A Week in Review

The Drought is Over and the Grass is Green Again!

In case you haven't caught my drift, I have been having a poker dry spell since the WSOP. Thank goodness for my partners! Because of their scores my bankroll didn't suffer too badly but my ego sure did!

ALL poker players go through dry periods. If a player tells you he/she has never had a long dry spell (a losing streak - no matter what you did!) he/she is either a liar or they played three times in their life, won all three times, and never played again!

My turn-around happened at 7:32 PM last evening. It was at the Wynn Casino in Las Vegas. It was a small tourney, only 29 players but a win is a win! The money wasn't life changing but it certainly was attitude changing. I'll go for 15-times on my investment anytime.

I owe this win to my assistant, Sassy. She had been sort fussing at me for my attitude about my long losing streak. She kept gently preaching about my attitude and lack of positive thinking. So all morning, before heading to the Wynn, I kept telling myself, I am going to the Wynn to win. Even when I lost one hand and got short-stacked in the second round, I keep thinking, I am at the Wynn to win! Sure enough, within minutes of that loss, I had a little rush and became a threat. From there, it was smooth sailing into the winner's circle! I am so happy. I hate brown grass! Green is beautiful and makes you feel good!

 

 

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Two in a Row!

 

Love the feel and smell of this green green grass. I decided to try the one and only H.O.R.S.E. tournament (a combination of poker games including Hold'em, Omaha, Razz, Stud, and Eight or Better Stud) in Las Vegas. I love the mixed games but have never won one ... until Friday night! This is a new tourney at Binion's in downtown Las Vegas so if you are ever interested, if I'm in town, that is where I will be as I enjoyed it so - winning was icing on the HORSE cake. I tried today (Sunday) for a trifecta, but it was not to be. It's OK, I'm not greedy. I am thrilled with my turnaround and as long as I can continue on a steady pace of some wins mixed in with the bad luck and suck outs, I won't be retiring from the green felt for some time to come.  

 

 

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I Have Not Been This Angry, Disappointed, or Disgusted Since 1990

I started getting emails and phone calls last Wed. August 20, the day after ESPN first aired the final table of the 2008 World Series of Poker $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, the cream de la cream of the WSOP.

 

 

I have always considered Scotty Nguyen to be a poker friend, more than an acquaintance. Years ago, I visited him in his home. I like Scotty, he is friendly, jovial, and kind. What has happened to the Scotty that I knew? He had a meltdown last year in the final event and this year at the final table, when play was down to the final three of the biggest and most prestigious event of the Series, something happened to him. It was as if some ugly, vulgar, demon invaded Scotty's body. He didn't even look like the same person as he spewed his venom.

I don't waste a lot of energy being angry but right now, after a second viewing of this episode, I am angry at Scotty, the Rio, Harrah's, and ESPN.

Scotty, how could you do this? There were 29 bleeps, one from Erick Lindgren, one from young Michael DeMichele and 27 from Scotty who instigated his opponent's one each bleep. Folks can read lips when it's a simple four-letter word. Rio, what happened to the floormen? Why was Scotty not even given a warning, followed by penalties, followed by disqualification? Harrah's, do you not see a rough cut of what ESPN has edited and televises with you as their main sponsor? ESPN, what are you trying to do to our poker world? Were you not shocked by what happened? It takes a lot to shock me these days for I have lived for awhile and I have been deeply involved in the poker world for over two decades. Back in the early days of the WSOP in general, poker in particular, the game had a bad reputation. Poker was thought to be played in backrooms and basements where nasty-talking men, guzzled swill, cussed each other and sometimes killed each other. It certainly wasn't that bad, but we had gained respect and I believe that Scotty has set us back by ten years. I also believe that the highly respected Chip Reese would be terribly disappointed at Scotty's horrible behavior.

It's all about the money. There were 24 different advertisers during this two-hour show. Do you think they would have paid for this air time had they known it was going to be X-rated? My son is a grown man who has finally come to respect what I do for a living and I would be horrified if he watched this show. I wouldn't want him to think that I play poker with someone who is unprofessional to the point of being scary.

 

Young DeMichele was on the joyride of his life, and yes, he was celebrating his wins with too much excitement and leaving the table to high-five his friends and family. So, again, where were the floormen? There also is a rule against that. Michael certainly calmed down after a tongue-lashing from Scotty. Scotty then proceeded to take the greatest moment in Michael's young life and turn it into a nightmare. Granted, winning over a million dollars will help erase a nightmare, but what a shame to have your parade and your joyful experience totally destroyed on a person known as "The Prince of Poker."

Scotty cursed the cocktail staff. His beers were coming too slowly and then they weren't cold enough. Earlier, Scotty slow-rolled Greenstein - not a rule breaker, but almost as rude as a poker player can be. Scotty held his three hole cards up over his head and showed them to the audience, while being a total jerk. Showing your cards is a rule breaker. However, to me, besides his foul language and all of his ugly shenanigans and rule breaking, the worst was the shot he took at the kid, again not a rule breaker, but a total pond scum play. Scotty did this by calling his hand, "Ace high" and following it with, "Oh, Baby, I thought you checked." On the next card, Scotty bet and the kid raised! That play, I believe, turned out just as Scotty planned. And then to rub the young man's nose in it and embarrass him further was so distasteful.

Lastly, and this one is against the rules, was what truly appeared to be collusion from Scotty. At one point he laid down aces-up to Erick who was short-stacked and any tournament player worth his weight knows you make that call. Scotty had let it be known that he wanted to be heads-up with Erick. He then openly braged, "I gave you a whole new life there, Baby". A bit later, Scotty raised a pot in what he admitted to Eric was a play to try to protect Erick's hand. Erick folded and Scotty berated him with, "We would never be this long. I was trying to be (bleeping) nice to you, man."

To which Erick responded, "I don't care about that. I ain't on ' Team Scotty', buddy, and never will be." Collusion is the worse, a bottom of the bucket scum play.

Some stars believe that they are above the law. OJ proved that is correct. Some poker stars think they are above the rules, Scotty proved that.

Scotty Nguyen is Cherokee Casino's pro player. I'm sure he has a grand reputation there. I have seen him in action. He is a great ambassador for them. I wonder how they are feeling about his contract now that this different Scotty has emerged?

Scotty has publicly apologized on CardPlayer.com. When Harrah's was contacted by Card Player, a Harrah's spokersperson commented, “All players at the WSOP must conduct themselves appropriately. We obviously have some work to do on this matter. With that in mind, a process has been under way since the end of the WSOP to re-examine the rules related to player conduct and the enforcement of those rules. We will have something more substantive to say on this matter well before the start of the 2009 WSOP.”

I don't think that is enough. I believe that Scotty should be stripped of his title and Erick Lindgren and Michael should have a play-off for the title. The floormen who just cringed with the rest of the audience should be fired. A bit far-fetched, you say. Well, stranger things have happened in the poker world. A decade ago, no one ever thought that poker would become a popular televised spectator sport and look what happened. Scotty has damaged the poker world. He should be punished.

Thank you for allowing me to vent. I feel much better.