WSOP TIME

It’s World Series of Poker time and for the first time ever I don’t have the nagging feeling that I’m missing the best party of the year. I have been to every WSOP since they were holding it at the Horseshoe downtown.  The last four years, I have only played the Main Event – with moderate success.  The first two years, I finished 80-something and then 50 something.  I used to call it, “swooping in to pick up my World Championship.”  The last two years, I’ve called it, “Swooping in to drop off my 10k.”  This year, I will not be going to Las Vegas.  I can’t explain why I don’t really want to play.  I definitely feel out of the clique – and while I’d rather be in the clique, I don’t really care.  The fields have gotten much tougher, but that’s it either.  I think I’m just content with my life and my departure at this point from poker.   I’ve never really chased anything in tournament poker.  If I had a poker dream, it would be to return to Las Vegas once in a while and play mixed games in Ivey’s room, eat tuna sashimi all day, and post $200 ante’s in games I can’t even spell.  I think being the rich fish would be a great and a nice poetic full circle.

A couple random thoughts on the WSOP – they should move the tournament out of the summer.  It sucks having to give up one of your three good months (if you live in a cold-weather city) to go to a city that is 110 degrees.

The second is that the whole aura of the WSOP feels very Hallmark to me.  I want to believe that its some great thing to win a bracelet or to get your picture on a banner, but it just feels like some crap that somebody created to make money.   The WSOP felt phony, hollow, and just a bunch of smoke and mirrors, although I’ve never met anyone else that’s ever expressed a similar sentiment.  Playing at a random table at the Bellagio against a bunch of unknowns until 6am, racking up a winner, and leaving inconspicuously seems one hundred times more romantic to me.

I’m not totally disconnected from poker though.  Some mornings I teach a Russian friend of mine HU Omaha8.    I’ve only taught two people in my life.   The first was one of my best friends Kevin and that was more a friend helping a friend, than a financial undertaking (eventhough it worked out well financially, nice work Kevin!).  I never planned on teaching anyone else, but this Russian kid kept bugging me in chat day after day.  It was actually pretty funny.  I must have told him “No!” ten times.  Finally, I cracked and gave him a price that I thought no one would ever pay.  I’m embarrassed to say here, but it was 1/4 of his bankroll upfront, plus a piece of his future winnings.  He snap accepted!  I was afraid to teach mostly because I wasn’t sure I’d be any good.  I wasn’t sure if I could teach what I knew or why I was a winner.  And at that rate, I would have been a fraud if I couldn’t deliver.   Secondly, I really believed my information was unique and proprietary.  It was not written anywhere, I created my own playbook, and I didn’t want it getting out there.  Overall, it’s been extremely rewarding.   And an ancillary benefit is I really enjoy still seeing Omaha8 hands, even if I’m not the one playing them.  Makes me feel part of the action.

The Brad Booth video on 2+2 is pretty crazy.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zbNieYoaos

I played with Brad a lot on UB and he has a ton of talent and has always been a ridiculously classy online persona, but you could feel the compulsion in his play.   When he was “on,” there were times I wouldn’t even play him at 08, but I usually didn’t have to wait long for him to be “not on.”  I’ve never met him but I’ve heard some stories of his degeneracy and know a few other players with similar tendencies.  I’m not going to say I can really relate or make a comment one way or another on gambling compulsion and character, but I really feel for him in this video.  I hope he wins a bracelet and pulls himself back out of the hole.

Switching topics, I have never waivered in my faith in Tiger Woods.  Even in the Tiger’s darkest times, I’ve always thought he was going to smash Jack’s record.  Tiger just needs to taste that run-good again.  And I think you can draw a lot of parallels to a downswinging poker player.  Even when a truly great player goes through a rough patch, it will shake them.  It will get them off their game.  We’ve all played a session wondering how in the world we would win that day – and then a stretch comes along where you just rush like hell and remember how to dominate again.  Tiger will start rushing, and when he does every Johnny-come-lately will go back to crumbling around him.

This blog is getting a little long, so let’s get to real estate.  30206 Champine will be listed for sale tomorrow.   Come out and buy it!!  It’s a real peach.  LOL.  I am in for 80k.  Yikes!  More than I planned on.  Hoping for 100k.   We will see.

Closed the land contract part of Elmira.    Exact terms were 60k at 10% 5 year amortized.   I didn’t get a down payment but he will pay extra in the early months to give me a down payment.

Other than that, I was working on getting some delinquent note packages.  I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement (how cool am I?), so I can’t really comment, but I think the deal is falling through anyway.  You will definitely be hearing about those soon one way or another.

Lastly I want to give a shout out to my twin sister Viki and my wife Katie – love you guys, but only if you read to the end!