The gambling ramblings of Pauly -- a writer, traveler, and degenerate

 
2009 WSOP Main Event: From Nine to Two; Cada vs. Moon

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

6AM. The first fans arrived outside the Penn & Teller Theatre at the Rio Casino. They stood in the spectator line to watch the conclusion of the 2009 WSOP Main Event. They were ticketless, but the November Nine was free and open to the public on a first come, first serve basis. The members of the November Nine were allotted a certain amount of tickets for their friends and family to railbird the next world champion. They flew in from all over the country, and in Antoine Saout's case -- from France and other parts of Europe.

Jack and Brian were sitting down at the front of the line when I introduced myself four hours after they first arrived. Brian wore a Soylent Green t-shirt and Jack was decked out in a Hawaiian shirt a Poker After Dark hat. The two middle-aged friends drove down from Montana for the week to attend a convention and play poker on the side. They stopped by the Rio on Friday night for a recon mission to gather intelligence before they plotted their game plane -- arrive at sun up in order to watch the most prestigious final table in all of poker.

"We had an over under to figure out how many people would be in line," said Jack. "I was astounded that no one was here at 6am."

"Are you friends or family of the November Niners? Or just rabid fans?" I asked.

"We don't know any of them," Brian said. "We're fans. Addicts, really."

"You never get a chance at something special like this," added Jack. "You don't get to go to the Super Bowl for free by standing in line. I'm never been so excited. I hope Ivey wins."

"So you guys are both Iveyheads?"

"Well, I was going to root for Phil Ivey originally because like Ivey, I was originally a Jersey guy," explained Brian. "I'm Jersey born and bred before I moved out West. But, I met Darvin Moon this morning and he's the nicest guy. I decided to pull for him."

A brief meeting with the Luddite Logger from Maryland swayed one fan's loyalty away from Phil Ivey.

"Moon was eating breakfast with his wife," said Brian. "He seemed relaxed. 'I feel confident and mellow and I'm very loose' is what he told me."

* * * * *
As expected, the hallway connecting the Rio Casino and the Convention Center slowly filled up. By 10am, the hallway had become difficult to navigate. Fans were lined up as far back as the Rotunda and business center. Two guys sat on the ground and played cards. One old guy in cowboy boots played a harmonica to kill the boredom.

A couple of the final table players wandered down the hallways. James Akenhead ducked out to the pool to finish a smoke, while Antoine Saout wandered by chomping on a banana as he conducted an interview with a member of the French foreign press. Steve Begleiter signed an autograph for a fan and Change100 spotted Happy Shulman wearing a Phish t-shirt.

November Nine supporters mingled around in their group costumes. Saout's legion of fifty Frnechie wore soccer (er, football) jerseys with the French colors; red, white, and blue. Everest Poker, Saout's sponsor, handed out scarves and the Frenchies proudly waved and displayed the scarves in the same manner they would at a football match.

Darvin Moon's crew, the Moonheads, wore "Bad Moon Rising" t-shirts. One of the members of the British press scoffed at the quote on the back, "If I win, I win. If I lose, I lose." That didn't bother me cause I'm a fan of Credence Clearwater Revival and wanted a t-shirt. Alas, none of the Luddite Logger's crew were willing to part with their paraphernalia. Moon shunned the online poker behemoths who courted him with lucrative sponsorships. Moon shrugged him off and the Moonheads followed suit. They were not easy to bribe and rejected generic Vicodin and a food comp in exchange for a Bad Moon Rising t-shirt.

The usual suspects from the American based poker media were in attendance and the majority of the international media were mainstream French outlets such as Le Monde. Benjo is usually one of the few Frnech journailsts and reporters at American events, but since a Frenchman was among the November Niners, many traditional media outlets in France dispathced reporters to Las Vegas. Everest Poker also subsidized the trip for many French poker outlets which added to the high numbers of French press.

A horde of media camped out in front of Starbucks with their equipment bags and shiny new credentials dangling around their necks. I found refuge at a table inside Starbucks and jotted down notes. Doyle Brunson drove past me on his Scooter and I got giddy like a school girl when Texas Dolly said hello. Like the huddled masses, Dolly loves Starbucks and Twitter. He's just like you and me which reminds me of one of my favorite conversations between two of my favorite writers, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.

"You know, the rich are different from you and me," said Fitzgerald.

"Yes, the have more money," replied the succinct Hemingway.

* * * * *
A sports memorabilia company rented space along the wall where tables hawked different items. Joe Cada's agent set up a table in front of the cafe. Yellow t-shirts were stack high in the middle of the table flanked by a tower of yellow hats. Yellow is one of the colors from the University of Michigan and Cada's agent outfitted 150 fans with bright yellow t-shirts and hats. Of course, there was a PokerStars logo clearly visible on the shirt since Cada had jumped ship from UB and signed a $1 million deal with PokerStars.

The Cada crew of a 150 friends and family from Michigan were not as prevalent as Dennis Phillips clones from the year before. However, they were younger and rowdier and more inebriated than the Phillipeans. Plus, you couldn't miss them decked out in bright yellow. At 10am, a couple of the Cada's Yellow Submariners set up camp at Hooker Bar to kick off the November Nine Festivities. At Michigan games, fans tailgated outside of The Big House. In Vegas, they got shitty at the Hooker Bar.

The gates opened at 11am and hundreds of fans trickled into the Penn & Teller Theatre. A sea of yellow filled up one side of the mezzanine while the blue-clad Frenchies took over a section on the opposite side. Within minutes, loud and enthusiastic chanting began and a vocal pissing match ensued to determine which November Niner had the loudest fans. The Steve Begleiter fan club gave a valiant effort with "Begs! Begs! Begs!" Alas, they could not compete with Saout's boisterous fans and Cada's rambunctious Yellow Submariners.

My French is horrible but luckily Benjo acted as a translator. Saout's fans sang the French national anthem and chanted different songs that you'd hear at French matches during the World Cup. On the other side of the theatre, Cada's crew stuck to the standard "Let's go Ca-da!" followed by clapping. Other times they simply yelled "Joey!" in succession which sounded more like "Joh-eeee! Joh-eeee! Joh-eeee!"

Phil Ivey's fans made up more than 50% of the crowd but they did not know Ivey or each other. They all arrived independently. Sure, the collective Ivey nation erupted in a frenzy when Ivey was introduced and they all hung on every hand that he played, but they were not organized and not in costume. I guest you can call them the "silent majority."

WSOP Commish Jeffrey Pollack kicked off the November Nine and he asked everyone to pause for a moment of silence for Hans "Tuna" Lund who passed away on Friday.

"Go TUNA!" screamed one of Cada's soused fans.

"That's why I don't like Michigan fans," mused Vin, one of my colleagues in the orchestra row (one of three spots designated for the media).

Cada's snarky fans were just getting warmed up. After the Frenchies finished off a catchy chant, Cada's crew quickly retaliated with "USA! USA! USA!"

Many of them were drunk and only going to get drunker, and it wasn't even noon. I hid my badge and rode the escalator to the upper deck where more of Cada's faithfuls gathered. One guy hauled a tub full of Milwaukee's Beast and ice to the upper deck since they only sold booze in the lobby. He was prepping for the long haul. Unlike a Michigan football game that last three or so hours, the final table had no time limit. Their future and the fate of their friend was unknown. They had to remain in the crowd until either Cada busted or advanced to the final two players.

I returned to the lobby which had it's own tinge of surrealist cliches. Padraig Parkison stood in front of the line to the bar with a dozen Joe Cada fans standing behind him. Dennis Phillips signed a St. Louis hat for a fan. Greg Raymer filmed an interview with a French film crew. Doyle Brunson signed autographs of his biography while the Greatest Show on Earth (aka Phil Hellmuth) held court with a semi-circle of media soaking up every ounce of shameless self-promotion that Hellmuth spewed including the hyperbole surrounding an upcoming meatball eating contest.

* * * * *
Darvin Moon had won a few pots before his lack of experience got the best of him. The hand in question involved Antoine Saout who tried to steal with J-2 from the button. Moon defended his big blind with A-4. The flop was K-J-2. Moon pulled out 2.3M in chips and fired out at the pot with Ace-high. Saout was way ahead with two-pair and raised to 6.75M (with another 3M behind). Moon moved all in not conscious of the fold equity concept. Saout ad too many chips in the pot and he was committed to call with any two cards. He just happened to have two pair and sanp-called.

"One of the worst plays I have ever seen," said Phil Gordon sitting two seats down from me.

Saout didn't exactly have the hand wrapped up. Moon had been running good all tournament so he had a natural predisposition to good luck. When a trey fell on the turn, the room unleashed a collective, "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

A five would fill in the Wheel. Moon had a gutshot and you almost expected to see a five fall on the river. Saout faded the Wheel gutshot with a river deuce. Saout won the pot with a full house. Saout was no longer the short stack and that hand was one of the major factors why he would be among the final three players.

Moon's inexperience showed once again in a hand with Steve Begleiter. Moon said he held K-Q in the hand. He missed on a flop of 4-3-2. Begs bet 3.9M. Moon re-raised to 15M. Begs had 21M and moved all in. Moon mouthed, "Wow" and folded for just 6M more.

Gordon was highly critical of Moon's first gaffe and he was not kind with his assessment of the hand with Beglieter, "I didn't think it would be possible for Moon to play a hand worse than before, but he just did."

Moon had lost the chiplead. At the dinner break, Eric Buchman was ahead in the chiplead after busting Kevin Schaffel's A-A in a dirty dirty hand when his K-K quaded up.

Chip Counts at the Dinner Break:
Eric Buchman - 54.725M
Darvin Moon - 41.25M
Steve Begleiter - 38.1M
Antoine Saout - 28.725M
Phil Ivey - 14.9M
Joe Cada - 10.7M
Happy Shulman - 7.175M

After the dinner break, Happy's A-K crippled Cada's A-J. Cada was down to 2M at his low point and that's when he mounted a comeback.

Cada avoided elimination when he doubled up with Jd-4d against Eric Buchman's 5c-4c The drunken Yellow Submariners lost their mud.

"Three more double ups baby!" one screamed.

"Alligator blood babbbbbbbbbbbbbbby!" another howled.

And that's when it happened. A showdown between Cada and Ivey. OK, it wasn't really a showdown. Just a coinflip. 4-4 vs. A-8. Cada dodged the fatal blow from Ivey when his fours held up. Cada's fans went berserk. Glass shattered. Beers were spilled. Obscenities hurled. Young men humped each other in jubilation because their hero won a race with Ivey after being on the bring of annihilation moments earlier.

Cada jumped up to 12M while Ivey slipped to 10M. But Cada was not out of the woods yet. He found himself all in with Ah-Kh suited versus Eric Buchman's Ac-Kc. Cada had to sweat out a four flush with a club on the flop and another on the turn. Buchman missed on the river and they chopped the pot.

Just before Midnight, Phil Ivey's Main Event had come to a close. He got it all in with the best of it... A-K versus Darvin Moon's A-Q. The Ivey-heavy crowd had stuck around for almost 12 hours waiting for the moment when Ivey would double through Moon's big stack. The Ivey Nation rose to their feet and screamed their loudest "Ivey! Ivey! Ivey!" chant.

The screaming died out when a Queen fell on the flop. Ivey could not suck out and he busted out in 7th place. Ivey won $1.4 million but lost millions more in potential prop bet earnings.

To rub it in, Cada's inebriated fans chanted "Ivey! Ivey!"

Steve Begelieter became Moon's next victim as he too failed to advance past Midnight. Begs looked like he was about to seize the chiplead with pocket Queens against Moon's favorite hand... A-Q. Moonheads screeched for an Ace, but their pleas where drowned out by chants of "Begs! Begs! Begs!" which echoed around the theatre.

Begleiter faded the ace on the flop. And a second time on the turn. Three outs in the deck. One card to come. Then it happened. An ace spiked on the river and I thought a bomb went off because of the ruckus and exclamations of shock from everyone inside the theatre. The Moonheads could not contain themselves and cheered on the Luddite Logger.

A stunned Begleiter busted out in 6th place. Benjo summed it up best on Twitter, "Capitalist defeated by working class hero. #scoreoneforthecommies."

With five players to go, Moon regained the chiplead with 63M while Cada was the shortstack at 10M.

Ninety minutes later, Cada got his opportunity to double up against Moon's big stack. All in preflop. A-A vs. K-9. I don't have to tell you who held what because I'm sure you can guess that Moon was trailing. That was one of the few instances that the best hand held up. Cada's A-A won the pot and he doubled up and was no longer in the basement.

"Somewhere in Maryland, a petting zoo missing a donkey," remarked a member of the foreign press.

When action was four-handed (after Happy made an exit in 5th place and Buchman blew a big lead against Saout), Moon's K-J attempted to to pick off Buchman with A-5. The flop missed both players, but Moon turned a King to take the lead. The Luddite Logger faded an ace on the river and he won the hand while Buchman busted out in 4th place.

With three to go, Saout was leading with 80M, Moon was not far behind with 76M and Cada trailed with 40M. But that didn't matter because Cada would harness his luckbox powers and double up against Saout. Cada was all in preflop with pocket deuces against Saout's Q-Q. At that point, it looked as though we were on the cusp of a Moon/Saout heads up battle until the dealer fanned out the flop. A deuce was the doorcard. Saout's Queens were ravished by a set and he was unable to regain the lead. Saout lost the lead and Cada doubled up.

Fifteen minutes later, Cada finished off Saout who shoved with 8-8. Cada called with A-K. It was technically a coin flip but we knew better.

"He's an 80% favorite here considering how good he's been running," remarked Matt Showell, a noted journalist from the Great White North.

He was right because everyone in the room knew a King was coming especially Cada's Yellow Submariners. They were begging for a King and not an ace. Yep, a King was coming. It was just a matter of when. The flop? The turn? Or how about the river, which would be far more dramatic.

The King spiked on the river. Saout's run was over. The heads up match was set between Joe Cada and Darvin Moon with Cada holding a sizable advantage.

Heads Up Chip Counts:
Joe Cada - 135,950,000
Darvin Moon - 58,850,000

The two most fortunate players at the final table ended up the last two standing. Those lawyer types and lobbyists argue that poker is a game of skill and not a game of chance. If that's the case, I hope they burn the tapes of the 2009 Main Event final table because that evidence can't get out.

Joe Cada has a shot at becoming the youngest Main Event Champion and breaking defending champion Peter Eastgate's record, but there's an unpredictable logger standing in his way.

Cada could use the first place money since he's staked by the Bax/Sheets syndicate. Cada holds a solid lead and has more skills than Moon, especially at heads up play. It might come down to which player gets the luckiest because that's how this year's Main Event is playing out.

When Marty Derbyshire, a Canadian journalist from PokerListings, asked Moon about his strategy for the heads up match against Cada, Moon replied, "I'm sorry. Can you give me the definition of strategy?"

* * * * *
It's going to be one intriguing heads up match. Tune in at 10pm PT on Monday night for complete coverage on Tao of Poker and on my Twitter feed.


Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
posted by Pauly at 11/09/2009 04:20:00 AM | Permalink |

 
Cada vs. Moon in Heads Up Battle; November Nine Final Table Results

By Pauly
Las Vegas,NV

It's official. We are down to two players... Joe Cada and Darvin Moon. Cada the Kid has over a 2 to 1 chiplead over the Luddite Logger from Maryland.

Final Table Results:
1. ?? - $8,547,042
2. ?? - $5,182,928
3. Antoine Saout - $3,479,670
4. Eric Buchman - $2,502,890
5. Jeff Shulman - $1,953,452
6. Steven Begleiter - $1,587,160
7. Phil Ivey - $1,404,014
8. Kevin Schaffel - $1,300,231
9. James Akenhead - $1,263,602

Stay tuned for a proper recap. In the meantime, read the live blog below.

You can always read my Twitter feed to catch up.

Action resumes Monday night at 10pm local time. See you there.


Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
posted by Pauly at 11/08/2009 09:58:00 AM | Permalink |

 
2009 WSOP November Nine: The Final Table - The Live Blog

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

This is the day we have all been waiting for...


10:15am... Step Into the Freezer

I met the guys who were first in line to watch the November Nine. Jack and Brian. Super fans. They drove down from Montana to watch the conclusion of the WSOP Main Event and arrived at 6am to get a front row seat to the circus. They were shocked that they were the first ones in line. That's dedication.

They also mentioned that they bumped into Darvin Moon. The Luddite Logger was up before the dawn and ate a quiet breakfast with his wife in the Sao Paolo cafe. That was his last moment of calm before the impending storm.

The narrow hallway in front of the Penn & Teller Theatre was packed with fans, November Nine supporters, media, and casual observers. Joe Cada's agent assembled an entire table with yellow t-shirts stacked a couple of feet high. 150 friends and family flew in from Michigan to cheer on the youngest player at the final table. All of them sported yellow t-shirts and hats with "The Kid" on it. Ah, that's such an obvious nickname. That's why I like Joey Tonsils instead. Oh, and how could I forget to mention the Michigan-yellow shirts contained a PokerStars.net logo.

A sports memorabilia stand flanked the wall in the hallway. Joe Stapleton from Poker Road suggested that they played huge bucks to get that spot. Long lines at Starbucks angered the caffeine freaks, while hungover media reps patiently waited in line for their press badges.

I needed a shoe shine and walked over to the stand near the Hooker Bar. Cowboys were in town for some sort of cowboy event and they were getting their dusty boots cleaned. As I patiently waited, I noticed that I stood in the prime spot to see November Niners walking towards the Penn & Teller Theatre before they were mobbed by frenzied fans.

James "The Limey" Akenhead walked by with a cigarette in hand. He nodded to me as he walked out to the pool to finish his smoke. Antoine "Pierre Fromage" Saout chomped down on a banana as he walked past me. His Everest Poker hat included a French flag patch on the back. He looked like he did not have a care in the world. As Benjo said, he's extremely relaxed.

* * * * *
11:15am... Almost Game Time; Here Come the Scarves

The line to get in was a bit of a clusterfuck but they allowed the media to enter the Penn & Teller Theatre. The security lines resembled an airport. I told my fellow media colleagues to stash their weed and get rid of any liquids over 3 ounces otherwise they'd be taken into the backroom and beaten to a bloody pulp.

I took my seat in the orchestra section in between Bernard Lee from ESPN and Lance Bradley (aka the editor of Bluff) as the crowd slowly filled in. I shook hands and exchanged hugs with friends from different media outlets that I have not seen in months.

The crowd slowly filled in. They were loud. Rowdy. And most of them had been drinking since sun up. Pierre Fromage's fans were sporting blue soccer jerseys with the French colors and an Everest Poker logo. His online sponsor also handed 50 soccer scarves to his devoted fans who flew in from France to sweat their native son. I asked Benjo about the scarves and here's what he said...

French Fried Poker Vol. 1 - The Scarf

Oh and inc ase you were wondering, I spotted Phil Gordon, Greg Raymer, Peter Eastgate, and CC Sabathia-look-alike wandering around with a Yankees cap.

* * * * *
12:15pm... The Fluff Before the Poker

TD Jack Effel, wearing a tuxedo (it's gotta be rented, no way a Harrah's exec can actually afford to buy a tux because they don't get paid enough), took center stage and whipped the crowd up in a frenzy before he introduced Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. Pollack doesn't need a tuxedo to look good. He simply wore one of his trademarked pinstripe suits.

Commish Pollack asked everyone to pause for a moment of silence for Hans "Tuna" Lund who passed away yesterday.

"Go TUNA!" screamed one of Joe Cada's drunken fans who had been spotted drinking at the Hooker Bar since sun up.

When the Frenchies started chanting for their hero, Antonie Saout. Joe Cada's quickly retaliated and his fans started chanting, "USA! USA!"

"Now I'm remembered why I don't like Michigan fans," said Vin.

WSOP-E Main Event champion Barry Shulman was introduced to the crowd with just a smattering of applause. His son was sporting a Phish shirt at the final table.

* * * * *
12:50pm... The Introductions

Lacey Jones interviewed last year's champion Peter Eastgate. He seemed distracted by her massive boobular area.

The introductions were over the top and lathered in cheese and then deep fried in more cheese. Jesus, Jack, just announce the fuckin' players and save the cliches that are better suited for a bad poetry reading!

The room exploded when Phil Ivey's name was introduced. The room shook. I popped a woody. It felt like one of the Beatles walked into the room. Shit, for the poker world, Phil Ivey is John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo, and George Harrison all rolled into one. That moment is why I fuckin' love the Main Event. This is what it is supposed to feel like... the chills running up and down your spine and the goosebumps popping up all over your arms. More than half the room is here to see Phil Ivey come from behind to win the Main Event.

As much as Joe Cada's crew unleashed a raucous applause when his name was announced, it was the French contingent who was the loudest in the room. They are about one-third the size of Cada's yellow-clad crew from Michigan yet their intense chanting impressed the folks in press row.

I screamed, "Wilson!" when they introduced Happy Shulman.

The "Shuffle up and deal honors" went to defending champion Peter Eastgate and Doyle Brunson.

"It's looking like a football game," remarked Texas Dolly before he uttered the most famous line in poker aside from "loldonkaments".

Seating Assignments:
Seat 1: Darvin Moon - 58,930,000
Seat 2: James Akenhead - 6,800,000
Seat 3: Phil Ivey - 9,765,000
Seat 4: Kevin Schaffel - 12,390,000
Seat 5: Steven Begleiter - 29,885,000
Seat 6: Eric Buchman - 34,800,000
Seat 7: Joseph Cada - 13,215,000
Seat 8: Antoine Saout - 9,500,000
Seat 9: Jeff Shulman - 19,580,000

* * * * *
1:20pm.... Party Time

Cards went in the air at 12:56pm local time. Of course, what would be a televised final table without a tape delay? They delayed the start for a few minutes. When action finally resumed at Level 33 with 7 minutes and 16 seconds remaining. The blinds were 120K/240K with a 30K ante.

Happy Shulman won the first pot and the crowd settled down. For the first time, there was actual silence in the room. For some of these fans, this is the first time that they are watching a poker tournament. They better conserve their energy otherwise they'll fizzle out by the 4:20pm smoke break.

I wandered around during the first ten hands. No one would bust early on so I took advantage of that situation and checked out the different parts of the Penn & Teller Theatre.

Begs and Cada fans were lined up at the bar. Padraig Parkison wandered by while Greg Raymer conducted an interview. A bunch of wine guys with a stand in the hallway tried to get me to buy their poker-themed swill of a wine. I asked for a free sample and got rejected so I told them to piss off and I followed one of the Cada fans who was holding a grey tub filled with cans of Milwaukee's Beast and ice. He needed 24 cans to take up to the upper level and I followed them up the escalator. Shit, once I saw that sort of liquid fire power, my first instinct was to follow the booze. No wonder all of his fans were rowdy. The booze is flowing freely in the upper deck. Up there, it's party time.

* * * * *
1:50pm.... No Action for Ivey

On the 14th hand on the final table... everyone in the Penn & Teller were on the edges of their seat. Happy over-raised to 1.25 million, something he did on two other hands. Action folded to Ivey who shoved for 8.6M. Joe Cada asked for a count in the big blind and he evntually folded. It was Happy's turn to head into the tank before he folded to Ivey. Ivey'ss fans jumped to their feet to applaud their hero.

Ivey is up to $8.4 million and one of the few players who has more than he started with.

* * * * *
2:00pm... Change100's Fashion Report: Meet the November Nine

My lovely girlfriend penned a fashion report for your personal amusement. Here you go...

Darvin Moon - Everyone's favorite Maryland logger chose a black polo, jeans, and his beloved New Orleans Saints hat for his final table outfit. No logos. No patches. Nada. Personally, I was hoping for him to play up his country-bumpkin image with a plaid shirt (totally hot this fall) and overalls, his supporters all carrying mini-chainsaws that they'd rev up each time their man won a pot. Instead, Moon's rural brethren are all sporting Wheeling Casino T-shirts that say "Bad Moon Rising" on the front. Eh. Points do go to those "Moonies" who brought heads-on-sticks, featuring their man's image.

James Akenhead - "The Limey" might very well be wearing the same clothes he played Day 8 in-- a black button-down shirt and a matching black Full Tilt hat. He has fans here but they are not in costume. FAIL.

Phil Ivey - Pauly tried to get Otis to bet on the color of Ivey's Full Tilt hat, offering him the field against baby blue. Otis wisely told my beloved to go fuck himself, knowing that's the biggest sucker bet he'd be offered all day. Indeed, Ivey chose his trademark sky-blue cap, pairing it with a black button-down. His superstar entourage, including Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Jen Harman, and sorta-freakish but totally adorable superfans Mel & Pat Humphries all have prime spots onstage.

Kevin Schaffel - Schaffel is wearing the standard PokerStars sponsored player uniform of a black Stars shirt and matching hat, paired with smart tan trousers. He's not exactly lighting the fashion world on fire with that outfit, but at least he didn't take his ninth-place money and hit up Versace for some vertigo-inducing silk shirts. Schaffel's 80 supporters are all decked out in "Schaffel Up and Deal' shirts with a cartoonish rendition of their man on the front-- the weakest of the group fan costumes, IMO.

Steve Begleiter - Begs must be at least a little superstitious because he too is in the same clothes he wore when he made the November Nine back in July-- a navy polo and a red Full Tilt hat. ESPN's continuity peeps must be happy about that choice. His fans, however, get top marks from me for their blue "BEGS, BEGS BEGS!" shirts.

Eric Buchman - Black PokerStars hat. Black PokerStars shirt. No group costumes. Moving on...

Joe Cada - While Cada is in his black PokerStars uniform, his fans went for neon with garish yellow sweatshirts that made my eyes bleed after looking at them for five minutes in the hallway. The pullovers say "Cada" on the back. Just like that, in quotes. Like it's his nickname. But it's his actual name. I'm confused.

Antoine Saout - As much as I'd have loved to see him in a beret, Saout is dressed in head-to-toe Everest swag. Snooze. His fans are packed into the stage left balcony, all wearing royal blue soccer jerseys that say "Saout" on the back (and "Everest Poker" on the front, of course). Their nationalistic pride is showing, as a number of French flags have been spotted in their section. Personally I'd have gone for baguettes-- they're easily visible on-camera and can double as snacks.

Jeff Shulman - I saw Happy sauntering down the hallway earlier in a maroon Phish T-shirt (points for that), which he has now unfortunately covered with a ratty navy CardPlayer hoodie (booooo). It doesn't look like he's been to the barber (or bought a razor) since play finished up last July. Dude...even Pauly cleaned up after Festival 8 and lost the tour beard. In the immortal words of the joker-- "Get your shit together, man!"

Thanks to Change100. Follow Change100 on Twitter for her fabulous updates.

* * * * *
2:30pm... New Episodes of Tao of Pokerati

Michalski and I were back with two brand spanking new episodes of Tao of Pokerati...

Episode 1: Pre-action Action
Episode 2: Homme-team Advantage

If you don't know, the Tao of Pokerati is the shortest podcast on the intertubes.

* * * * *
2:40pm... Updated Chip Counts

The players went on their first break. Darvin Moon is still the chipleader and he added more chips to his monster stack...

Darvin Moon: 61,535,000
Eric Buchman: 39,820,000
Steve Begleiter: 31,175,000
Jeff Shulman: 15,510,000
Joe Cada: 11,835,000
Kevin Schaffel: 10,890,000
Antoine Saout: 10,620,000
Phil Ivey: 10,035,000
James Akenhead: 3,445,000

* * * * *
3:01pm.... Hurlement d'un Chien

"Saooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooout!"

One of the Frenchies unleashes a deep moan to root on Antoine "Pierre Fromage" Saout. Every time that the howl echos throughout the Penn & Teller Theatre, I immediately think of "Soul Train." Anyway, sometimes the howls resemble cats being drowned or two raccoons fucking in the alley.

Saout took down a pot which fired up his crew. Kevin Schaffel opened for a raise and Saout three-bet him. The uber-tight Schaffel surrendered. Saout dragged the pot and his fans went berserk and fervently waved their scarves while chanting en francais.

TD Jack Effel hushed the crowd during one hand. Eric Buchman's fans started the "Er-ic Buch-man.... (clap, clap, clap). Er-ic Buch-man.... (clap, clap, clap). Er-ic Buch-man.... (clap, clap, clap)." Joe Cada's fans retaliated with their own chant. The room got loud and rowdy with Akenheads rowdy hooligans getting into it. Effel tried to quiet down the crowd since there was a hand in progress.

Come on, Jack. You can't bill the November Nine as a sporting spectacle, willingly serve booze, and then try to contain the crowd from going ape shit. Let them scream, man!

* * * * *
3:20pm.... God Save the Queen; Akenhead Triples Up

Fireworks. Finally. James Akenhead open-shoved. Steve Beglieter called. Eric Buchman re-raised. Begleiter folded. It was heads up between Buchman and Akenhead with Akenhead's Main Event life on the line.

Akenhead: Kc-Qh
Buchman: Ah-Ks

The flop was not important. The turn was the Kh and Akenhead was down to three outs. The river was the Queen of spades and the entire room erupted. Akenhead's hooligans went ape sit and jumped up and down like little kids. Akenhead sucked out and kicked Buchman in the junk in the process.

"Oh my Akenhead!" screamed one of the drunks from Michigan.

Aching head? How about a an aching crotch? Akenhead should get arrested for sexual assault after he violated Buchman on that hand.

Buchman looks like someone microwaved his favorite kitten. Someone give him some Amyl Nitrate. Stat.

* * * * *
3:45pm.... Moon Gumps Off Chips

Antoine Saout doubled up against a questionable call from Darvin Moon. On a flop of K-J-2, Moon fired out 2.3M. Saout raised to 6.75. Moon moved all in and Saout quickly called for 3 more million. Saout was ahead with Jacks up... J-2 against Moon's... A-4.

Wait. A-rag? Yes, that's not a typo.

"One of the worst plays I have ever seen," said Phil Gordon sitting two seats down in orchestra row.

The hand was not without any drama. The turn was a trey and the room unleashed a collective, "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Lance from Bluff called for a 5c to fill in the Wheel. Moon has been running that good, we expected him to runner-runner Pierre Fromage. Alas, the river was a deuce and Saout won the pot with a full house.

Benjo shed a tear as the rest of the Frenchies jizzed in their pants.

* * * * *
4:20pm.... "Smoke 'em if you got 'em!"

By the way, I'm pretty sure that I took a piss next to Jah Rule. Here's here sweating Phil Ivey.

Today's smoke break is brought to you by PokerStars!



* * * * *
4:25pm.... Noonan 1, Limey 0

On a flop of J-9-4, James "Limey" Akenhead and Kevin "Noonan" Schaffel got it all in. Akenhead was behind with K-K versus Schaffel's pocket Aces. Schaffel doubled to over 14M, while Akenhead slipped back into the cellar.

Chipleader is still Moon with 59M. Ivey has 11M and Akenhead is down to under 5M.

* * * * *
4:38pm... James Akenhead Eliminated in 9th Place ($1,263,602)

We're down to 8 after 3+ hours of play. James Akenhead's pocket treys were no match for Kevin Schaffel's pocket nines. Schaffel crippled Akenhead a five hands earlier and mugged him for the rest of his chips. Schaffel, who I bet at 12-1, is a tad under 20M.

Akenhead was the favorite to bust first until his timely suckout/double up with K-Q versus Big Slick. Alas, all of Akenhead's "run good" karma was flush down the toilet.

The sun hath set upon the British Empire.

Change100 said it best, "Someone tell the Hooker Bar that the British are coming."

* * * * *
4:50pm... Twitter Hijinks and Unruly Joe Cada Fan Gets Booted

Feldman from ESPN stepped out to interview James Akenhead and Phil Gordon took his seat in orchestra row to check his email. Gordon noticed that Feldman left his Twitter feed open and there were so many possibilities to punk Feldman.

Gordon took it easy on him and didn't use any of the R-rated suggestions that we offered up... "fight breaking out in the audience amongst moon/cada supporters."

Of course, that was bullshit and Gordon cracked a smile when I nodded my approval. I wish he used the Chip'n'Dales glitter tweet instead.

But there was actually some ruckus in the Joe Cada cheering section. Two guys in yellow shirts were almost at each others' throats. Apparently, one of the drunkards insisted on screaming, "Fuck Ivey! Fuck Ivey!" A few wise and respectful fans argued that the drunk should refrain from using suck low-brow language. A near scuffle ensued and security was called over. One of the drunks was forcibly removed from the Penn & Teller Theatre as the rest of the Joe Cada fans drenched in yellow cheered at their drunken comrade's ejection.

* * * * *
5:08pm... Aces Snapped Off by Quads; Kevin Schaffel Eliminated in 8th Place ($1,300,231)

Kevin Schaffel thought that he was blessed by the Poker Gods over the last hour. He woke up to Aces twice and found himself all in against Kings for a second time. However, there was a twist this time around when he went to battle against Eric Buchman's Kngs. The flop was an astonishing K-Q-J and the crowd erupted in a frenzy after Buchman flopped a set. Schaffel A-A wasn't completely fucked. He had outs for a Broadway and outs for a set of Aces, but the turn was the case King and he was drawing dead.

Noonan was nevermore and Kevin Schaffel headed to the rail in 8th place. Buchman increased his stack to over 50M. He's second in chips to Darvin Moon.

* * * * *
5:48pm... Bouncin Round the Room: The Hallway and Lobby

I got stopped by a security guard because I was trying to sneak in an illegal item into the Penn & Teller Theatre... a bag of Sun Chips. I told him that I paid $3 for the bag and appealed to his fiscal sense. He shot me down and refused me entry.

I walked around the corner and stuffed it in my shirt. The final table will be going to at least to 3am, so I needed a little snack.

Of course, while I stood outside trying to hide my contraband, I spotted a woozy Layne Flack. He tried to gain entry without a ticket or wristband and shrugged his shoulders. He disappeared into the crowd.

While I stood in the lobby of the Penn & Tell Theatre, no less than two people offered me Vicodin.

On the breaks, Joe Cada's yellow-clad crew rushes to the bar to load up on beverages.

* * * * *
5:58pm... Worst Fold Ever

Where's the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons? I need him to snark, "Worst fold ever!"

Moon opened from UTG for 1.3M. Begleiter thee-bet to 3.9M. Moon smooth called. The flop was 4s-3s-2d. Moon checked. Begleiter bet 5.35M. Moon went for the double-fisted check-raise and pulled out 15M in chips. Begleiter tanked for a minute before he announced "All in" for 21M total or 6M more.

Moon mouthed, "Wow."

Then the worst fold in the history of tournament poker ensued. Moon folded. Begleieter fans jumped to their feet and shrieked, "Begs! Begs! Begs!"

"I didn't think it would be possible for Moon to play a hand worse than before," said Phil Gordon in the Orchestra Row, "But he just did."

Moon just Gumped-off more chips as he imploded and lost the lead. According to Bernard Lee at ESPN, before the hand with Begleiter, Moon had won 11 out of the 12 hands that he played. The only one he had lost was that A-4 hand against Saout.

Dumbfounded. That's how I described the atmosphere among the press. According to Kevin Mathers, the 2+2 forums were blowing up. I can only imagine the venom being spewed over there right now.

I love poker.

By the way... Buchman is the chipleader with Begleiter in second. Moon slipped to third. Ivey and Cada are the short stacks.

* * * * *
6:48pm... Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Phil Ivey has woken up.

Heads up between Ivey and Begleiter. The flop was Kd-Qh-Jd. Begs bet 1.7M and Ivey smooth called. Both players checked when the Jc fell on the turn. The river was the 3h. Ivey bet 2.5M and Begleiter tanked as the room grew silent except for the pecking sounds of keyboards in the orchestra row. Begleiter tried to get a read on Ivey. Laughable to such a daunting task. Begs folded and Ivey's fan let loose their enthusiasm.

I'm pretty sure Ivey had a boat. Check the broadcast on Tuesday.

Ivey 1, Gekko 0.

* * * * *
7:00pm... Dinner Break; Action Resumes at 9pm Local Time

The final seven players are heading on a two-hour dinner break. I'm off to the Hall of Fame Dinner.

Eric Buchman is the chipleader. Ivey is 5th in chips. Happy is the short stack.

* * * * *
9:00pm... Action Will Resume Shortly; Hall of Fame Dinner Rocked

I gotta say... I was impressed with the Hall of Fame dinner. I had a great time and sat at a table with my date, the lovely Change100 and Michalski and his lovely date Karen. (And in case you were wondering, he did not bring a Craigslist hooker although I pretty sure Stapes from Poker Road did).

A couple of pros and industry figures said a few words including Doyle Brunson, Jeffrey Pollack, Jack Binion, TJ Cloutier, and Tom McEvoy. Tom Sexton, Mike's older brother (we worked together at Poker News in 2007), gave a touching speech before he introduced his brother.

Sexton spoke for over twenty minutes and touched on numerous subjects. I'll definitely write up the entire dinner for a future post. But for now, it's official...Mike Sexton is your newest member of the Hall of Fame. I was fortunate enough to get one of the 15 media votes and I was one of the many people who voted for Mike Sexton... the true poker ambassador.

Cards will be in the air shortly and Mike Sexton will be doing the re-start "Shuffle up and deal" honors.

Updated Chip Count:
Eric Buchman - 54.725M
Darvin Moon - 41.25M
Steve Begleiter - 38.1M
Antoine Saout - 28.725M
Phil Ivey - 14.9M
Joe Cada - 10.7M
Jeff Shulman - 7.175M

When action resumes, they will be playing 250K/500K blinds with 50K antes.

* * * * *
9:30pm... New Tao of Pokerati Episode with Benjo

Moments after Antoine Saout doubled up against Darvin Moon in that crazy A-4 hand, I spoke with Benjo about his fellow countryman taking advantage of the inexperienced Moon.

Episode 3: For Those about to Rock, We Saout You

* * * * *
9:47pm... Happy Doubles Through Cada

All in preflop. Cada took A-J to an alley fight against Happy's A-K. Cada's faithful clad in yellow rose to their feet. They collectively screamed, "Jack! Jack! Jack!" in between swigs of beer. They desperately wanted their hero to come from behind to crack Happy Shulman's Big Slick.

The flop was innocuous, but the turn gave Cada some life when he picked up a gutshot. He whiffed on the river. Happy won the pot and doubled up, while Cada was crippled and hovering around 2M.

* * * * *
9:55pm... "Alligator blood babbbbbbbbbbbbbbby!"

Joe Cada doubled up with Jd-4d against Eric Buchman's 5c-4c and his friends lost their shit. "Three more double ups baby!" screamed one of Cada's drunk fans.

"Alligator blood babbbbbbbbbbbbbbby!" howled another.

They have been drinking heavily for 12 hours. I wonder what will happen when the Rio eventually cuts them off? Mayhem. That's what. They will riot and revolt. Keep feeding those poor fuckers booze or they'll tear the Penn & Tell Theatre to shreds.

* * * * *
9:55pm... "Let's go, Cada!"

It's the Joe Cada show. He just dodged a huge bullet (like the size of a cruise missile) when he doubled up with pocket fours against Ivey's A-8. Ivey lost the foot race and Cada doubled up. His boisterous fans were already rowdy after a full day of drinking and getting sloshed on the dinner break, but that hand against Ivey jacked them up even more so. Moments before the hand, a glass bottle fell to the ground and shattered in Cada's cheering section. Not only are they shitfaced, they can't even hold onto their bottles of beer.

One member of the foreign press called Cada's cheering section "a disgrace" which is partially true. After a while, the drunken antics get old real fast. But it's hardly a disgrace. Sophomoric would be a better term.

At any rate, Cada is back into contention and no longer one of the short stacks and is over 12 million while Ivey slipped to around 10 million.

* * * * *
10:35pm... Still at Seven; Get Ready for the Long Haul

Seriously. Seven players remain. There really hasn't been too much action - especially for Antoine Saout who just woke up to Aces but did not get any callers.

Begleiter snagged the chiplead from Eric Buchman, but the two are neck and neck around 45-46M. Ivey is the short stack, but Cada and Happy are both under 15M.

If you are watching this at home, time to cut up some lines of _____ (insert your upper of choice). If you're a straight person, then take a nap because this will go into the wee hours. And if you have an Adderrall, come down to the Penn & Teller Theatre. You will make a killing selling your extra pills to deranged and sleep deprived media reps.

Otherwise, a few tips that will keep you awake include... non-drowsy cold medicine, Red Bull, 5 Hour Energy, and shoving an ice popsicle up your ass.

* * * * *
11:01pm... Here Come the Frenchies: Pierre Fromage 1, Gekko 0

"Allez Antoine!" they shouted from the corner of the Penn & Teller ballroom.

Antoine Saout doubled up and seized the chip lead when he butted heads with Begleiter. Begs opened with a raise and Saout trois-bet him. Begs smooth called. On a flop of 9h-8h-3c, Begs fired out 6M and Saout moved all in. Begs tanked for a few minutes before he called.

Begleiter: 8c-7c
Saout: Ah-Kh

Begleieter was ahead, but barely. Saout had a nut flush draw and two overs. The turn was the 10h and the Fenchies woke up after a long slumber and jubilantly cheered on Saout as leap-frogged into the chip lead with over 52M. Buchman quietly remained second in chips under 50M, while Ivey was bringing up the rear with 8M. Begs slipped to under 20M.

Hey Obama, expect a call from Begs soon. He's seeking a bailout...

* * * * *
11:31pm... New Tao of Pokerati Episodes - The Hall of Fame Dinner

Michalski and I recorded two episodes of the shortest podcast in poker while we hung out at the Hall of Fame Dinner.

Episode 4: Voter Hesitation
Episode 5: Touched by Sexton

Enjoy our shtick.

* * * * *
11:41pm... Cada Dodges Four Flush

It was all in preflop with Eric Buchman and Joe Cada. Both players had A-K soooooted. Cada had the hearts while Buchman had the clubs. The flop had one club and no hearts. The turn was a club and things got very interesting. The river was a blank and Cada dodged a bullet. He avoided elimination and chopped the pot.

* * * * *
11:41pm... Phil Ivey Eliminated in 7th Place ($1,404,014)

Phil Ivey was all in with A-K against Darvin Moon's A-Q. The crowd rose to their feet and Ivey's faithful contigent unleashed their loudest "Ivey! Ivey! Ivey!" chant.

That screaming was not heard by the poker gods. They scoffed at Ivey and dropped a Queen on the flop as all of his supporters winced in pain. The turn did not help Ivey and he was down to three possible cards to help him. The river did not help Ivey and his run was over.

A steady stream of fans headed to the rail. The king is dead.

And yes, right now Andy Bloch just let out a sigh of relief along with a cabal of British bookies who took Ivey's action on his own wagers betting on himself.

Oh, and to rub it in... Joe Cada's drunken fans chanted "Ivey! Ivey!" Stay classy Michigan.

In case you were wondering, Ivey did not stick around to do an interview in the lobby -- that all of the players are supposed to do when they bust out. I don't blame him from skipping out. He busted on a sick beat from the worst player at the final table and who knows how much money he lost in side prop bets. Regardless, Ivey's snub pissed off a lot of people.

* * * * *
11:51pm... Steve Begelieter Eliminated in 6th Place ($1,587,160)

All in preflop. Darvin Moon's A-Q trailed Steve Begleiter's pocket Queens. The faction of supporters screamed and yelled and screamed some more. Moonheads were screeching for an Ace, while chants of "Begs! Begs! Begs!" echoed around the theatre.

The flop was nothing special. The turn was another blank. Then it happened. Ace spiked on the river. The crowd let out a louder reaction than when Akenhead sucked out earlier in the day. The theatre shook.

Gekko the Great was slayed by the Luddite Logger. Chalk one up for the blue collared guys.

Moon is back in the chiplead with 63M. Cada is the shortstack with 10M and five players to go.

* * * * *
1:20am... Happy Crippled By Treys

All in preflop. Joe Cada was way behind with 3-3 against Happy's J-J. The door card was a trey and Cada's crew lost their collective mud. Happy could not re-suck on the turn or river and Cada doubled up.

Happy slipped to under 10M and is now the short stack.

* * * * *
1:30am... Missing Donkey

Darvin Moon raised. Joe Cada three-bet. Moon four-bet-shoved. Cada snap called with Aces. Moon sheepishly tabled K-9.

"Somewhere in Maryland, a petting zoo missing a donkey," mentioned a member of the foregin press.

I had to rub my eyes and make sure that one of my michevious colleagues did not slip a hit of acid into my bottled water. Yep... it's Aces versus K-9.

"Joey! Joey! Joey!" shouted Cada's crew.

Moon flopped a nine to make Cada sweat out the rest of the hand. Moon whiffed in the turn and the river and Cada's Aces held up.

"Let's go Cada! Let's go Cada! Let's go Cada!" howled his supporters.

* * * * *
1:40am... Happy 1, France 0

Happy Shulman doubled up when his A-5 held up against Antoine Saout's K-Q. Happy flopped an Ace and took down the pot to increase his stack to 11M. The Frenchies were pissed. I was worried about the safety of the CardPlayer reporters. They are sitting only a few feet in front of the Saout's cheering section. They are lucky that the Frenchies are not throwing stale baguettes at them.

* * * * *
1:20pm... Nothing to Report

Since Ivey's bustout, the theatre lacks the excitement that filled the room for most of the day and evening. Since then, it's been a slow crawl to the finish. Down to 5.
* * * * *
3:10am... Happy Shulman Eliminated in 5th Place

On the second hand after the break, Happy Shulman found himself all in with 7-7 against Antoine Saout's A-9. Ah, the classic race between a chain-smoking Frenchman and the malcontent publisher. Who would win? Ah, a nine of the flop tipped the scales in Saout's favor as his fellow countrymen where the only ones screaming in the sparsely populated Penn & Teller Theatre. The turn and the river did not help Happy and his magical run ended. Meanwhile, Saout leap-frogged into the chip lead.

Happy was trying to become only the second father/son duo to win bracelets. Brunson and his son Todd won bracelets in the same year... 2005. Alas, the Shulmans were trying to pull off an even greater feat -- the WSOP Main Event and the WSOP-E Main Event.

Down to the final four. The Luddite Logger. Pierre Fromage. Joey Tonsils and Eric Buchman who has not played a hand since sunset.

Updated Chip Counts:
Antoine Saout - 62.925M
Eric Buchman - 55.85M
Joseph Cada - 45.45M
Darvin Moon - 31.575M

* * * * *
3:33am... The Freaks Come Out at Night

I saw a hooker at Starbucks with fake boobs. I know, it's a Vegas cliche, but sort of the norm on a Saturday night in Sin City where the working girls rule the Valley.

At the three o'clock hour, the freaks are the only ones wandering around. The degenerate gamblers are glued to their vices -- craps, clots, Let It Ride -- while the hardcore drunks are slumped at the end of a bar somewhere. But it's the freaks who wander around casinos in the hours before sun up - like the chick dressed up like a Queen. She grabbed the attention of a few media members who said, "What the fuck?" I hoped that she was on a tab of face-melting acid. I hate to think that she willinging painted spades, diamonds, clubs, and hearts on her face for shits and giggles.

Oh and not to be outdone... some of the more creative members of the press are writing November Nine-themed haikus. Gloria Balding is the haiku master. Change100 wrote one about a dapper Commisoner Pollack. Me? I prefer to stick to lengthy rambling sentences with as little punctuation as possible that seem to go on and on and on with endless metaphors that don't work and obscure pop culture references.

* * * * *
3:50am... Another Episode of Tao of Pokerati

Dan and I chatted about his escapades with Padraig Parkinson.

Episode 6: Not-so-Last Call

* * * * *
4:03am... Moon Top

Darvin Moon is back in the chiplead with 54M .He shifted gears and has been shoving all in so he doesn't get out played on post-flop.

* * * * *
4:20am.... "Smoke 'em if you got 'em!"

Dude, you know it's a long poker tournament when you have not one, but two 4:20 smoke breaks!

Today's second smoke break is brought to you by PokerStars.



* * * * *
4:30am... Buchman Takes Chip Lead in Longest Hand of the Final Table

Lance fell asleep once. I fell asleep at least three times (for period lasting no longer than 20 seconds and thanks to Marty for the "Pauly wake up" nudges) during the snoozer of a hand. I saw so many tanks that I thought it was watching the re0enactment of the Battle of the Bulge, expect there were no Nazis and everyone is punchdrunk.

Here's what happened... Saout opened for almost 2M. Buchman tanked from the small blind and finally called. Big blind bailed. The flop was 10h-3c-2s. Buchman checked. Frenchie fired out 2.3M and Buchman check-raised to 5M. Saout deliberated for several minutes before he re-raised to 11M. Buchman raised. Again. Saout tanked. Again. Then he..... folded.

As I said on Twitter, if that hand was online, I would have typed, "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ" into the chat box.

Oh, and Buchman won the pot and seized the chiplead with 56M. Four to go and Moon is in second, Cada in third, and Saout bringing up the rear. Buchman is clearly in control. He slowed the game down to the pace of a snail on Valium. Someone get those fuckin snails some blow. Ask the valet guys. They know where to score an eight ball.

* * * * *
4:40am... Buchman Loses Chip Lead in Monsterpotten

A-K versus A-Q. Buchman was trailing the Frenchman as the two butted heads once again. Saout flopped a King, but Buchman picked up a Broadway gutshot draw. The turn was another King and the river was a blank. Saout faded the gutshot and his trips held up. He doubled through the chipleader and went from the short stack to the big stack with almost 90M.

Frenchie opened up a huge lead. Players flirted with the 60M mark, but no one had gotten as high as 70M let alone 80 or 90M.

* * * * *
4:50am... Buchman Moons Moon

Short-stacked Buchman moved all in with Kd-10c for his last 10M. Moon called with Ac-7s. My friends call that hand... "the Tourist" because fuckin' tourists on the Strip can't fold A-7.

Anyway, Buchman was fighting for his Main Event life. Buchman flopped a King to take the lead. The turn was a King and Moon was drawing dead. Buchman increased his stack to over 20M.

That hand woke up the last remaining Buchman fans. Still four to go.

* * * * *
4:59am... Moon Moons Buchman; Eric Buchman Eliminated in 4th Place ($2,502,890)

Darvin Moon's K-J was trying to pick off Buchman's A-5. The flop missed both players, but Buchman turned a King to take the lead. The Luddite Logger faded an ace on the river and Moon won the hand. Buchman headed to the rail in fourth place.

I bet heavily on Buchman and an hour or so ago when he had the lead, it looked as though he might be on pace to win the Main Event and ship me a shitload of cashola. Alas, the pro from Valley Stream is busto.

Down to three players. The Frenchie (80M). The Logger (76M). And the Kid (40M).

One more bustout and we get to go home. The final two players will take a break until Monday night when action resumes at 10pm.

* * * * *
5:20am... Loopy Time

A lot of folks just perked up and picked up a second, third, or fourth wind. I've been up for well over 24 hours now and I'm running on vapors, but this is the time where I thrive and keep plugging on. With only one more elimination to go before action is paused for the heads-up match,we're at a point where everyone will be hanging onto every hand. That's tough to do in the middle of the afternoon, let along during the moments before sunrise.

So, we're in the middle of a huge delay. At first they paused the action for a bust out interview, then they decided to color up a few smaller denomination chips. Stay tuned...

* * * * *
5:35am... Deuces Are Good

On the first hand after an extended break, Joe Cada shoved all in with 2-2 against Antoine Saout's Q-Q. All of Cadas fans migrated to the stage area and a gloomy cloud hung over them until the dealer fanned out the flop... the deuce was the second card and Cada took the lead with a set. His fans erupted and jumped up and down in a sea of yellow and screamed and ejaculated in their pants.

Joe Cada is the new chipleader with 78M, while the Frenchie slipped into the deepest depths of despair.

* * * * *
5:50am... Antoine Saout Eliminated in 3rd Place ($3,479,670)

Heartbreaking hand.

Joe Cada finished off Antoine Saout. It was horrendous enough seeing the Frenchie have his Queens violated by pocket twos, but then Saout had to win a race in order to stay alive and double up. He had 8-8 against Cada's A-K.

"He's an 80% favorite here considering how good he's been running," remarked Matt Showell.

I nodded in agreement with the Canuck journalist. He was right. Everyone in the room knew a King was coming. It was just a matter of when. The flop? The turn? Or how about the river? Yeah, the river is far more dramatic.

"This was so disappointing," said Benjo moments after a King fell on the river to seal Saout's fate.

The Frenchman was eliminated in third place while Joe Cada added more chips to extend his lead (approximately 140M to 60M) over Darvin Moon.

* * * * *
6:01am.... Heads Up Set: Cada vs. Moon

When action resumes on Monday night at 10pm, Moon will try to come from behind to beat the young gun. If Cada wins, he'll also break Peter Eastgate's record for youngest Main Event champion. Wow. Talk about one helluva ride for both Cada and Moon.

Well, that's it for now. I'll be writing a recap shortly. Thanks for following along on the live blog today. It's been a ton of fun. See you on Monday night for the conclusion of the 2009 Main Event.

Will the Luddite Logger win? Or will it be the online kid with the rowdy cheering section? Tune in on Monday to find out. Check out the Tao of Poker and you can always follow me on Twitter.


Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
posted by Pauly at 11/07/2009 01:40:00 PM | Permalink |

 
2009 WSOP - November Nine Bios

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

The November Nine is upon us. The 2009 WSOP final table starts at noon. Here's the run down of the final table players...

Darvin Moon
Chip Count: 58,930,000
Hometown: Oakland, MD
Age: 46
Career Earnings: $0 before the Main Event began
Quote: "I'm too fat to climb trees."
Bodog Odds: 2/1
Tao of Poker's Nickname: Luddite Logger

The professional logger from rural Maryland is the anti-hero at this year's Main Event. Darvin Moon sounds like the name of a protagonist from a James Ellroy novel. The Luddite Logger did not have a cell phone before the Main Event began and shrugged off a hefty paycheck to shill for the online poker sites while he sat underneath the bright lights of the TV tale. Moon even declined an offer to become a Doyle's Room player for the November Nine which included coaching tips from Doyle Brunson himself.

Yep, Moon turned the legendary Brunson down. Instead, Moon will wear a New Orleans Saints hat. The Saints are his favorite football team because they were always the big underdog for decades of futility -- with the exception of this year's 7-0 start. Heck, maybe the Saints look unbeatable not because of Drew Brees but because of the run good powers of Darvin Moon's Saints hat.

Since the July, Moon did not exactly fall off the face of the Earth as many insiders had predicted. Moon mostly ignored the shill sites but gave a sprinkle of interviews to leading news organizations including one to the Washington Post and he even made a trip to ESPN HQs in Connecticut.

Moon was absent from the tournament circuit since he became a November Niner, which puts him at a disadvantage. He claims that he doesn't playing online poker, so we have to assume he was honing his skills and preparing for the November Nine with his buddies in a local home game. Moon went on a hunting trip before the final table so perhaps deer stalking and sipping the warm blood of a fresh kill might have cleared his head before cards go in the air.

Moon is living personification that anyone can make a run at the Main Event Championship. He's entering the final table with 30% of the chips in play and his stack will be under major assault from his opponents. Will he sit back and fold to third place? Or will he try to pick off players trying to bullying him around? We'll soon find out.



James Akenhead
Chip Count: 6,800,000
Hometown: London, UK
Age: 26
Career Earnings: $2.2 million
Quote: "Poker’s very addictive."
Bodog Odds: 15/1
Tao of Poker's Nickname: The Limey

James Akenhead is one of the premier players from the UK and currently ranks 12th on the All Time British Money List. Within a decade, all indications suggest that he'll near the top of that prestigious list.

With the exception of Phil Ivey, there is no one who is more skilled than Akenhead at the final table. Yet at the present moment, his short stack neutralizes his astute acumen. However, if Akenhead can double up a couple of times in the early hours there is no doubt that he has the skill to win it all.

The former train conductor, who had a route over the London Bridge, was a runner-up in a donkament last summer. He's not a stranger to final tables so the bright lights won't frazzle him like a few of his opponents. If anything, Akenhead has nothing to lose. Every sports book listed him as the biggest dog. That's why I put in a small bet. If he can double up twice early on and Ivey busts before action gets short-handed, Akenhead has a shot at winning the Main Event. Of course, that's a big if... the kid needs chips first before we can talk smack about one of the greatest comeback in the history of the WSOP.



Phil Ivey
Chip Count: 9,765,000
Hometown: Las Vegas
Age: 32
Career Earnings: $12 million and 7 WSOP bracelets (with 2 in 2009)
Quote: "Some people I play against are just playing because that's their job. That's a big advantage that I have over them."
Bodog Odds: 7/2
Tao of Poker's Nickname: The Phil Ivey of Poker

I'm lucky and was paid to watch Phil Ivey play poker over the last five years. To take a quote from The Natural, "He's the best there is. The best there was. The best there will ever be."

If Ivey can pick up a few chips and be among the final five players standing -- then he will win the Main Event. Ivey is the most skilled short-handed player at the final table and if he can survive the first few eliminations and double up at least once, there's no stopping him.

How confident is Ivey? He stands to win millions in prop bets betting on himself to win the Main Event against his peers in the Big Game, fellow Full Tilters, and a few Vegas fat cats. When Ivey visited London a few months ago, he asked Neil "Bad Beat" Channing to introduce him a proper bookie who had the bollocks to book a $1 million bet at 6-1 odds. So if Ivey wins the Main Event, a couple of pissed off British bookies will have to shell out $6 million to the almighty and all powerful Ivey.



Kevin Schaffel
Chip Count: 12,390,000
Hometown: Coral Springs, FL
Age: 52
Career Earnings: $1.9 million
Quote: "I was one card away from being knocked out..."
Bodog Odds: 12/1
Tao of Poker's Nickname: Noonan

Kevin Schaffel is the "aw shucks" guy and your typical family man at the final table. He's from Florida and plays a ton of golf as a "scratch player" which means Schaffel is not the guy you wanna try to hustle out on the course.

"Hey Judge, $50 says you slice!"

As the oldest player, Schaffel's life experience give him a slight edge over guys that are half his age. He's no slouch at the tables and suited up for battle in the last six Main Events. He's seen how strategy and playing styles have evolved and changed in the last few years.

Schaffel has flown mostly under the radar during the WSOP, but he posted a decent run since the summer ended and won almost $500,000 in tournaments. He almost took down the WPT Legends of Poker in L.A. and finished in second place. He also went deep at the EPT London and finished in 17th place in the largest ever tournament in the UK. His play impressed the local poker media and there's been lots of European action on Schaffel at 12-1 odds.

In addition to the half-o-mil in cash, Schaffel picked up a ton of confidence in the last few weeks, which makes him slightly more dangerous than you would expect. That's why I placed a small bet on him. Go Noonan!



Steven Begleiter
Chip Count: 29,885,000
Hometown: Chappaqua, NY
Age: 47
Career Earnings: $0 before the Main Event began
Quote: "What the heck... I'm going to play the Main Event"
Bodog Odds: 11/2
Tao of Poker's Nickname: Gekko

Residing in an uber-rich hamlet in the New York City suburbs where the Clintons took up residence after the White House, Steve Begleiter played in a local poker league. His boys have a 20% cut of his winnings. That's no Ponzi scheme.

Begleiter was Norman Chad's whipping boy during ESPN's broadcasts. Sadly, he's a casualty of "guilt by association" due to his work in the trenches on Wall Street. No one likes to see the "rich get richer" but then is why is everyone rooting for Ivey? He's got more liquid cashola than Begleiter. Shouldn't we be rooting for the underdog instead of the shark? Alas, Wall Street suits are given similar looks of disdain only reserved for pedophiles and dealers peddling dope in schoolyards.

Due to Begleiter's Wall Street roots, his appearance as a member of the November Nine drew coverage from the financial media entities such as Bloomberg and CNBC.

Despite a deep run at the WPT Legends of Poker, Begleiter was mentioned as the "worst player" at the final table among my peers. However, its been revealed that Begleiter receieved coaching from Jon Little and Ylon Schwartz. As a member of last year's November Nine, Schwartz can give Begelieter advice on what it's like having to play under the circus tent. And Jon Little? Wow, I'd love to pick Little' brain since he's an SNG master. Obviously, Begleiter is aware of his deficiencies and he did everything possible to shore up his leaks.



Eric Buchman
Chip Count: 34,800,000
Hometown: Vally Stream, NY
Age: 30
Career Earnings: $2.2 million
Quote: "I'm just happy to be here."
Bodog Odds: 3/1
Tao of Poker's Nickname: Uncle Buck

Eric Buchman is my pick to win it all and I wagered a hefty sum of cash on him. He's the best player out of the big stacks and will be less eager to donk off his pyramid of chips and gamble like Begleiter. Buchman doesn't get rattled very easily. He's poised at the tables and acts like he's been there for years.

Change100 said, "If he takes off his sunglasses, no one will recognize him because he looks ten years older."

Buchman is not a NL pushmonkey. He started out playing Stud and LHE in AC and Foxwoods. He's also decent Omaha 8 player with a couple of deep cashes in WSOP Omaha events. He's a true card player with deft skills in more than one type of game. Aside from Ivey and Shulman, he has some of the most experience at the tables.

Buchman was wearing Full Tilt gear for the Main Event and jumped ship to Poker Stars.



Joe Cada
Chip Count: 13,215,000
Hometown: Shelby Township, MI
Age: 21
Career Earnings: $28,00 before the Main Event; He's won $200K online since then
Quote: "$600,000 was a big payday for me, it wasn't like I won the lottery... and I haven't bought anything."
Bodog Odds: 10/1
Tao of Poker's Nickname: Joey Tonsils

Joe Cada has a shot at breaking Peter Eastgate's record for youngest WSOP champion. Cada seems a lot cooler, more chilled out, and significantly less douchey than most 21-year old poker pros that you come across.

Cada's feeding waters are the online tables and he's posted over $200,000 in earnings since the WSOP ended. He's been on a healthy tear grinding it out on the Sunday tournaments. He even won a second-chance event for a six-figure score on the WCOOP at PokerStars.

Although Cada flirted with the dark side of the force during the Main Event, he has since wised up and ditched Ultimate Bet as a sponsor. He's now one of the three PokerStars players. He secured a $1 million deal. Not too shabby for a 21-year old.

Cada is staked by the Bax/Sheets syndicate. They crunched his stats and liked what they saw so they invested in the kid -- which has already paid off huge dividends.



Antoine Saout
Chip Count: 9,500,000
Hometown: St. Martin des Champs, France
Age: 25
Career Earnings: $1.5 million
Quote: "Je n'ai peur de personne."
Bodog Odds: 13/1
Tao of Poker Nickname: Pierre Fromage

The former engineering student woke up one day and realized that he hated school and that he was making decent money playing poker on the side. So Antoine Saout pursued poker as an avenue of financial freedom.

Back in France, Saout garnered a significant amount of mainstream media coverage. He's one of the big rising stars in Europe -- so much so that Everest Poker signed him to a €1 million sponsorship deal. Only ElkY has a sweeter deal among the Frenchies. Heck, for one of the shortstacks, Saout got a much better deal than the majority of his American counterparts.

Since the summer ended, Saout has been one of those Euro-Rounders playing on the international circuit. He posted positive results: final table of a High Roller event on the Barriere Poker Tour, cashed in the WPT Marrakech, final table of the WSOP-Europe Main Event, cashed in an event on the Partouche Poker Tour (France), and cashed in an event on the Spanish Poker Tour. Saout is currently 8th on the All Time French Money List.

Alas, Saout is short-stacked and needs a miracle from the French Poker Gods early on if he wants to go deep.



Jeff Shulman
Chip Count: 19,580,000
Hometown: Seattle, WA via Las Vegas, NV
Age: 34
Career Earnings: $2.5 million
Quote: "I really could care less how I do in this tournament."
Bodog Odds: 4/1
Tao of Poker's Nickname: Happy

Jeff Shulman has won at least $100,000 playing poker tournaments each year since 2003. Over the last decade he won over $1 million so he's been around the block a few times. He was not shy about bragging about his friendships with poker pros. He even hired Phil Hellmuth as his coach.

Shulman caused an uproar in July when he claimed that he'd toss his bracelet in the trash if he won. That immediately made him the target of the angered masses who dismissed Shulman as a spoiled brat. He has since then retracted his statements.

Last month, it was Happy's father, Barry Shulman, won got all the attention when he beat Daniel Neagreanu heads up to win the WSOP-E Main Event. At the time, I wrote that Happy's run in the Main Event was doomed since his father used up the family's "run good" karma to beat Danny Boy.

But, it would be quite an amazing feat if both Father & Son could win bracelets in the same year -- let alone the Main Event in the WSOP and the WSOPE. When someone asked me to predict who would win the Main Event, I was honest with them and said that Happy Shulman will win. However, I'm not rooting for him because I don't have money on him, but I have this gut feeling that this is the year for the Shulmans.

All photos are courtesy of Flipchip who has been snapping photos of the WSOP since the 1970s.


Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
posted by Pauly at 11/07/2009 12:34:00 PM | Permalink |

 

November Nine - Quick Stats

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

Before the November Nine kicks off, here's some quick stats and information.

Final Tables Start Time: Noon PT on Saturday 11/7
Heads Up Start Time: 10pm PT on Monday 11/9

Entrants: 6,494
Players Remaining: 9
Chipleader: Darvin Moon - 58.93M
First Place Prize: $8,547,042
Total Prize Pool: $61,044,921

November Nine Payouts:
1st $8,547,042
2nd $5,182,928
3rd $3,479,670
4th $2,502,890
5th $1,953,452
6th $1,587,160
7th $1,404,014
8th $1,300,231
9th $1,263,602

Current Level: 33 with 7 minutes and 16 seconds remaining
Blinds: 120K/240K with a 30K ante
Next Level: 150K/300K with a 40K ante

Chip Count:
Darvin Moon - 58,930,000
Eric Buchman - 34,800,000
Steven Begleiter - 29,885,000
Jeff Shulman - 19,580,000
Joseph Cada - 13,215,000
Kevin Schaffel - 12,390,000
Phil Ivey - 9,765,000
Antoine Saout - 9,500,000
James Akenhead - 6,800,000

Seating Assignments:
Seat 1: Darvin Moon (Oakland, MD) - 58,930,000
Seat 2: James Akenhead (London, UK) - 6,800,000
Seat 3: Phil Ivey (This is Phil Ivey's universe, we're just all paying rent) - 9,765,000
Seat 4: Kevin Schaffel (Coral Springs, FL) - 12,390,000
Seat 5: Steven Begleiter (Chappaqua) - 29,885,000
Seat 6: Eric Buchman (Valley Stream, NY) - 34,800,000
Seat 7: Joseph Cada (Shelby Township, MI)- 13,215,000
Seat 8: Antoine Saout (St. Martin des Champs, France) - 9,500,000
Seat 9: Jeff Shulman (Las Vegas, NV) - 19,580,000

Final Table Odds:
Darvin Moon 2/1
Eric Buchman 3/1
Jeff Shulman 4/1
Phil Ivey 7/2
Steven Begleiter 11/2
Joe Cada 10/1
Kevin Schaffel 12/1
Antoine Saout 13/1
James Akenhead 15/1

Odds by BoDog as of 11/7/09 at 6am ET

Oldest Player: Kevin Schaffel, 52
Youngest Player: Joe Cada, 21

That's it for now...

Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
posted by Pauly at 11/07/2009 04:20:00 AM | Permalink |

 
Conceptual Alienation

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

New Orleans. Amsterdam. Las Vegas.

Those are my top three party places on the planet. There used to be a time when I hopped on a plane and flew out to the Nevada desert to party my ass off. Gambling was secondary to having a good time. I drank. I smoked. I snorted.

Then there was a time when I went to Las Vegas primarily to gamble, and having a good time became secondary. Parlays. Double Downs. Check-raising all in.

And when I lost, I was miserable and having a good time was non-existent. Depression is the root of all misery. Sinking to the lowest depths of despair in Sin City is utter torture.

When I realized there was a bigger payday involved in working in and around Las Vegas, I found myself hopping on flights from JFK airport or driving through bat country from Los Angeles. Instead of tossing around money in the pits, I found myself holed up in hotel rooms or short-term rentals pecking away at the keyboard, and avoiding temptation at every turn. Sometimes I faded the demons. Other days I got sucked right into the fracas.

After spending more time on the sidelines watching people gamble rather than actively participating in the degenerate act of gambling, I noticed a few things. Horrible things. I stumbled upon the dark side of humanity that was glossed over by clever marketing ploys, flickering neon, and all-you-can-eat buffets.

A couple of years ago, I lost the enthusiasm for Las Vegas... the soused circus, a bloated mirage, a scintillating cesspool, and a surrogate prison where ephemeral dreams go unfilled.

I used to bubble over with excitement weeks and days before a trip to Las Vegas. After a while, I dreaded my time here and couldn't wait to get out. I knew something was quite unordinary when I actually preferred the shallowness of Hollywood to the coruscate multi-colored lights of Las Vegas.

This year, I vowed to rekindle the fire and excitement that I once had. In short, I wanted to have fun. I missed running rampant down the Strip and trying to outrun the gambling ghosts. I missed playing cards for the sure joy of the game. I missed looking out into the darkness of the Valley from my hotel room and thinking about all the financial possibilities. After a while, all I could see was the plight and the darkness of the void.

I'm still not quite there yet. I dunno if I'll ever be. But for the first time in a while, I caught a glimpse of what having fun in Vegas it used to be like. And you know what? There are very few things in life that are greater than being on top of the world while living it up Las Vegas. It has nothing to do with how much money you won or how many chicks you banged or how many souvenir cups of Margaritas that you downed. Rather, it has everything to do with your mindset. That's the trick and the key to not getting slaughtered by the gambling gods, demons, and ghosts.

Positive mental attitude. It goes a long way out here and the minute that you slip, you get flushed right down the toilet with the rest of the bile, feces, and urine.

After getting my proverbial ass kicked year after year by the Las Vegas demons, I'm ready to shake things up and be the one doing the ass kicking.

P.S. November Nine coverage starts at Noon (Las Vegas time) on Saturday.


Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
posted by Pauly at 11/06/2009 11:37:00 AM | Permalink |

 
2009 November Nine Coverage

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA


The November Nine
Photo by MeanGene

I'm off to Las Vegas to cover the final table of the Main Event, you know, that November Nine thingy. The Tao of Poker will be there for the straight dope and behind the scenes stories. I will be providing comprehensive coverage on the Tao in addition to Twitter.

Click here to follow me on Twitter.

And who knows? Maybe there will be a few guest posts in addition to hijinks with Benjo and Michalski on the Tao of Pokerati, the shortest poker podcast on the intertubes.

And lastly here's an index of Main Event coverage on the Tao of Poker...

Main Event Day 1A: Summer of George?
Main Event Day 1B: Theme from the Bottom
Main Event Day 1C: Welcome to the Psychedelic Circus
Main Event Day 1D: No Soup for You
Dollar Bill Blues and What Does Benjo Think, Vol. 4
Main Event Day 2B: Schadenfreude
Third Place for Charity
Main Event Day 3: Two Frenchies, One Cup
Main Event Day 4: Bubbles, Leap Frog, and What Does Benjo Think Vol. 5
Main Event Day 5: Rapido and The Rise of the DonkeyBomber
Main Event Day 6: When I'm 64
Main Event Day 7: Evil Lurks on the Cusp of Greatness
Main Event Day 8: Phil Ivey Advances to November Nine

Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
posted by Pauly at 11/05/2009 03:33:00 PM | Permalink |

 
Thursday Link Dump: November Nine Potpourri

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA


The November Nine
Photo by Flipchip
Enjoy these November Nine-centric blurbs...

Julius Goat's November Nine Profiles are a must read. (Julius Goat)

Phil Ivey graced the cover of ESPN Magazine and he was the subject of a E:60 feature. Check out the video. (Wicked Chops Poker)

Metro Detroit's ace poker player closes in on World Series title is an article that shed a little light on the youngest player at the final table. The most interesting tidbit revealed in the piece? Cada is one of Sheets/Bax horses. (The Detroit News)

Even a mainstream publication picked up a blurb on a November Niner. Will a Wall Streeter Win Big at the World Series of Poker? was actually written by a member of Begleiter's home game -- which is probably why Time was remotely interested in the piece. (Time)

2009 WSOP Main Event Still Incomplete (But Not for Long) is another great read from Shamus. (Hard Boiled Poker)

The WSOP released their Media Guide for the November Nine. (Google Docs via Pokerati)

Flipchip has been snapping photos of the WSOP since the 1970s. Check out his latest gallery... 2009 WSOP Photos. (LasVegasVegas)

Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
posted by Pauly at 11/05/2009 12:12:00 PM | Permalink |

 
Tao of Poker Fantasy Poker Pool

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA


Who's down for a little fantasy poker to kick things off for the November Nine? The Tao of Poker Fantasy Poker Pool is free to join and you make selections based on 20 match ups for the upcoming November Nine which starts on Saturday at noon Vegas time. Sign up ASAP!

I will be awarding a special prizes...

Tao of Poker Fantasy Poker Pool
1st Place = Autographed copy of Lost Vegas
2nd Place = $20 iTunes giftcard

But wait, there's more! Plus if you win the overall pool at ESPN, then you get a free trip to the Bahamas. How can you beat that?

Important links and info...

Poker Pick'em Homepage
Tao of Poker's Group

Group Name: Tao of Poker
Password: lostvegas

If you don't have an ESPN fantasy account, you have to sign up for one to play. That's also free to join.

Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
posted by Pauly at 11/05/2009 04:20:00 AM | Permalink |

 
WSOP Main Event Day 8, Part 2 on ESPN - Darvin Gump and the November Nine

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA

"Mama says they was magic shoes. They could take me anywhere."

No World Series of Baseball on Tuesday night. The suits in Bristol must have been jizzing in their penny loafers with zero competition against the second incarnation of the November Nine. With baseball fans surfing the boob tube on Tuesday night in search of any sports-themed fodder to numb the senses in between Game 5 and 6 of the Yankees/Phillies series, couch potatoes and stoner online poker players ended up glued to the TV watching the final two tables of the WSOP Main Event as the field was reduced from 18 players to 9 and the November Nine was finally set.

Phil Ivey continued to be the center of the universe at the featured TV table. If you don't recall, Ivey was not exactly a lock for the final table when action dipped under 20 players. Ivey's path on the previous days were much smoother but he lived up to his reputation as he clawed his way into contention despite struggling for most of Day 8 with a paltry stack. The almighty Ivey induced opponents to lay down better hands in two clutch situations to collect smallish pots that kept his head above water while he waited for a sweeter opportunity to exploit tentative players hell bent on folding to the next money jump and subsequently folding to the final table. Tensions mounted as action crawled towards the final table. When Ivey's table tightened up, he loosened up like a Patpong bar girl at happy hour.

The chipleader, Billy Kopp, sat on the outer table. The Kentucky kid seemed destined to make the final table after he emerged as one of the clear cut leaders a few days earlier as he ran over his tables. With 18 players to go, his table included LuckyChewy, Happy Shulman, Darvin Moon, and one of two Frenchmen left in the field... Ludovic Lacay (Antoine Saout a.k.a. Pierre Fromage was the other Frenchie still alive). It didn't look very promising for Lacay who was the short stack with 18 players to go.

The initial segment of the episode focused on four young guns who were each younger than Peter Eastgate and threatened to break his record of youngest WSOP Main Event Champion. Hellmuth held the record for almost 20 years before Eastgate smashed it. Yet, less than year after Eastgate's epic victory, the young Scandi's record was under assault.

CoolerChewy: LuckyChewy opened with J-J and Darvin Moon smooth called with Kings. Sneaky shit. The flop was 6-3-3 with two clubs. LuckyChewy fired at the pot. Moon raised and Chewy shoved. Moon quietly said, "Call. Kings and me go together like peas and carrots."

LuckyChewy could not suck out despite his online moniker and one of the young guns bowed out in 18th place. Peter Eastgate continued his behind-the-scenes work with a Haitian witch doctor and he added more pins and needles into stuff voodoo dolls with the names of Nick Maimone, Joe Cada, and Billy Kopp (I'm not 100% sure of that one but as the episodes progressed it appeared that some sort of nether-world shenanigans were at play during that brain fart of a 5-3 sooted hand that we'll talk about shortly).

Norm Never Read His Prospectus: Steve Begleiter, the former Bear Sterns exec that everyone loves to hate, has bore the brunt of Norm Chad's snide remarks over the last few episodes. I'm often critical of Chad's fourth-rate jokes -- which are better suited for an afternoon audience during a poker game with a room full of octogenarians at the local VFW club. However, Norm's been on fire this year with his snarky remarks about Begleiter's questionable play and his involvement with Bear Sterns and the near implosion of our banking system. I'm thinking that Norm must have lost all of his hard-earned ESPN greenbacks after pissing it away gambling with hustlers in the boiler room at Bear Sterns. That's gotta be the source of his scorn.

The Life of Ivey: Ivey and Begleiter battled early on. Ivey raised to 420K with 9-9. Begleiter called from late position with 10c-9c. The flop was 8-6-4 with two clubs. Ivey fired out his c-bet and Begleiter called. The turn was the 4s. Both players checked. Ivey wanted to keep the pot small (and Begs was on a flush draw with 10-9c). The river was a red King. Ivey and Begleiter both checked. Ivey's nines were better than Beglieter's 10c-9c and he won the pot as his super fans went nuts.

Norm insisted that Ivey bet the turn. I disagreed, as did Benjo. "Sometimes announcers are such donkeys," was his direct quote.

Ivey and Pierre Fromage were involved in a pot with baby pairs. The flop was A-A-6. Ivey checked and Fromage checked behind. The turn was the Jc and Ivey fired at the pot with a measly 2-2. Fromage folded his pocket fours.

He's A Lot Smarter Than He Sounds: Kevin Schaffel raised with Aces. Happy Shulman three-bet with A-Q. The small town logger, Darvin Moon, called with pocket tens. Schaffel unleashed a massive re-raise to 5.8M. Happy and Moon headed for cover and folded.

"I didn't have aces beat," said Moon after he folded his tens.

During his couch interview, Moon said that he won his seat after taking down a satellite at a casino in West Virginia. What he didn't mention was that he actually played 5 satellites and he finally won one of them which secured him a seat into the Main Event.

Live Poker Is Rigged: Ian Tavelli opened with pocket nines. Begleiter raised with Kings to 1.35M. Akenhead folded Ad-Kd... to a raise and re-raise. Buchman folded 10-10. Joe Cada woke up with Jacks and looked ill. He bit his tongue and folded. Tavelli called. The flop was 6-high. Begleiter bet to put Tavelli all in.

"If you hit a nine, I'll cry," Begleiter said.

"Real tears?" Ivey said. He's a smartass and enjoys fucking with Begleiter, especially after Begleiter made that "Moneymaker" crack. Begleiter Kings held and Tavelli's busted in 17th. Begleiter snagged the chiplead with over 22.7 million.

Happy Fish: I did not see Happy Shulman at Phish's Halloween festival outside of Palm Springs this past weekend, even though he was spotted in the parking lot of different Phish shows before and after the WSOP Main Event. Benjo said that he saw Happy in the Hunky Dory campground selling autographed photos of Daniel Negreanu on Shakedown Street.

Au Revoir, Ludovic: Happy opened with As-Ks. Short-stacked Ludovic Lacay shoved with 7-7. Happy called. Fellow Frenchmen, Anthony Lellouche and Julien Brecard, stood on the rail cheering on Lacay. Happy flopped a King and that's all she wrote. Lacay headed to the rail in 16th. He won roughly $500,000. I heard a rumor that he blew a nice chunk of change on a party to celebrate his deep run at the WSOP. You know those Frenchies... they love their cheap blow, expensive hookers, and jars of Nutella.

Loose Moon: The deck had been hitting Darvin Moon in the face for most of the Main Event, yet for the first time, we saw him play a non-pocket pair. Moon three-bet an opponent with J-9 and got his opponent to fold better holdings. Later on, Moon opened with A-9 and Ben Lamb defended his big blind with K-6 -- not the best hand to call with from out of position. Lamb flopped a six but failed to push Moon off the hand. Moon turned a pair of nines and rivered trips. He value-bet Lamb on the river for $3 million who made a head-scratching call. Lamb was shocked when he heard Moon say that he held trip nines.

"Mama always said to float the flop against online LAGtards."

France 1, Wall Street 0: Pierre Fromage pulled off a timely bluff against Begleiter. The flop was 8-8-x. Begleiter checked. Fromage bet. Begleiter check-raised. Fromage shoved. Begleiter was unable to put Fromage on a hand and he folded. Fromage showed the bluff which tilted Begleiter. He punched Fromage in the arm, which immediately drew the stink eye from the Frenchman.

"What is this boo-shit? Don't touch me ever again, you new money trash, or I will have you killed by the same thugs from Corsica who the CIA hired to whack Kennedy. Go back to Wall Street and roll around in the mud and shit with the rest of the capitalist pigs. Don't you have an old lady's pension fund to rob?"

France 1, Great Britain 0: Pierre Fromage was at it again. This time, his victim was James Akenhead. The former rail worker from the U.K. held Big Slick versus Fromage's 8-8. The Ochos held up and the Frenchie avoided elimination. Fromage doubled up to almost 13 million while Akenhead slipped to the shortest of stacks.

"And that's the last hand that he (Fromage) plays. He then folds his way to the final table," remarked Benjo.


Photo by Flipchip
The Ivey Three-Bet with Air: Joe Cada opened with 10h-7h. Ivey re-raised from the blinds with 6-2. The hand resembled something you would see unfold on the EPT between two Scandis. Cada figured that he was way behind and folded. Each hand that Ivey plays is like a watching Picasso execute a brushstroke.

Suck Out of the Day: James Akenhead was all in with K-Q but outflopped Jamie Robbins to chase down his pocket Aces. K-Q-J fell on flop. Snaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!

The Implosion of Billy Kopp: Kopp opened with 5d-3d. Moon smooth called from the small blind with Qd-Jd. Moon flopped a bigger flush on a Kd-9d-2d and checked. Kopp bet half the pot with 5d-3d. Moon called. The turn was the 2h. Moon checked. Kopp bets almost 2/3 the pot. Moon raised to 6 million to push the pot over 11 million. Kopp donk-shoved. Moon sighed and said, "I call." He closed his eyes and prayed that Kopp did not have the Ace. Instead, Kopp tabled 5d-3d and he was over in 12th place.

"Mama always said stupid is as stupid does."

Bubble Boy: Jordan Smith's Aces were brutally cracked by Moon's 8-8 when he flopped a set. Moon fired out. Smith raised all in. Moon could not call any quicker. Smith turned a Wheel draw but missed on the river. Moon's hand held up and Smith bubbled of the final table in 10th place. Last hand of the WSOP Main Event? Moon snapped off Aces. I love poker.

"Mama always said life was like a box a chocolates, never know what you're gonna get."

* * * * *
Click here for Flipchip's WSOP Main Event photos.

You can read the live blog from the Tao of Poker that day... Main Event Day 8.

And here's previous recaps...

Main Event Day 8 on ESPN - Liquidity Crisis, Mucking Winners, and Down to 18
Main Event Day 7 on ESPN - Donkeys in the Rye
Main Event Day 6.5 on ESPN - Four Heavy Hitters, Jaws of Ivey, and AngryJulie
Main Event Day 5.5 and Day 6 on ESPN - Introducing the DonkeyBomber
Main Event Day 5 on ESPN - ElkY and Happy
Main Event Day 4 on ESPN - Bubbles and the World Series of Ivey
Main Event Day 3 on ESPN - Aussies, Ivey, and No Shake for Hellmuth
Main Event Day 2B on ESPN - A Kinder and Quieter Hellmuth and the Always Aloof Ivey Time
Main Event Day 2A on ESPN - The Fossilman and Costanza Show

See you in a few days for the final table and November Nine coverage.

Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
posted by Pauly at 11/04/2009 04:20:00 AM | Permalink |

 
Tuesday Link Dump: Savage, durrrr Humor, and Twitter Fakes

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA

Here's a few links to keep you sane today...

Matt Savage got some ink when everyone's favorite tournament director was profiled in a recent article. (L.A. Times)

I wrote about gambling on the outcome of Top Chef. (Tao of Pauly)

More face melting with this gem... Durrrr Challenge: Moderately Sized Electricity Bill Goes Unpaid. I love durrrr humor, er shall I say, humour. (Melted Felt)

This viral video made the rounds last week like a case of the clap at the junior prom... Cartman's Poker Face. (Wicked Chops Poker)

Busting Fake Athletes on Twitter gave me a hearty chuckle. When will someone bust fake poker players on Twitter? (Wall Street Journal)

Sports betting destroys poker bankrolls. I riffed a bit on that subject for my weekly column. By the way, what's the spread on the Lakers game? (Poker News)

That's it for now. Stay tuned for extensive November Nine coverage beginning tomorrow.


Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
posted by Pauly at 11/03/2009 04:20:00 AM | Permalink |

 
Letters to Pauly: The Amazing Race, Vol. 6 - Tiff-Ho Busto

By Trisha Lynn
New York City

Editor's Note: Pop-culture correspondent Trisha Lynn returns as a guest scribe to Tao of Poker.

Dear Pauly,

Hope you are well while being embedded with hippies. Did you say to Benjo for me?

The longer I watch this show, the more invested I become in wanting to make sure that the Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle that are on TV are perceived "correctly" by an audience that is getting to know them for the very first time. And when I say "correctly," I mean not as lesbians or not with Maria being seen as a useless lump for not being able to do the more physical challenges. However, tonight's episode made that wish just that much harder.

In the pre-titles recap, we focus on the GayBros. initial strategy of not revealing that they're gay and Canaan's total douchebaggery towards Mika for not being able to go down a really tall and steep waterslide when she's afraid of both heights and water. They rehash the "Pokah, pokah, pokah" chant that I really hated from the first extra-long episode, and even finding out from Maria's Twitter feed that she's not only still in touch with Sam and Zev but she and Tiffany spent Halloween in Nashville with her "Racer fam" doesn't erase the ire I still felt upon seeing that clip again.

Tonight, they start off in Dubai again, at the Atlantis, the Palm resort and since it's still daylight, it doesn't look like they got to spend the night here. That's okay, as rooms here cost only $500 USD a night in the off-season, so I don't feel nearly as bad this time around. By the way, the resort itself is shaped like a palm tree and cost more than $12 billion USD to create. That's your fuel consumption money at work, ladies and gentlemen.

From Dubai, they have to fly to Amsterdam, get into a rental vehicle and drive to a 19-mile long causeway where they have to find a monument in the middle of the road and get their next clue. Since Meghan and Cheyne are the first to leave, they're the first to find out that the next flight leaves at midnight, which means that everyone will start off on an even footing again once they touch down in the Netherlands. On the way to the airport, the girls say that they're used to being able to gauge themselves and their opponents and break out more terminology by saying that they know when to get out of pots that they shouldn't be in. This pronouncement will prove prophetic.

Once the Globetrotters get to the food court where all the other Racers are hanging out, they recap to the other teams what happened with Douchebag and Whiny Britches, and Sam and Dan come out as being gay to everyone else. "Now, the matching swimsuits makes sense!" says one person, and they reply that it was their mom's idea. Of course, the editing cuts to the an interview with the girls, who say that gay or straight, it doesn't matter because they're sweet and adorable. Tiffany adds, though, that "Maybe there's a little teardrop" and she wipes away an imaginary tear from her eye.

When they get to the vehicles, Maria drives again and this time she doesn't back into a pole on the way out of the garage. She does get to smirk about Mr. America not being able to start the vehicle: "Oh, these kids aren't used to luxury cars." By the time they pick up the clue at the causeway, they've dropped back down to fifth place, and then there's more driving to a town called Groningen where one team member has to climb a narrow, winding staircase to the top of the tallest building, count all the bells in the carrillon along the way, and once they've arrived at the correct number, they'll receive the next clue.

When the girls get there, Tiffany immediately volunteers to do it, and I inwardly groan, knowing that every TAR-phile in America is booing and hissing at Maria right now. The Farmers get the answer right first and don't share the info. Sam, however, proves that he's a gentleman and not only did he work with Meghan to get it right, he whispers the answer to Tiffany on his way down. His reasoning is that the girls are a team that they can beat, and I hate to admit it, but he is 100% correct on that part.

Thanks to Sam's hint, the girls are in fourth place now, and the next task is to drive to another part of town where they have to find a windmill and get their next clue and perform one of two tasks: Farmer's Game or Farmer's Dance.

At first, it looks like Dance is the easier of the tasks, because in order to complete that one, they have to do one of those "strong men" bell-ringing games, learn a traditional folk dance to the approval of the townspeople, and eat a pickled herring covered in onions. Game is a task where they have to swim across a creek and play three holes of "golf" using clubs made of wooden clogs on sticks. If they can get under Par 8 on each hole, they'll get the next clue.

Oh, did I forget to mention that they'd also be bicycling to these locations while wearing traditional Dutch male and female costumes, down to the underwear? And that for the creek part, they have to strip down to said underwear? Yeah, when I text-messaged you and said that this episode was full of crack, this was the part I meant.

When the girls get to the windmill, Maria tells Tiffany, "I think I'm good at both; just tell me what you're better at." The girls choose Dance, and it's so freaking cute to see them take off on their bikes, with Maria dressed in the male costume. The clogs are swimming on both of the girls' feet making it difficult to ride the bikes, but they eventually get to the fair where they try to ring the bell...

...and try, and try...

...and finally give up after over 27 attempts to go do the golfing thing. This is where we learn that Maria and Tiffany don't know how to swim because they're given life vests and have to ease into the water and backstroke across. The Dutch underwear looks like a unitard (remember those things?) and if it weren't for the fact that they can't seem to get their oversized golf balls down the first "fairway" seeing them in them would be so hilarious.

"I can't hit that thing [the bell-ringer]," Tiffany says to Maria on the golf course during one of their many attempts, "and you can't, so we gotta focus on this." I totally love Tiffany in this moment.

Maria replies, "We're not going to be able to do this; look at them!" referring to the Farmers who are way ahead of them. Tiffany then says, "Let's try and hit the stupid thing."

At this point, I'm wondering if Tiffany backed down too easily. I mean, how hard could it have been to do the golf game? One of those clubs is lighter than the hammer, and even though it's irregularly shaped, it would take less energy to do, right?

Back at the fairgrounds, I'm comparing the two girls' hammer-swinging technique and while Tiffany is using the full weight of her swing, Maria is trying to figure out how to do it in a cerebral way, like she's thinking that shorter, more forceful blow will get the widget to the bell. They're getting more and more frustrated, and then Tiffany says, "Let's hug it out for a minute." They do just that, and the cameraman even swoops around the two of them in a loving embrace while they sniffle. It's the kind of moment that calls for a tinkly piano or a sad violin or something like that. Maria says to Tiffany, "You're my hero; I've never heard you say you can't do something," and my heart is breaking. Just breaking. They go back to the golf course where the wind has picked up, making the task more difficult because they had to re-cross the creek and now they're weaker after having swung the hammer about over 70 times in total.

Even with Mr. and Mrs. America incurring a 30 minute penalty for forgetting to pick up the bikes at the windmill, they are still able to check-in at fifth place, which automatically makes our girls the team that gets eliminated in this episode. However, they don't get eliminated at the mat because remember what they said before about getting out of pots you know you shouldn't be in? Tiffany and Maria decide that since they can't complete either task, they're going to quit the Race.

By the time host Phil Keoghan gets out to the field, the girls already have their exit lines planned. Maria says to Tiffany, "I wouldn't have been able to make it this far without you" while Tiffany explains their move by not saying that they're quitting but by saying "We do not foresee that we'll be able to finish this task with the weather." Even through my sadness, I notice that Tiffany is wearing a pullover and Maria is not, which means that someone must have given it to her because there's no way she could have gotten it across the river without it getting wet.

There's more platitude-sharing and of course the promo for next week, but at this point, I'm actually too sad to take it in.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Many of the TAR-philes who have seen this show through its 14 previous seasons have mentioned that the two things you need to be successful in this Race is teamwork and strength. They've also said that too many of the show's tasks are weighted against female players.

Over the last six weeks, there's no doubt in my mind that Maria and Tiffany make a great team. When there were difficulties, they supported each other and they knew each other's weaknesses and compensated for them. Despite their initial misstep in lying about what they do for a living, their other initial strategy in making friends with the GayBros worked to their advantage all along the way and I give them props for that as well.

Their ultimate downfall was the fact that they were an unbalanced team. Week after week, we saw Tiffany take on almost all the demanding solo physical challenges and the way this game is designed, towards the later half of the show Maria would have been forced to do them if they'd been able to continue.

Oh well, at least they'll have a chance at $1 million USD at the WSOP, right? And they won't have to herd ducks or eat wasabi bombs to get that money, either.

Yours,
Trisha Lynn

Dear Trisha,

I missed the episode because I was still at the Phish Halloween Festival in Indio, CA. I'll take a peek when I get home. I gotta say that I'm a little bummed out the the girls did not make it to the Final Four teams.

At any rate, I loved your recaps (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, and Week 5). Thanks again for sharing them with me. What would I do without you?

I owe you dinner and then some.

Talk soon,
P


Original content written and provided by Pauly from Tao of Poker at www.taopoker.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.
posted by Pauly at 11/02/2009 03:12:00 PM | Permalink |