Allen Cunningham Wins Inaugural Vegas Open
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Allen Cunningham Wins Inaugural Vegas Open Championship
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Allen Cunningham, winner of the NPL Vegas Open Championship

Allen Cunningham once again demonstrated his skills and metal when he won the inaugural National Poker League Vegas Open Championship at the Venetian resort in Las Vegas. Cunningham came to the final table the chip leader but watched his lead disappear to eventual second place finisher David Singer after running into a card drought. When the final table action was stopped early Thursday morning Singer had slightly more than a million in chips, Antonio Salorio was close to a half million and Cunningham had a dismal 252,000.

WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Classic Day 4
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Chip Leader Daniel Negreanu

Day 4 began with 44 players taking seats in their quest to win the last major poker tournament of the year, The WPT's Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic. When time was called for the day 18 players had chips and one of them is going home with the $2,482,605 first place money in a couple of days.

Daniel Negreanu, chip leader with 2,279,000, appears to have the inside track with three quarters of a million more in play money than Matthew Casterella, second on the chip list with 1,686,000; but, there's a lot of poker to be played yet and there are some big names with chips on the short list returning Monday at Noon for Day 5 today.

Select players and chip counts after the jump...

Poker kills pool?

I've never been much of a pool player. I can hold a cue stick and sink a few balls, but apart from one very unfortunate incident in the back of an Atlanta club in which I let hubris and drink get the best of me, I don't play for money.

Unless.

Unless I'm rolling with one particular friend who, in the days before poker, made a few bucks hustling on a different kind of felt. In his day, he was a pretty damned good pool player and his demeanor makes him perfect for getting a game. Not surprisingly, he now spends more time playing cards than he does playing nine-ball.

I would never have asserted that poker killed the pool hustler's game. Fortunately, someone with more chops than me has done it.

In his New York Times Op-Ed, L. Jon Wertheim, senior writer at Sports Illustrated, writes that the advent of online poker and popularity of the game overall has played a roll in killing off the role of pool hustler in our underground gambling community.

Of course, Wertheim (as he pimps his new book on the subject), offers more than a few other reasons for the death of the hustler. Everything from gas prices, to the internet pool forums, to a scam artist are to blame for an ages-old gambling icon biting the dust. As I read through it, I occasionally substituted the word "poker" for "pool" and was bemused at how how many correlations I found. I don't have to point them out. If you read here, you already know what I mean.

Regardless, it makes for an interesting read, if you're into that kind of thing.

Oh, and if makes anny difference, if you happen to see me in Vegas next week, don't bother asking if I want to play pool. It won't turn out well for anybody.

WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Classic Day 2
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Day 2 Chip Leader Phil Ivey

Day 2 of the WPT's Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic ended with Phil Ivey holding the chip lead with 460,700. Pro player Lee Markholt Jr was a close second with 442,500. Other players of note include Eric Lindgren at 304,600, Harry Demetriou holding 270,100 and Daniel Negreanu with 265,700.

Day 3 action is scheduled for a Noon start on Saturday and should provide plenty of dramatic action from the pro player rich field.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Tournament namesake, Doyle Brunson, was eliminated on Day 2

Elements Of Poker
Back in Oct 2006 when I interviewed poker coach, Tommy Angelo, he mentioned to me that he was working on a book. Well, it’s finally arrived! Elements of Poker is 248+ pages of Tommy’s writings on poker and life. Based just on the chapter titles this looks to be an amazing read. [...]
Holidays in Vegas = Christmas trees, Showgirls and the Bellagio Five Diamond
photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Merry Christmas Vegas Style
Fremont Street Experience Christmas tree came to light on Tuesday evening when Mayor Oscar Goodman flipped the switch

How can you tell its the holidays in Las Vegas? There's a large lighted tree in the middle of the Fremont Experience, scantily clad ladies dressed as elves and the Bellagio's Five Diamond World Poker Classic Tournament is going around the clock on the strip.

The Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic Championship is the grand finale of the 5-D tournament events and it all begins on Wednesday at noon in the tournament area outside the poker room at the Bellagio Las Vegas. With a hefty $15,000 + $400 buy-in, the WPT sanctioned Championship event attracts most of the professional players from around the world plus a large number of not-quite-pros and dead money hopefuls to the card party. The prize pool will total in the millions and create a new batch of WPT millionaires when the week long event ends before the TV cameras on the 18th.

There will be two Day 1's due to the limited seating and the expected large crowd of players so you have plenty of time to get to Las Vegas and be a part of this bit of poker history. There will also be a super satellite on Wednesday at 10 pm for those looking to get into the action with a cheap seat. Let me suggest that you get a move on and hop a jet for Vegas, times running out.

Traveling Through Germany and India
Just a quick update and some comments I’m sure will set someone off. Flew from Spain to Frankfurt. Sort of felt sad that I had to get up so early in the morning because I would have loved to take the hour or so drive out to Wiesbaden where I spent three years [...]
World Series of Pai Gow Poker?

Do you remember the first time you stood up on the footrest of your Pai Gow chair and yelled across to the roulette players, "Who is winning over there? Because we are winning over here!" Do you remember the first time you took an inordinate interest in your dealer's country of origin and how to pronounce his/her name? Do you remember your first Greyhound? What about the first time you won a monster by betting the dragon bonus?

Or, let me ask you this, dear reader:

Do you remember the first time you got steak and eggs?

Drizz and I have had many a conversation about the World Series of Pai Gow Poker. Pauly and I thought about doing it during the middle of the other World Series (no, not that one--the other one). We never managed to make it happen. In fact, we never really came up with the mechanics of it.

So, as a mental exercise (albeit, a mental exercise akin to doing bicep curls with a stein of beer), I started thinking about how the WSOPGP might work.

Rules:

1) Each player buys in for $210

2) $10 from each buy-in goes to the worst hand fund. At end of designated time period, the player who drew the worst seven card hand gets the pot.

3) $50 from each buy-in goes to champion's fund.

4) $150 from each buy-in goes in play.

3) Players may bet any amount they like out of $150 stack for a period of one hour.

4) If a player goes bust, he/she may not rebuy

5) During play, chips may be used for bets, bonus bets, bribes, and tokes. No money, however, may be taken off the table once it is in play. If you choose, you may use pocket cash or chips not in play for tokes.

6) In a one table scenario, at the end of a one-hour period, the player who has the most chips collects everything left on the table plus all the money in the champion's fund. In a two-table scenario, the top two chip stacks split the money 70-30.

I'm not entirely sure I'm up for the kind of organization this would require. However, you never know. I'm just throwing it out there to see what kind of interest there would be.

All else fails, we'll scrap the idea again and just play Pai Gow like we normally would, which is to say, completely foolishly and bent on regret.

If you're not familiair with my particular style in the Pai Gow pit, I'll refer you to How to Play Pai Gow Poker. It is a must-read if you have any hope of holding your own at a Pai Gow table. It also serves as a good warning should you decide to slide into a seat at my table.

If none of that tickles your fancy, consider the night I took Wil Wheaton to the Gold Coast for what was supposed to be a night of $5 Pai Gow and turned into...well this:

The $5 tables were full. We begged for four empty seats together, but the pit boss wasn't having it. Suddenly, The Mark was spreading six grand in hundreds across an empty table. I dropped a roll of $4,000 on top of it. Thirty seconds later, a new boss was there.

Finally...

Five more Pai Gow Memories

1. New York, New York -- Rolling with the 'Lou crew late night. Joey Two-Hands has taken his three sheets and fashioned them into a super kite. Molly, the dealer, has been putting up with his antics for her entire down. Two-Hands is flirting and popping tiny breath-mints like they were trucker speed. What's more, he's betting for the dealer...with breath mints. At one point, Two-Hands lays one of his best lines on Molly. She responds, deadpan, "What did you just slur to me?"

2. Gold Coast -- Up until late 2006, the Gold Coast's chips were decorated with famous cowboys and rodeo clowns. Pauly was on a work-bender and got a rare night off. Using his rare night off to get in rare form, he created "Clown or Cowboy." The two-chipped chip-based shell game went something like Pauly recorded it here:

I'd yell out, "Yo, Otis... Clown or Cowboy?"

I'd turn over the chips and mix it up. He'd point to one and yell... "Cowboy!"

I'd flip it over and it would be the clown.

3. Barbary Coast -- I learned to play Pai Gow Poker at Barbary Coast before it became Bill's. It was where I learned everything I know--except for how to go the distance. I woke up in my Bally's hotel room one morning to discover my brother had never returned home from the night before. It was going on 11am and he had not come home for the night. I worried the youngster had fallen victim to one of Vegas' many pitfalls. Ultimately, he walked in the door. His body was sagging under the weight of 100 strands of Mardi Gras beads (a one-time token of appreciation from the BC staff). He draped the beads over my head, paused for a moment, and then with a voice I've never heard him use before or since, he screamed, "Pai Gow!"

4. Luxor -- It was Marty's bachelor party and after three nights of revelry, he was waning. I, however, was having a fantastic Pai Gow night. It was nearing 2am when I held out my hand and handed him four pills. He took them before asking, "What was that?" I only answered mysteriously, "They will make you feel better." In fact, it was only Advil and No-Doz I'd picked up for him on my run to the bathroom. He didn't know that, though. And that made it all the more fun. Oh, and I won a lot of money that night.

5. Gold Coast, Redux Redux -- It was proving to be the best and worst Pai Gow night of my life. I put down the single biggest bet I've ever wagered in a game. The dealer dealt the cards and I...pushed on the hand. My friends looked at me and quietly suggested it was time to pull back the bet and call it a night. I didn't say a word. I left the bet in the circle and waited. The cards came out and I squeezed them so no one else could see. I set my hand and leaned back in my chair. My friends wanted to know how we were looking. I didn't say a word. The dealer set her hand and I didn't say a word. One by one, the dealer flipped up the players' hands. I looked across the table at one friend and gave the slightest of winks.

Winner winner...steak and eggs dinner.

High School Reading Level
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Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic Day 1B
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Chip Leader Phil Ivey

Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic has completed both Day 1's and heads into Day 2 on Friday with some of poker's superstars sharing the chips. At the top the leader board is Phil Ivey with a commanding lead of 223,025 over Day 1A chip leader Johnnie Hennigan's 188,700 in chips. Some of the well known names have been eliminated including Barry Greenstein, Jamie Gold, and Dutch Boyd.

The stats for the event are in and show a total field of 662 contributing to the prize pool of $9,661,200. The winner will collect $2,482,605, second place receives $1,252,640, and third takes home $674,500 in cash. The action resumes Friday at Noon.

Score a Seat to the World Poker Tour!
Photo Courtesy of Bodog Atlantic City Skyline

The World Poker Tour's Borgata Poker Classic is a beast of a poker tournament running January 27 - 31, 2008 with a $10,000 buy-in at the luxury Borgata casino-hotel in Atlantic City. Atlantic City is the East Coast's answer to Las Vegas with its casino gaming, world-class entertainment and nightlife, famous restaurants and golf. Any way you look at it, Atlantic City guarantees fast-paced excitement and non-stop action.

Bodog can send you there through one of their Player's Choice Semifinals. Player's Choice tournaments are Bodog's way of giving you the chance to qualify for any major land-based tournament in the world.

The Player's Choice Prize Packages Include: Your choice of any land-based event with a $10K or less buy-in;

$10K buy-in plus $2K for travel expenses and a ton of other cool swag, like a Bodog gear swag bag full of cool gear to wear on the floor. There are Player's Choice qualifiers running all week long while the Semifinals can be bought into directly for $270 and run every Monday night at 9:15pm EST. And if you're looking to satellite your way in there are qualifiers going off daily for as little as $1.

Too Cool to Party

Pardon the interruption dear reader of trip reports and gambling godness. I didn't go to the big blogger Vegas shindig. I haven't played much live poker. I am, in effect, semi-retired.

But because I love you and because Otis finally gave me grief about my absence here, I wanted to bring y'all up to speed.

Here's what G-Rob did while YOU were in Vegas :

Thursday

I took the day off. I could have gone to Las Vegas if I'd had the next day too, but the boss says this month is already too jam packed with Vacation. That means I had a random day to burn mid-week. I played poker online and met the kids at the bus stop.

This is my life.

Friday

While the bloggers had booze and poker, I had wine and cheese. Some neighbors with whom we're friendly had a "wine and cheese" party with us and about 30 people I don't know.

Friends, I love a good party and I do like a glass of wine. I do not like answering the question "aren't you that guy from TV?" 100 or more times in a single evening.

For people who might meet me in the future after seeing me at work here are the answers to all the questions you might ask at a wine and cheese party :

1. Yup, I'm pretty tall. TV makes us all look the same size.

2. I was just born that way.

3. Covergirl natural beige. Sometimes I go to the gym after forgetting to wash it off so my towel looks filthy.

4. I'm comfortable with the fact that I wear "CoverGirl" makeup.

5. She's nice.

6. Yes, my co-anchor is single.

7. She's single too. Also, way out of your league.

8. You get used to waking up early.

9. No, I don't do sports.

10. Yes, (your team) sure is good.

11. Hairspray.

12. I gave up on gel. It looked too greasy.

13. This IS my real voice.

14. No, I've never met Brian Williams

15. I don't care.

Anyway, that's the wine and cheese party.

Saturday

Another night, another party. This time for some professional association that my wife has contact with though selling whatever it is she sells.

I was forced to go with the following instructions, "Be Charming. I need these people to like us!"

Good TIMES!

We met at a local steakhouse at 6. The others were already there. Soon we were ushered into the banquet area at the place where we'd fill two very long tables. I sat across from the only member of this professional association who ALSO made her spouse attend. He was 73, retired military, and says his only interests are golf and listening to news talk radio.

We talked about golf.

90 minutes later we had Prime Rib.

2 hours after that I snuk to the bar for a second martini.

That's how I party.

Sunday

At 9AM my wife's friend (Nicknamed "TWWNL" I'll tell you sometime what that's for) comes over for a walk with my wife.

She lives up to the acronym.

I escape upstairs to watch football and play online cards. I did well in a few MTTs but it was less fun with Otis out of town. Don't ask me why but I get great pleasure from sending IM messages that simply say :

"12/488 Average Stack. I have QQ in the BB"

Such are the simple pleasures of my life.

IN TOTAL

Isn't G-Rob living a sorry life?

This is the way things are. I do have a big casino adventure planned in January....and something even more awesome planned with Otis and Dr. Pauly in March.

So there's that.

God bless us....every one.

Just Ordered Elements of Poker
I pinged Tommy about getting a copy of Elements of Poker shipped overseas and was able to place my order. Book should be waiting on my desk when I get back from my vacation. Expect a review sometime late Jan or early Feb.


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