Poker World Wide

A Visit From St. Doyle

2008-12-23T10:06:00.000-08:00

With apologies to Clement Moore, here's my take on the traditional Christmas classic!

A Visit From St. Doyle

'Twas the night before Christmas

And all through the house

The only thing heard

Was the clicking of a mouse

The stockings were hung

By the chimney with care

But nothing was in them

As I looked at two pair

The tournament was late

The blinds they were high

I considered a raise

And behind heard a sigh

The children were silent

And snuggled in bed

As thoughts of a boat

Danced in my head

With mom (who sighed) merrily wrapping

And I in my visor

I had settled in

And considered my raiser

When out on the lawn

There arose such a clatter

I sprang from my chair

And ignored the chat banter

Towards the door

I flew like a flash

Threw back the bolt

And opened the latch

To what did my wondering eyes did appear

The saint of the game and eight of his peers

He had a big cowboy hat and a grand old smile

And with a sweep of his hand ushered in those in the rear

"In Chris, in Barry,

In Howard and Annie

In Jennifer, in T. J.,

And Phils, Hellmuth and Ivey"

To the table we flew

The chips they were clicking

The discussion was merry

Over the eggnog we were drinking

He spoke reverently

As we played through the night

He looked in my eyes

And showed me the light

"The game, it is great,

The time spent is a blast.

But it isn't everything,

Enjoy each day like it's your last."

"Play the game and enjoy

Who knows, you may be great.

But remember friends and family

Those things never abate."

The eight and I nodded in agreement

A toast was raised to The Man

As he grandly announced,

"Everyone all-in, last hand."

The cards whisked to us

As did the flop, turn and river

And we all peeked at our hole cards

To see what was delivered

It came around to me

And I turned up my hand

I stared down wide-eyed

At the royal flush that I had

The hand went to me

As well as the cheers of the gang

And we all left the table

As the Christmas bells rang

The mood was joyful

And as they faded from sight

St. Doyle looked back to me

And had one final insight

"The best to you in the game

And the best in your life.

May your hands be huge,

Merry Christmas and good night."

Where Are The Advertising Opportunities?

2008-08-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

When the delay of play at the Final Table of the Championship Event of the World Series of Poker was announced before the start of the 2008 tournament schedule, WSOP Commisioner Jeffrey Pollack stated that one of the reasons for the four month delay was for the players to be able to obtain sponsorship and advertising revenues that would add on to their already life changing largess. He also stated that it would create a buzz along the lines of the Super Bowl and that it would be something that would draw the world's attention to the World Championship of poker.

Fast forward the clock to almost one month after the "November Nine" was determined (or, as PokerPages' Mike Paulle called them, the "Fall Fiasco") and what have we seen? Not one of the players have announced a huge sponsorship or "logo" deal from a corporation outside of the world of poker. Other than chip leader Dennis Phillips getting some press from his local St. Louis newspaper and an appearance on Fox News, there hasn't been the rush to put these players on morning talk shows, other traditional media or even flagship TV outlet ESPN's shows, such as "First Take" or their dedicated ESPNNews. And, although we are in the "dog days" of the poker season, the sensational buzz created by the reaching of the Final Table has subsided to pretty much an inaudible hum as the WSOP-Europe steps up to the plate and the World Poker Tour continues on with their new contract with Fox Sports.

Perhaps it is too early (we still have three months to go) to be looking for these things, but it seems that the experiment that the delayed Final Table has become could be something that we won't see again. It is extremely possible that, with a few weeks to go before they restart in November, that these advertising opportunities may flood in and we see Phillips, "Chino" Rheem and the others with logos bedecking their attire. In the current economy and with the demographic look of the average poker fan, though, it is not a guarantee that this will happen.

One way of looking at this is by looking at another one of the other possibilities that was extended by Commissioner Pollack. He seemed to be enthusiastic that the players at the Final Table would hire top professionals to tutor and train their particular charge to make the deepest run possible in the tournament. At this point, not one of the Final table participants has (at least openly) taken on the advice of a top tournament professional. A recent blog on CardPlayer by a former guest on my "The Tournament Trail" show at Hold 'Em Radio (http://www.holdemradio.com/), WPT champion Roy Winston, indicated that no one has contacted him regarding his offer of coaching for the Main Event.

There is still time for the fruition of the goals that were laid out by Commissioner Pollack to come to life but, to this point, it has to be honestly considered that the delay for the "November Nine" may not have been everything that it was cracked up to be.

Why Are The Pros Doing So Well...And Dismay With ESPN360

2008-06-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

We are about halfway through the 2008 World Series of Poker and, to this point, what has been remarkable (other than the lack of much controversy) is the number of pros that have taken the bracelets this year. Mike Matusow gets #3, Daniel Negreanu gets #4, Barry Greenstein gets his third and Max Pescatori grabs his second bracelet. This is just a short list, though, and when you add in David Singer and Vanessa Selbst picking up some jewelry you have to wonder why the pros are doing so well this year.

The reason for this is twofold:

1) There are more high dollar buy in events. In 2007, there were only two events other than the Championship Event (the $50K H.O.R.S.E. and the $10K PLO Championship) that charged entrants a huge entry fee. When you look at the schedule this year, there are eight events other than the Main Event that have a $10K+ entry fee (and this isn't looking at those gamblers who generate the pools for the rebuy events!).

When you have these high dollar buy ins, Average Joe Poker isn't going to be able to jump into the fray. Thus, we are seeing more of the notable names in the game taking titles away from this year's festivities at the Rio.

2) There has been more non-Hold 'Em events being played. While there has been the usual NLHE events (especially on the weekends, which have been drawing respectable crowds), Harrah's has made a point this year to expand the selection of tournaments into Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Razz and various mixed events. This leads to the professionals that have solid disciplines across all forms of poker to the promised land of the bling at the WSOP.

Because most poker players have been drawn, whether through online poker, bar poker or television poker, to play ONLY NLHE, they haven't conquered the skills to branch out into other forms of the game. This will start changing as time goes by however, especially with more Europeans (where Omaha is the game) and Asia come more into the fold of poker.

By saying this has been the year of the pro, this doesn't discount that there have been some great online players making their mark on the WSOP this summer. Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond is currently holding his own against two time World Champion Johnny Chan and is in the mix in the $5K PLO w/rebuys. If the onliners can continue to make their voices heard and the pros continue to be, well, professionals, it could be a very interesting few weeks remaining here at the WSOP.

**UPDATE** Galfond is doing better than holding his own. He's the chipleader with three to go and Chan is gone!

Speaking of Chan, Galfond and the $5K PLO w/rebuys, this was a final table that would have been worth seeing. David Benyamine, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth were also a part of the final table and, as the WSOP website crowed about proudly, you could view the final table on ESPN360.com.

When I went to do this, however, I found out that not everyone gets ESPN360 (I had seen the ads on television regarding the site, but never saw anything worth going to check it out over). It seems that your internet provider has to be signed up for it to be operational. You would figure that Time Warner Cable would be a part of that package but, alas, it isn't.

I'm not sure how many people this affects but, if the numbers are fairly large, then we are missing out on some great poker broadcasting that probably will never be seen, either during the WSOP broadcasts (which start July 22) or otherwise. Although I am a little bugged by this, if it means we don't have sequestered final tables that completely remove the life from it, then I'll just have to let it go.

Thoughts On The Delayed WSOP Final Table

2008-05-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

I wrote this piece on May 1st, the day that the announcement was made regarding the decision by Harrah's (or Caesars Entertainment, whenever they change the name). I'll be back after this to add on to what I wrote then:

A Troublesome Move: WSOP Changes Championship Event, Delays Final Table
by
Earl Burton

In a teleconference on Thursday, Caesars Entertainment (formerly Harrah’s) announced changes to this year’s World Series of Poker that could have long-term ramifications on the sport of poker, let alone the play of this year’s Championship Event.

Joined by Seth Palansky, the new Communications Director of Caesars Entertainment, Jamie Horowitz (the producer of the WSOP broadcasts for ESPN), and Jack Effel (WSOP Tournament Director), WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack announced that this year’s Championship Event, formerly scheduled to end on July 16th with the crowning of a new World Champion, will now be delayed until November 9th through the 11th, with the final table being a two hour broadcast on ESPN “almost live” the evening of November 11th.

“Our goal is to create anticipation for the Final Table and to create previously unimagined opportunities for the players. This will add new excitement to the World Series of Poker,” Pollack stated during the teleconference. “Instead of everyone knowing who has won the tournament when it is broadcast, there will be greater attention on the drama of who WILL win the event. It will truly be a cliffhanger ending to the most prestigious event in poker.”

The tournament, set to start on July 3rd, will play down to the final table roughly around July 14th. At that time, play will be suspended, the final nine players will receive ninth place money at that time and the players sent home for roughly four months (actual time is 117 days). They will reconvene at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on November 9th and will play down to the final two players, who will return the next day to determine the champion. ESPN will cover the action and turn around a broadcast for November 11th that will show who has won the title in what is now planned to be a two hour broadcast.

In an attempt to drive viewership for the Final Table, ESPN is also planning to have a one hour special on November 4th. This broadcast will focus on the final table participants and presumably will follow them around for the four months following their achievement of making the Final Table and their preparations for that event.

For many poker purists, this could be a tremendously troublesome move for what is recognized as the Olympics of poker. Poker is a linear event, played out under a continuous timeline that demonstrates the skill, stamina and expertise (or, admittedly, even the luck) of the players who are participating. To have a forced delay built in for the benefit of television coverage corrupts the very tenets that the game of poker is built on.

For their part, ESPN and Caesars see the change as something that will accentuate the Final Table rather than hurt it. “People didn’t like it when there were changes in baseball, such as the Wild Card implementation, or in NASCAR, with the Chase for the Championship,” Horowitz elaborated. “This will only add more drama and excitement for the viewers.”

The problem with those analogies is that they are apples to the WSOP’s oranges. Neither of those organizations mentioned delays their championships for an extended time period to build the drama. Even the NFL (the organization that new Communications Director Palansky came from) only delays the Super Bowl for two weeks from their respective conference title games. Could you imagine what would happen with delaying the Super Bowl, the final race of the NASCAR season, or the NBA Finals for four months from the time the combatants are determined?

This doesn’t even begin to approach the possibilities that exist for bastardizations that may happen with the delay.

The Final Table at last year’s World Series Championship Event paid out over $20 million to its participants. Although Commissioner Pollack addressed this issue by saying, “We will conduct the Final Table ethically and without adjustment and we hope the final nine players will as well,” the probabilities of collusion, chip dumping, pre-Final Table deals and other such shenanigans increases exponentially with the delay. Although they have seemingly addressed if someone cannot return to the November playoff (if a player doesn’t return, he will be blinded off and awarded the position in which he finished), the possibility of some (or maybe all) of the players reaching financial deals beforehand among each other is now a reality.

And let’s not even enter into the speculation of death, incapacity or other nefarious activities that may occur with the amount of money that is on the line.

Another thing that will become evident by the time the Final Table plays is the lack of continuity of the players. While former World Champion Johnny Chan, in a USA Today article that details the story, stated that “Poker is a game of skill. The hands are random. … It's how you play your hand. I don't believe in hot streaks,” the change will enable a player to come to the Final Table now with potentially a completely changed game. When we watch the broadcasts of the Championship Event that will lead to the Final Table, the styles of the players more than likely will have completely changed, affecting the continuity of what is supposed to be tournament poker.

Players will hire coaches (presumably professional players), drill themselves on the nuances of the game rather than their instincts (one of the charms of the game of poker) and scouted their opponents through the ESPN broadcasts or other methods. This doesn’t seem to be a cause for alarm for Pollack, who said “…it makes it more like a sporting event.”

Although it may appear that there are only negatives, there are potential positives to the move. The players will have more time to obtain sponsorships outside of the poker realm (Pollack said he envisioned the Final Table players “looking like NASCAR drivers”), there will more than likely be an increase in attention on the tournament (not necessarily viewership, but other mainstream media attention) and the Final Table will now have the opportunity to be stars, instead of just the winner. But do these pros outweigh the potential cons?

All in all, it looks like a troublesome move for the World Series of Poker and the sport of poker in general. The potential for skullduggery, the interruption of the basic concepts of tournament poker and the drive to make the WSOP more of a poker reality show than a sporting competition are all ominous omens for the game we love. It remains to be seen what will happen and whether the move will be a prosperous one for the WSOP or be its demise.

-----

Having had a few weeks to mull it over, there is a greater chance that this will build into something. I've talked with several people, including Robert Williamson III (who was on my radio show at Hold 'Em Radio) and other compatriots, who seem to think that we should give this a shot.

Oliver Tse, whom I have always respected for his insight onto matters in the poker world, sees this as a last ditch effort to save the game of poker on television. When you look at many of his thoughts (which are plentiful at 2+2 and other poker discussion groups), there is a logic to what the WSOP is doing. When shows like "High Stakes Poker" get dropped despite being one of the best shows out there, what will the game of poker do?

So now I have to adjust my thoughts...I'm willing to give this a look and see what happens. I still think the possibility of critical problems exist and, even with the 117-day delay to puff up the final table players, still don't think that it will save poker on television. I would love to be proved wrong...

A Rebirth Of Poker World Wide

2008-05-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may have been here before, then hopefully the rebirth of Poker World Wide will be a welcome return. For those of you who haven't come across this blog before, welcome and please let me reintroduce myself.

For the past five years, I have written about poker. Over approximately 800 online articles, numerous magazine pieces (including Poker Player Newspaper, Woman Poker Player Magazine and TopPair Magazine), I have written about the people in the game, tournaments, offered my opinions on the game and many other topics. One thing that is consistent is that I often have an opinion on poker and am not afraid to share it!

With the introductions out of the way, one of the reasons for the "comeback" (if you want to call it that) is that currently I have no outlet for my writing. While I have been searching for another place to call home (after working with two prominent outlets), the poker media today is dwindling perhaps to a point we haven't seen prior to 2004. This makes it difficult for established writers who want to work daily or newcomers to get into the game. Still, I will attempt to plug along and hopefully will find another place to call home in the near future!

Now...on to the news of the day (OK, maybe the past few weeks!).

The World Series starts in a week and it will be a penultimate time for poker itself. With the current recession in the United States, exorbitant travel costs for players from outside the U. S. and the new 117-day delay on the WSOP Championship Event final table, anyone who can predict what will happen over the next six weeks should just step immediately to the sports book and bet the champions of major sports over the next year (they would make much more money!).

Will we see a drop off of epic proportions? Will we see an increase, as players throw caution to the wind and take their shots? Finally, how will the delay in the final table affect player participation? It all becomes a test of many aspects of the poker world and it is impossible to predict at this time what will happen.

In the future, I'll throw out my thoughts on the FT delay (trust me, I'm not fond of the idea, but there are logical reasons). I will also keep an eye on the action at the WSOP and other instances throughout poker. Hopefully you'll enjoy my return to my thoughts of the poker world and, most particularly at this time of the year, the WSOP.

Yang Jams WSOP FT - So Now What?

2007-07-22T19:22:00.001-07:00

For those of you who didn't see it last Tuesday night Jerry Yang, a previously unknown poker player from Laos and living in California, took down the $8.25 million first place prize at the World Series of Poker Championship Event. For those of us (yes, I did) that viewed the entirety of the fifteen plus hours of PPV coverage, it was very interesting to watch this final table play out. Yang went on the attack from the outset and seemed to throw everyone off their game, including the two notable professionals at the final table in Lee Watkinson and Alex Kravchenko (who was my choice and went out fourth). He's admitted that he knew that was the only way to get out of his eighth place starting position and it seemed to work magically for him.

I've hypothesized that Yang used a "reverse" strategy in this tournament. In most tournament strategy it is thought that you play tight at the onset of a final table and, as the players drop away, relax your starting hand standards. Yang seemed to turn this around from the start of play at the final table, using a hyper-aggressive style early and tightening up late, and it worked perfectly for him. As the players dropped away and his chip stack dominated the table, he selectively chose hands to eliminate his opponents and is a deserving champion.

The next question to answer is what kind of World Champion and ambassador of the game will Jerry Yang be? I don't see him rushing to play in every poker tournament that comes around. He seems as though he wants to do well for his family and for his community (his donation of 10% of his championship purse is an excellent statement to this) and, as such, could be just what poker needs at this point. Yang can show something that many of us involved in the poker world know...that the poker world is filled with players with just as big a heart as they display at the tables, that they can do admirable deeds from within their own convictions and, yes, that a man who has a deep devotion to religion is a part of the poker community and is successful at it.

Some may say that his "prayers" at the tables were disconcerting and wrong and, yes, I would be one of them. After some thought, though, I have to let that go. Yang is a man who simply was caught in the moment and vocally stated what many players potentially do in their heads when they play. I don't think that we will have this type of situation show up at the tables so it isn't a thing we have to worry about.

We will see Jerry Yang at some tournaments, perhaps increasing knowledge about charitable causes, perhaps serving as a spokesman regarding how he quantifies his faith with gaming, perhaps in ways we haven't thought of yet. I believe he will be a gentleman first and will be something that was necessary for the game of poker. And if he doesn't win another tournament, earn another cash or even participate in another game again, he has given us a champion that we can be proud of definitely.

Let The Games Begin!

2007-07-06T11:07:00.001-07:00

The World Series of Poker $10K Championship Event (and that's what it is called...the "Main Event" monicker is a television creation) is about an hour away from its start and, from the reports I have viewed, there could be anywhere from 4000 to 12000 players that come to the felt to take their shot at becoming the next World Champion. There are many aspects that will bear watching as the cards fly.

First off is that question of how many players will actually be there. There was a much ballyhooed annoucement last week that TPTB at the WSOP (read: Harrah's) added a fourth day to the action, but this is to alleviate overcrowding and to avoid having to use the much hated Poker Tent there at the Rio. I have long contended that there will be around 5500 players who will be there and, even over four days, this still sounds logical (1500 players over the four days runs out to 6000 players). If the numbers approach last year's record, then we can definitely say that the 2007 has been an overwhelming success.

Secondly, who will win it? Looking back at the winners over this year's preliminary events, it was a pretty even balance of professionals (both notable, as in the case of Phil Hellmuth, Allen Cunningham and Erik Seidel), "unknown" professionals (just look at double bracelet winner Tom Schneider, who played excellent poker to take down the WSOP Player of the Year award) and newcomers who now can say they are a World Series champion. This is the year, though, that I believe a notable professional can take it down. I think Allen Cunningham last year demonstrated what has to be done...patient play, grind it out and, once at the final table, let the game come your way.

I certainly hope that some of the issues that plagued last year (the "mystery" chips, youthful and inexperienced "exuberance" to the point of arrogance, etc.) won't come into play. It would be refreshing to see a couple of known names make it to the final table and battle it out with the hopefuls without any theatrics being played out.

With that, let's get the chips clicking and the cards in the air. About eleven days from now, we will find out who is the champion of the World Series of Poker.

The End Of An Era

2007-06-21T02:54:00.000-07:00

Over two and a half years ago, I started writing for PokerNews (and I am not going to glorify them with a link in this article). I had been writing about poker for about a year at that point and, when they said they liked my work and wanted me to write EXCLUSIVELY for them, I was more than happy to take part in the work. Thus started what has been a great journey which will only get better.

Over the past 2 1/2 years, I have written over 600 (and that's conservative) articles that have been repeated around the world, for which I am grateful (if you don't believe me, Google it...Earl Burton and Poker, or you can go to PokerNews and put my name in their search area). I covered tournaments from LA to Mississippi and wanted to do more (I actually pushed PokerNews to cover tournaments...I was told it wasn't "financially viable" as they got no extra signups to earn them money from reporting tournaments). I covered the last two World Series and really wanted to be there for this one.

When PokerNews started covering tournaments in 2007 (and, I must add, this is not going to be a full time thing...don't expect to see them cover every WPT, WSOPC or even major tournaments that are outside of those), I was somehow left out of the mix. When I wrote a three part preview of the WPT Championship that they asked to be cut to one article (which were run on this blog), flags went up. When I tried to repeat my 2006 series on the WSOP for this year's event, that was squelched as well. That was perhaps a warning of things to come.

I was a major part of making PokerNews what it is today...I can remember a time when it was me and a certain editor I won't mention were the only pieces. Apparently he forgot those times...I am no longer working with PokerNews.

I am not alone in this exodus from PokerNews, though. I am comforted by the fact that Tim Lavalli (the Poker Shrink) has also ended his association with them. Apparently there is much more going on than what I, sitting 1500 miles from the WSOP, knows about...which was one of my main bones of contentions to start with.

It is unfair to ask readers to read pieces that are written by someone who isn't there, giving them the stories as if they are. In the first 15 days of the WSOP, I wrote 38 articles like I was there, but did nothing other than read the live updates and create a story around them. Then I saw these stories chopped to nothing more than a scorecard that you could get from any site anywhere. That was the final straw.

I talked to two well respected poker people and they commiserated with me. Apparently it went to a length that it was mentioned to TPTB at PokerNews that I mentioned it. Well, PokerNews felt it was "insubordinate" of me to mention their transgressions and, thus, I am gone.

What is wrong is that people I consider great friends have not come to the defense of a fellow writer. Apparently they are more consumed with their efforts than the (correct) objections of a comrade who should have been backed. But perhaps that is the current state of poker reporting.

So, instead of the (edited) writing you saw over the first part of the WSOP, you now have a film student with no prior poker experience doing stories. I'll leave that to creative people to figure out who and what. It is the end of an era and perhaps it was overdue. There's quite a bit more that I could say but, for now, I won't. You can be sure of this, however...I am going to write about the poker world and I will find a new home soon.

Tired Of The Bitching

2007-06-14T02:59:00.000-07:00

I just wrapped up my writing for the day, the twelfth day of the World Series, and I thought it would be a good idea to roam around and check out some of the other work by bloggers who ARE actually sitting at the World Series of Poker, rather than sitting in their living room writing about it. Boy, am I disappointed.

I really get sick and tired of hearing people whine in their blogs about how "tough" it is to cover the WSOP. I had done it for the past two years and, if I had my way, I'd be doing it again this year. I also went through those twelve to sixteen hour days, the hassles of people (both associated with the event and otherwise), questionable eating habits, the sleep deprivation and everything that I am reading about this year. You know what...if you don't fucking love poker, then get the hell out of there and let those who do (and perhaps have more of a care about the game than you do) take your place. It would be better for those who read about the sport as well as the game itself.

Yes, I am still bitter about not being in Vegas for the WSOP this year. But I am also trying to make the best out of it. Those who gripe about having to be there, well, they shouldn't be. Go ahead and leave now and maybe those who actually give a fuck can take over the guardianship of portraying poker as well as possible.

I'm not saying sanitize what goes on at the WSOP. But there is a line between telling a story and trying to make everything more tawdry than it is. It takes a little more work to present a good story than to pander to the lowest common denominator and most aren't willing to make that little extra effort. And if you don't like what you are doing, then leave...no one's forcing you to stay there.

I have some ideas for media coverage that I am working into a concise plan and many in the industry probably will not like it. But if poker is to become a major entity (perhaps even a major sport?), then it is necessary to do some of the things I am thinking. I'll tell you more about them after that plan is finished and in the hands of the proper people.

With that said, have to congratulate Phil Hellmuth on #11. He was killing the final table, got up to a point at one time when he had more than the remaining three players had total, and charged to the championship. Doyle Brunson himself called Phil, "the greatest no limit tournament player ever"...don't think you can get higher praise than that.

Lacking Excitement For The WSOP

2007-06-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

The cards are flying, chips are clicking, murmured voices, shouts of victory or vanquish...all are going on now at the World Series of Poker, which started today. Yours truly has landed in...his couch in Austin, writing about action I am not seeing and depending on a smattering of two sentence statements to build a story.

That is easy enough...in fact, it is so easy that nearly anyone can do it. Which is the insult to someone, like myself, who has covered the poker world for quite some time now and, for reasons unknown, cannot be sitting there to be in on the biggest yearly event in poker.

I have gotten some folks who have commiserated with my position, and for that I thank them. But it still is something that bugs the recesses of my being that I CANNOT COVER IT LIVE. It still isn't done yet...there are things that are working and, potentially, I could at least make it there for the Main Event. However, there has been an announcement that there will be no audience for the Final Table, so that isn't very good.

However, I will do the best I can with what I am READING. I emphasize that point because, as I believe, you can only do the best job possible by actually seeing what is happening, talking to the people, friends and family surrounding the players and capturing the scene as it happens. I certainly wish that it was that way....

Memorial Day, The WSOP And Other Thoughts

2007-05-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

It is Memorial Day, a day which, as a former Marine, means quite a bit to me. Since our involvement in Iraq (among other battles), the true meaning of Memorial Day has become very relevant to those who haven't served in the armed forces. A heartfelt "Semper Fidelis" to my brethren serving now, past and future, as to all of the men and women who have served in the other branches.

At the end of this week, the World Series will kick off once again. It will be very interesting to see just what will happen. The Mirage Poker Showdown for the WPT last week "only" drew 309 players to the felt, perhaps because of the preparations that players need to make to be able to put their complete concentration on the six weeks of the WSOP. I think this week's WPT Mandalay Bay Poker Championship will be interesting to watch as well, as far as their numbers go.

The first week of the WSOP will be critical to getting a read on what will happen for the entirety of the event. Last year, it was not uncommon for the $1500 and $2000 events to pull in over 2,000 players. Will those events pull in the same numbers this year, or will the after effects of the UIGEA crush American participation and give rise to a significant number of foreign players making their mark? And just how much did online poker add to the astronomical fields of the events for the past couple of years? Many questions out there...we should have a read on it within the first week of the event.

Add in the tournaments at the Bellagio (the Bellagio Cup III, a new WPT event), the Venetian (the second Venetian Deep Stacks event), and even Binion's (the First Annual Binion's Poker Championship) and there is plenty of poker action in Las Vegas, regardless of your bankroll or possibilities. I would expect to see many professionals, semi-pros and even those taking their first shots at the tournament experience to be criss-crossing Vegas like Christmas shoppers looking for the best deals during the holidays!

Oddly enough, I am having a time of it with bringing my poker game back to playing online after the Hold 'Em Radio weekend in Las Vegas. It is tough to play .25/.50 NL online after playing higher levels live, albeit Limit poker. But it is one critical point that many players can forget sometimes...you have to play within the bankroll that you have. Sometimes, though, it's just not as enjoyable and definitely not as profitable! Enough bitching...I'm playing well and not losing, so that should be a good thing.

My WSOP search continues and perhaps I will have some good news to report on that front soon. If not, well, I'll have to sit out the Big Dance this year. There are worse things that can happen in life...

EB

Hold 'Em Radio Weekend

2007-05-25T04:59:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Well, a week in Vegas was well spent. Hope you all heard the weekend live tournaments on Hold 'Em Radio (www.holdemradio.com) as there was some great play that went on there. It was truly a pleasure to meet all of the listeners that we have and, yes, take their chips in person rather than online! Yours truly went very deep, but not quite deep enough, on the Saturday tournament (finishing 13th) and, on Sunday, I was the table announcer for the final table. Congratulations to July2 and RCGott for taking down those places!

As far as my own play other than the HER events, I did OK. My cash game vibe seemed to be running well and I was up on those games, but the tournaments just seemed to escape my grasp. That's the way it works, though...in the train of tournaments, if you can cash in half of them, you're making something.

Hold 'Em Radio has been down for the past week, which is unfortunate after such a great weekend as we had. It seems the site was hacked on Friday and, after delaying as much as possible, was taken down for a rebuild. As of this morning, the stream for the site is running and we will be back on the air come Friday night.

Now comes the time when I call on the readers of this blog. Last year, I spent the entirety of the WSOP for PokerNews, who now seems to think that I can sit in Austin and give you the same coverage that I gave last year. I encourage you to bombard the PokerNews site and ask "Where is Earl Burton?". Perhaps they may get the message.

Until later...

EB

Las Vegas In May

2007-05-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

This is the time of year, before Harrah's purchased the World Series of Poker and moved the time of the event into the brutal summer months in Nevada, that the World Series of Poker would be battling it out. Right now, though, I am in Las Vegas for Hold 'Em Radio's (www.holdemradio.com) Live Tournament, which will be running both Saturday and Sunday. It does seem that everyone who could make it, including show hosts and listeners, has made it here for the event. You should be able to check out the festivities this weekend on the station and even through a webcam that we have set up here.

I am looking to get out to Vegas for the WSOP, but it is tough. Most outlets have cut staff for coverage of events and that is problematic when there are more writers than there are positions. Still have a couple of outlets that might be worthwhile and hopefully something might come through.

OK, have some other things to do (I am in Vegas, after all!) so until later,

EB

Congratulations "El Matador"!

2007-04-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

First off, congratulations to Carlos Mortensen for becoming the first player to ever win both the WSOP Championship Event and the WPT Championship. I watched the final table very closely and it seemed that he was in a great form the entire way. I also (as I kick myself) should have noticed that his game is in prime shape...he barely missed the final table at the EPT Grand Final earlier this month, finishing eleventh.

Part of the discussion by many has been how the final twosome (Kirk Morrison and Carlos) were basically reduced to all-in poker by the end. The blinds were an astronomical 600K-1.2M with a 200K ante by the end (with 30M chips in play, roughly). Unfortunately, the WPT has to wrap these final tables quickly, for filming time and for those that are watching it. Normally a WPT final table will take about five to six hours to play out. It is a stretch to ask the audience to stay for such a duration. Thus, they do accelerate the blinds at the end. It doesn't make it right, but it has to be done that way.

I know (from covering WSOP final tables) that poker fans would like to see skillful play determine a winner. Sometimes those WSOP final tables can take up to twelve hours to play out...an endurance test that most audiences will leave before its completion. It would be difficult to balance out this problem...I'll have to give it some thought to see what can be done here.

Secondly, the news that Yahoo! has started a pay poker site (for Europeans only, unfortunately) is interesting on many fronts. Will it have an effect on U. S. poker and gaming legislation? Probably not. Although Rep. Frank's bill has been introduced, the battle on that front is only in its infancy and will take some time to play out. Could other ISP or major players in the online industry (MSN, Google) do their own poker room? That would be interesting to see. If major companies get into the game, it is possible it could impact what we are doing in America. If anyone plays on the Yahoo! game, let me know what it is like.

OK, think that's it for now...will be back again soon!

EB

Preview Of The WPT Championship - All Three Parts!

2007-04-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

OK, I decided instead of running the full work that I did on the WPT Championship Preview one at a time, I would run them all three at the same time...so get ready to get a full look at what should happen at the Bellagio!

A Look At The WPT Championship - Part I

Five years ago, the world of poker basically rotated around the World Series of Poker and isolated, smaller events that were populated by the best poker players in the world. Since that time, however, the effects of online poker and Chris Moneymaker’s remarkable 2003 WSOP victory have exploded the sport of poker upon an unsuspecting world. Another thing that added into that was the development and the growth of the World Poker Tour and the WPT Championship.

Since its inception in 2003, the WPT arguably has been at the forefront of the poker tsunami, demonstrating the skill of the players and the heart stopping excitement that is inherent in tournaments where the victor walks away with a multi-million dollar prize. This year is the fifth WPT Championship, which begins this Saturday, and it should add to the prestige that the tournament has grown into over its illustrious history.

There are several reasons that the WPT Championship has grown into a part of what could be considered poker’s “Grand Slam” (the WSOP Main Event, the EPT Championship and the Aussie Millions are debatably the other three). First off, the $25,000 buy-in for the event does tend to limit the size of the field that play in the tournament. While many it seems can come up with a five or ten thousand dollar buy in, the $25K pop that the WPT takes, even today, is outside of the realistic realm for most “amateur” players, even with the possibility of satellites (a ten person satellite would cost about $2500). This tends to guarantee that the best in the poker world come to the felt when it comes down to the WPT Championship.

Secondly, the locale of the WPT Championship adds to the prestige of the event. It has been played each year as part of April’s Five Star World Poker Classic at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The Bellagio is perhaps the finest poker room in Las Vegas, even after the development and rebirth of many other poker rooms along the Strip. With such surroundings as this, the WPT Championship has traditionally drawn players from around the world to compete for the ultimate championship that the WPT has to offer.

Finally, it is an excellent catapult towards the World Series of Poker itself. In the first couple of years that the WPT Championship was held, the WSOP was within days of the end of the event. While it has moved to a spot a bit further away now (with rumors of it returning to the more traditional time of the past in the near future), the WSOP is something that the entirety of the poker world focuses on. Winning the WPT Championship can be an excellent indicator towards playing well in the WSOP and, perhaps, adding on to the winnings that the WPT Championship has to offer.

As stated before, the WPT Championship has been something that the entirety of the poker world focuses on. It draws the best players in the world and always has a highly entertaining final table, as deserving of the final tournament of the playing year for the WPT. In the next segment, we’ll look back at the prior four years of the WPT Championship and, in the final segment, we’ll actually gaze into the crystal ball to see who has the best shot at taking down one of the most prestigious titles that poker has to offer.

You're not done yet!

A Look At The WPT Championship - Part II

In the first part of this series, we looked at the reasons that the WPT Championship, which starts this Saturday and will complete on April 27th, has become one of the most prestigious titles. From its location at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, the $25K buy in (which ensures the best in poker will be there) and the ability to get a great head start on the WSOP, the WPT Championship has become one of “the” tournaments for players to be at. In its history as well, the best in the poker world have competed for the multi-million dollar prize and has also brought newcomers into prominence as well.

Way back in 2003 was the first WPT Championship, held as the Championship Event of the Bellagio’s Five Star World Poker Classic. While it drew “only” 111 players at that time, the $25K buy in ensured a million dollar payday for the champion of the event out of the almost $3 million prize pool. The final table also provided a look not only into the past of poker but also demonstrated the newcomers to the game who would make a name for themselves.

The final table consisted of the legendary Doyle Brunson and expert cash game player Ted Forrest, but other players were also notable. A young Phil Ivey was at the felt as was the excellent Russian Kirill Gerasimov. The only “unknown” factor at the table was James Hoeppner, but it proved to be a start for him as to this date he has earned almost half a million in earnings from poker. The eventual champion was Alan Goehring, who has since demonstrated that he is one of the most underrated poker players around today. Other notable players who cashed in the first WPT Championship were Chau Giang, Layne Flack, Allen Cunningham, Marcel Luske, Martin deKnijff and Phil Hellmuth.

In 2004, the names at the table were as impressive as the previous year. With Steve Brecher, Russell Rosenblum and Richard Grijalua going out in the sixth through fourth positions, the remainder of the final table set up for many variables that have become consistent in the WPT Championship. Youth was represented by Matt Matros, with experience and international savvy being held by Hasan Habib and eventual champion Martin deKnijff. deKnijff, who had cashed in the inaugural WPT Championship, was able to vanquish the 343 player field (more than triple the previous year) which also included T. J. Cloutier, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Hon Le and (once again) Chau Giang.

2005 was probably the most entertaining of the previous WPT Championship events, as it had everything that a poker fan might want. There was the international intrigue, represented by Rob Hollink, Hasan Habib and newcomer Paul Maxfield. There was the prestige of Phil Ivey, once again proving his numerous skills by maneuvering to the final table in the 452 runner field. Youth was also once again represented with the coming out parties of John “The Razor” Phan and eventual champion Tuan Le. Others who came up just short of the final table included former World Champion Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Englishman Joe Beevers, Finland’s Juha Helppi, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi and another poker legend, David Sklansky. It also marked the largest WPT payout ever, with Tuan Le taking $2.8 million of the $10 million prize pool.

Of course, that only lasted until last year’s WPT Championship, where 605 players ponied up the $25K to build over a $14 million prize pool. There was a newcomer by the name of Davidson Matthew, who has since become a very good tournament player and is a threat whenever he sits down at a tournament. There was a legend in Men “The Master” Nguyen and there was a consistently successful tournament player in the visage of James Van Alstyne, who always seems to cash in the tournaments he plays. International intrigue was provided by Roland De Wolfe and Claus Nielson but, in the end, it was former poker dealer Joe Bartholdi who walked off with the $3.7 million first place prize and a place in poker history as WPT Champion.

The 2006 WPT Championship also saw two women make the deepest runs ever in the event. Vanessa Rousso came up just short of the final table with her seventh place finish and Erica Schoenberg also was high up on the final tally. They were joined by other notables that included Victor Ramdin, Paul Wasicka (who would, a few months later, finish as the runner up in the WSOP Championship Event), and European superstar Patrik Antonius.

So what will the 2007 WPT Championship, the fifth in its illustrious history, bring us when it starts on Saturday? In the final segment of the series, we will analyze things and give a prediction as to what will happen.

And finally...who will win!

A Look At The WPT Championship - Part III

With the WPT Championship starting this Saturday, the cream of the poker world will be vying for one of the most prestigious championships that the game has to offer. But there are several questions that are out there which, with the help of the Poker Crystal Ball, we’ll try to find the answers to!

The first question has to be will the field exceed last year’s 605 players? To begin with, all WPT tournament champions are guaranteed a seat at the event as well as invitational winners of special WPT events. This will bring such players as 2005 World Champion Joseph Hachem, John Hennigan, Ted Forrest and Ladies Night champion Joanne “J. J.” Liu in for free, basically, as they have all won WPT titles in the fifth season of the Tour. Additionally, each preliminary event winner at the Bellagio’s Five Star World Poker Classic will earn a seat into the WPT Championship as well.

Even with that said, that only will cover about two or three dozen of the seats in the tournament. You can count that the best poker players from around the world WILL be there to take their shot at the crown, but what isn’t known is what effect the UIGEA will have on entries. Many online poker sites sent players to this event last year but, after the passage of the Act in October, it is potentially possible that those players who came last year won’t be back. Still, World Poker Tour events continue to be very well attended by professionals and “amateurs” so it is conceivable that this year’s field will encompass last year’s event. Lets put the line on the event at 675 (an increase over last year, but not as large as in previous years) and see what happens.

The second, and final, question is who will be at the final table? Predicting final tables is about as difficult as judging which side of a windowpane a drop of water will roll down, but if you look at performance up to the event, you can get a possible idea of what will happen. With that said, here’s the six players that could be sitting at the final table when it begins on April 27th.

1) J. C. Tran - With a victory at the WPT’s World Poker Challenge in Reno back in March, J. C. is in on a freeroll for the WPT Championship. Tran has also been on fire lately, with three WPT final tables and a victory in one of the preliminary events during the Five Star. Look for him to continue his strong play and be one of the players at the final table. If he has a big stack, he could even take the title down.

2) James Van Alstyne - Van Alstyne will have to buy his way into the WPT Championship, but he certainly won’t mind that. So far in 2007 he has made over $500K in earnings, made four final tables and cashed in nine tournaments. He has a history of strong tournament performances and should be in the running when it comes to the final table of the WPT Championship.

3) Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi - While not off to the same stratospheric start as he had in both 2005 and 2006, “The Grinder” has been quietly amassing excellent tournament finishes through the early part of 2007. Last year, the crush may have gotten to him after finishing as a runner up in one WPT event and winning one. This year, the hubbub around him is a bit calmer, which should allow him to concentrate exclusively on playing the tournament.

4) Patrik Antonius - Patrik consistently performs well at the tournaments that are held at the Bellagio. He cashed in last year’s WPT Championship and was runner up in the December 2005 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic there. He definitely has the skills to be a contender for the crown and could make his first major title with the WPT Championship. Other foreign contenders could be Roland De Wolfe, Gus Hansen or Andrew Black (who has been having a great 2007 and would be good to see in the WPT Championship).

5) Kathy Liebert - While some may have thought she wasn’t doing anything, Liebert’s game seems to be coming around just in time for the WPT Championship. Runner up finishes at final tables in Foxwoods (during the run of WPT preliminary events for Foxwoods Poker Classic) and the Five Star indicate she is getting in shape to be a force at the tables. Other female players who have to be looked at as well include Joanne “J. J.” Liu (freerolling off her Ladies’ Night win) and potentially Jennifer Harman or last year’s breakout stars, Vanessa Rousso and Erica Shoenberg.

6) ?????? - Each year of the WPT Championship, there has been a player at the table that no one recognized. From James Hoeppner in 2003 to Richard Grijalua in 2004 to Paul Maxfield (the runner up) in 2005 to reigning WPT Champion Joe Bartholdi and runner up Davidson Matthew in 2006, there has been at least one player that makes the final table that is a relative unknown to most poker fans. Thus, one slot must be left open for that player that plays the best poker of his life and will, in the end, have a chance at a multi-million dollar payday for his (or her?) efforts.

Now, the game begins. From Saturday to the final table on April 27th, the WPT Championship will once again deliver the finest in poker battling it out for the coveted WPT Championship title and the millions that come with it. Keep tuned to PokerNews for complete coverage of the event and, come the end, we will learn whether it is a professional or a “newcomer” who will take one of the grandest titles in the poker world.

So there you have it...the complete preview of the WPT Championship. I know I'll be watching closely to see if I'm completely nuts or I actually had a pretty good feel for the event.

I really would like to be there for the event but, alas, that isn't in my control. Anyone need a great tournament reporter?

Until later,

EB

Pros Losing Their Gigs?

2007-04-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

It was interesting to read recently that Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet will stop using some of their sponsored pros in promotional releases. Pros like Antonio Esfandiari, Mark Seif and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi would be released according to all I have heard and, while they will maintain some stars like Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke for international promotion, the players would basically be back out on their own.

This is, of course, all in reaction to the passage of the UIGEA. Doyle's Room left the U. S. market due to the threat that does exist that the government could come after the "sponsored" players or players that were promoting sites. I stated a long time ago that it could be conceivable that the jackbooted folks from the Justice Department could push the POS gaming bill into taking it against the players that promote the rooms.

Imagine the outrage that would happen should the DOJ step into the World Series this year and put the steel to Doyle? Or players such as Chris Ferguson, Allen Cunningham, Howard Lederer or any of the Full Tilt people? I lay the odds that it would be tough for the Feds to get one of them out of the Amazon room there at the Rio for something regarding the UIGEA!

It's time to overturn the UIGEA. Rep. Barney Frank has made statements that he supports a overturn of the Act, but it is going to be a tough road. As chairman of the House of Representatives Finance Committee, perhaps Frank is seeing that it is close to impossible to force financial institutions to be the guardians of the people, their customers. It would be a great idea to see some sort of regulation and taxation on the industry, rather than a prohibition. Perhaps we'll see that soon, but I am not holding my breath.

On other news, the WPT Championship starts on Saturday. I had a great three piece preview of the fifth annual championship, but I was asked to "abbreviate" it to only one article for PokerNews (www.pokernews.com). Will try to run the entirety of what I had this week.

_____________________________

On a saddening note, the violence at Virginia Tech yesterday was difficult to watch. Coming so close to the Columbine anniversary, there were too many similarities. From what I have learned, a solemn, "loner" type was responsible for this.

Many of my foreign friends have stated that gun control is the answer. Some have said that there could have been more warning to prevent the second attack. Something that I think of, after the death this weekend of one of my favorite authors in Kurt Vonnegut, is that the world is a violent place. It is truly saddening that we constantly have to have this factor proven to us time and time again. For now, let us provide our thoughts and support to all those associated with Virginia Tech.

Until later,

EB

Back In (OR...What Happens When You Tilt)

2007-04-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Well, I know there hasn't been much activity here lately, but there was a very good reason for it. After a particularly bad beat in a online poker tournament, I landed a good right to the base of my laptop. Almost immediately everything shut down and, after many hours of discussion with the laptop's manufacturer and a resend of their restoration discs, the laptop still wouldn't revive. Thus, I had to reluctantly get a new hard drive for the laptop (losing a wealth of information) and, basically, start everything from scratch again.

This is a great example of what can happen when you tilt. Whether in a live or online game, the costs to your bankroll can be devastating. In my case, it took a new hard drive and nearly twelve hours of trying to recreate information that I had on the old hard drive (even after removal, they couldn't retrieve the information from it...DAMNIT!). Hopefully the effects won't be as bad for you...

On other fronts in the poker world, the WPT will be heading for new pastures after their fifth season on the Travel Channel. The WPT has a deal in place for moving the sixth season to GSN, already the home to one of the finest poker programs on the air in "High Stakes Poker". This will be a big part of my next program on Hold 'Em Radio (www.holdemradio.com) this Wednesday (April 12th) with Jennifer Shoots as we both have some comments on the move.

Last week, the Texas Legislature held hearings regarding the legalization of live poker in the state. It was a great chance to hook up with some old friends and learn what, in my opinion, should be a great opportunity for not only the Texas government to generate a great deal of revenue but also for poker players in the Lone Star State to actually be able to play the game without fear of arrest (of which far too many have occurred). It might take some time for this to come about, however...and I'll keep an eye on it.

OK, since everything seems to be working pretty good now, I will try to be more diligent about making this something worth visiting!

Until later,

EB

Time Flies...

2007-03-09T10:59:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

OK, got to apologize off the top here. I haven't been diligently writing here as much as I would like, but that is something I am resolving to change! Stick with me, I'll keep it up!

On the poker world front, the runner up at last year's World Series, Paul Wasicka, took down the National Heads Up Poker Championship at Caesars in Las Vegas last weekend (should be broadcast on NBC in April). The reason I bring this up is that Paul is proving to potentially be the breakout star of the final table last summer. While Jamie Gold has been beset by legal problems and few of the other finishers have made much of a mark, Paul has been out there playing. What made his championship in Vegas more impressive was that he also was at the final table of the WPT L. A. Poker Classic the night before the event started. All in all, a pretty good weekend for Paul and we should see him make more of a name for himself in the poker community.

On my Internet radio program, "The Tournament Trail" on www.holdemradio.com, my cohost, Jennifer Shoots, and I had a great chance to talk to another up and coming poker star in Brad "Yukon" Booth. He really had some great observations on many aspects of poker and, if you missed the show on Wednesday night at 9PM (Eastern Time), it should be up in the archives soon. You should check it out!

Also, Brad has signed a sponsor deal with something called PokerWater. For those of us (like myself) who don't care for the energy drinks that are out there, this product looks like a great alternative. PokerWater is infused with vitamins and minerals that are natural, thus making it a great alternative to energy drinks. If you want more information on this, be sure to check out their website at www.pokerwater.net.

Onto something outside of poker....

College basketball is in the full blast assault of the conference tournaments now, but the big show will be next week as the NCAA tournament starts. UCLA has played themselves out of a #1 seed and I believe we'll see Ohio State, Wisconsin, Florida and Kansas as the #1's. As always, any betting suggestions come with the caveat "These predictions could be completely wrong"! We'll see, though...should be a great month of basketball as the NCAA crowns a champion the right way...on the field of play! (Or court, in this case!)

OK, enough for now. Until later,

EB

Wow! I Was Shocked!

2007-02-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

As part of my daily ritual of checking out what is happening in the poker world, I like to read over what different bloggers and professionals have to say. By far one of the more entertaining (and frequently updated) blogs out there is by poker pro Daniel Negreanu.

Daniel's blog has great information regarding poker but, more often than not, he steps outside of the poker world and commentates on other things in his life. His post today (February 22nd) was particularly interesting on both subjects.

He started off with a tale of his poker travails of a few years ago, when he was still an up and coming poker player and not the recognized pro that he is now. While this was interesting, I was more surprised by (as he put it) his current feelings about playing and the entirety of the poker scheme, so to speak. Daniel states this on his blog, "I'm getting pretty sick of all things related to poker, that don't involve actually playing poker. This blog, the columns, the book writing, the internet forums, it's all getting really old, really fast."

Wow...this struck me pretty hard.

During these days of seemingly endless bad news, the writing CAN be a bit depressing. It seems every day brings another room leaving the U. S., people discussing their inability to get money out of poker accounts, and various new but untested methods of being able to partake in online poker. Not everyone lives within a short drive of a casino, thus the online game is enjoyable. If someone as high up on the poker food chain as Daniel can get down about it, it really makes you think.

Mind you, I'm not quitting writing about the sport of poker. I just have to find the way to continue to enjoy the writing and all. I guess Daniel did have one point right...there is a tremendous amount of joy in playing the game of poker. I'll just have to continue to pull that same joy when I write about things.

OK, enough bellyaching LOL!

The final table at the WSOP-C event at Harrah's Rincon is this afternoon, so I am going to be checking out the action. Gavin Smith, Gavin Grifin and Davidson Matthew will have quite a task in catching Peter Feldman (who won last year in New Orleans on the WSOP-C). But it will be interesting to see what happens.

Until later,

EB

Why Now?

2007-02-21T03:39:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

With everything that has been happening in the poker world, the LAST question to ask is why anyone would start a poker blog, with the world of, at the minimum, online poker crashing?

Well, I'm here to answer that.

I have written about the poker world for over two years now. I have been inside the minds of many poker players and, to be honest, have many of them on my speed dial. I don't call them, mind you, because they have much more pressing matters than talking to me. I have sat at final tables that showed me more about the game than I ever learned. In 2005, I watched Freddy Deeb call down the eventual champion of the L. A. Poker Classic, Michael "The Grinder"Mizrachi, on a hand and defeat him. During the break, I ask him how he knew that Mizrachi had nothing and Freddy explained, "I just had a feel."

Well, feel is a part of it. I have also read most of the works that have come out, watched all the programs that have been on television, and sat at the tables watching everyone make the plays that they have. At last year's World Series, it was amazing how the gambling aspect has taken over the game.

In my course of writing, I have also been shut down on many articles I have written. And that is something that bothers me. In the after effects of the UIGEA, many sites have stated their ability to allow players to deposit, but many haven't been so clear on the successful players clearing out their accounts. That is something you'll see here soon.

The future of poker is something that is constantly being written and revised. Does the poker fan want the news or do they want the latest "US Weekly" or "The Star" view of the poker world? Or do they want to know what the people that play the game think and the real news that is going on, bereft of any "affiliate" ties?

For now, let me welcome you to a voice that is in the poker world and isn't going to shut out your thoughts. I welcome all comments and challenges and look forward to the poker world that we have.

EB