Trashing a WSOP Bracelet

Ted Forrest has earned 5 WSOP gold bracelets in his career, but only has one of them; 3 were stolen, he gave two to his daughters, and he bought one from Hamid Dastmalchi.  Forrest purchased the bracelet from Dastmalchi after Hamid said it was only worth $1,500 to which Ted replied “Sold!”  Of course not everyone thinks the same way about WSOP gold bracelets like Ted Forrest does including 2009 Main Event final table player Jeff Shulman.

Shulman owns CardPlayer Magazine and wasn’t granted media rights at the WSOP.  He’s frequently stated in interviews that he has no respect for the WSOP management, and doesn’t ever plan on wearing his WSOP bracelet.  His comments in one interview said, “When I thought I had a chance of winning [the Main Event] years ago, I said I wouldn’t ever wear it.  I’m shocked that people wear those ugly things while they play.  It has nothing to do with CardPlayer.  It’s my lack of respect for the WSOP and the management and what they’ve done to all of the players.  I don’t like it.  Having said that, I still wouldn’t wear [the bracelet] if I were best friends with them.  I’d probably just toss it or give it to a friend.  I think there are other things to worry about in life besides trying to win a bracelet in poker.”

I’m pretty sure that Shulman’s comments and views do have something to do with the fact that CardPlayer Magazine has no media rights at the WSOP.  However, I do agree with him that the WSOP gold bracelets are kind of lame since I’ve seen my friend’s bracelet.  But still, WSOP bracelets are like a trophy and they commemorate a victory.  In fact, I bet Shulman will still pull his bracelet out from time to time to check it out.

Who says a Big Name can’t win It All

With almost 6,500 players in the 2009 WSOP Main Event and only 500 or so of these players being big names, many people don’t see a big name pro being able to win the title for a while.  Instead, what we’re given is final tables full of virtual unknowns who have honed their game on the Internet, and come to the Main Event in hopes of making a name for themselves. 

But with 64 players remaining in the WSOP Main Event, we’re finding that a solid percentage of those players include some of poker’s best.  Phil Ivey definitely tops the list of players who are still alive as he sits near the top of the leaderboard, and is poised to make a strong run at the final table as we play down to the final 9.  Antonio Esfandiari is also running very well and is right up there with Ivey in terms of those who could make a big impact on the final table.

And it’s nice to see a member of last year’s final table back in the mix once again with Dennis Phillips still alive.  Joe Seebok and Tom Schneider are two more big names who’ve managed to fight their way through the huge Main Event crowd to position themselves within the top 1% of finishers.

Out of those who are still alive, I’m most excited to see Ivey still in the field since he will definitely draw some fan interest if he happens to make the final table.  Even people who know little about poker either know Ivey or recognize his face so it would be interesting to see how many casual fans would tune in come November if Ivey makes the final table.  Of course, it would also be really cool to see Dennis Phillips make a second final table as well which would be a huge accomplishment considering how large the fields are these days.

The Advantage of being Unknown at the WSOP

The advantages of being a poker superstar are obvious: you get huge sponsorships deals from poker rooms and industry-related companies, you get recognized everywhere you go by the fans, and you make unbelievable amounts of cash even when you’re away from the poker table.  However, there is an obvious downside to being a famous poker player too – especially at the WSOP!

When you’re famous, other players like to gun for you at the tables meaning they’ll challenge better players a greater percentage of the time than they would challenge fellow unknowns.  And when an unknown knocks out a poker superstar, it’s almost a feeling of, “Yeah!!  I knocked this major pro out and everyone saw it!!”  At some points, there are players who care less about their overall tournament finish rather than about the pro they just knocked out.

And, in regards to the Main Event, it doesn’t help the fact that there are only about 250 players who are considered top pros playing against a field of around 6,300 non-top pros.  Considering the sheer numbers disadvantage, it seems highly unlikely that we’ll see a top pro win the Main Event for quite some time.

This also brings up the argument of what exactly is a top pro.  As defined by the media, top pros are people who’ve been playing for a while, and have become household names like Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, and Phil Hellmuth.  Really though, there skill level is not that much higher than many of the online grinders who’ve been jumping in live tournaments as well to practice up for the WSOP.  Last year’s WSOP Main Event champion Peter Eastgate definitely showed what an online grinder can do.

As we sit now with two days down at the Main event, Ivey is 6th in chips while Hellmuth has a decent-sized stack as well showing that some top pros still have a chance.  However, we’ll have to see where they stand when everything is said and done.

Is Phil Hellmuth the Muhammad Ali of Poker?

Muhammad Ali will always be regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all-time.  However, I probably wouldn’t even be sitting here talking about Ali had he not been even better known for his showmanship in the ring.  Ali brought even more to boxing through his words and crazy exploits than he ever did based on pure boxing ability alone.

After seeing Phil Hellmuth arrive at the WSOP dressed as Julius Caesar, or Spartacus as I saw somewhere else, visions of Muhammed Ali stated dancing in my head.  Of course those visions had nothing to do with Hellmuth being a badass since, despite being 6’5″, I’m fairly sure Phil would get his ass kicked by a lot of the other poker players in a boxing match.  Rather my comparison comes from the fact that Hellmuth has not only had an excellent poker career, but also the showmanship to go along with it.

Phil has always done a great job of bringing attention to himself, and the game of poker in general.  That’s why he is allowed to get away with berating other players at the table and whining because WSOP officials know how important he is to the game of poker.

Hellmuth proved this once again as he walked into Harrah’s accompanied by 11 hot women (representing his 11 gold bracelets) wearing scantily-clad Roman gear.  As he walked by people he said, “Kiss the ring.  Hail Caesar.”  Despite the cheesy lines from Phil, I thought this was another great entrance by him at the WSOP.  It’s especially cool that Hellmuth can still have fun despite the fact that he hasn’t had the greatest WSOP to speak of, and doesn’t look to be adding a 12th ring in the 6,500 player Main Event.  All I can say is “Hail Hellmuth”.

Dare2Dream’s Unique Poker Approach

Poker is often viewed as a game where one’s success hinges solely on their abilities at the table.  And why wouldn’t poker be viewed this way since players don’t get bonus points for being healthy or having a great mental outlook on life.  Their wins and losses are measured only by the amount of chips or cash they have at the end of a poker session.  However, a man named Jamie Glazer has been preaching a different message and it’s one that other pro players are actually buying into. 

Glazer, who was once one of the top tennis and golf players in Australia, had to come to grips with the fact that he just didn’t have the mental and emotional tools to become a great professional.  In fact, it was his inability to handle the mental and emotional side of the two sports that prevented him from success at a higher level.  Since that time, Glazer embarked on a personal journey where he was determined to make himself a new man.

What spawned out of Glazer’s personal journey was a fantastic program where he uncovered how one can develop a great mental outlook on whatever they’re doing competitively.  While on his journey, Glazer also became a professional poker player and created a program specifically for poker called Dare2Dream which involves developing a daily routine, developing good sleeping habits, and focusing on the good things that come out of poker sessions.

Since developing his program, Glazer has attracted the attention of numerous pros who have high recommendations for his Dare2Dream program.  Joe Hachem is one of these pros and he’s noticed a considerable difference in his poker game after embarking on the Dare2Dream program.  While I haven’t personally tried the program, it does sound pretty cool and I’d like to check it out sometime.

WSOP Main Event Preview

As a lot of people may know, the World Series of Poker Main Event begins tomorrow and all of poker’s best and brightest players are gearing up for a shot at the big money.  We won’t know for sure just how many people are expected to be in attendance for poker’s crown event, but we’ll know for sure after the signup is over tomorrow.  I suspect that this year’s Main Event will eclipse the numbers that were seen in 2008.

We can be rest assured that the biggest stars in poker will also be turning out for the Main Event since….hey, it’s the Main Event.  The cameras will no doubt be focusing on last year’s champion Peter Eastgate who walked away with over $9.1 million after taking first.  But the odds are against Eastgate making a deep run this year as he’s admitted that he hasn’t played well this year in tournaments.  And it’s no surprise either since everyone has been gunning for him anywhere he plays because they all want to knock the WSOP Main Event champion out.

Last year’s runner-up Ivan Demidov will also be another person people will gun for since he not only finished second in the WSOP, but made the final table in the WSOPE too.  This is a feat that may never be accomplished again!!  Speaking of near impossible feats, Phil Hellmuth will be focused on as well since he’ll be looking to add to his record 11 gold bracelets.  Hellmuth has not had a good WSOP so far, but a deep finish in the Main Event could change that.

As for a favorite, it’s almost impossible to pick one out of what could be a 7,000 player field, but I’ll go with Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier.  This just seems to be his year in everything that is poker, but he’s not so famous that everyone will be gunning for him.

When will Congress look at Legalizing Online Poker?

We’ve heard for months that Congress is finally going to take a look at legalizing online poker yet nothing ever seems to happen.  Instead, we are bombarded by news articles going back and forth declaring that online poker will never be legal and also that the UIGEA is about to be repealed any day now.

Obviously, it’s tough telling who to believe and I only know one thing: this decision is taking a whole lot longer than anybody expected.  Sure I’d rather have Congress wait and make a good decision, but I would also like them to eventually look into the matter again.  Unfortunately, you can bet that Congress won’t be settling this issue at any near point in the future since they’ve decided to delay the vote on Barney Frank’s bill once again. 

This was announced a couple of days ago when Congress said that they have more important matters to deal with right now and probably won’t take a look at Frank’s bill until at least September.  What’s worse is that it could even be later than that since the House doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to resolve this issue.  This is especially bad timing considering New York’s decision to seize over $34 million belonging to poker players in one of the most baffling law moves in history.

All I know is that I’d like this injustice to be put to a halt sometime soon so that people can start playing online poker again without fear.

60 Minutes just won’t let Scandal Die

Back when Ultimate Bet/Absolute Poker scandal rocked online poker, the reverberations were felt all around the game.  Not only did every major poker website report on this, but the mainstream media also got in on the frenzy.  However, while actual poker sites were able to differentiate UB and Absolute Poker from the rest of the online community, mainstream outlets like 60 Minutes took the scandal as a knock against online poker as a whole.  Suddenly, the safety of online poker was called into question because of a couple of mid-range rooms that saw cheating.

Unfortunately, 60 Minutes just won’t let the scandal or the idea that anyone who plays online poker is in jeopardy die down.  I noticed that they’ve been running more articles on their website recently that are updates to the previous story they ran.  Only there’s not much of an update in there; it’s really more of a rehash of their previous stories with the notion that future cheating could still happen any time.

It kind of makes me sick too because we’re still in the midst of a crisis where people aren’t able to withdraw their money from Full Tilt.  For 60 Minutes to be running more stories on an event that happened months ago, well…it’s kind of like kicking online poker while it’s down.

I realize the importance of letting everyone know that there is some danger involved with playing at online poker sites, but there is a danger in depositing money at online banks too.  Come to think of it, I don’t see anybody rehashing stories of hackers breaking into online bank accounts.  But then again, it just isn’t as popular to bash online hackers anymore like it is to bash online poker.

Poker Tax may shut down UK Rooms

Ever since the dawn of poker, the UK has been a hotbed for the game with tons of rooms operating across the country.  Unfortunately, rooms like these in the United Kingdom are in jeopardy due to a new poker tax that is threatening the very existence of the game.

Britain is currently in a crisis politically due to several scandals by politicians, and so the countries lawmakers have decided that now is a good time to try and bring in more revenue through increased taxes on casinos.  Before, casinos had to pay a 15% tax on money made from poker rooms which was quite adequate and still allowed the casino to make a decent profit on the game. 

However, a new law has taken effect that taxes all of London’s casino poker operations way more heavily.  Cutting through all of the legal talk, the final number amounts to a tax of about 50% which is a 35% increase on what was previously charged.  Obviously at a tax rate this high, some of London’s most notable card rooms are considering closing their doors instead of trying to fight their way through this unfair tax.

Some of the places that could close include the Grosvenor Victoria Casino and the Nottingham’s From Dusk Till Dawn poker club.  The only good thing about the new law is that it doesn’t seek to impose such a heavy tax on the casinos outside of London which will at least keep other rooms open.  But the damage has already been done in London, and it looks like some of the finest rooms the city has to offer won’t be able to stay in business much longer.

Jeffrey Lisandro is a WSOP Stud

Coming into this year’s World Series of Poker, few people would have ever really considered Jeffrey Lisandro as part of poker’s elite class.  Sure Lisandro is well known among those who follow poker closely and is a respected player, but we’ll just sum this up by saying he’s no Phil Hellmuth or Phil Ivey.  However, that’s all about to change with the way Lisandro has performed at the 2009 WSOP. 

Jeffrey Lisandro recently won his third gold bracelet at the WSOP which ties the record at a single World Series of Poker event, and he still has time to play at least a couple more tournaments if he so chooses.  With 3 victories at the WSOP, many people think that Lisandro is a shoe-in to win the WSOP Player of the Year Award too.  But whether that happens or not, people will still remember this performance by Lisandro at the WSOP.

What’s most impressive about Lisandro’s bracelets is that he has won them all in Seven Card Stud events which will definitely put him in a class by himself in this poker variation.  Jeffrey won a Stud high, Stud 8′s or better, and a Razz tournament which is pretty amazing.  In fact, I’d be willing to be that nobody else will ever win 3 Stud events in the same WSOP.

This is truly an impressive accomplishment and something which I definitely think you’ll be seeing go down in WSOP lore next time websites starting pounding out those top WSOP moments in history articles.