Flashback: Budapest Halloween & Benjo Day

By Pauly
Indio, CA

Tomorrow is not only Halloween, it's the Tao of Poker favorite Frenchman's birthday, so happy birthday to Benjo! Here's one of my favorite moments from this past summer when Otis and I played a video version of What Does Benjo Think?



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Well, let's also go back, way back in time to 2009. I went to Budapest to cover the EPT Hungarian Open. I rented a cool apartment one block from the Danube and threw a couple of parties and celebrated Benjo's birthday. During the last party, we recorded four episodes of the Tao of Pokerati. Some great shit there especially the first and last episodes. One year later, I'm still laughing my ass off at our hijinks.

Tao of Pokerati Book 3: Budapest (w/ Benjo)

Episode 3.1: EPT Afterparty (3:39)

Description by Michalski: Pauly heads to Hungary for EPT Budapest with Benjo, and unexpectedly hosts Johnny Lodden, winner Will Fry, and other final tableists in his flat for some celebratory 420 and beer — giving insight into the much heralded EPT circuit experience, the value of Hungarian forints, and "dodgy" Euro strip clubs.


Episode 3.2: Hungarian Hooker Halloween (4:14)

Description by Michalski: The post-EPT-Budapest shenanigans continue as Benjo and Pauly discuss whorehouses and the Tarantino-esque experiences of French and Scandi bustouts with Hungarian women-for-hire. A tad of religious guilt kicks in as the poker media duo contemplates the Day of the Dead on the Danube.


Episode 3.3: Competitive Apple Eating (4:08)

Description by Michalski: Prop bets among the international press break out at the EPT afterparty, and, of course, Benjo and Pauly are there to moderate/get in on the action. The big bet comes when Matt Showell challenges his PokerListings colleague Rod Stirzaker's claim that he can eat 50 apples in 90 minutes. Legal concerns emerge (what's the rule on a prop bet that leads to death?) before it turns into a scavenger hunt to find 50 edible Granny Smiths at 3:30am in Budapest.


Episode 3.4: Euro Core-tossing (3:17)

Description by Michalski: 5 am: The prop-betting evolves... as Pauly discovers (much to Benjo's dismay) the Hungarian offshoot of lime tossing: trying to hit bums with apple cores. The ethically questionable game of skill comes up as Pauly is on prop-bet tilt after losing a scaled down apple bet. From there, the good doctor and his Euro-conscience debate what games of bum abuse may or may not be acceptable.

Since today is Benjo's birthday, it's also "be nice to Frenchies" day.

Well, I'm on vacation of sorts in Indio, CA seeing Phish during their three-day Halloween festival, so I better get to it. Head over to Coventry music blog if you're into that kind of stuff.


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