-2, but I fancy my boy to win with three of a kind at 7-1 (SS loves trips) against Daniel Negreanu's pair (11 -10). And Simon's a nice Yorkshire lad to boot.

10:11 AM | Permalink |  

 

MR. BULL WRITES

I'm not really a poker player as such. I've had my trials and tribulations on-line - I think I probably set some kind of record once for winning and losing a thousand bucks in the quickest time - and I took down a four table tournament once in the smoky basement of a Cotswolds boozer, but I'm not really a poker player. Especially now our attentions turn to the WSOP in Las Vegas. As I sit here just South of sweaty London, acclimatising to the desert heat, I find myself considering the chances of SS pulling off a Moneymaker-style coup and bringing those many million greenbacks back to baking-hot Blighty.

It may seem to many of you that for me this will be a busman's holiday. Indeed, I hope it will be. However, knowing that Vegas right now is a Hugh Hefner-style orgy of games, offering punters a thousand different ways of spunking their bankroll and filling their time, I figure that I may be a little busier than anticipated. As SS chooses from the smorgasboard of cash games, the buffet of bracelet events and of course the big one, do you honestly think he will have time, the will, or the energy to organize the minutiae which could be integral in fashioning a new online-qualifying winner of the main event? I am talking about the boring background stuff - organizing laundry, healthy eating, rest and relaxation, massage, blah blah. This will be my department. I also hope to have time to give you a flavour of the action behind the action. The weird and the wonderful, the beautiful and the banal which must surely constitute Vegas in its most important few weeks of the year. I am about to board the plane so see y'all at the circus...

10:02 AM | Permalink |  

 

THOUGHTS FROM THE DEVIL FISH

" Once you're on the final table, you find two or three people who aren't ambitious enough to win; they're just trying to climb up, get a little bit of extra money, they're not actually planning to win it. You try to play at these guys because they don't want to put all their chips in unless they've got the stone-cold nuts. You try to dodge the super-aggressive types who are out to win same as you.

...Once I get chips in a tournament I try and stay away from the big pot... I just want to try and win little pots, medium-size pots, bully the weaker players, bully the low stacks. I don't want to stick all the money in and go out in one big bang. I just try to chip away so that it's harder for them to get the chips off me; I'm not going to be reraising with AQ, AJ, A10...I'm going to try and see flops with 8-7 or 10-9, whatever, and try and catch a big flop and take the money that way...."

9:53 AM | Permalink |  

 

INTRODUCING MR. BULL

I have decided to reach into my shallow Northern pockets and bring a member of staff out to Las Vegas to help with Operation World Domination. Just as Mr Thompson had his attorney, the Samoan, so I will - from the 27th - have my dietician, the Englishman. He is more than just my dietician in fact, he will answer to the trade descriptions of bodyguard, driver, psychiatrist, porter, sounding board, fellow blog writer and supporter above all, as well. We shall call him Mr Bull, as he is quintessentially English but somewhat shy. When I realized that a rather green poker player from Doncaster was staying in a hotel with 5,004 rooms, I decided to call in reinforcements. Mr Bull promises always to be able to tell which tower holds our accommodation. His previous dietary requirements of Marlboro Lights (many), bottles of Sauvignon Blanc (frequent) and doner kebabs (unpleasant) did not fill me with confidence, however I am always hopeful. He mentioned swimming pools and possible gymnasium excursions, so at least he's talking the talk. While I am playing the cards and taking down the pots, he will be busy in the back room. Doing what, I hate to think. He assures me it will all be legal. Ummmmmm......

Hasta pronto amigos...x

9:48 AM | Permalink |  

 

BIG FULL AT CAESAR'S - ALAS NO ACTION

Yesterday was a good day. It was MB's birthday: my friend and host in LA. July 26th was also the start of the Mayan Year - July 25th being known as the 'Day out of Time', celebrated as a holiday in much of South America, particularly Brazil. The basic construct of the Mayan Calendar is that instead of having 12 months of arbitrary lengths, a system that makes no sense at all, there are in fact 13 lunar cycles. If you want proof, try looking out of the window occasionally, and on a good night you might see a white thing up there - it's called the moon. She moves in cycles of just over 28 days. 13 x 28 makes 364 which leaves one day over: hence the Day out of Time - I sensed it was not a good day to play poker, but it was important, even though I busted out and played like a muppet, as otherwise Keir might have passed me by, as I am pretty focussed on myself.

My early escape with A10 was pretty poor play on reflection, as it was clear I was beat, and my final demise was pathetic, but the experience was invaluable (strange word as where does that leave valuable). He has been ensconced in my room for the last two nights, until Mr. Bull arrives tomorrow. He was staying at The Wild West, which had no internet connection, just to name one of its failings. In fact I think we could have some new rhyming slang here: my poker in event #37 could be desribed as a bit Wild West, i.e. not the best. Yesterday I entered a tourney at Caesar's Palace, and this time was playing my best, more Mae West than Wild West, until my eventual demise, which was again pathetic. I had made a serious error in not checking the blind/ante structure in advance. With most people at the table still having around 6,000 chips more or less - in my case less, I had been pushing all-in with anything playable, some small pairs, some medium aces, and some not so playable, but not unhappy to be called, offering the chance of a double up. I ended up calling off all bar 1100 of my chips with A10 - obviously my blind spot (I have been here before a few years ago), which is pitiable, as he showed my nemesis, the AQ offsuit. Still with the levels about to double to a total of 1700 per pot, all of us at that table were in poor shape, bar one or two stacks, so a gamble was needed. All was looking great when a 10 flopped, but running clubs made him the nut flush, and sent me packing by 10.15. Still the tourney was not going to end anytime short of 5 a.m. so it turned out to be a good decision, as I will explain later. Such tourneys are little practice for the main event - a total crapshoot. I needed to muscle early and build some chips. Still the crack was good (I don't know the Irish spelling) - American poker is much more lively and interactive. I don't go to English casinos anymore, because they are full of social retards, although Walsall is always good for some action, not all of it that pleasant. You usually need a shower or two afterwards.

I had started with 1500 chips for my $120, and had refused the extra 3000 chips at a cost of an additional $100, until the end of level two, as it gave me some small-stack leverage, which I failed to exert, as my one or two good hands failed to attract any action. How I wished I'd played this hand slowly. In second position with blinds of $50-$100, holding $2,200, with my $3,000 add-on still to come, I pick up:

HAND ONE: MY HAND



I had had this hand in identical circumstances in the $1,500 WSOP event and raised to $325 which attracted no action, and I had thought a raise of $250 might attract a call, but do I really want callers with their marginal aces or kings? Probably not. However, in the crapshoot, where you need action to build a stack, playing it slower might have worked better. As it was, everyone folded to my $325 raise bar the small blind, Goggle-Face, (for that was what he was wearing), who held:

GOGGLE-FACE



The big blind, Hans, mucked his hand, later saying he might have called a smaller bet. He was holding:

HANS



and the flop arrived...

THE FLOP



We both checked, and the turn arrived:



...which would have given Hans a full house. Goggle-face and I both checked again, with me praying for a big card on the river to give him some sort of hand, but alas the river was small too, and Goggle-Face couldn't call my bet of $300 on the end. The guys at the table did guess my hand however, but I remained tight-lipped, but now you know (if you believe a word of this deranged rambling) - after the Mayan calendar bit you may be questioning my sanity, but it's good stuff, trust me - I think you can get one at 13moons.com. I will be ordering six new ones (for the price of five) in ten minutes. It is more than just a calendar, it is a tool for self-knowledge, which is ultimately all poker is about. Anyway thanks guys for a fun few hours - come and liven up the English casinos anytime. Having said that, my games at The Fox Inn and The Groucho Club are pretty hard to beat on that front. We English even have some strange rules about talking during a hand....

There was one great move when Will-3K doubled through at Goggle-Face's expense. Goggle-face had successfully bluffed Will-3K previously, and naively showed him the bluff - nearly always an error, as you create a desire for revenge. Later Will-3K had his opportunity and raised from early position, holding pocket twos, called by Goggle-Face in the big blind. The Flop arrived 10-7-2 rainbow, and Goggle-Face bets at it with Q-10, which Will-3K (very nearly Will-No K, but that's another story) raised with just the right attitude, like he might be bluffing Goggle-Face as a vendetta move. Anyway Goggle-Face fell for it, hoisted by his own petard, and re-raised all-in to lose half his stack and all of his face - what little we could see of it under the blacked-out ski mask. Will-3K was rocking to his ipod and the table was digging the kid from Denver. Sunglasses, (and ipods to a lesser extent) make a mockery of the game, and the look is so bad, especially on TV - it's like playing with the living dead. Phil Hellmuth, my challenge to you: Prove you are as good as you say you are, and you surely are top notch, by winning with a pair of eyes and ears. You've got quite a nice face, don't be a zombie. Phil Ivey don't need no help; none of the old school of poker would countenance the idea. OK, I've got that off my chest - needless to say I don't intend to wear my sunnies, although I did recently buy some nice Paul Smith prescriptions, so I haven't precluded the possibility on occasion. If they give you an edge perhaps you would be foolish to refuse.... Talking to a guy from ESPN, they are looking at the possibility of playing tournaments without shades.

Anyway back to yesterday: what made my day good, apart from busting out of a $220 tourney with a whimper? My last $1100 went in with a K8, which as it turned out was enough to beat the AQ on my left, but Nuts from Nottingham, called blind with a small stack - his second or third attempt in fact, but valid given his 'M' (ratio of stack to blinds+antes, rather than his own personal James Bond character), and his Q3 off suit hit two more 3s on the flop. So I was headed back to the MGM, for a night of low-rolling at the $1-$2 table, where no seats were available, but there was a $115 sit-and-go with one seat open, which clearly had my name on it. Only the top two received money: first place paying $600 and second paying $400. This is clearly so that the last two are tempted to make a deal, and start making the casino some money elsewhere. Every single casino table now has automatic in-built card shufflers - obvious really as this is the town more than any other where time is money. So I am in this 'sit-and-go', which for the unitiated does not refer to the players who sit down, shovel their money in at the first sight of some picture cards, and then 'go', scratching their heads, wondering what went down. It is a one-table tournament where the blinds go up every 15 minutes, and most of the players did on this occasion sit down, shovel their money in at the first sight of some picture cards, and then 'go', scratching their heads, wondering what went down. Holding $1500 in chips, I am in the big blind, when third seat bets $400, called in fifth seat and in eight seat, and I look down to find AK offsuit, which was an easy all-in. Third seat calls showing pocket 10s, fifth seat shows pocket kings and a grin, and eighth seat folds, and I somehow know I am going to triple up, which I duly do when the ace hits. Within seven minutes we are down to five players, three of whom appear timid, and I make it to heads up with a highly aggressive player, who has a 4-1 chip advantage over me going in. I suggest, half jokingly, a split, and he offers me $425-$575, which I refuse, so he modifies it to $450-$550, which I might have taken, but deals bring me no satisfaction. I play to win. Lying down and accepting second place is not my bag. So he busts me on the second hand, with my KJ dominated by his AJ. I was happy and in profit for the evening and went looking for my seat at the $1-$2 table, but am told there is a waiting list, although there is a seat available at the $2-$5 table for a $500 buy-in....Terry tells me I could turn that into $1,000 in seconds, so I go with that, and play some good courageous poker to add an early $100, having seen one guy bust a guy for his whole stack, giving him over $1,000, piled into The-Three-Towers. I've always wanted enough chips to be able to do this - occasionally I practice at home with my thousand chips which my son, Max, aged five, is currently putting to good use. I played one hand with him a month or so ago - he had 4-2 of diamonds, and was betting it hard against my J7 offsuit, which hit top pair. He proceeded to pull runner-runner diamond and scoop his first pot. Of late, he has been taking down brother Joshie, 11 and Uncle Mark, a seasoned pro...."Daddy's in Vegas, I'm all-in, so show me the money, and pass me my milk" - apparently he has yet to lose - a sure-fire way to whet any appetite.

Back to the MGM cash-game, quite serious this one, not much banter here. There is only one purpose - to take each other's money. I am doing my bit, playing my Mae West poker, when I pick up this hand in early position (under the gun in fact - first to act, for those of you who might think I have a fire-arm at the table):

HAND TWO: MY HAND



As I have said previously, I have this sense of late about 10-9 that it is going to be key for me over here, especially when clubs are involved. The ten of clubs is equivalent to the ten of disks in the Tarot deck. The card is the last in the Tarot deck and it symbolises total completion on the physical and monetary level - it is titled "Wealth"..... So I make it $15, called by Worm in the cut-off, and by The-Three-Towers in the Small Blind, and Samuel L in the big blind, making a pot of $60. The flop comes:

THE FLOP



The blinds check and I bet $25, with my gutshot draw. Worm folds, the Three-Ts calls and Samuel L folds, and the turn is pleasing:

THE TURN



This gives me the absolute nuts. Three Ts checks as do I, bringing a harmless river:

THE RIVER



Three-Ts checks and I bet out $50 at a pot of $110, whereupon Three-Ts thinks a short while before raising me a further $150. Back to me: I deliberate for just the right amount of hand before indicating with what I thought was quite a care-free gesture of the hands, uttering those delicious words "I'm all-in". Before the words are even out he has said "I call", revealing confidently:



I take a little longer before tossing the nuts in his direction - I am not throwing almonds at him - that would be rude. Now it is me who is the master of the three towers. After that I have the confidence of a pirate in a whore-house, and the spunk to hammer it home, with a few cards to boot. Soon after I play a rather loose Q8 of hearts to a raise of $20, after limping initially, and flop 7-3-2 with two hearts; Samuel L and I check to the raiser, Worm, who makes a continuation bet of $50, called by Samuel L, and raised all-in by me, hoping for them both to fold, or failing that I've ehough outs to give me the right pot odds. The first bit of good news is that Worm folds, the first bit of bad news is Sammy-L calls me with the nuts, trip 7s. The second bit of good news is that I make the flush on the river, but alas, it comes after the second bit of bad news, as the board pairs its 2s on the turn. I lose a $600 pot, but muscle it back over the next hour and leave feeling like the low-roller is picking up steam, as I cash in exactly $1230 - almost as satisfying as finding the perfect backpack in Walmart for $4.74.

Anyway my back is killing me, so I am taking a break and am enjoying listening to Bill Hicks do his Jay Leno selling Doritos bit -"you do a commercial, you are off the artistic roll-call forever..... unless you're Willie Nelson". You gotta be here I guess. As I write, the suitcase of 'stuff' has arrived from my 'sponsors': backgammon board, promoting Party Gammon, books, magazines, a logo-encrusted suitcase, a palm-pilot from which I can no doubt play poker, logo-encrusted water, sunscreen, lip stuff, gum, a metallic money-clip, caffeine drinks (so I can stay up longer playing online); books by the man who sold out, (still you gotta make a living and his books are good), magazines, a suitcase, (said that, I think, and don't forget the cuddly toy, Bruce), so many shirts, caps, blah, blah, blah. Currently PP are requiring me to sign I-don't-know-what-away to wear their shit, sorry shirt, in exchange for my hotel bill - something of a dilemma currently. It feels a little bit uncanny that Bill Hicks should be in the middle of his diatribe, as this suitcase of bribes arrive. Will I sign the form? Will I suck Satan's cock?

This is getting ridiculous, as I have spent most of my evening writing, and really I am here to play poker, but my surroundings are pretty conducive. I have been carrying around in my car eleven framed pictures, bought from a thrift-store in Joshua Tree for the princely sum of 50 bucks. I am surrounded by all my special items from home. The Mac stuff is awesome - let's see: you can buy this computer with no aesthetic quality whatsoever - it is constantly sending error reports, and is prone to every virus under the sun, or you can buy a thing of beauty, whose system cannot be compromised, and which is a joy to use..... Tricky - emperor's new clothes, methinks. I'll be having words with Billy boy one of these days.

I have also invested in the Mac ipod dock - Mr. Bull's needs have to be seen to, and today the wireless Mighty Mouse, which feels somewhat symbolic - no strings attached. Anyway enough, Keir has gone to the Rio (by the way he busted out of the $1,500 tourney with a $2,200 payday, annoyed with himself for not pushing more). He plays Day One tomorrow - I will be updating a little over the weekend, but essentially this is me checking out. My preparations for this are crucial: total one-pointedness, I'm sure you understand. Most of the things I require are in place - diet, clothes, and now Mr. Bull, currently heading to Gatwick airport London. I will give you a little piece about him (actually written by him - but don't tell him I told you). I'll try and give you some poker hands - might try and explain to Mr. Bull how to do the html stuff, but you are more likely to be getting an overview.

I've just been downstairs to the MGM poker room, where there's a guy at the $2-$5 table with piles of chips up to his chin. Over thirty piles - impossible to count - it makes my three towers look like change from a Snickers. The buy-in is a maximum of $500, and I estimate he is approaching $10,000. I kid you not. Talking with Jeff, from LA, I saw him raise a flop of 7-5-2 rainbow $350 with Q-10 offsuit, only to hit a 10 on the turn and put his unfortunate opponent (who presumably had a 7) in for the rest of his cash. He looks a little bit like the milky-bar kid, (not the chocolate-eating geek).

I think I might be losing the plot, as I have this strange sensation here in the MGM, of the ground moving underneath me - not surprisingly Jeff hadn't experienced this - perhaps MGM is atop a vortex? I have been utterly sober for a week now, so you can't point that finger at me. There is certainly some strong energy in this town - the circus at the Rio is now in full swing. Tomorrow I bring Mr. Bull to the oasis that is room 436

4:10 AM | Permalink |  

Wednesday, July 26, 2006 

LET ME INTRODUCE MY FRIEND, KEIR

So, I'm sat down at table 158 - there are in fact 2803 people competing for this one, but first prize is only $770,000 or so - last year's winner made just under half that defeating 850 runners or so. The table is tight, and I'm not seeing much in the way of cards. My $1,500 in chips has drifted down with a couple of rounds of $25-$25 to $1,400, when I hit the big blind:

MY HAND



Sunglasses, in middle position who has been playing some hands raises to $75, which is folded by all except the small blind, who calls, leaving me a decision - do I call for $50 ? There is already $175 in the pot, so I make the call. I am getting odds of 7-2, so it isn't difficult, but there are dangers even should an ace fall, as he could very well hold AK, AQ, which would leave me up that creek:

THE FLOP




Otherwise known as a rainbow, (three cards of different suits) although there ain't no pot of gold at the end of this one. The small blind checks, as do I, and Sunglasses bets $175, but falteringly. The chips sort of fall out of his hand. The small blind folds and so should I..... So I think long and hard, reckoning that there is a fair chance this is a mere continuation bet, having raised initially, and I pop him back, with a further $400. Now this check-raise is a pretty powerful play, and pretty scary. Is he scared? Is the Pope Polish? So he thinks for five seconds and slides $400 in (we have similar size stacks) - nice move that one; yeah right. So I get to see another card, like there are any cards that might help, and the turn comes:

THE TURN



I know what you're thinking..... well the good news is that was me done for the hand: he looks like a man with a pair of Queens or better in the hole, AJ at worst, and I check and he bets all-in, which I take a long, long time to fold, trying to look like someone with a difficult decision, as I fold my imaginary pair of Jacks. The bad news is I know have just exactly half my original stack, $25 of which is now in the small blind. Keeping my composure, I look down after everyone has folded around to me, to discover:

HAND TWO: MY HAND



This is doubly pleasing, as there is an expectation that I might be steaming from the previous hand, having dumped my chips (with much dignity, I insist). So I raise the lady to my left, also in for $25, making it $75 to play. She has me covered with around $1,100 in total. Anyway she calls and we see a flop:

Another rainbow - three different suits you realise, nothing to do with pretty colours and pots of gold.

HAND TWO: THE FLOP




So I could check, and then raise, but it's vastly overrated and tends to win you less and lose you more, so I come out guns blazing - or at least I fire a few squirts of my water-pistol, with a bet of $125, trying to look like someone with a pair of aces, who doesn't really have them - confusing I know, but it is usually right to bet here. Now she fires back pretty quick, throwing in a $500 chip and a $25 chip. "Is that a raise... well I'm all-in", pushing a further $150, expecting her ace to be smaller than mine, an A7 or so as opposed to my A10, in which case I would have her out-kicked. Well at this point our cards go over, with two cards to come to reveal the bad news, as she shows:

THE LADY'S HAND



Whoops!
It looks like my $1,500 has lasted me just over forty minutes.

So I stand up (well I don't in fact, but I would have done if I'd had time) and the turn arrives, to choruses of "Hallelujah" - Jeff Buckley, you understand, as this is a moment of deep joy:

THE TURN



The lady is distraught - I am offering silent prayers of thanks and trying not to grin. I don't say sorry as that is simply not true, although I do acknowledge her misfortune. The river comes harmelessly:

THE RIVER



I now have exactly $1,500 chips again. The lady on the left is bemoaning her luck - she might have won the pot by reraising me before the flop arrived, and she paid the price for calling. Raise or fold is usually right. In fact she lost nearly all what was left soon after, again unluckily, and again bemoaning her bad beat, but again by not raising with the best hand. How you lose is far more revealing than how you win.

Anyway I manage to add a few chips and make it to the first break with $2,100 chips with just over two hours gone. Soon after the break, our table is broken, and the players re-distributed. Again I play pretty tight, not seeing a great deal, but maintaining position for an hour or so, and then I hit a rush, and in the last 15 minutes before the second break, I triple up, and start agressing a bit, and am suddenly chip-leader with $9,000. Play is soon resumed, and before long our table is broken again, and I am off to table #84, seat #5. I wander over, and there in seat #4 is my friend Keir - his sister-in-law was a brief girlfriend before I moved in with her.....don't ever do that by the way - not until the ring is on the finger, or the 1000 day money back guarantee has expired.

Last time I'd seen Keir, I'd been around his house, having dinner with his wife, reading the kids Dr. Seuss, and talking poker. He was playing an online tournament $500 buy-in. To cut a long story short he ended up taking down first prize of $37,000 or so. Most of which I'd watched - so I know a bit about his game.

Right now he has around $3,000 chips and before long my first decent hand comes along, with blinds of $100 - $200 and a $25 ante, which means there are $575 (we are still playing eleven to a table) in the pot before anyone starts betting. I am in the small blind, with just over $8,000 in chips and everyone folds round to Keir on the button, who pushes all-in. So, I peer at my cards, expecting, almost hoping to find trash and fold - I don't really want to kill off my buddy with a pair of aces.

HAND THREE: MY HAND



So I agonise a while, a long while in fact. Am I going to fold? A moral dilemma of - let's face it - only minor proportions. I am 90% certain I have a better hand, or at worst 50-50, as he may likely hold a small pair. Anyway after a while I stop thinking about it and the words come out, "I call". Even if I lose I still have a good chunk of chips. In fact I should have, as Keir pointed out subsequently, re-raised all-in to eliminate the big blind, but it didn't matter, as he folded. We turn over our cards, with Keir announcing "I think you're ahead", and he shows:

KEIR'S HAND



So I await the flop with mixed emotions - but not that concerned in truth. You play poker hard, against friend and foe, and Keir is not gambling the kids' Christmas presents after all. He gave up the office to play poker professionally. Anyway the flop comes, and this time it's Leonard Cohen calling the tune...

THE FLOP



Keir has two pair already and that is how it stays. So when the dust settles I have around $5,000 and Keir around $6,500. Well they couldn't have gone to a better home (muttered with only slightly clenched teeth). Later that evening, a quarter to midnight, I received a text from Keir saying he had just made it into the money. Watch this space.

And me? Well after that i didn't see many cards, and got eaten by the antes. I had a couple of hands when I perhaps should have pushed all-in. Correction no perhaps at all. Julian Gardner (runner-up in the main event a few years back, and one of the leading British players) arrived at the table with around $45,000 - expect to see him at The Final Table. My final demise was not a thing of beauty. My KJ went up against AQ - the details are not to my credit, so I will spare us both. The good news was I was over it by the end of the dinner break, an hour later, and booking my seat for Pirates of The Caribbean. Only a $9.50 buy-in that one, and you are guaranteed to last at least two hours. The bad news was that I had three hours to wait and the movie theatre was next to the MGM's poker room........

I am not going to go into the gory details, as it is real late over here, but within an hour I am down around $350 with one visit to the ATM, and another a distinct possibility. This was the key hand:

THE CASH GAME: MY HAND



With blinds of $1-$2, the pot is raised by Loose Bruce in early seat to $7 pre-flop, called by me in late position, and by Mr New York to my left on the button. The blinds call too making it a five-way pot: I have about $150 left in front from an original $200 buy-in. The flop arrives:

THE FLOP



The action is checked to me, and I bet $15, liking this a lot. Mr New York raises me a further $25, with everyone else folding. At this point I declare war unilaterally, with a reraise all-in, a further $111, and Mr. New York starts talking a lot, trying to find out what I have. I maintain a stiff upper lip, and don't make eye-contact or utter a word, and he calls. As it is a cash-game, we are not obliged to show our cards, although he spins his hand face up:

MR. NEW YORK



So I have 10 outs twice, while avoiding a full-house (there are 4 fours, four nines, and two eights, that can help me). The turn is accompanied by more of Mr. Cohen however:

THE TURN



He has his full-house and I need one of two 8s with one card to come....

THE RIVER



So I dip into my wallet for another $100, which goes the same way, and I still have well over an hour til my date with Depp, and I am enjoying myself - the table is good-natured, the dealers are earning their tips with good banter, and as Nick 'The Greek' once said: "The next best thing to gambling and winning is gambling and losing". So I head to the ATM, pay the $4 surcharge and put a further $200 on the table.

At quarter to twelve I have $350 in front of me from an outlay of $500, having been down to $150 at one stage, when this hand arrives:

MY HAND



"Talks-too-much" calls in early position, as do I in middle position (expecting a likely raise from Loose-Bruce). The raise comes from "Small-Stack" in the small blind, and we both call for $20 in total, as does Nowhere-Man on the button and there is $82 in the pot, and the angels sing as the cards arrive:

THE FLOP



Hallelujah!

Small-Stack bets $10, called all round. I don't want to scare anyone off at this stage.

THE TURN



Small-Stack bets another $10, which Talks-too-much raises to $40. Again I call, risking a paired board and a full-house, but wanting money off the other two. Nowhere-Man folds, and Small-Stack calls leaving him around $20 left.

THE RIVER



I still have the nuts, and it is checked around to me. Talks-too-much has nearly $200 remaining, and I have him covered. How much do you bet? Well I bet a $100 but got no callers, but a healthy pot. I didn't show my cards, although I did say I had two hearts. As I left, I did reveal to the Alabama Kid which two hearts. He has my card, so may be reading this from his home on the strip. Nice one Davis!

By five to midnight when Pirates is scheduled to begin, I am cashing in $490 from an original outlay of $500, so three hours entertainment for a mere $10 - cheaper, just - than Mr.Depp. Confidence is restored, and the poker has been particularly good-natured. Davis to my right, from Birmingham - Alabama that is - seems to be impressed with my poker. His brother has also qualified for the WSOP main event.

This writing business is fun, but also very time-consuming, so I have decided to spend some more money. I have just shelled out 666.20 pounds (no pound sign on my American keyboard - anyone know how I can sort this on a Mac?). I have paid for a friend - he is an excellent writer - to join me here in the MGM. As you might imagine the numbers turned me on: 666 is the daddy of powerful numbers. The Christians realised this, but typically only pedal the bad news - don't get me started. Interestingly if you add all the numbers on a roulette wheel up, you get 666. So 666 is not just the number of the devil, or rather the beast. It is the symbol of "The Great Work'. My friend likes to be known simply as Mr. Bull - more on him later. Is he the beast? - some might say so, but I couldn't possibly comment. And besides if the beast lives anywhere, surely Las Vegas is quite a likely location. Who said the devil was bad anyway? Those Christians again - stop or you'll have me talking about Mr. Bush next - the best thing that ever happened to America. Only through his presidency could the American people have woken up to the degree that they are doing in order to galvanise themselves and their governors to take the action that is necessary to bring about the changes that have to occur, if we are going to slow down the juggernaut of Western consumerist democracy. OK, I'll stop - just as well Mr. Bull is going to take over. He arrives Friday lunchtime, in time for the Big One. I am off now to the Rio to sort out his press credentials and also find out how our friend Keir finished up last night.

I have five days left 'til I attempt to realise the dream. Thanks for your comments.

10:58 AM | Permalink |  

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 

I'M GOING OUT NOW - I MAY BE SOME TIME

All set. I think. Mind racing. Yesterday I finished another great book "Penguins stopped play" by Harry Thompson - it is all about cricket the greatest and most mysterious sport on earth. To understand cricket is to go some way to understanding what is to be English. You don't need to know anything about cricket to enjoy it. It follows the trials, tribulations and travels of the Captain Scott XI in their quest for world domination (or not). We shall speak later - hopefully much, much later.

6:35 PM | Permalink |  

 

LIVE YOUR LIFE, THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE

On my way down to breakfast, I contemplated bringing my headphones, to keep out the eternal stimulus - pop pumping, slot rattling, the beautiful nonsense that is the Vegas circus. Eventually finding the Grand Buffet - who needs the gym, when you can walk two miles to eat without even leaving the hotel? Gina was great - as I gave her the run-around on the tea scenario - since when does orange pekoe class as English breakfast? We eventually settled on some Earl Grey - you guys out here have got to learn how to make a cup of tea. A cup of hot water and a tea-bag meant that I had to work some English magic to bring it off - and amazingly it was great, much enjoyed and even enhanced by Paul MaCartney: "She says yes...I say no...Hello, Goodbye...blah,blah,blah". Returning, with the aid of my sophisticated sat-nav (follow the yellow-brick road, or in this case the brown carpet), I pass the tables. "Hey, honey what are you having for breakfast? I think I'll have some blackjack, followed by some slots, easy over". All this to the tune of Adamski's Killer. It occured to me that everything was just right - they had the key ingredient - they were enjoying themselves.

GAME TIME: I have just over two hours til start. I have banged some pills - I won't bore you with the dietary details... yet. Oh go on then I can't resist, here's one from Dragon Herbs (pronounced 'Erbs by the way) in Los Angeles. Daniel (of the guitar) assured me it was the dogs. It is called Duanwood Reishi and it says on the bottle 'Duanwood Reishi mushroom is arguably the most revered herbal substance in Asia (I'm not arguing). The elite substance for achieving radiant health and spiritual attainment'. Did he see me coming? We shall see (I am saying this a lot lately). He also managed to sell me some 'Heaven Drops' - Wild Ginseng. I will give you the full low-down at some point, but suffice it to say the kids birthday presents are on hold til 2008 (and their mom's too - by the way, I promise not to call you that when I get home, but right now I am in the US of A - yeeha! yo the man). So back to my somewhat elusive point. I had better get ready, as right now all I am doing is writing, even when I'm not - breakfast was just one long mental blog. I need to address the supplements and order my UPS van to take them down to the Rio. I need to phone for my Q-link (more later) and I need to stop thinking B-log and start thinking A-game. Poker A-game. I had a chat yesterday with Phil Gordon, author of "The Little Green Book" - truly the best poker book ever written, pound for pound - it's small, you can't hollow it out to hide your dollars in, and you can carry it unassisted - take note Doyle. So a bit of that and then into the Ford Taurus. Please don't get your hopes up - a friend, Alan, busted out before the first level was done, $1,000 gone in under an hour. His kids will be glad to hear that he has since recovered it in the cash-game. I feel good and I feel ready, well almost.

5:28 PM | Permalink |  

 

GOOD NEWS - BAD NEWS

The Good news is it is now 8.15 a.m. Under four hours to go. The Bad news I didn't sleep great. I awoke to dreams of poker - my friends were playing and doing well, taking down huge 5-way pots (my friend to my right did appear to have twice as many cards to start with - A Q J 10, which certainly helped him fill his full house). Meanwhile I had apparently been involved with one pot - 10 2 (famously known as a 'Doyle Brunson', as he won the World Series on two consecutive years with this hand). Anyway the 10 2 seemed to bring me in some chips. I felt rather like Wayne Rooney, as I drifted to sleep to the drone of the air-conditioning - luckily no toothless crones emerged to tempt me. The Bad news is I awoke with one song on my mind, which won't go away and I can't remember the lyrics (Ah! there's one "Don't criticise what you don't understand). The Good news is the bathroom has a bath and is acoustically perfect - my apologies to the occupants of rooms 16434 and 16438 - as I bang out "The times they are a changin'", I promise to google more lyrics. I don't know whether this is good or bad news, but I am feeling a whole lot less blase now - reality check: "Hey kids I've just gambled the Christmas presents, and by the way that's all the Christmases up until 2012". The Good news is I am enjoying this writing business, quite therapeutic. The Bad news is I am not here to write, I am here to play cards, and today could easily run to 14 or 15 hours long - anyway breakfast awaits. "Good news Bad news" is a book by David Wolstencroft. I can strongly recommend it: two guys, working for a photo-lab, situated in the London Underground discover the other is a spy.....

4:18 PM | Permalink |  

 

EVENT 37 - $1,500 NO-LIMIT HOLDEM

Well I am entered - my chance to win a gold bracelet. It is a 3-day event and it starts in 10 hours and 47 minutes. It's 1.13 a.m in the MGM Grand. I arrived today after a magnificent drive through the desert via London Bridge - more of that later. It took much longer than expected, so I had no chance to practice my game. I feel pretty blase about tomorrow, inasmuchas I have splashed out $1500 and I am quite relaxed about it, win or lose. Being obsessed by numbers I like the fact that this is event 37 - I have been running (usually driving) around this great orb for 37 years now. Last year's winner, a certain Ron Kirk beat 863 other runners to scoop the bracelet and $321,520 - a number I dig a lot (you're either with me or you're not on this one). I have been assigned seat 7 at table 158, which means we already have nearly 1,600 entrants. The levels go up every hour. I start with 1500 chips and the blinds start 25-25, 25-50, 50-100, 100-200 and then the antes kick in - for those of you who don't play poker, sorry for that total gibberish. I think it is good news, but either way some pretty picture cards early will help. It is wise now to sleep. Same time tomorrow I guess

9:18 AM | Permalink |  

Sunday, July 23, 2006 

VEGAS - SIT AND GO

I arrived Vegas on Wednesday and within an hour of leaving the airport I was down over $3,000... and I hadn't played a single hand of poker. So equipped with a brand-new Macbook Pro from the 'Fashion Show Mall', I drove my Ford Taurus rental straight past the Rio, where the WSOP is taking place, and headed to LA to acclimatize. After a couple of days there I have now begun the detox, and am equipped with all manner of strange pills, potions and powerfoods. I am currently in a town called Joshua Tree, situated (as you would expect) on the North side of the Joshua Tree National Park - I have even just bought the CD from Wal-Mart. The desert has been good to me - I was going to head to Vegas this morning, but am enjoying the 29 Palms Inn so much that I thought I'd keep Sunday a day of rest. So tomorrow I return to Vegas, with a view to playing a warm-up tournament or two, and then Tuesday I enter my first 'bracelet' event, $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - a 3-day event. Ideally this should keep me busy til Thursday, when I move into the MGM Grand, ready for the main-event which begins on Friday, with me starting my challenge on Monday 31st. There will be more regular updates once I'm ensconced in Vegas - right now it's all about the mental (and physical) preparation.

10:48 PM | Permalink |  

Friday, July 14, 2006 

VEGAS UPDATE

The main event of The World Series of Poker, $10,000 buy-in, 8,000 entrants (total purse $80,000,000) begins on July 28th. The field has had to be split into four as it is so large - I will be playing on the final Day, July 31st, along with 2,000 other players. 800 out of the 2,000 will go forward to Day Two, which takes place on August 1st and 2nd. August 3rd is a day-off for everyone, after which there are seven consecutive days of play. The 'final table' will take place on August 10th and will consist of nine players, all assured of a seven figure payout, with the winner expected to take $10,000,000. My trip has been delayed a week: I fly out on Wednesday 19th July.

12:06 PM | Permalink |  

Saturday, July 08, 2006 

WHO IS MR MICAWBER?

Monday last, Mr Micawber finds himself in an olde-worldy tavern, sipping a quiet pint of ale, when the shout of "Shuffle up and Deal" echoes up from the next door room. Curious, Micawber wanders through to find a wholly unexpected, but not unwelcome sight: the back-room awash with card-players, smoke and anticipation, a poker tournament is all set to start. After a brief enquiry, his wallet £55 lighter, Micawber joins a table with a motley assortment of miscreants, preparing to gamble his week's pay, in the game that is sweeping the nation - No-Limit Texas Hold'em. Micawber, like so many others, has been studying the game for many months now, catching the broadcasts when he can, but so far unwilling to risk the prospect of personal misery that will surely ensue if the books don't balance at the end of the month. After an exchange of pleasantries, with affection beaming out of one eye, and calculation shining out of the other, Micawber settles in to play the best poker of his life, albeit the only poker of his life.

The tournament is a £50 freeze-out: no reflection on ambient temperature (Micawber had already seen off a couple of all-in hot flushes) - the freeze-out is a straight elimination with no opportunity to rebuy chips. After four hours, and with 23 runners reduced to a final table of eight, Micawber is struggling somewhat, waiting for some royalty to arrive. The top five are due to get paid out, and soon there are only six left, when a huge hand arrives:

With blinds of $700/$1500 - Nemesis, the chip-leader, with $25,000 chips, as near as calls 'under the gun' - this means he is sitting to the left of the big blind and so acts first. Grendel, next to act, with just under $22,000 raises $4,000. There are $115,000 in play - of which Micawber has $10,300 - he is now the small stack. He has 9-6 off-suit, so folds.

The Newcomer, on the button with around $24,000, thinks a while, makes like he could raise, before calling and the blinds fold. There is now $14,700 in the pot; Nemesis needs to put a further $4,000 to play (pot odds of 11 to 3 or so) so calls, and the flop arrives.

HAND ONE: THE FLOP



ACTION: Nemesis comes out firing, betting $10,000 and is immediately re-raised all-in by Grendel. The Newcomer manages to throw away his pocket Jacks and Nemesis makes a reluctant call &ndash he has Grendel covered (i.e. he has more chips). The cards come up:

NEMESIS - $25,200GRENDEL - $21,500



THE TURN



THE RIVER



OUTCOME: Grendel wins $49,200 with 3 Nines, beating 2 Pair. Nemesis has $3,700 left.

ANALYSIS: Neither Nemesis nor Grendel did much wrong – as usual in poker aggression pays – difficult for Nemesis to put Grendel on a 9. Once re-raised, Nemesis needs to put a further $6,000 in to win a pot of $43,200. (over 7 to 1) - in fact he is not quite getting the odds to call, if he puts Grendel on a 9 or an overpair, as he needs to hit one of two 10s left to win (around 11 to 1). If the Newcomer goes all-in, Nemesis probably walks away with $9,700 in tact.

THE NEWCOMER - $24,600



THE NEWCOMER has picked up a big hand, 6-handed, and it is easy to say that he could have won the hand by going all-in, but facing a raise under the gun, and an immediate re-raise from players relatively unknown to him, who can fault his play? His call gives him a chance to walk away if Nemesis goes all-in, and if Nemesis calls, he can be pretty sure he hasn't got a bigger pair. When Nemesis calls, he gets to see the flop with the other players acting first. He said subsequently, he was going to go all-in on the flop, but Grendel got there first.

GRENDEL rated to have KQ or better perhaps a smaller pair, and with the raiser still to act, the Newcomer was royally sandwiched. Nemesis's suspicious call is consistent with a possible big pair (he loves the 'slow-play' does Nemesis)

THE NEWCOMER ended up getting knocked out soon after in 5th. His whole game changed, once he was assured of a payout, he made the greatest mistake in poker - he relaxed. Play on 'the bubble' is tense and tight - a prime opportunity for larger stacks to make moves against players fearful of going home with nothing.

THE BUBBLE occurs when there is one player left before the money. At last year's WSOP after an inordinately long period on the bubble, Harrah's scored a PR hole-in-one by offering the unfortunate bubble-boy free entry into the next year's event: virtue is its own reward - the positive publicity was rated in the millions by a simple act of goodwill that was pure Jack Binion.

Initially on seeing the hand played out, Micawber had thought the Newcomer had misplayed the hand, pre-judging him as a rookie. After a few recent losses, Micawber had brought only £100 for the evening, which left him two blue £20s for the cash game: getting 5th in the tournament for Mr Micawber would mean the difference between misery and happiness: 5th place would mean £69 from a £50 + £5 outlay, with drinks on top. In fact the Newcomer's play held the key to Micawber's survival...

HAND TWO - MILLIONAIRE:On the very next hand Micawber is second to act when Grendel, with $49,200 calls for $1,500. Nemesis is the big blind, leaving him with $2,200 with a small blind of $700 on its way. Nemesis is gutted, and giving Micawber that Nemesis look, as if somehow this was his fault - 'We must face reverses boldly and never suffer them to frighten us', Micawber mutters to no-one in particular. Grendel has a monster stack, and is acting accordingly. A certain Mr. Heep in the small blind is slavering. Beowulf arrived in style at the final table but has been quiet ever since - but is now awakening. Everyone is sniffing blood. Mr Micawber looks down at his cards - he inches the first one, a letter not a number, black, the letter A. He looks again, a spade, the spade ace - his pulse quickens. He bends the other..

MICAWBER - $10,300



Micawber is still sitting on his hands, wondering what to do, trying to get a read on Grendel - but he is merely monstrous, when his phone beeps. He phoned Mrs. Micawber during the break and told her of his evening's entertainment - unfortunately she'd had less enthusiasm for the whole endeavour than he: "Mr. Micawber - your difficulties are coming to a crisis". He looks down at the message - searching for a life-line. The 'Big Lick', 6-9 could have won him the pot on the previous hand, how would the 'Big Slick', A-K fare for him. What should he do? Micawber picks up the phone, he thinks he's on 'Millionaire', he phones a friend......... your phone rings - it's Mr Micawber - what advice do you give him?

9:54 PM | Permalink |