High On Poker

On a recent episode of the Circuit, Cardplayer’s podcast hosted by Gavin Smith, Joe Sebok and Scott Huffman, special guest Howard Lederer discussed his history at the Mayfair Club, and underground poker room in NYC (now defunct), which saw the likes of Eric Seidel, Dan Harrington, and a slew of other professional poker players when they were first introduced to the game of Hold’em.

As Lederer explained, at the time, the games at Mayfair ranged from Backgammon to Rummy, but had Texas Hold’em was still a new concept. When it was introduced, none of the players had any real idea of how to play. There weren’t poker books around yet, and so the players had to learn on the fly. One of the things that helped was that the Mayfair Club was frequented by game experts, albeit in other games like dominos, and the aforementioned backgammon and rummy. But games are games, so these pros took to Hold’em and began to figure things out on the fly. After playing from 4pm (the close of the stock exchange) until 1am, it was not uncommon for the future name-brand pros to go to the bar and discuss the game at length. As a result, the players lifted themselves up communally, each providing insight and challenging each other.

To Lederer, this is a crucial part of becoming a great poker player, having a network of people with whom you can discuss the concepts behind the game. Granted, this is now a lot more easily available, since the average joe can walk into any Borders book store and gain the knowledge of most of the world’s top pros for under $30. But there is still something extra that comes from back and forth discussion.

In my personal life, this is the Hole home game, where we play but also discuss the game. I can sit with Roose and Hole and we can help each other by analyzing play or confirming our supsicions.

But I also have another community that I can go to for this Community Knowledge. Poker blogging. Frankly, it’s probably the number one best use of the blogging community. Sure, it is fun to read about a blogger’s trials and pursuits. I’m as voyueristic as the next guy (and probably a bit moreso), so a blog that lets me into the life of it’s author usually makes it to the top of my list easily. But the other aspect, the thing that probably helps bloggers be as good as they are, is the opportunity for discourse, sometimes one-way when a blogger posts an insightful hand or analysis of the game, and often an exchange, when other bloggers/readers respond in comments or in their own blogs.

So, heil to the bloggers, for sharing their thoughts, their knowledge and their community. Maybe we can be the new “Mayfair Club,” and in years time people will be saying, “Did you know x, y and z used to write blogs (or still do) and met up in Vegas twice a year to drink and play poker, and now they are all big time pros?” Hell, even if that doesn’t happen, at least I can sleep at night confident that some blogger somewhere is fleecing a donkey of his bankroll.

“Swimming with the Devilfish,” authored by Des Wilson, offers an inside look at British professional poker. In this way, the book seeks to find a niche within the poker book market. While it has some success, the book falls short in several ways.

For the sake of disclosure, I received a copy of the book from the book’s PR or publisher. Lest anyone think that this will effect my review, just keep reading.

“Devilfish” is less about Dave “Devilfish” Ulliot and more about British poker in general. The book starts off at a virtual stand-still. Des Wilson does a terrible job of introducing poker and its history to the reader. It’s essentially the same as how every poker television show starts with a prefunctory explanation of hand rankings. However, instead of this, you get an explanation of the poker boom, followed by some brief WSOP history when Wilson goes to the WSOP to chronicle the “Usual Suspects’” (Wilson’s terribly fabricated term for the British pros) run, about midway through the book.

Surprisingly, however, with a little bit of editing, the book wouldn’t be too bad. In fact, once you get past the history lessons, complete with over generalizations, the book’s insight into the British players is fairly interesting, less so because they are British, but rather because they are poker players. Wilson treats each pro with two to six pages, with some players popping up again later in the book. The result is a very varied look at life as a pro. Devilfish himself is mentioned only briefly and given the same treatment as the rest of the pros, but likely makes the title and cover because of his crossover appeal. Andrew “the Monk” Black gets a nice write-up, along with some insight into his crying episode at the WSOP. The Hendon Mob are probably the most interesting of the bunch, mostly because of their ability to admit that they aren’t the best players, but still strive to improve their game while being well marketed. (FYI, they are now part of Team Full Tilt, after leaving their affiliation with one of the UK sites).

Basically, the book serves as a great survey of the variety of attitudes and backgrounds in the poker community. Whatever the case, Des Wilson seems to hold American poker up on a pedestal in a way that really minimizes the accomplishments and skills of the UK players. One of my favorite quotes regards UK professional poker player Donnacha O’Dea: “A charming man, Donnacha…Except that he’s been winning for thirty years and he’s sat down with Brunson and Co. in the big game in Vegas and came out alive.” CAME OUT ALIVE?! Sure, “Brunson and Co.” are legends. But to treat them like this just makes the UK players seem like small potatoes. Of course, as an American, I was pleased. But if I was a Brit, I’d be sneering with my yellow crooked teeth.

Ultimately, Des Wilson just doesn’t seem to get it. His history of the poker boom is the first hint. His treatment of the players as pros, but not American quality pros is another. And finally, his ultimate determination that poker is a game that is evil at its core, preying on the weak (although tournament poker is apparently just good ole fun) is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. What he does well, though, is interview and retell the stories of the pros.

Should you buy the book? If you are looking to improve your game, No. If you are looking to get some insight into the world of professionals, though, go right ahead. Just skip the introductory paragraphs and take it for what it is.

In a hand ranking scale system, Swimming with the Devilfish is simple pair. It’ll do the job in a pinch, but it’s not a hand you strive to reach.

As I perused the activity list given to us when we arrived at Sandals, I couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle. My eyes gravitated to one word, “Poker”.

Thus began what was fortunately a short-lived conundrum. Tuesday night was Casino night. Wifey Kim and I are not much for these organized affairs, prefering each other’s company over that of a bunch of fellow tourists, so we didn’t actually get to many of the Sandals-organized events. However, as Tuesday came closer, I was faced with a difficult dilemna. How was I, a man on his HoneyTwo (wifey Kim and I dubbed this a 2nd Honeymoon, since 80% of the people we met were just married), rationalize sneaking away at 10pm to play some form of bastardized Poker at a Sandals resort. Sure enough, Tuesday at 9pm, I glanced over the list of activities on the daily activity board. Noticeably absent was the “Poker”. I brought my querry to the man at the desk, “Excuse me, is the Poker event happening tonight?” “No, mon, it’s cancelled, but there is blackjack at the club.” I was actually relieved. Temptation averted.

Aside from that minor trial, the poker content on my vacation was rather light, as expected. That is not to say that it was non existent. I finished “Swimming with the Devilfish,” a book by Des Wilson that was sent to me in a promotional copy. A full review will be forthcoming. I also listened to several podcasts of The Circuit by Cardplayer Magazine, including one in which hosts Joe Sebok and Gavin Smith (along with Scott Huffman) mentioned the “charity event in Philadelphia”, which, interestingly involves Sir AlCantHang’s Bash at the Boathouse and, of course, ForPeyton.com. I couldn’t help but do a double take in my hammock when I heard the reference.

And let me say, the Circuit is one hell of a podcast. The team of Smith, Sebok and Huffman are informative and entertaining. I plan on listening to their podcasts regularly. I also enjoyed some Full Tilt Lessons from the Pros podcasts, which, while short, pack a lot of punch as far as tips are concerned. I still have some Lord Admirals Card Club loaded up too, and I look forward to finally hearing it for myself. Whatever the case, thank god for my iPod, or the poker content of this trip would’ve been nil.

As I type, I’m actually in the Jamiacan airport. My flight, scheduled to leave at 5, was pushed back to 8:20 without any explanation. As a result, wifey Kim and I know this airport like the back of our hands. Fortunately, we stopped caring about money and used this kiosk and a credit card to occupy ourselves. I have 5 minutes left, so don’t be too surprised if I cut this off abruptly.

Facing tomorrow, I really wonder what this 7 day break will mean for my game. Wifey Kim thought it was a silly thought, and maybe it is. But I don’t think I took more than a few days off from poker in a long while. I’m actually excited to get back to it and see if there is any ring rust. I’m hoping that, if anything, my game will be improved, what with the tips from the pros and a little bit of time to reflect. Whatever the case, you’ll hear the results here.

In other great news, I have decided to bite the bullet and definitely enter a higher buy-in live tournament by the end of the year. The plan is to see what the WPT and WSOP Circuit schedules look like and then take some of my blog-earned dough for the sole purpose of (mentally) freerolling myself into an event. I’ve decided that the time has come. So, by the end of the year, I plan in playing in one of their $300 or $500 events, and then by the next year, I want to seriously consider an actualy WSOP event (or at least a higher buy-in Circuit event). It finally occurred to me that I have won thousands of dollars from a mere $50 over the last 2 years. It’s time to take that slow move into the deep end.

The computer tells me i have a minute. So, adios.

SONUVABITCH! Without reason, my desktop computer decided to shut off, leaving my epic blogger post in the epic shitter. So, let’s try this again, quickly, with typos, and little thought.

While you are barbecuing and trying not to lose a limb while handling small explosives, I’ll be drinking Red Stripe and nursing a sun burn in beautiful Jamaica. The flight leaves tomorrow at 7:30am, so I anticipate a very rough morning. But, I do have my Sunday to pack and relax. I wish I could say the same about Saturday, but wifey Kim’s friend asked us to help her move in a few weeks ago, and wifey Kim agreed. They had movers, so I couldn’t figure out what we would be doing. I mean, it’s not like I’m going to unpack their clothing or put away their dishwear. I wouldn’t even know where that shit went. So instead, I made sure that the couch was in the right position by parking my ass and watching the Fucking French (as they are officially called) beat Brazil and my only chance of recovering some of my $40 in World Cup losses. If you recall, just a few weeks ago, I was contemplating quitting my job to become a professional World Cup bettor. Fortunately, my anal retentiveness prevented me from redepositing after I lost my winnings and the initial $40 stake. But, one more time now, Fuck the Fucking French! Just saying that is getting me excited for Deadwood.

So, in anticipation of my day of couch-sitting, I decided to wake up extra early to carve some time out for myself. My day started at 8am, when I went down to the gym to do some running and watch some vapid television. After showering, I fired up Stars to finish my $50 reload bonus. Unfortunately, the PLO8 tables were full. In the meanwhile, I channeled my inner Felicia and decided to try some Limit Omaha Hi/Lo. I fired up two tables of 2/4 limit, and after an hour, won about $120! I was hitting cards, but I was also playing extremely well, making tough calls, and pushing my strong draws. At one point, a player even said, “Leave some for the rest of the table.”

Once I was done with my bonus, I decided to seek more bonus opportunities. My new iPod kicks ass, but I’d like to buy some more music from iTunes. On that note, any suggestions for Podcasts would be appreciated too. I already have the Full Tilt, Cardplayer and Lord Admiral podcasts, but I’m looking for some more, be them poker or non-poker related.

Since I want more music from iTunes and I’m a cheapskate opportunist, I went to Vegas Poker Pro to choose my next promotion and stumbled upon Interpoker, a sponsor at this very site (and the only one I haven’t played at). If that reason wasn’t enough, I was also interested in Interpoker because of the low 250 raked hands requirement. I cleverly deposited $50, which will earn me the $50 100% bonus in exactly 250 hands as well. I then deposited $300 more, so that I had dough to work with. If I had deposited the $350 at once, I would’ve gotten a $100 bonus (100% up to $100), but screw that! As soon as I’m done with the 250 hands, I’m packing up and shipping out, with my $50 bonus in tow.

I felt like changing things up, so I sat down for some $1/2 7 Card Stud. I’m no stud pro. In fact, I dislike the game, mostly because it takes an amount of concentration and memory that I am not naturally gifted in. Instead of worrying about that, though, I openned two more 7CS tables, and decided to just play my good hands. Good indeed, because after a half hour, I was up another $25, for a $145 day…so far.

We headed out to LI to help wifey Kim’s friends, and when we were done, he headed back to the city. Later that night, while wifey Kim packed for Jamaica, I fired up the computer once again. I played some (British Pound) .25/.50 NL at Interpoker, but then realized that it was not maximizing my bonus whoring. You get 1 point for every $1 raked per hand. The thing is, when you are playing Pounds (BPs), you get 1 point per BP. But BPs are worth 1.6 $s, so in the end, I was earning bonus slower and playing at higher stakes. Well, screw that. Down $5.50 (I converted it), I left the BP room and fired up what eventually became three .50/1 NL rooms. Success all around, because after thirty minutes, I was up $140!! I was also about 25% done with the bonus at Interpoker after less than one day.

The fun didn’t stop there either. I played an MTT at Interpoker for $11, but donked out. I then played at Full Tilt in a Peep Sex turbo with Veneno. I placed 6, good for $14 ($5.30 profit). I played one last single table SNG ($11) at FT, and took third for another $7 profit. At that point, a blogger cash game had started up at Stars, so I joined an illustrious group, where I ran up from $25 to $68. I was waiting for Maudie to jump in, knowing full well that it was really time to sleep. The problem with these bloggers are that they will reload without fear, so it was a long wait for a seat to open. I finally gave up, relinquishing my seat to Maudie, after relinquishing most of my profit to CJ and SLB159.

And then I drifted into sleep, with visions of pot fields and reggae music dancing through my head.

Here’s a fun fact. In 2005, Bob Marley’s body was exhumed from its grave in Jamaica and moved to Ethopia, his adopted home land!

So, today I have to finish packing and hopefully get some poker in (hopefully, my ass!). Since you won’t have anything to read here for a while, take a gander at the links on the right. If you are desperate for some High on Poker, definitely check out the archives and Notable Posts.

Finally, I present to you the paper that earned me a C+ in Computer Law. I’ve made it into a separate post because of length, and also so that I can refer to it later without forcing people to read about some distant vacation. So, use THIS LINK or check the previous post.