WSOP 2010 - Golf in Vegas

As many of you may recall, in years past, I've found great enjoyment in squeezing in a round of golf during my "off" day. This year was no different, except that Jeff, quite surprisingly, accepted my invitation to join me on the links. Why is this odd? Well Jeff isn't much of a "golfer" although he did quickly point out that he's played in at least a couple of times in the last 15 years. My follow-up question really got me intrigued about what I was getting into: "Hey Jeff, want to borrow my clubs or will you rent some?" Jeff is left-handed and was a bit puzzled as to whether he should rent some left-handed clubs or play as a righty (I'd estimate that most any other golfer in the world would have a pretty strong preference to play with the correct clubs!). He finally answered with a big smile: "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter much for me, now does it!" Now I'm really wondering what I've gotten myself into! I'm about to take someone golfing who doesn't care which side of the ball they hit from nor does he play more than once every five years! Jeff assures me that it'll be ugly, but we'll have a blast.

So we get out to the course and I graciously spot him a "2 for 1" handicap. Basically, we'll divide his score by 2 and we'll keep track from there. Oh...also worth mentioning, this was a par 3 course, so the holes were very short, which assisted a great deal in keeping our match even! Anyway, the match was insanely competitive until the very end when Jeff finished with a bang. I'd have needed a birdie on the final hole just to match his score.

Ahh, but here's the fun part. Annie has been pushing me to use more pictures (which I've done), but also is still hoping for me to capture a video of my adventures. Well, poker is pretty darn tricky to put to video without a hole camera, so why not catch some golf action? Well, click on the link below to see Jeff in action... you'll quickly notice that Jeff was correct in not caring about which side of the ball to hit from as his was able to go from righty to lefty to righty with no trouble! Oh, I also informed Jeff that he could drop from the bush in the video, but he refused to back down from the challenge!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ct9pOWAOZY

WSOP 2010 - Obama Owes Me $150!!

So as you already know, I had a terrific Day 1 at the Main Event on Thursday. For the 4th time in five years, I find myself with a very healthy stack of chips heading into Day 2. In fact, my 88,850 should put me in the top 450 or so of the final 5,000 players, with 7,300 entrants (yes, even better than my original "top 700" estimate). Anyway, in honor of "doing things different" (more pictures and stories as Annie likes to say), I have no crazy poker hands to share (although I played some really exciting hands), rather, I'm not going to discuss poker, and instead, explain to you exactly why the President of the United States owes me $150!

So after three excellent levels of poker, the standard 90-minute dinner break arrives at 6:53 (yes, the exact time is important). Thus play was set to resume at exactly 8:23 (keep this time in mind as you read the timeline below). Why am I so precise? Well, when you miss a hand in tournament poker, they keep blinding off your stack. So each hand you miss costs you "equity" as your chips blind away. How much you might ask? Well the chips don't exactly equate to real dollars, but after some math, it was calculated that it would cost me $750/hr at the post-dinner blind levels to be sitting out. Needless to say, missing a hand at the Main Event is unacceptable (I can proudly say that I've never missed a single hand in any WSOP event that I've ever entered!).

So how does one maximize those 90 minutes for break? With lots of planning of course!! (anyone who knows me is probably not too surprised to hear me say that!). I actually started planning how to spend these crucial 90 minutes a full two weeks in advance! I did some scouting and calculated my "commute" from my room at Caesar's to the parking lot, from the parking lot to the Rio, and from the Rio's parking lot to my table to be precisely 20 minutes (okay, it is actually 16-17, but I say 20 minutes to be safe). Thus that is close to 40 minutes of travel time. That's a big chunk out of your 90 minutes some might point out? Yes... it is... but the lines at all restaurants at the Rio are completely packed, and "getting away" from the crowds is worth every minute. Anyway, Jeff and I (Jeff is staying with me this week at Caesar's) still have 50 minutes to find food options at Caesar's, which is super easy to do. Or so that was my perfect plan... but gosh darn it, did Barack Obama really have to come to Vegas on the night I was playing in the Main Event? Sheesh... how thoughtless! So here's how the 90+ minutes really went:

6:53 - Jeff and I leave the Rio. We both are thrilled with our first few levels thus the car ride back to Caesar's is complete fun as we recount all of our good hands, bluffs, etc.

7:02 - We arrive at Caesar's parking garage to see the place swarming with hundreds of cops. They are literally everywhere! At this point, we are speculating as to if there was a bomb scare or terrorist threat at our hotel? We are very confused.

7:07 - We sit down to dinner. We learn from the waiter that Barack Obama is staying at our hotel. How cool! This alone will make for a great blog post... however, the best (or worst) is yet to come...

7:45 - We head up to the room for a few minutes. Remember, the "commute" is precisely 20 minutes. Thus I tell Jeff that we could leave at 8:03 and be perfectly on time.

7:53 - Realizing that having the President of the United States in town my be a bit disruptive to traffic patterns (what if his motorcade cut off our route back to the Rio?), we wisely head out 10 minutes early.

8:00 - We are at the car and attempting to leave the garage when our hearts sink simultaneously. They are shutting down the exit from the garage completely! Had we only left a few minutes earlier, we might have just gotten out. Instead, complete shutdown. Apparently Mr. Obama's motorcade will be parking on the bottom floor...and from there he'll arrive into the hotel through back entrances. Ugh.

8:04 - After scouting out the situation, we start asking around... apparently we are in total lockdown mode for at least 15-30 minutes until Obama arrives. Oh F$@#!!! At a minimum, we might miss 30 minutes of action at the freaking WSOP Main Event (remember, $750/hr is lost equity...F!@$ again!)

8:06 - Jeff and I make a bold decision. Let's park the car and run to the Rio! Yes, I'm out of shape and wearing flip-flops. Yes, Jeff is in his 50's and wearing jeans... but heck, we are running high on adrenaline and it is only about 1.5 miles. Let's do it!

8:08 - We throw a bunch of crap into my backpack and start sprinting for the stairwell. We descend 4 of the 5 floors and are stopped cold by a cop with just one floor to go, and she says "I'm sorry, no one is allowed passed this point to the ground floor"... I plead with her... can't we get to the street so we can cross over to the Rio?! PLEAAASE!!! She gives me an icy stare that says "get lost"... and I think she starts eyeing my backpack a bit... fearful that she might decide to search my bag and delay us another 5 minutes, Jeff and I quietly leave...

8:12 - We quickly retrace our route back into the casino. We find a second cop to talk to... we again explain our emergency. He too gives a "these guys are crazy" look, but at least (quite helpfully) points out that the other road (Flamingo Rd) that crosses over the interestate highway that separates the Rio from Caesar's is likely open (our usual road, Industrial, was the one that was closed for Mr. President). We decide to try to take a cab over to the Rio via Flamingo... but S%$@, the cab line is located on the far side of the casino from where are at.

8:15 - After literally sprinting across one of the biggest casinos in the entire world (mind you, a casino that is FULL of cops that are protecting the President... how no one jumped out to detain us as looking VERY suspicious, I have no clue!!), we arrive at the taxi line to see a relatively long line of guests waiting for cabs. UGH!!

8:16 - I jump in at the back of the line to hold our spot as Jeff claims he can "work some magic". I watch from afar as he runs to the front of the line to "talk" to the folks in front about letting us cut. I could not hear the words he spoke, but I can convey body language. For Jeff: he's waving his arms, anxiously pointing towards the Rio, and seemingly jumping up and down like a complete mad man! As for the people in the front: They looked utterly perplexed and perhaps a bit scared about what the heck is going on! However, Jeff found the winning "communication device"... he slips them a $20 bribe to let us cut, and before they even have a chance to say no, we both jump into the open doors of the arriving taxi... woohoo... we have a chance of making it on time!

8:18 - The cab pulls out onto Las Vegas Blvd into a traffic jam that makes LA traffic look pleasant. For the first time, I start panicking a bit. For those who don't know me well, I'm not too different from my dad, who thinks arriving at the airport 2.5 hours early is "cutting it close". Thus running late to the Main Event... after I planned this break 2 weeks in advance... OH NO!!!

8:23 - After stupidly remaining optimistic that our cab would start making some progress (we travelled less than 50 feet in 5 minutes), I throw the cabbie $10, say I'm sorry, but we are out of here. We decide yet again to make a run for it. This time, we shall travel via Flamingo and pray that it is open...(by the way, play has officially begun back at the Rio and my chips are being blinded out)

8:25 - Jeff and I are weaving in and out of a very, very crowded Las Vegas sidewalk when the zipper to my backpack starts coming wide open... Jeff saves the day by spotting this and he zips my bag up. First good break in quite some time as I had over $2,000 in cash stashed in my bag from a good cash game session the previous night...

8:27 - We round the corner and start our journey up Flamingo Road. We approach a stop light and Jeff makes a bold (and insane?) move. The light is red and Jeff runs up to a car (again, looking pretty darn crazy). Realizing that we are both completely out of breath already, and still have a mile to go, he offers these folks in the first car he spots $30 to drive us 1 mile! The mom, being a bit confused, declines... we turn to leave and begin our run when they honk... the son, who was in the passenger seat, convinced his mom to take us up on the offer... what a saint! (yes, we have now spent $60 in the last 10 minutes in trying to get back to the Rio)

8:29 - We arrive at the Rio shortly thereafter, yet still have 400 yards to go as the drop-off zone is a good distance from the poker room... goodness! Still out of breath, we resume our sprint back the table (yes, at $750/hr, we can run quite fast). As we are sprinting through the Rio, I find it completely ironic that this is now the 2nd time in as many weeks that I've found myself sprinting through the casino (see "Tribute to Doyle" post)! How does security not stop me thinking that I look suspicious? Have I just robbed someone and am trying to get away? Somewhat troubling to know that one can apparently run amuck around the Rio!

8:33 - I arrive back at my table and... WHERE THE HECK ARE MY CHIPS???? WTF!! After briefly panicking, I realize that I have been moved to a whole different side of the poker room... I break out into a sprint... AGAIN!!

8:35 - I finally complete my epic journey and arrive at my new table. I'm drenched in sweat and look completely insane. I nearly collapse into my chair. One heck of a 1st impression, no?

8:36 - After taking minute to compose myself, I shrewdly think: How can I use this "I'm so tired" image to my advantage... hmmm... I have an idea! As I get my first hand, I tell the table "I need just a minute here fellas..." they politely oblige... I take a few breaths and look at my cards... make an easy fold. But I'm thinking one step ahead... I'm clearly "so tired and out of it" that I'm only going to play if I really have a hand as I'm still collecting myself, right? Well, that's what I wanted them to think...

8:38 - The next hand is dealt, and I'm confident in my "table image" that I know I can raise pre-flop...and EVERYONE will put me on a "big hand" as I'm clearly too tired to focus and play anything short of a big hand. Everyone thankfully folds (I had garbage cards) after I raise and steal the blinds... woohoo... small victory!

12:30 a.m. - After a really good Day 1 for both me and Jeff, we celebrate over a beer. We spend some time trying to calculate how much the President cost us in value. Well, I was 12 minutes late... and at $750/hr, that comes out to be $150. Mr. Obama: I am going to support you in 2012, but I'm officially making note that I'm going to take the $150 out of the campaign donation I'd have ordinarily made... haha, got my revenge!

12:35 a.m. - Knowing that Barack is a pretty serious poker player, I convince Jeff to run over to the poker room to see if Obama is playing. I even tell him to offer to bribe the floorman $100 to see if he can sneak us into Obama's game (if, indeed, on a long shot he is actually playing). The floorman just laughs at Jeff. I've lost count, but that is at least a dozen folks who thought we were crazy on this fine evening!

WSOP 2010 - A Tribute to Doyle Brunson

Phil Ivey might be the most famous poker player in the world today, but if you ask any poker player to name the best player over the last 40 years, Doyle "Texas Dolly"Brunson sure as heck better be on the top ofanyone's list. People have called him the "patriarch of modern poker" and have pointed out that he virtually invented Texas Hold 'em (that's not much of an exaggeration either!). Truly, without Doyle's immense influence, it is quite likely that the WSOP might be decided over a game of five card draw, Omaha, Badugi, or some other random game. You could take this argument one step farther: would there even be a WSOP without Doyle? Maybe, and maybe not. Tough to give anyone else that type of credit in terms of influence. Also, as the forefather of another idea: he was one of the very first to write a book about poker, and despite the competition of hundreds of other poker books now out there, Doyle's Super System is considered the 'bible' of poker strategy. And was/is he a good player? You better believe it! He has 10 WSOP bracelets to his name in addition to back-to-back Main Event titles...sheesh!! The craziest thing about his tournament success is that he considers himself much better at cash games and spent way more time playing in the biggest buy-in cash games ever seen on this planet over the last 40 years. Exact figures will never be known, but it is certain that he has won many millions of dollars playing cards. So why write a tribute to Doyle now? Did he die? Oh gosh...not at all! He is alive and well and looks to be going quite strong. The timing has to do more with my "date with destiny" as told in the story below...

Completing my "Bucket List" -

Any avid reader of my blog would recognize that I love to keep an eye on all the big-time pros I've played against. I'm not sure why I started doing this or why it seems important to me, but if nothing else, it makes for some good stories! From Johnny Chan, to Phil Ivey, to Daniel Negreanu, I've been given the uniquely challenging opportunity to test my game against the world's best. In fact, just this past week, the WSOP decided to host a special "Tournament of Champions" for 27 of the world's greatest players. If memory serves me correctly, I've played with 25 of the 27 players on that list. For a full-time pro, that stat would be somewhat impressive... but for an amateur teacher from LA... wow, what are the odds!?! :) Well, sadly the two names missing off my list are two of the absolute biggest: Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth. I'm not too worried about catching Phil at one point as he's still quite young and has a good 30 years of poker ahead of him... Doyle though... hmm... while still in good health, he is 76 years old. Who knows... perhaps he'll retire? All in all, given the fact that he's quite literally the one player I am really still eager to play against, especially when you factor in the ever shrinking window of opportunity to play against him.

So back to the story...

I arrive in Vegas a few Saturdays ago for a quick weekend of cash games and tournaments. I sit down with my buddy, Jeff Norman, to play a quick 1-table tourney. I bust out early on a bit of a "cooler" hand that you can't do much about other than suck it up and move on. Anyway, it is apparent that Jeff is going to go be one of the last one's standing in this tourney as he has built some early chips, so I wander over to the cash game section and hear some sweet words: "now starting a new $5/$10 NL game at table." I love getting in on a cash game when it is just starting! First of all, you learn so much about everyone by how much they buy-in. Also, some people play too eagerly and gamble much more in the first 30 minutes than they will the rest of the night, so those first 30 minutes might very well be your most profitable window of opportunity. So, I decide to buy-in for $1,700, which was just enough to cover anyone else at the table. Literally on the second hand, I crush this lady next to me and win her entire stack of $1,600 in chips and just like that I'm up to $3,300! At that point, I decide to do some really stupid (but with "destiny" in mind) math. I had already budgeted enough $$ to play in a $1,000 NLtourney the next day as well as a $1,500 NL tourney. However, that evening, there was a $3,000 HORSE tourney. HORSE (a tournament that has a player play five different games) is right up my alley and I love my chances in that game, however, I just wasn't feeling a strong desire to put up $3k on one tourney... unless I could pull a "Maverick" style run (great poker movie with Mel Gibson where he miraculously wins his buy-in at the last minute to this big tourney...and goes on to win as well). I tell myself, if I can turn my $3,300 into EXACTLY $5,850 by EXACTLY 7:16, I will go play in the HORSE tourney. Why $5,850? Well, that number would cover every single tourney buy-in for the weekend... why 7:16? Registration closes at 7:20 and the registration window is about 400 yards away! Lord knows I'm pretty fast, but sprinting through the maze of players, tables, and poker fans in less than four minutes will require a high degree of agility! So, at 3:30, I make this audacious goal (at the time, I'd have pegged my chances at about 1% in winning such a lot in such a short amount of time), but make a promise to myself to just play my "A" game and to not do anything stupid in hopes of reaching my "chip" goal.

So, 4:45 rolls around quite quickly and I'm still sitting on about the same number of chips... when BAM, I flop a set and take a very nice pot off a guy with top two pair. Just like that, up to $4,400. At 5:30, I win another very nice hand and push my stack to $4,800... do I actually have a chance? Wow... maybe!

Ahh, but just like in any good Hollywood movie, the protagonist hits a brick wall. I lose $800 at 6:00 and find myself way back down to $4,000... which feels like a million miles from $5,850. Yet I find second life... I pick up back-to-back pots of pretty good size and find myself right back at $4,800.... but time is running out. My watch moves to 6:30, then 6:45... yikes! Still $1k to go... and BAM, yet again, I win a very nice pot and move my total to $5,400... and for the first time all night, I actually think I have a chance to reach my ridiculous goal! :)

But a few more hands later, and it is 7:00... I'm down to 16 minutes and need to win $450 (to put it in perspective, that $/min rate translates to $1,687/hr... no one has the right to expect this kind of $$). I PROMISE myself that I will stick to my "A" game and refuse to play speculative hands. Also, even if I'm one penny short, I agree with myself that I will still pass on this dream tourney. So, the next hands are dealt: Fold. Fold. Fold. Down to 10 minutes... then I pick up yet another perfectly timed hand and surge to $5,600...even closer!! But now... down to FIVE minutes... if destiny is on my side, I will win...but time is sure running out!

So I do some math, and barring any ridiculously long hands, I'm down to 3 hands... hands 1 and 2...both garbage and I make quick folds... so I'm literally down to the final hand...

As the cards are coming out, I'm feeling great about this hand (without even looking at the cards, mind you...) Anyway, I just know something good is going to happen (the realistic side of my brain tells me that I'm just being overly optimistic...but hey, miracles can happen...). I need to win $250 right here, right now, and I'll be "free-rolling" the HORSE tourney (well, it is $3k, but it is all profits!). Well, the guy to my right raises it up to $50 pre-flop... I'm licking my chops as this guy is a weak player... so if I get the cards, this could be it... I slowly look at the first card... it is an Ace! Woah...good start...need the other card to be something good... a queen? Or a king? I can make those work... I slowly open up the other card...another ACE!!! Wow, this is literally my LAST hand and I have POCKET ACES... what are the odds?? (1 in 221 to be exact!). I mentally compose myself to make sure I don't give off any tells... because keep in mind, I still need to make $250 off this hand. If I shove all-in right now, I just win the guy's $50, which is still $200 short of my number. So, I carefully think about it...and make the raise up to $150. The action is quickly folded to a guy in late position (a guy whom I've been crushing all day!). He looks me over with a somewhat pissy look of "I've had enough of you and your raises" and he re-raises me another $300!! The first guy instantly folds, and it is back to me. I see that this guy only has $450 or so behind his $300 he's already put into the pot, so I have no choice but to announce that "I'm all-in" (SUCKER... GOT YOU AGAIN!!). The look on his face was priceless... I had clearly caught him trying to get some revenge on me and it had backfired in full. However, he tortures me... instead of making a quick call or fold, he sits there, and sits there, and sits there... and contemplates his decision. UGH!! Keep in mind that the time is now 7:16 and I have to make it across the entire poker tournament room (which is a LARGE room with many obstacles) to register... I need this guy to hurry up! Yet he sits there for what seems like hours (although it was literally only 2.5 minutes, but given the circumstances, it was excruciating!). And honestly, taking 2.5 minutes for one decision in poker is a really long time (pull out a watch next time you are playing... rare will be the decision that takes someone more than 20-30 seconds). Anyway, I finally plead with him as I'm racking up enough chips to cover my buy-in (although I leave some on the table to reserve my spot in case I'm late): "please sir, do something... I have less than two minutes now!" And despite the fact that I've been crushing him all night, he politely meets my request to make a quick decision... and folds. I courteously show him that I did have pocket Aces, which makes him feel a bit better. And without another second of delay, I make like Usain Bolt and sprint across the tournament floor in hopes that I can make it to the desk in less than 60 seconds. Quite a scene I must have made! Weaving in and out of "traffic" like a mad man... carrying $3,000 in $5 and $25 chips (which was 4 racks of 100 chips each, which is no small load!) with another $1k in random chips stuffed into my zipped up pockets. They were like lead weights as I ran!! Upon getting to the registration line, I convince the two guys in line to let me cut... and make it to the desk with less than 15 seconds to spare! WOW!! What are the odds?! I feel like this $3k HORSE tourney is one of destiny for me...

A minute or two later, I find my way to my table. I'm seated with a few folks I know, but many "unknowns". I take a few minutes to catch my breath and compose myself... then find my "A" game yet again. The table is quite soft and I continue my relative hot streak. Seven hours later, after a really long day of poker, I find myself comfortably sitting in 90th place of the final 220 players (with 784 originally entering the tourney). My 21k in tournament chips is definitely above average... not bad at all!! It was if even making this tournament was something that was meant to be...

Ahh, but bringing this story full circle. I check out my table draw to begin Day 2 of this tournament, and in Seat #8 at my table... none other than Doyle Brunson! What a treat! I get to bring my game against the world's best player over the last 40 years. How cool is that? Well, sadly, this story hits a brick wall. For starter's, I had no more than an hour with Mr. Brunson as he entered Day 2 quite short on chips. He went bust after about 45 minutes (and no, I did not get the KO blow). And even more frustratingly, I too went bust an hour or two after that as I suffered back-to-back tough beats that you just can't do anything about. Thus, yet again, I find another deep finish in a WSOP tournament to my credit, but no cash to show for it (I finished about 100 spots short of the $$).

All in all, I feel absolutely fantastic about my game. And with the Main Event looming large in my future, I could not be more ready and excited!

WSOP 2010 - Prop Bets!

(Before we start, quick definition: Prop bet = "side" bet in which you bet on the outcome of a random outcome or event)

Poker players are famous for their prop bets. As a poker player myself, I love to partake in this tradition. And while yes, I do enjoy to gamble a bit, the fun for me really comes from the fact that mathematical edges can be found in prop bets. For instance, let's say we are at the ball game and we bet on whether or not a guy is going to get a hit in his next at bat... of course one has to factor in his batting average and other statistics to made a prediction. Am I right every time? Of course not, but I enjoy calculating those odds and have found myself on the "good" side of prop bets more often than not! :) Alas, enough about me as my biggest prop bets ever relative pennies compared to the prop bets I'm going to share now...

Prop Bet #1 - While I was playing in that $1,500 Omaha tourney a few weeks ago at the table with Phil Ivey, I was a first-hand witness to the incredible world that pro poker players live in. Just as I sat down, a poker pro from another table (Tony G) walks up to our table to talk to pro player David Benyamine. Both Tony and David were very, very low in chips in this tournament. So low that they'd likely be "all-in" within the next few minutes. Anyway, Tony was like "David, let's make a little last longer bet (the player who lasts longer in the tourney wins the bet)..." (By little, I'd have guessed $50-$100 or so...enough to pay for dinner should they go hang out). Anyway, David was like sure, let's make it 10 (and when these guys say "10", it isn't $10... they are saying $10,000!!). As audacious as this bet is, it is even more silly as these guys clearly will be "all-in" very, very soon and essentially will be flipping a coin to stay alive... results of the bet to come after Prop Bet #2...

Prop Bet #2 - So of course I'm still at a table with one of the highest stakes poker players in the world, Mr. Phil Ivey (see picture above). Phil, never one to let an opportunity to gamble pass him by, instantly said "I want in on that bet... I'll bet on David against you!!" when Tony G and David made their deal. Remember, this "bet" that they are making amounts to no more than a "coin-flip" of sorts as both players will be all-in very soon with any decent hand. Tony is like... okay, another 10? Phil says "nah, 10 is borning, let's go for 50" (yes, $50,000... on a coin-flip... geez!). Anyway, about five minutes later, David Benyamine is all-in with a decent hand and is about 50-50 to stay alive... the cards come out, brick, brick, brick for David and he is bust. Bam! Just like that, Ivey losses $50k... I was watching Phil the whole time and he didn't even flinch one bit. I suppose when you make $5-$10 million/year playing poker, $50k isn't much... but still... so nuts!

Prop Bet #3 - Last July, Phil made a $200,000 prop bet with Daniel Negreanu. The terms of the bet were this: Daniel had until the start of this year's WSOP to shoot an 80 (from the men's tees at a specific course in Vegas). At the time of the bet, Daniel's best round ever was around 88, so he had a lot of work to do. Anyway, one would think that for $200k, both players would have really nailed down the terms of the agreement, but therein lies the controversy, which was the talk of the day at my table... Anyway, back to the golf before we get to the controversy. During August and September, Daniel worked really hard on his game and managed to shoot an 84. However, he hardly played one bit from October to March (remember, $200k is on the line...jeez!). Come April, Daniel realizes that he has less than two months to shoot an 80. His first round back out after his hiatus... a 110...then a 105... then a 98... but nowhere near 80! He gets it down to the low 90's again, but is feeling quite hopeless. All of a sudden, he happens to cross paths with (arguably) the world's greatest golf teacher, Tiger Woods' coach until a few months ago, one Hank Haney... what luck!! In 15 minutes, Hank shows Daniel this little trick and just like that, Daniel adds 20 yards to his tee shots. What a nice little gift. Pretty soon, Daniel is back out to the course every day... shooting 86... 85... getting closer and closer. Yet, this year-long bet is now down to just 2 days!! Here comes the controversy. Having never established all of the rules, Daniel finds it acceptable to "re-start" his round whenever he sees fit. So if he starts off +4 through 5, he just runs back to #1 and starts again. In essence, he just plays the first few holes until he is off to a really hot start. Then he only has to worry about playing well over the final 14 or so. Ultimately, Daniel does this enough and finally breaks through to shoot an 80. Anyway, the hot topic of the day was this: "Did Daniel break any rules?" I'd argue that he didn't...especially since they never set the rules, but ethically? A bit murky... oh well. The funniest thing about the deal is Phil didn't seem to care at all!! It was mainly everyone else at the table discussing the $200k... when someone asked Phil what he thought about it... he just shrugged... "just 200k, no biggie..." Oh, must be nice!

Prop Bet #4 - So I eventually get moved from another table from Phil and find myself sitting down in the midst of another "hot" conversation regarding a prop bet. This one is between two other pros, Mike Matusow and Ted Forrest. Their bet is even more irrational. Mike has bet $50,000 and given Ted 20-1 odds (meaning Ted has to risk losing $50k to win 20 x $50k... which is $1,000,000) that Ted can't weigh 135 pounds by July 17th. Ted currently is 6' 1" and weights about 180, but had accepted the challenge. Anyway, Mike was literally running up and down the tables in excitement over his bet as he viewed it as a "can't lose" bet. But Mike, what if you DO lose.... $1,000,000 is a lot of money!!! Just nuts... completely nuts...

Prop Bet #5 - The biggest bet of the WSOP this year (quite naturally) starts and ends with Tom Dwan. With the mainstream public, Tom definitely isn't as famous as a Phil Ivey or Doyle Brunson, but within the poker community, he is an absolute legend... and he's only 23!! Dwan is perhaps the perfect stereotype of an internet player. Young, super aggressive, eager to bluff, and (more often than not), really, really good! And in Tom's case, good doesn't capture it...he's incredible. It isn't too uncommon for Dwan to be online playing 4-6 tables all at once... with at least $200-$500k in front of him at each table. While I have no exact stats, I wouldn't be surprised if Dwan has won $15M from online poker in the last 4 years (which includes an infamous $6M downswing last November). Anyway, being primarily a cash game/internet guy, Dwan decided to make a prop bet that would generate a lot of action. If offered 3-1 odds (i.e. I could win $100 from Dwan if he didn't win, but if he did win, I'd have to pay him $300), he was willing to bet any amount of money that he'd win a WSOP bracelet this year. Winning a bracelet is tough...even if you play in every single event... this is a fantastically difficult task even that there are many thousands of players. Anyway, no exact numbers have been revealed, but it is speculated that Dwan has $3,000,000 of his own money on the line for this bet (meaning if he wins a bracelet, he will win 3x that amount... some $9,000,000!!!). So, Dwan will either lose $3M or win $9M... a $12M swing. Geez! The big drama occurred in Even #10, when Dwan entered the final 9 of a 2,500 player tournament in 1st in chips! A few hours later, he found himself down to the final 2 (heads up with a complete unknown from New Zealand) with a real strong chance to win this outlandish bet! Anyway, the atmosphere was amazing as every big time pro (many of whom had bet against Dwan and stood to lose a lot of $$) was in the stands to watch the final action. And such an epic (and weird) scenario. This unknown guy (Simon Watt) is probably nervous as all get out... he's playing for about $150k (the difference between 1st and 2nd). Meanwhile, Dwan probably looking cool and calm as ever, is playing for that same difference in prize money... plus another $12M swing if he wins/losses. So sick! Well, about an hour later, in a David v. Goliath type finish, little old Simon Watt became one of the most popular players amongst the big-time pros as he outlasted Dwan for the win!

Bonus Prop Bet - During that same tourney in which I was with Ivey, I also sat with David Sklansky. David is known in the poker community as a "math guru". He's even written a dozen books or so focusing on the math behind poker. All very good reads, by the way. Anyway, he had an interesting prop bet idea: Which is more likely to happen: A pitcher throwing back-to-back no-hitters or someone breaking Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak? I'm offering a small prize to the person who emails me with the most compelling answer! Of course I'll be looking for some statistics to back up your belief! (by the way, I've done a bit of research on this one myself and I have an idea...but by no means am I convinced that I have this one right)