Thursday, November 5, 2009 - Liv Boeree
I’m here at Foxwoods (for those that don’t know, it’s a casino complex in the middle of nowhere in particular in Connecticut) and I’ve been playing three days solid trying to win my seat into the WPT. It’s not going well so far. I got pretty close by winning my way into the final act but then bombed from that so now I’ve only got a day left to get in. Argh! Anyway, gotta keep positive so fingers crossed today’s the day. One good thing that has come of the trip so far however was being invited to go over to ESPN to film an episode of the Inside Deal. Appearing on the show with me was Chad Brown, who’s one of the nicest guys I’ve met through poker. We got to see all the famous studios in ESPN and shown all around the complex, which is HUGE. I’m fairly sure I saw some famous American sports stars but being from the wrong side of the pond I couldn’t tell you who they were! Anyway, the episode is here and ready for viewing… http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4619206
Gotta love our acting! Ahem…
Tags: Chad Brown, espn, Foxwoods, Poker Poker Poker, The Inside Deal, WPT
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Friday, September 18, 2009 - Michaelbinger
It has been a busy week since I last wrote! I’ve embarked on a 5 week multi-purpose/multi-destination trip. First stop was a 4 day vacation in the Hamptons. It was nice and relaxing… had massages, hung by the pool, some online poker. From there I spent a few days in NYC hanging out with friends. Good times. I went sailing for the first time last Thursday… out in Long Island Sound. A friend that I met in Guyana on the volunteer mission I did with Victor Ramdin this summer… Craig, a doctor from NY… has a 37 foot sailboat. It was very windy and wavy, which makes for exciting sailing! Seemed like most of the time the boat was at a 45 degree angle. It’s tough to steer the boat in a straight line in those conditions…
From there I went to Philly for the wedding of my good friend/agent/manager Eric Brewstein and Michelle. I was a groomsman so had to show up a day early for the rehearsal. The wedding day itself was spectacular… there were two weddings: First a Catholic ceremony appropriate to the brides family. After that a Jewish ceremony for Eric’s family. The party afterwards was amazing. I tore up the dance floor all night, which is scary because I usually never dance! But the band, the atmosphere , and the company was that good.
Anyway, this Sunday I played some online tournies and cash games, including the $530 buy-in on Ultimate Bet, which I final tabled and took 7th place.
I am going to film a poker show called Inside Deal for ESPN this week and then off to Raleigh to see my Mom and family. It will be great to see everyone as I haven’t been home since Christmas.
From there to the Borgata for the WPT event, then London for the WSOP Europe, and finally Aruba before getting home in October.
For now I’m off to bed…
Michael Binger
Tags: Aruba, espn, Inside Deal, Poker Poker Poker, ultimatebet, WPT, WSOPE
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Tuesday, September 1, 2009 - Roothlus
So it’s official I’ve lived in Los Angeles for exactly one month as of today. And so far, I’ve loved it. I’ve been to a bunch of cool spots and it’s very refreshing to be around more lady friends and have the opportunity to do an array of things on a given day. The lifestyle seems way more upbeat and on the go but not in a NYC kinda way where people are on the go but aren’t particularly friendly. Everyone seems way happier and just a tad crazy too which I love. It’s definitely a healthy change from Las Vegas. Don’t get me wrong I love me some Vegas but in weekend doses. As a whole I felt sucked into the whole city. I was extremely lazy and ate horribly. Granted, the food I ate was super top quality but by no means does that make it healthy. Since moving to LA I joined 24-hr Fitness and have been on the workout grind almost day-in day-out. I haven’t lost much weight yet but I feel so much healthier than I did a mere month ago.
My goal is to look good for the best stop on the live poker circuit, the Aruba Poker Classic. And while yes, I am a member of Team Ultimate Bet and you’re thinking, well isn’t this a blatant plug?? Well, you’re only half right ‘cause I legitimately love it. Last year, I was a little bit nervous at first. I had just joined UB and was meeting a whole bunch of new people and was a little bit overwhelmed. By the 3rd day or so I found myself just having a total blast. It’s honestly a great week of partying with a little bit of poker on the side. Oh, and the Phil Hellmuth penthouse party is nothing short of awesome! On top of all this, it’s Ultimate Bet’s 10th anniversary this year and they’ll be celebrating it at the Aruba Poker Classic. So if anyone is undecided about going this year, I hope I swayed you into going because it’s going to be EPIC!
As far as what’s on tap for me the rest of the year, I’ll be taking it easy. The WCOOP starts on Thursday and I’ll be pretty focused on that until the end of September at which point I’ll be making my way to said Aruba Poker Classic. After that, I’ll see my parents for a few days in Florida, jaunt back to LA for a week, then spend a week or so in Vegas for Festa Lago. But after that crazy little patch of traveling, my only tourney I’ll be traveling to is the Five-Diamond Classic in December. It’s kind of nice to not be traveling to every tournament under the sun for a change. And when I am traveling it’s only to Vegas, a mere 4-hour drive.
Well, I guess this is actually short for my blogs but before I go I recently had the opportunity to play in Scott Ian’s home game on Ultimate Bet last week. Hate to make a pun, but it was rockin’. I got to play with Vinnie Paul, Kirk Hammett, Layne Stayley, and a bunch of other rockers including Scott Ian himself. I ended up getting 4th as things unraveled. First was an Aruba package but better someone else win it when I’m going regardless. I’d definitely recommend playing in the satellites to this very special tourney.
Ok, now seriously, lastly, check me out on ESPN’s Inside Deal this week. They did a phone interview today so that was pretty cool. Until my next blog peeeeeeace.
Tags: Aruba Poker Classic, espn, Five-Diamond Classic, Inside Deal, Kirk Hammett, Layne Stayley, Los Angeles, Phil Hellmuth, Scott Ian, ub, UB 10th Anniversary, Ultimate Bet, Vegas, Vinnie Paul, WCOOP
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Monday, June 29, 2009 - Tiffany M
Well, well, well…
My summer in Vegas is coming to a close. “A CLOSE?!?!” you say! Although we have the Main Event coming up this week I am officially announcing… (no, not my retirement! Sorry haters, you’ll be stuck with my finger-french-fry-lickin’-clock-callin’-heel-clickin’-UB-branded-poker-pwning-face for several years to come)… that I won’t be defending my title as The Last Woman Standing or giving that darn final table another crack… at least not this year. GASP!!!
It’d have to be something pretty big to deter me from the WSOP Championship Event this year and trust me, IT IS! I can’t disclose much right now but I’ll be leaving to film a project for a month and it conflicts with the Main Event. Se la vie! I figure that poker isn’t going anywhere and the WSOP Main Event comes around EVERY SINGLE YEAR. This project and my part are very huge and it’s an opportunity is just too good to pass up. At the end of the day, acting and performing have always been my passion, in fact it’s how I fell into poker to begin with and I never want to lose sight of that part of my life and career.
With that said, my 2009 World Series of Poker isn’t over quite yet. Before I leave Vegas I’ll play the Ante Up For Africa tournament which will be one of the televised events on ESPN this year. There are some great celebrities and poker players coming out to play and support the cause and I’m really looking forward to it. Maybe that’ll be my shot at a little WSOP glory this year. I’ll also be around for the start of the Main Event, doing some fun PR stuff as well as some appearances at the Gaming Life Expo… so if you see me please come say “Hi”!
Below are a few fun pictures that I snapped during a fun night or two away from the Rio and poker tables. The first is with Trishelle & Jeff Madsen and the other with Maria Ho and Vanessa Rousso.
Tags: espn, Poker Poker Poker, ub, Vegas, WSOP
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Sunday, May 31, 2009 - Shawn Rice
Hello Fellow UBers
It’s World Series of Poker Time again.
I don’t know if you have been or not but it’s massive ball rooms filled with tables with people from all over the world trying to win a bracelet. I was lucky enough to get 2nd in 2004 on the first televised event. It aired the other night on ESPN Classic and to be honest with you I can’t watch the end of it. It makes me sick to think of how close I was and not win one. On the good side, I feel by not winning it made me a much better player, I have worked very hard on my poker game in all areas. I have made it my mission to be the best player I can possibly be. I try and learn poker all the time anyway possible. I have not only taught at many poker camps over the years but my favorite part is listening to the world class pros that also teach. When people ask me who taught me poker it’s a very very long list mixed with many names you know like Annie Duke, Hoyt Corkins, Amarillo Slim, Mark “P0ker H0″ Kroon and Gary “Debo34″ Debernardi and the mental aspects of dealing with pokers ups and downs from Howard Lederer and many you may not of heard of like Chris “Brsavage” Savage, Paul “Beanie” Nobles and Aaron “Loewa79″ Loew. I have also learned a lot from players with lots less skill. Don’t think you can’t learn from players with less skill because you can learn from their mistakes as well instead of you having to learn the hard way. I found out over the years that I really do love to teach this game I very much love. I am not going to give a list of names of whom I have spent many hours on the phone with helping them with their poker game because I don’t want to turn this into a bragging blog but I can say that I am most proud of that part of my poker career. I love seeing my friends doing well and kicking ass in the poker world. This will be a life changing experience for many poker players whom will attend. It’s a great value for the good players as there will be tons of money to be won. I hope if you attend you win your share.
I am going to play a few events and play tons of cash games while I am there. I have learned over the years it’s hard to make steady money playing bigger buy-in tourneys. The cash games is where the steady money is without the major swings that a tourney has. I have been working a lot on my cash game play over this past year and hope I can take what I have learned and apply it and come away with a very successful series.
UB has already started tourneys for the Aruba Classic, This will be my 7th year playing this event and let me tell you it’s the best tourney you could ever wanna play. Matt Savage will be the tourney director and he runs the best structured tourneys anyone could ever ask for. Everyone is there having the time of their life, The nightlife and the beaches are awesome and you have a good chance of winning close to a million dollars. A few years back I got 12th, I was the chip leader and lose a monster race with Layne Flack, I had AcQc vs JJ, we get all in preflop and flop come Jack high with 2 clubs and I could not improve and I was cripples and out shortly after, I will let ya know when I am over it, 1st that year was a million dollars and filmed for the WPT. P0ker H0 got 11th that year and it would of been a blast if we both made that final table.
Come by and say hello to any of the UB pros while we are there, We love hearing from you and I am involved with a bunch of great people.
Proud UB Team Member
Shawn Rice
Tags: Annie Duke, aruba classic, espn, Matt Savage, Poker Poker Poker, Poker Pros, ub, WPT, WSOP
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Saturday, May 9, 2009 - Phil Hellmuth
As we get ready for the WSOP 2009 I can’t help but think back to 2002. I knew the ramifications of what I was saying. I knew that the American public would perceive my statement as “sour grapes.” Oh well, I said it anyway. I just didn’t think that it would come to this!
While I was helping Gabe Kaplan with the ESPN Commentary during the last day of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in 2002, I put my foot in my mouth, way in my mouth. Robert Varkonyi had just lost $400,000 of his last $640,000 with 9-9 vs. Julian Gardeners A-A (all-in before the flop) on the first hand. So I just opened my mouth and blurted it out.
It seemed pretty safe to say, especially at that exact time, and, I wasn’t very impressed with Robert’s play anyway, so I said it, “If Robert Varkonyi wins the WSOP, I’ll shave my head.” Sensing some possible added drama, the executive producer said, “Repeat what you just said.” I still felt like backing off, but I thought, “What are the chances that this comment makes the final ESPN cut to make me look bad anyway? I mean, Robert has to win first place from $240,000 in chips.” So I repeated the statement for the ESPN Commentary.
Now the players were told what I said, and I looked at Robert right then, and he seemed to bristle a bit. I thought, “Oh no, I may have lit a fire under him!” I don’t know if that was the case or not, but I do know that Robert began to play better then anyone else in the field from that moment forward. He did manage to hold off an ace or a king when John Shipley moved all-in with A-K versus Robert’s J-J, and he pretty much dominated the final table play after that. He was only all-in one other time when he put in one million dollars before the flop with J-J vs. John Shipley’s A-J. After that pot, Robert steadily increased his chip lead until he had a stranglehold on the rest of the players.
With four players left, and the blinds at $15,000-$30,000, Robert opened for $100,000 with Q-10 (the same hand that he busted me out with versus my Ah-Kh in a memorable [for me!] pot two days earlier). When Scott Grey moved all-in for $250,000 more with A-9, Robert called saying, “This is Phil’s favorite hand (a reference to the beat he put on me), so I call.” I don’t like his call here at all. But with a flop of Q-Q-8, Q-10 really was my favorite hand! The turn card brought a 9 and the river brought an A, both of which hit Scott’s A-9, but it wasn’t enough to beat three queens.
Now they were down to three players. The first hand after a fifteen-minute TV timeout was spectacular. Julian Gardener opened the pot for $100,000 on the button. Ralph Perry raised, and made it $300,000 to go from the small blind. Then Robert moved all-in (four million dollars!) from the big blind. Julian flashed his hand to me when he folded it and he had 10-10. Ralph decided to call with his J-J, and Robert had A-A in the big blind! This was one of the most exciting (and cold blooded) hands in WSOP history. In two hands, Robert had eliminated two players and now he faced Julian–with 5 million in chips to Julian’s 1.3 million in chips.
After only 10 more minutes, the blinds were up to $20,000-$40,000 when the following hand came up. Robert made it only $80,000 to go on the button with Q-10 (that hand again!), and Julian called in the big blind with Jc-8c, and the flop came down 4c-4d-Qc. Now Julian checked, and Robert bet out a relatively small $50,000. Julian decided to move all-in for $900,000 total (an $850,000 raise), and Robert announced, “I call.”
Now the hands were flipped face up, and the fourth card was a 10. With two million dollars in the pot, tournament director Matt Savage (who did a great job throughout the whole WSOP) announced, “Julian needs a club or a 9.” Not exactly Matt, what about the one card, that actually was a club, but still didn’t win the pot for Julian? How about the 10c on the river for Robert to immortalize Q-10 with a full house (tens full of queens) which beat Julian’s jack high flush with a final board of 4c-4d-Qc-10s-10c. What a great last card–both players make a big hand! Right after they turned the 10c on the river, the crowd started chanting, “Shave Phil’s head – shave Phil’s head…”
Of course, Becky Behnan made sure that someone had some barbers equipment on hand, and, I am a man of my word. I would have loved to avoid the head shave, but I certainly deserved what I had coming, and I knew it! First Robert, followed by Becky Behnan, Andy Glazer, the Devilfish, and others, took turns shaving my head in front of a room full of spectators, press and cameras. Although the “side show” spectacle of having my head shaved by Robert (who was very gracious and tried to let me out of a shaved head) in front of over 1000 people, was, apparently, very entertaining for those watching, it was Robert’s day.
Robert played magnificent poker while he dominated the final table at the World Championships of poker. Congratulations to Robert Varkonyi, the 2002 World Champion of poker.
Tags: Devilfish, espn, gabe kaplan, Robert Varkonyi, WSOP
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Sunday, December 28, 2008 - Gene Bromberg
We’ve almost reached the end of 2008 and this is usually the time when people look back at the past year and remember all that took place. Trouble is that during the holidays most people spend the better part of a week staggering around in a tryptophan coma or an alcoholic stupor. I don’t know about you guys but I’m worried that I’ll have nothing left in the tank for New Year’s Eve. I’m beat. Every day it seems like I’m wolfing down a huge platter laden with ham, turkey, fish, pirogi, and various forms of potatoes. Everyone is breaking out their best cabernet sauvignons and filling the fridge with beers that don’t have the word “Lite” in their name. It’s like they say, too much of anything is bad–even excess.
So looking back at the past twelve months through this boozy haze ain’t easy. Especially if you’d like to be somewhat accurate. Fortunately I lugged my camera around for most of this year and have a few pictures that serve to jog the memory so I can remember just what the hell happened.
This is what the opening day of the 2008 World Series of Poker felt like for me, everything a blur. And only seven weeks to go!
I was covering a different event in the Brasilia Room as Phil Hellmuth was trying to win bracelet #12 in a $1,500 H.O.R.S.E event. I ran over during a break to see what was going on and was confronted by a mob around the outer feature table. Usually there are only a handful of people around that table, but of course Phil knows how to draw a crowd. I held my camera in the air, squeezed the trigger, and hoped I got something good. This picture was taken at 12:30am, by the way, so lots of people thought the best thing to do in Vegas that night was watch Phil play poker.
Annie Duke and Don Cheadle address the crowd during this year’s Ante Up for Africa tournament. I was off that day but of course I went to the Rio hoping to get some photos of the celebrities attending the event. And so were about a thousand other people. I went to the person guarding the main opening and asked to be admitted, and he looked at me like I was something he’d scraped off his shoe and told me no way. I didn’t have the proper media pass, you see. I headed to the media room to see about getting that pass when the guy in line behind me got my attention and whispered that no one was checking passes at the Brasilia Room’s other doors. I opened the door, went inside, and no one bothered me as I took pics to my hearts delight. It just goes to show that it’s never a good idea to ask permission. Do the deed first, THEN ask for permission. Life is much easier that way.
A few pics from the Ante Up for Africa event:
While I wandered around and took photos a quintet of female masseuses were waiting outside the ropes waiting for the tournament to start. They asked which celebrities I’d seen in the crowd and I said, “Well, Matt Damon is…” and all five crowded around me and started pelting me with questions. “Matt Damon! Where? What table? Point!!” I hate Matt Damon.
Ray Romano I like. Why? I was taking a photo and someone came in from my left and nearly got in the shot. “Oh, I’m sorry,” the person said and paused while I snapped the shutter. “No problem,” I said and made room for him to get past. That’s when I saw the polite gentleman in question was Ray Romano. Who could buy and sell me a thousand times over. So I appreciated that.
Team UB’s Scott Ian, wearing one of those so-cool T-shirts that debuted at the WSOP. “I have to GET ONE OF THOSE SHIRTS,” I told myself as I circled Scott and snapped away.
Phil Hellmuth in his natural habitat–sitting at a table during the WSOP Main Event, with film crews in attendance. If I wasn’t sure where Phil was sitting in the Amazon Room, I just looked around for the boom mikes.
The most surreal part about this year’s World Series was seeing Tiffany Michelle, who I worked with the last two years, make her deep run in the Main Event. When play started I said, “Oh, cool, TIffany’s playing in the Main Event” and went back to work. Then she made it past the first few days and suddenly she had a pretty healthy stack. And then on Day 5 or so she wins some huge pots and we started thinking, “Holy crap, she could actually WIN this thing”. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, as Tiffany finished 17th, which is still pretty freaking incredible. If you saw ESPN’s coverage you probably saw a bit where Tiffany was eating french fries at the table and catching flack from Scott Montgomery and Craig Marquis about it. Ladies and gentlemen, here is a picture of Tiffany Michelle’s fries:
When she finished the floor staff picked up her tray and put it…on the table I was working at. Which gives you an idea of how I rank out there. Anyway, the fries smelled really good, and I was really hungry, and people kept walking by my table and snagging a quick snack. But I held off, in part because at the time Tiffany still had a ton of chips and there was the very real possibility that she’d make the final table and maybe even be the next World Champion, and I was calculating how much I could sell her leftover fries for on eBay. Then I got my self-esteem back in order and had someone take the tray away.
By the time the field was reduced to ten players and one table my work was done, but of course I wasn’t going anywhere until the November Nine was locked in. I found a perch and took a few shots of the final-table play:
We finished up around 4:30am, had a few cocktails afterwards, and I got home around…noon. Before I left Vegas for good I went back to the Rio to cash in a few chips and see what the place looked like now that the Series had wrapped up. The crews didn’t waste any time breaking down the Amazon Room:
Hmm, this seems long enough already and I only posted pics from the WSOP. I think I’ll pause here before delving into the Aruba Poker Classic and whatever else I have in my folders. Because that’s going to be a marathon by itself.
Tags: 2008 world series of poker, 2008 wsop, amazon room, Annie Duke, blog world series of poker, blog wsop, don cheadle, espn, matt damon, Phil Hellmuth, poker blog, poker photographs, poker photos, poker pictures, Poker Poker Poker, ray romano, Scott Ian, Tiffany "Tiffany M" Michelle, tiffany michelle wsop, world series of poker, world series of poker photos, world series of poker pictures, WSOP
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Sunday, November 23, 2008 - Gene Bromberg
It’s been almost two weeks since poker crowned its new World Champion—it’s Peter Eastgate, for those of you who forgot to emerge from your cave until well after ESPN’s broadcast. There’s been quite a bit of discussion about whether Harrah’s decision to delay the final table for 117 days was a good idea, but by one barometer the delay was a hit—ESPN’s ratings for the final table were up 50% from a year ago.
It’s important to recall that slumping television ratings were one of the big reasons why Harrah’s chose to put the final table on hiatus. The last few years the ratings for poker shows have been going down, down, down, and as with any TV show there’s always the risk of cancellation when the numbers fall. Part of the decline was probably due to some poker fatigue among the viewing public—in addition to expanded WSOP and WPT coverage it seemed like every cable channel developed some contrived and unspeakably awful poker show. Pardon me for refreshing your memory of Celebrity Poker Showdown and Poker Royale: Battle of the Sexes.
But the big problem is that most poker telecasts air months after the tournament is over and the champion crowned. There are a number of media outlets that provide live event coverage and scores of sites and blogs (including this one) that post interviews and updates and photos as well. It is well nigh impossible for poker fans NOT to know who won a tournament before they sit down to watch it on TV. And that kills much of the drama. Sure, you might tune in to see the hole cards of two players involved in a huge (but not decisive) hand, but if you already know who eventually takes it down…why bother watching?
By delaying the final table four months and then broadcasting the action the day after the bracelet was awarded Harrah’s was hoping to preserve much of that drama. Hardcore fans could, if they wished, try to avoid poker news outlets for 48 hours and hopefully keep themselves in the dark. While the general public could check their local listings, find that ESPN was broadcasting a poker tournament with a $9 million first prize, and decide that this was something worth watching.
Broadcasting the final table two days after it was played was a half-measure that ended up a half-success. Yes, the ratings were up. Yes, the Penn & Teller theater (where the final table was held) was packed to the rafters with hundreds of rowdy fans. And much of that excitement came through during the ESPN broadcast, which did a good job of conveying the energy in the room, the drama of the moment, and the personalities of the players. I’m still kicking myself for not going out there to see it in person.
The thing is, ESPN only aired two hours of that compelling coverage. Three, if you include the “pre-game” show that offered features on each of the November Nine. And that’s just not enough time to give viewers a true sense of what went on.. The final table took 274 hands and over 15 hours to play. Only two hours made it to air (far less, actually, when you subtract those pesky commercials). The heads-up battle between Eastgate and Ivan Demidov was a back-and-forth epic that lasted 104 hands. ESPN showed two of them. You’ll hear critics who say that people don’t want to watch 15 hours of players stealing the blinds and antes. My response is that, A) people watch endless hours of golf on TV and therefore must have a high tolerance for long periods of low drama, and B) any activity can be made interesting if presented in a creative and engaging manner. Two of the most popular TV shows feature amateurs singing songs everyone already knows and borderline celebrities performing formal dance routines. ANYTHING can be made appealing to the viewing public, if it’s done with wit, style, and respect for the audience. Well, maybe just two out of three.
The ideal situation would be a live broadcast of the final table (or as live as would be acceptable to the Nevada Gaming Commission), followed perhaps by an edited final-table broadcast that’s similar to what we see today (hole cards, better production values, featurettes, etc). I can’t see how it’s in poker’s long-term interest to expect it’s most ardent fans to AVOID hearing news about the game’s biggest event. Remember, in most sports much of the revenue derives from advertising, advertising that is presented during live broadcasts of the game. Asking fans to avoid watching or hearing about the final table also means that advertisers on poker sites aren’t getting their message to their full target audience during the most important event of the year.
The final table of the Main Event should DRAW people’s eyeballs to what’s happening at the Rio, not force them to shut their eyes so they can enjoy the drama of a truncated recap two days later. Once upon a time (actually it was just 30 years ago) the NBA Finals were broadcast on tape delay. Olympic coverage was embargoed until prime time. Today the idea of not showing major sporting events live is ludicrous. The technology is there for the final table to be live-streamed online, as ESPN360 did with a number of WSOP preliminary events and as many European Poker Tour events are shown. It’s time for poker to stop apologizing for itself and broadcast the game’s most important event in living color.
Tags: 2008 world series of poker, 2008 wsop, espn, espn poker, espn world series of poker, final table, Poker Poker Poker, world series of poker, world series of poker coverage, world series of poker main event, WSOP
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