World Series of Poker Preview and FAQs

"I'm a professional cynic but my heart's not in it." --- Damon Albarn

So I'm off to Vegas on Tuesday for my first ever World Series of Poker. I'm admittedly quite excited about it. It should be a great time. I've been answering a lot of questions about this lately, so I thought I'd throw together a little post about it here in question and answer format."

1. What event are you playing and when does it start?

I'm playing event #4. It's $1500 limit hold 'em and it begins on Thursday, June 29th.

2. Is that the main event? Will you be on TV?

No, it is not the main event that Chris Moneymaker or Greg Raymer won. That event is a $10,000 buy-in much later on. Clearly, I'm not rolling there yet. However, I may be on to TV if I make the final table. Last year's final table was televised with Eric Froehlich becoming the youngest World Series bracelet winner ever.

3. Who are you going with and where are you staying?

I am meeting a crew of fellow aspiring young men from Phoenix, Mark Swartz, Chad Mattox, and James McNamara. Those three are all playing Event #2 which starts Tuesday. It's $1500 no limit hold 'em. I'll be their photographer for a while and relax before I start playing. Hopefully, we'll all have success and get some silly ESPN footage out of the deal. Somehow, I doubt it though. We are staying at the Venetian, thanks to Chad.

4. How could one follow your progress?

The best coverage every year is on cardplayer.com. What you'll want to do is click on my event or the event of my comrades which should be right on the home page and then go to "chip count". That's the best way to see how we are doing. If we are the chipleader or something, it will be much easier to find us. If we make it to day two or three, we should be really easy to find.

5. Do you realistically think you can win?

I can't speak for my comrades and their confidence. I know that Swartz could take this down if he brings his 'A game' though. I think it is possible that I can win. It will take the best poker of my life, insane concentration, and some luck. It's possible though, or I wouldn't be there. There will be a ton of great players, including all of the stars of the game. It will be a tough field to get through. Last year it was 1,049 players. This year, I'm betting on more.

6. Do you have any goals outside of winning?

Not really. It would be great to make the money but I'm not going to go in with that as a goal. Playing to make the money isn't the way to become a successful tournament player. All of the money is weighted to the top of the pyramid. I don't want to play for 3 days just to profit $250 when I could have done that in 4 hours at the Mirage. I don't get my name in the poker history books for beating a game at the Mirage though, so there is some benefit. Don't get me wrong there. Still, I'm playing to win. The top 10% isn't my goal. If I make the money playing to win though, I'll be ecstatic regardless of where I finish. Really my only goal is to get some great experience. I'd like to be playing in the WSOP every year and maybe more than just one event. Being a part of the atmosphere and taking it all in, sitting with the greats of the game, and figuring out where I stand and what I need to do to improve are my real goals. Having a great time is inevitable. If I get bounced in 20 minutes, I'll still be happy I was there and hopefully, I could get a good lesson out of that.

7. Will you play any differently against the pros? Do you fear them?

I think you always have to take your opponent into account. I'm not going to play an insane draw just to suck out on a pro like some players would. I'm going to play my game. I'm more the unknown in that situation though which might work to my advantage a little. A pro player is thinking on many different levels and if I'm in a pot with them, I'll try to get inside their head and figure out what they are doing. I would do that with any opponent. There is just more going on in say Howard Lederer's head. I'm not afraid of anyone though. Will I look to play more pots against weaker players and less pots against stronger ones? Sure. That's just good strategy. It's not my dream to beat Doyle Brunson in a pot. It's my dream to beat Doyle Brunson and every other mother f%&*$# in the tournament, hoist my bracelet, and fall into a big pile of cash while my crew runs out to tackle me. Winning a battle is nice. Winning a war is history.

8. When are you flying home?

The final table is Saturday, my flight is for late Friday. If I make the final table, I have no problem changing my flight. In fact, if I make the final table, I'll be flying at least a couple of people out just to cheer me on on Saturday. Good Karma, love, and support can't be underestimated at times like these.

9. How will you win? What is your tournament strategy?

I can't get into everything obviously but I will toss a few things out there. I'm thinking about this one level at a time. With blinds starting at $25/$50 and only $1500 in starting chips, I'll need to catch some cards early or at a minimum steal several pots to keep up with the escalating blind structure. Still, there is enough "play" that I won't have to get too crazy and desperate. I plan on playing mostly my tight aggressive style early as I hear there are many loose players early on in tournaments structured this way. I think my natural style fits nicely against those types of players. After the first few levels though, I'll have to change gears at least a little to avoid becoming too predictable. I'll probably employ a Liz Lieu strategy of raising with suited connectors, especially in position, now and again to disguise my pre-flop play and also mix in a few moves post-flop. I'll look to do this primarily against weaker players and players I feel that I can take a pot away from without the best hand. If conditions aren't what I expect though, I'll clearly adjust to that. If I can hammer the blinds consistently, I'll do that. If everyone is folding without the nuts, I'll get into more pots. Pretty standard stuff. My primary goals are to stay entirely focused, have a purpose for everything I do, and don't do anything too stupid. Having fun is the other primary goal, of course.

10. Will you wear sunglasses?

I'm hoping not to go there. I'll save that for $2/$4 table at the Monte Carlo. If I feel like hiding though, or that I'm being read like an open book, I'll mix it up with the shades maybe. I will probably wear my iPod for parts of the day. Some people like soothing music when they play. I'm a rap guy.

11. Any final table plans?

If I were to make the final table, I am wearing my yellow "Cobra Kai Never Dies" t-shirt just because I would love to hear what Norman Chad would have to say about that. That is, unless one of the online sites offers me something to wear one of their shirts. I can be bribed. There is no doubt there.

Wish us all luck. I'll try to post updates as the tournament goes on but I can't guarantee it. I'll rap it all up when I get home though, to be sure. Your support is appreciated. I'll be calling many of your throughtout also, I'm sure.

Good Day Today

Things finally slowed down for me a little today. I got some high quality sleep, picked up a free Caribou, hit the bank, went to the dry cleaners, bought some shoes, went to the liquor and grocery stores, and grabbed lunch. I also played a 3 table limit hold 'em tournament and took down 1st. I had all of that out of my system by 2:30, got a good run in, made 474 phone calls, and now it's time to blog. Go me.

The Championship

Well, I made it out to the championship game tonight. My brother and his squad prevailed for the 3rd consecutive year. It was a hard fought game. Their opponents, Fran's on 17, came out with something to prove. Getting a strong outing on the mound from southpaw Devon Alsip, my parents next door neighbor, they actually led 5-4 at one point. My brother pitched 3 innings and didn't have his best stuff, I'll be the first to admit. He did manage to come up with the game-winning RBI though. They went on to win the game 8-6. My family managed to have 10 people in the crowd by ourselves. Average turn out per team to games this year is probably 40, so we really brought it for this. I was happy to see that. The rain held off which was good. While the team fought hard on the field, I (and everyone else) fought hard in the crowd with a completely insane mosquito situation. I was covered completely, but despite wearing two shirts I was getting bit on my back. I couldn't get back to the city soon enough.

Congrats again to Kankakee Valley Construction Company on a nearly perfect season! Have I mentioned that my brother is a badass?

Really Speedy with a Little Anger

Well, as many of my readers already know, I took it upon myself to conduct something of a sociological experiment on Friday. In order to answer the question, "who the heck is seeing this crap" myself and some of my comrades and I went to see Fast and the Frickin' Furious: Tokyo Drift. We caught the 8 p.m. show at River East after some quality time drinking beers and what not. Expectations were low and they weren't met. The movie was actually okay for a while. We thought there was too much plot though. This was due mostly to the plot being entirely brutal. We were looking for more silly cars and things of that nature. The plot essentially couldn't have been more illogical for the last half of the film. Additionally, we were treated to quite possibly the worst depiction of a mafia organization on film. My favorite (least favorite really) part of the movie involves the main character offering a fair solution to a problem that doesn't exist by proposing to the local mafia boss that they settle things with a "race". The RedEye gave this film 3 stars. I concur, as long as the scale is 27 stars. The Vin Diesel scene just put this over the top into the "I can't really believe this is happening" realm.


So who goes to see this movie? I caught a picture of the crowd at the beginning before the whole area filled in right before the kickoff. I'd sum up the various groups as falling into a couple of categories.

1. Two guys with no dates looking for a dude movie.
2. Young Asian-American youth on a group date.
3. Young Asian-American men not on a group date.
4. A few other randoms.

Rao summed it up best with his characterization of the movie I think. He said, "Asian date movie of the summer." So that answers that, I guess.

It's Late...

I'm really tired, I just got home. I owe you people some posts though, so here I am. A couple of things to wrap up really quick:

1. You have to love that the Heat took this title as a Bulls fan. We should have knocked them off in Round 1. We aren't as far away as some people think. Other than that though, Gary Payton has a ring now. Jason Williams has a ring. Antoine Walker has a ring. Pat Riley has another one. How could this happen? I enjoyed these playoffs until this result.

2. F the Carolina Hurricanes.

3. I still don't care about the World Cup.

4. I recently finished the book Balling the Jack. This is exceptional, especially for all of you young male gamblers out there. Thanks to Antognoli for the tip.

5. Talib Kweli's The Beautiful Struggle is my favorite album right now. If you dig some rap/hip hop, I'd say that you should be checking that out.

6. Blueberry Stoli is great. Check that out. I've had it with soda and tonic and I prefer tonic. Then again, I always do.

7. Sometimes Moz has no answers and you are forced to turn to Miyagi for guidance. It's about that time.

8. I leave for the World Series of Poker in one week. More details to follow later, as in not tonight.

9. The Cards are playing the White Sox right now. That means that there are more mullets per square foot in U.S. Cellular Field than anywhere else on the planet.

10. Life is good.

Nicholas Wheeler - Superstar

It's finally official. Justice has been served. After mowing down the batters in his league for the whole season, swinging the heavy lumber, and leading his team to first place, my brother is officially an all-star. He'll have 20 practices with his new teammates over the next few weeks to prepare for the regional tournament. Hopefully, they will be kicking some serious keister.

You might recall that my brother got stiffed for all-stars last year. If it happened this year, I would probably end up behind bars as I just couldn't let the unjustice of it all stand and I would commit some criminal acts in retribution. I'm not sure what they would be, but you know...

Anyway, the kid is super-pumped. We usually talk on the phone for about 5 minutes. He talked my ear off for half an hour about this yesterday. He's really worked hard and done everything he could to get better. My stepfather has been there every step of the way working with him and helping him achieve his goals. I couldn't be prouder of both of them. Great job Nick!

Another overdose of awesome...

Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before
Nothings changed I still love you...

My man Curtis hooked me up with a wonderful gift today. It seems he's been reading my blog lately and he made me a copy of The Smiths - The Complete Picture DVD, which is tremendous. Big props to you Curtis. I can't thank you enough. I used to have some The Smiths' music videos on some old VHS tapes. I loved those tapes but alas, I don't have them any longer. They all died out at least 7 years ago. Watching all of the videos in succession though is just out of this world. I frickin' love the video for Ask which I seriously haven't seen in probably 12 years. It's incredible. I had also forgotten how Morrissey looks strangely George Michael-esque for large portions of the Panic video. This was a startling re-discovery just now. Also, I think I might try to emulate the hairstyle Moz is rocking in the What Difference Does It Make performance. I'm not sure I can get my hair up that high, but it might work for me, if I can. I won't be as devastatingly handsome to be sure, but who is?

Wedding Photos

No time for a Moz quote right now but here are some photos from the wedding this weekend. Thanks Sam and Jess for a doing an awesome job with the camera!

Oh yeah, go to okcupid and get yourself a date if you are single. Happy now Sam?

Leheney Wedding, etc.

And if a double-decker bus
Crashes into us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die

No one says love with such an endearing tone of morbidity like Morrissey. While not exactly conventional, I always thought this would be a solid little addition to some wedding vows. This didn't go down at my man Leheney's wedding of course. That was probably for the best.

What did go down was a righteous good time. I spent the morning of the wedding day freaked out about my best man speech. I woke up with no alarm at 6:00 am and started going over it again and again in my mind. By noon, I was in Naperville. I went over it a few more times. After a while though, I just gave up.

In the early afternoon, we got the wedding started. The service went off without a hitch and in the end, my best friend in the world - Mike Leheney was a married man. He and Kimberly looked great and the whole thing was fantastic. I wish I had some pictures, but as I had to participate, I left the camera behind. I'm sure there will be an overdose of these in the future though.

After the ceremony wrapped up, the party got started. After firing up my speech, I felt relieved. I had nothing left to think about and I got the cocktails rolling heavy. The speech seemingly went well. There were some laughs and a few tears. I'm happy with that outcome. The tapas dinner was fantastic. The company was fantastic. The dance floor was in full effect. A request for Ice Ice Baby, really got things going. Leheney pulled out some of his more classic dance moves and the rest of the crew was bringin' it.

I ended up in bed early at around 2:30am. However, I woke up at 7. I had no alarm yet again. Anyone that knows me, understands how insane this is. Somehow, my boy getting hitched has turned me into a morning person. Well, at least it did for two days. That's really all I have to say about the wedding for now. I could go on and on for hours with some little stories and what not, but I just don't have the energy right now.

Congratulations again go out to the lucky couple. I love you guys.

Could it be, I like you?

Could it be, I like you?
It's so shameful of me
I like you

So many applications of that one, I can't even tell you. Thanks to Morrissey again there. As promised, this will be a theme for a while.

Today's inspiration though is Paris Hilton. Betty Rocker was kind enough to pass me her latest track to hit the net, Stars are Blind. Find it for yourself, if you haven't heard it already because I don't feel like uploading it at the moment. I've heard it described as "sounds just like Gwen Stefani", "completely atrocious", and "whispery reggae" today. I have to say, I don't think that it sounds too bad at all. In fact, I'm trying to like it. I'm looking forward to getting the album too. I'm a Paris fan though, unlike most people who can't wait to bust out their buckets of Hatorade any time her name pops up. Anyway, so that's that. A new Paris Hilton track is out there and you might want to listen to it.

I've got Leheney's wedding coming up this weekend so I'm finishing up my speech for that. It's tough writing a speech, you know? I think the key is just to not mess up too badly. I think I can probably do that, so I'm optimistic. A few keys here as far as I can tell -

1. Don't leave the bride mortified.
2. Don't cry.
3. Don't drink too much beforehand.
4. Speak English.

My head is all over the place lately. Yesterday, I even missed my train stop by 3 stops. That's tough to do. I ended up on Paulina wondering what the hell had happened. I hoofed it back to punish myself for my oversight. I needed the exercise anyway . I just got so wrapped up in my latest book, How Soon is Never, which I am enjoying tremendously. I haven't reached the point where the main character attempts to reunite The Smiths though. That might be a deal breaker.

Cheerio kids.

The world is full of crashing bores....

...and I must be one.

I'm going to be titling my posts with Morrissey and Smiths lyrics for a while. This is due to me listening to insane amounts of the Mozzer lately, and also because I simply just love them. There are times in life when the actions you should take might not be clear. You may not know what is right. You may not know where you belong. You may not know what the hell happened to you or why you are where you are. It's times like this that some people turn to friends, family, or religion to help them through. I turn to one of two things. Morrissey or The Karate Kid Trilogy. Right now, it's Morrissey.

I wanted to maybe mention a couple of things. First, look out for the Cubs because I'm seeing signs of life. I'm not even joking about this. I can "feel" a reasonable running starting here.

For those of you that haven't noticed, the Stanley Cup Finals started today. This is like the World Series for Hockey people. Watch a little, it's in hi def. The underdog, over-achieving Edmonton Oilers are going to take down the Carolina Hurricanes. Why? The 'Canes are like the Atlanta Braves, no one shows up to cheer them on until the World Series. They can barely sell out semi-final playoff games. Edmonton is as hockey-crazed a town as you will find. They are Canadian. They are scrappy. They flat out want it more. Throw your dough on the Oilers. They find ways to get it done. They also have more to lose. No one in Carolina cares about hockey.

Keep it real people. I'm boring. I've got nothing else to say. Good night.