Bedtime Stories From The WSOP

Hello, it's been a few days...

First, I want to congratulate Sam Barnhart for winning the inaugural WSOP Circuit National Championship. I finished Day One with 40K in chips, and as I exited the tournament area, I walked with Sam Barnhart. He asked me how many chips I had and I asked him also, remembering him saying he had around 20K.

I then told this old cliche I always like to use....

"Do you know how you win a tournament Sam? Survive and get hot late".

And Sam did get hot late. I was due to fly out this past Tuesday, but extended my stay until this Tuesday. I have been concentrating on single table satellites and cash games. The results have been reasonably good. I ran into Jerry Yang today and The Champ always seems glad to see me. I also ran into Phil Hellmuth for a brief moment. I am not positive he recognized me and my new haircut, despite shaking my hand. I do not rank high on his Philly's list of people to remember.

I lost the Jonathan Duhamel interview. Last week I posted about speaking on the phone with the reigning World Champion of Poker for an hour. Fast forward to Friday morning and the National Championship. Thirty minutes before the tournament began, I grabbed my mini recorder to check the batteries. My plan was to take verbal notes about the event and write about it later. When shit like this happens to me, despite how embarrassing it is, I always have to tell someone...

That someone was Alan Fowler of the Media Department at Caesars Entertainment.

Al stopped by my table and congratulated me on making the Finals. He wished me luck, but all I wanted to do is dump the fact I lost the Duhamel interview on him. He said "Wow. You got Jonathan? We have been trying to get him too". He then told me not to let it bother me and concentrate on the task at hand. $300,000

My conversation with The Champ was ERASED. I am not sure how I am going to explain this to Ante Up and PokerStars. I am opting for going with the truth. Later in the tournament, I played versus Bernard Lee, a man I was finally meeting after interviewing him a year ago. Brandon Adams was also at the table. I told the story of the Duhamel interview and both men recommended I write the interview from memory...

These are my thoughts: When doing these interviews, I am very careful with the my subject's image -- precise with the quotes. They are famous and rich, World Champions. They are adored by the poker masses and it is imperative that I get it right. Despite the Bernard's recommendation, I decided not to write the interview.

New friends. I have gotten to know Kevin "Kevmath" Mathers, Jay Newnum, Pete Mavro Adam Hui, Brian Ali, Brandon Adams, Robert Scott and Allie Prescott on this trip. All these guys are good guys and I plan to play the $550 Venetian Deepstack tomorrow.

This tournament is a Omaha High Low 8 or Better, my best game.

RESULTS from the National Championship

National Championship DAY ONE

This is a rambling post about Day One. It is 11:00 PM Las Vegas time, I have some energy left and this was the lineup at my first table:

Seat 1 - Dennis Summers - 2 Allie Prescott - 3 Brian Ali - 4 Gary Friedlander  - 5 Jesse Bryant - 6 Jeses Cabrera - 7 Josh Evans - 8 Joel Merwick - 9 Scotty Fucking Clark

My Southwest flight was St. Louis to Omaha, Nebraska, to Las Vegas. When the plane began to board in Omaha, here came Joel Merwick -- an Omaha native. I said hello, but we don't know each other and we never talked at the airport. Fast forward to the next day and would you know it, Joel was seated on my right. My first big pot was versus Merwick. I raised with Queens in a three-way pot. The flop landed K 7 4 and it was checked around. A Queen of Diamonds landed on the turn -- completing any Diamond draw. Joel bet and was called by myself and Brian Ali. A blank landed on the river, Joel led again and I called. Merwick showed a set of Sevens and I took it down with three Queens. A very good check by me on the flop.

I rolled my stack into 32,000 (20K to start) by the end of the second level. I had began to build a great table image, mixing up instances of having the hand at showdown and showing a few big pairs to folds. I also got away with stealing when I tried. Then I made a steal that should have worked but didn't. Read about the hand at Poker News below.

Poker News Live Reporting

Brian Ali picked off my river bluff when I held one pair. It was checked around on the flop and Jesus Cabrera was in position in the hand. I led on the turn representing the flush that got there and was called twice. I bet big on the river, and Ali tanked a long time. Brian hated his call, he was "in the squeeze". Cabrera's demeanor told me he had no call coming, but Ali still called 10K and this let alot of wind out of my sails. After that hand, I just called with AK from the small blind in an uncalled pot to Allie Prescott. He was short-stacked, shoved with Ace rag and I snap called. After the elimination of Prescott, Kyle Cartwright and Dwyte Pilgrim were moved to my table.

Dennis Summer and Gary Friedlander never showed up for the tournament and their chips were picked up after four hours. We played 7 handed for 4 hours and I think the situation was actually advantageous for me. After busting Allie, I doubled up Dwyte Pilgrim in probably the worst call all year. I will write about the hand later, just to prove I am human. Mr Pilgrim should thank me, it was embarrassing...

I was then moved to a different table which included Pete Mavro, Bernard Lee and Brandon Adams on my immediate left. La Sengphet and Allen Kessler were on my right. I am telling you here and now, I watched La simply pummel a table of grown men. It is true, this bitch can play boys (inside joke). I  was down to 12K when I raised with As Js and La re-raised from the big blind allin. I folded and she showed me Queens, cause we friends on Facebook LOL. For three hours at this table I lingered between 9K and 20K -- then I doubled through Miss Sengphet. I limped with AK, Pete raised, La called with 66 and I shipped it. La called and the flop came 7 7 T. There was no help on the turn, but I spike the Ace on the river to avoid elimination...

I enter Day Two with 38,600 in chips. Blinds will be 600/1200 and 35 players remain. Fourteen of these players have a shorter stack than I, but I have drawn a very tough table on the re-draw. The chip average is 54,000 and it is anybody's game. The very lovely La Sengphet is the chipleader.

CHIP COUNTS going into Day Two