World Series of Poker, State of Poker, PokrPokr.net and missing poker in Miami.

Hello! I'm alive. Really. Hiding in the very tip of Florida. Came down for a conference, stayed for a nice weekend with Piggy in the South Beach side of Miami Beach (DUCK TOUR 2 Successful!), ate WAY to much Cuban and Italian food (after one year on the diet, thought I'd take the holidays off), partied at MANGOS last night, got up and peeled myself awake to post this and make sure you guys knew I was alive.

What have I been up to? Well, I covered the World Series of Poker final table this year for www.lifesabluff.com, Flush Magazine UK, as well as some photo journalism for Sky Poker (part of the SKY Satellite Network in Europe.) Don't ask me how I get into all of these things, I just don't say no when the opportunity arises. Well, as part of the festivities, Hoyt Corkings and the folks from DoylesRoom.net were sponsoring a very high end charity poker tournament for the JDRF (Juvenille Diabeties Research Foundation) at the brand new, MASSIVE (and good lord it is bigger than a Sear...a back-in-the-day Sears) Red Rock Harley Davidson in Las Vegas. A ton of pros showed up to lay down some cash for a great cause and play for a $20000 signature Harley. I did not win. Meh. Check out the photos to the right on my Flickr site for more notes. One below of Doyle, Hoyt and Me at the Life's A Bluff autograph booth signing prints by Mr. Ryan Estrada.
From there is was on to cover the Final Table as the November Nine battled for the WSOP Main Event Bracelet and 9.1 MILLION US Samolians. It was ESPN and Harrah's first run at doing a delay to build up the Final Table and show it mostly live. It was a huge feat and they should be commended. Again, photos and notes to the right...hope you enjoy them. Also did a lot more Random Questions interviews that you will see there soon as well as some follow up videos with Tiffany Michelle after her rather controversial behaviour at the 2008 WSOP. Again, right column folks...I don't put this stuff up for Skittles and Giggles.

Was recently interviewed on podcast by Duke over at PokrPokr.net about the SuperMix Game played with www.pokerroad.com forum members, my Random Questions and general this and that at the WSOP this year. It was fun and the podcast will be up soon. It hits some real highlights from the trip, so be sure and give it a listen and save me some typing. If nothing else, here how a 4/8 limit Razz game ended up with a pot of over $800.

While we are on the subject of Poker...I have a sin to confess. While I was in Miami I did NOT make it to the GulfStream or HardRock Casinos to play some poker and thus fulfill my traveling poker requirement. Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa. Lo Siento. Oh! And with a brave new world via the US election, come a note from the PPA (Poker Player's Alliance), a lobbying group myself andthe crew at Life's A Bluff have had a go-around with in the past but has now changed its ways and charged forth to just do what it really started out to do...and that is lobby to get online poker regulated and legalized so we can make some money off it in this country and stop shipping profits abroad. And here is that closing note, anti-poker nutjob politicians beware, there are more than a million of us now, and we vote!

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) played an important role in the national elections this year by supporting pro-poker candidates for Congress all across the nation. While the voters casted their votes based on a number of important issues it is clear that poker players made a significant difference in several key races.

The PPA was successful in helping to unseat a number of anti-poker U.S. Representatives; we also achieved our goal of electing many pro-poker candidates. Of the 54 candidates PokerPAC, the political action committee of the PPA, endorsed (12 of which were challengers) 46 won their elections on November 4, 2008. Moreover, we are pleased to announce that more than 40 of our lowest rated Members of Congress will not be returning to Washington next year.

The LAPC and the Bay 101 Shooting Star.

Well, I may not get to play them this year, but I will certainly be at both this year doing some coverage for Life's A Bluff. In fact, you can already see some of the LAPC "Random Questions" live interviews posted there right now. I apologize in advance for some of the crappy light and sound, but its a "one man and a cam" operation and we are still working the kinks out.

The LAPC had a huge field that was packed with pros and arguably some of the best local players in the world. When I walked in on day one, I think I saw possibly 2 tables out of 63 that were "weak". That would mean they only had one named pro...but you never know just what that means. Phil Ivy battled a final table that included 11 WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, WPT Champ Nam Le and another WPT final table veteran to make the final 6 one hell of a final table and no walk in the park for the 8 time final tablist (but yet to win) Phil Ivy. He outlasted them all though and finally pulled down that WPT trophy at one of the biggest events on the circuit.

Just a couple of weeks later comes the Bay 101 Shooting Star. This unique event features a $5k bounty on all the "Shooting Star" pro's heads as well as a $1 million dollar guaranteed first prize and awards for chip leaders at the end of Days One and Two. Many pros mark this as their favorite stop on the tour due to the very fan friendly nature of it and the change up it gives to the standard tournament format. I like it, because I played it last year. This year, my move to the peninsula as well as personal commitments and bankroll issues during the juicer qualifiers appears to have knocked me out of the running for the cool million this year, but "I'll be back."

What I will be doing this weekend is more coverage of the 2nd Annual Coyote Creek Golf Tournament hosted and founded by tournament director Matt Savage. Hopefully, we'll get some fun coverage of pros on the links and some interview footage away from the felt. (I wonder if I can ride along with the beer girls?) Immediately following that I'll be making a quick run up the road to cover the Leo Brien Foundation Charity Poker Tournament in Santa Clara hosted by the 'Silent One' Todd Brunson. Now this should be a blast. Typically, these events feature wild play, drinks and hilarious situations and its all made even more fun by the fact that it goes to a great charity. (see link for details) Its already selling to the rafters and many of the pros are still trying to confirm their seats so look for this to be a charity blockbuster! I'll have to get Greasie Wheels Productions to do my next charity tournament!! (They also handle the Jen Harmon Nevada ASPCA No Kill Shelter tournament that LaB did artwork for and have a hell of a year of new projects in front of them from what I hear.)

Hopefully I'll have a ton of new photos and stories for you after this event to match some of the ones over the last year or so. Man, its hard to believe I have been blogging everything for almost two years now. Who'd have thunk it?