Wow!! What A Final Table!!

I made it to 4am but not without a couple of frustrating hours at the beginning.

As I mentioned, I ordered the PPV on espn.com and my husband hooked my computer into our LCD flat screen for more comfortable viewing.

We invited the usual suspects over and Peter and I prepared a "sumptuous" feast - hot dogs and hamburgers with homemade chili and sliced cheese. I also made my "world famous" coleslaw (I use pineapple and both green and red cabbage) and p'nut butter cookies, chocolate chip bars and brownies.

When it came time to sign in suddenly my screen said I didn't have the right specs and to click for requirements, which I did and was advised my computer did indeed have the "right stuff". Just to be sure, I updated my media player and my flash and I was in and running.

I was disappointed that the video was a smaller screen but still on a 42" it was fine for everyone to enjoy.

And then the streaming video began to freeze; sometimes as long as 2-3 minutes. I was a bit annoyed. I called espn.com and they assured me it was my equipment and not their feed. And basically, too bad, no refunds.

We kept re-loading when the freezing went on too long but by the dinner break with four eliminated from the table I had not seen, live, a single hand that led to elimination.

My party broke up after the cookout and around 9pm when the players returned, suddenly the feed was fine and there was not another freeze throughout the rest of the broadcast. (Which leads me to believe it was an espn.com feed problem - we did nothing on our end before the freezing ended and couple with the correction after the dinner break...)

My husband made it to midnight and I made it until the very end and cried like a baby when Jerry Yang talked about his life before he came to the USA and how he planned to use the money for good. Even the most hard-hearted poker pro had to have been moved.

And as Norman Chad said, "this has to be the most that God has ever had to do with a poker game."

I sure learned a lot listening to Phil Gordon and Ali - because we could not see the cards, they had to analyze far more than Norman Chad and the guys on WPT. That was invaluable for me to listen to their process of what they would be thinking and how they would respond to the actions of the players.

And based on that first interview, I think Jerry Yang is gonna be a terrific goodwill ambassador for poker. Congratulations to all the players, even the "stacking chips is better than sex" guy.

Final table is Set

The final table is set and ready to go on Tuesday at 12:00 noon PDT.

Here are your final nine players:
Seat 1 - Jon Kalmar - 20.32 million
Seat 2 - Lee Childs - 13.24 million
Seat 3 - Philip Hilm - 22.07 million
Seat 4 - Jerry Yang - 8.45 million
Seat 5 - Raymond Rahme - 16.32 million Seat 6 - Tuan Lam - 21.315 million
Seat 7 - Alex Kravchenko - 6.57 million
Seat 8 - Lee Watkinson - 9.925 million
Seat 9 - Hevad 'Rain' Khan - 9.205 million

And they're playing for:

1st - $8,250,000
2nd - $4,840,981
3rd - $3,048,025
4th - $1,852,721
5th - $1,255,069
6th - $956,243
7th - $705,229
8th - $585,934
9th - $525,934

worldseriesofpoker.com will cover the hand-by-hand action starting at 12:00 noon PDT on Tuesday.

You can also buy the PPV event at espn.com and if you have a newer LCD HDTV, you can plug your computer into your TV and watch the action on your widescreen.

We're throwing a final table party tomorrow so I'll be signing off until Wednesday.

Sadly, We Won't Have the "Stacking chips is better than sex" guy to kick around anymore...

His run at the WSOP Main Event came to an end yesterday.

However, based on that careless remark, I suspect there's still some kicking around in his future...and maybe less sex...


Day Four Recap a little later today but I knew everyone would want to know that the "stacking chips is better than sex" guy is now returning to his self-created destiny.

Day Three Recap

Play has ended for the day and there are 337 players remaining. They are supposed to play 6 full levels tomorrow so it could be a long day for everyone remaining. There are 11 women left representing 3% of the field. Mimi Tran, pro and protégé of Barry Greenstein, is still in with 144K in chips. The chip leader at the end of Day 3 is Dario Minieri with 2.398 million in chips. Eleven players have crossed the 1million in chips including Gus Hansen. Still in the running is the “guy who says stacking chips is better sex”. I guess his last few days have been quite “satisfying”. Ya gotta wonder if after he wins a pot, he lights up a cigarette and turns to the loser and asks, “Was it good for you?” J

Former WSOP Main Event Winners still in the fray are Huck Seed, Robert Varkonyi, Scotty Nguyen and Carlos Mortenson. Chris Ferguson bit the big one yesterday and is out.

Spiderman is still in but evidently is trying to stay low profile. It is reported that he has asked some reporters not to photograph him and left the table when one reporter stopped by to interview him and the lead singer of God Smack.

Other notables hanging in there and advancing to day 4 include Lee Watkinson, Julian Gardner, Chad Brown, Humberto Brenes and Hasan Habib.

Sam Simon, Emmy winning TV producer who is credited with “Developing” The Simpsons is still in as is a player named Steve Austin, who sadly does not have 6 million in chips.

Day 2 Recap

In addition to the sad elimination of Susie Isaacs, the following high-profile players were eliminated in day two:

David Pham, Joe Sebok, Tom McEvoy, Jeff Madsen, Miami John Cernuto, Tom Schneider – the 2007 WSOP Player of the year, Evelyn Ng, Barry Greenstein, Paul Wasicka, Tony G, Dan Harrington, Mark Seif, Rhett Butler, Jane Gold, Joe Hachem, Hoyt Corkins, Montel Williams, Corey Zeidman, Chris Moneymaker, Prahlad Friedman, Paul X-22 Magriel, Rick Salomon (of Paris Hilton video fame),Bill Gazes, Daniel Negreanu.

Susie says espn was taping her elimination because Daniel is so loved by the viewers - as is Susie, I would like to add.

A little over 700 players will start tomorrow which means the bubble will occur sometime during day 3 at 631 players.

Former Main Event Bracelet Winners Carlos Mortenson, Robert Varkonyi, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and Huck Seed remain for Day 3.

Other notables still in include:

Gus Hansen, Lee Watkinson, Robert Mizrachi, Pamela Brunson, Mimi Tran, Spiderman, the guy who thinks stacking chips is better than sex, Shirley Williams, Gavin Smith, Chip Jett and Todd Brunson.

What's Said in Vegas...

I read this post on the official WSOP "live updates" blog:

"---------- (I deleted the name) just won two monster pots in a row to take his stack up to 350,000. He won his first pot with pocket Queens against a player trying to run a stone-cold bluff, and he scooped so many chips that it took him nearly an entire orbit to stack them...which is when he won his second monster pot. "Stacking your chips, baby! It's the most fun you can have, it's better than sex!" he said."

Evidently what's said in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas because now it's on the internet - which means it has been broadcast worldwide.

But it got me to thinking - how does this player's wife/girlfriend/domestic partner/friend with benefits feel reading this on the WSOP site or worse hearing it from a "friend".

And which does it say more about - his sex life or stacking chips? Inquiring minds want to know... :)

Day One WSOP Re-Cap

The WSOP Main Event is my favorite poker event and I’ve only been in Vegas once when it was going on – back in the mid 80s when it was still a “small” event at Binions.

I thought it might be fun to tell you who’s in and who’s out after Day 1 – which was actually 4 days.

The best news for us eons.com pokerholics is Susie Isaacs is still in – and doing very well. She plays tomorrow in the second half of day 2. She has 67K chips – a very respectable chip count. The final number of entries was 6,358 with a total prize pool of $59,784,954. First prize will be over $8million. Not as much as Jamie Gold won in 2006 when the online poker industry flooded the WSOP but up above Joe Hachem in 2005.

And we have our government to thank for the “dip” in entries; now that it are making it hard (the government calls it illegal; I call it restraint of trade. Tomatos; tomatoes) for banks to move money in and out of gambling site.

First of all my thanks to WSOP Official Site:

view link

I have been following their blow-by-blow; um, I mean play-by-play and any “Color commentary” is from their site and is copyrighted by them.


Still in:

Former Main Event Champs: Joe Hachem, Scotty Nguyen, Chris Moneymaker, Tom McEvoy, Carlos Mortenson, Robert Varkonyi, Huck Seed, Dan Harrington,.

Other WSOP Event Bracelet Winners: Susie Isaacs, Daniel Negreanu, Ted Forrest, Todd Brunson, Allen Cunningham, Hoyt Corkins, John Hennigan. There may be others; but I don’t know all the winners by name.

Other notables: Barry Greenstein, Robert Mizrachi, Evelyn Ng, Shirley Williams (mother of David Williams), Adam Schoenfield, Rhett Butler, Paul Wasicka, John Cernuto, Joe Sebok, Lee Watkinson, Pamela Brunson (daughter of the Godfather and sister of Todd), Humberto "The Shark" Brenes, Steve Dannenman (runner-up to Hachem in 2005), Phil Gordon (Celebrity Poker and one of the best players to never win a bracelet - think Phil Mickelson be fore he won The Masters), Bill Gazes, Chip Jett, Gus Hnasen, Leif Force (wonder if he's had a makeover?), Gavin "I'll bet on anything" Smith, Joel Fiscbein and Mimi Tran.

My apologies to those I should have recognized and didn’t.

But the list of those knocked out the first day is staggering: Matt Jansen – first player eliminated – 23 minutes into day 1a, Andy Black, Joe Awada, Mark Vos, Mike Sexton – WPT Commentator, Liz Lieu, David Grey, The Grinder – Mike "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson (both with 10 bracelets), Mel Judah, Amarillo Slim Preston, John D’Agostino, Dewey Tomko, Eli Elezra, Josh Arieh, Marco Traniello (married to Jennifer Harman, Chris Reslock, Erik Seidel (who won his 8th bracelet in event 54 – NL 2-7 lo-ball), Isabelle Mercier, Kathy Liebert, Scott Fischman, Allyn Jaffrey Shulman (Poker Player Magazine), Jennifer Harman, Paul Sexton, Annie Duke and Howard Lederer, David Williams, Sam Farha, Aaron Kanter, Sam Grizzle, John Juanda, Jeff Lisandro, T.J. Cloutier, Joe Cassidy, Ted Lawson, Kristy Gazes, Al Krux, Amir Vahedi, Rafe Furst, Clonie Gowen, Jennifer Tilly (made my husband cry), Men “The Master” Nguyen, Andy Bloch, Mike “The Mouth” Matasow, “Gentleman” John Gale, Phil Ivey, Greg Raymer, Jose Canseco (should have taken his steroids), Nelly, the Grammy Winner (now that's a shocker), Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, Freddy Deeb, Dutch Boyd, Eric Lingren, Brandi Hawbaker (the Stripper – not a nickname; an occupation), Young Phan, Chip Reese, David Benyamine, Tuan Le, Jamie Gold (2007 Main Event Winner), Paul Darden, Steve Zolotow, Cyndy Violette, Robert Williamson III, and Phil Hellmuth (after winning his eleventh bracelet this year). Five former Main Event Winners were eliminated on Day 1.

The World Series of Poker 2007 - And they're off.

Days 1 and 2 were actually played over 6 days and today the 3rd day began. Thanks to the US Government enacting the law prohibiting banks and other financial institutions from transferring money to and from online gambling sites, the number of entries dropped to less than 6400 - it was over 8000 in 2006. The gambling sites had less satellites to win a seat and Harrah's refused to accept entry fees from online sites. The site that did provide opportunities to win a seat were forced to mail checks directly to the winners. And many just "took the money and ran" - never heading to Vegas to try their hand at winning the grand prize which is $8.25 million. In all honesty I would have done the same. $10K in the hand is a good day at poker...

Updates to follow.

WSOP PPV Main Event Final Table July 17, 2007.

ESPN.com is once again making the fianl table of the WSOP Main Event available via Pay-Per-View. Starts at 3pm eastern time - noon on the west coast.

Comcast doesn't know if they are televising the event but if not, I'll order via espn.com and plug my computer into our LCD HDTV.

I'm stocking up on coffee to get me through the day and night.

I'm Back!!

The Long Magpie Moving Nightmare is over!! We unpacked, settled in and discovered a poker room only two exits away from our new home in the Pacific Northwest. Soon, I'll begin posting again about my adventures on the green felt!!

No Limit Hold em at Ocean's Eleven in Oceanside

Last Saturday I returned to Ocean's Eleven Casino in Oceanside, California to play in a no limit holdem ring game. It was the first time I had played "live" no limit other than in tournaments. As I have written, I have temporarily "retired" from online poker until all this nonsense about legality is determined. It would be just my luck to hit a big win and then have the online poker room refuse to pay me because I live in the good ole US of A... But I digress...

I have to admit I was nervous but pleased when I sat down to see a table of all men. As any serious woman player can tell you, we much prefer to play against men than women. It's just plain easier to beat men at "their own game". There is always at least one guy at the table who has to "show the little lady" she has no business playing and once you determine which player that is - usually takes less than two minutes - you can clean his clock unless he's having a Jamie Gold lucky streak. And as everyone knows, that kind of streak almost never happens.

This time I was surprised. There was not a classic poker asshole in the bunch; every guy at the table was respectful of my play and nobody was trash-talking or letting their emotions run wild. I had to pinch myself a couple times; I'm not used to so many nice players at one table - hell rarely are there that many nice players in the entire casino.

I came in behind the button and didn't have to post; another surprise. I got to play a round free until my blinds - I threw every hand away until I was on the button. And I got lucky, pocket tens. The blinds were $2.00 - small and big - and I raised $10.00. I got one caller but not before a couple of the players commented on how quiet I had been and that "women never bluff". The flop was connected rags and I bet $20.00 and my one caller went away.

I established my image as tight and aggressive and never once showed my cards if I weren't called and every time I was called, I had the winning hand. I lost one hand with top two pair and lost to a flush but I didn't show my hand.

Finally I was able to use my image. I had QJ of hearts on the button with a $10.00 raise in front of me. I wasn't too worried, this player raised before the flop every time he stayed. I raised $10.00 and he called. The flop was K 10 of hearts and a rag. I had an open-ended straight flush draw. The guy bet $20.00 and I called without hesitation. The turn was another K and that bothered me, a lot. He bet $20.00 and I took along time to think but finally called. One of the other guys commented that I was thinking about raising - assuming I had a hand. The river was a rag and the guy checked to me. I bet $40.00 and after making me sweat, he threw his hand away. A couple hands later, he asked "You did have the King, right?" I lied and told him I did and that's why it took me so long on the turn - I was afraid if I raised then; he'd run. He relaxed.

After a couple more wins I had doubled my stack and I left less than an hour after sitting down. It was near dinner time and the table was down to six players and I figured I had won all the money I could at the table and ran the risk of losing it with loose play at a short table.

My husband came along for the ride and had a drink in the bar - he said they pour a good solid martini, which with the tip set him back $10.00.