Los Angeles, CA
It's been a while since I pointed you to a few corners of the web that might have a few stories of interest for you. Heck, a lot has happened in the last two weeks since I got stricken with the wook flu and then jetted off to the Bahamas with my girlfriend and promptly drank myself into a rum coma for five straight days.
So, let's get to it...
The biggest story of the week is the recent creation of a brand new professional poker league with a name that is TBD. One thing is for sure... former WSOP Commish Jeffrey Pollack spearheaded the new business venture with a horse racing junta. Former UB pitchwoman (now we know part of the reason she bailed) Annie Duke is the acting commissioner of the new pro league that will offer "juice free" tournaments. All of the finer details have yet to be finalized, but you can check out Dan Michalski's take on the matter along with reading the press release. (Pokerati)OK, that's it and you know the drill... NGTFOOMO!
Shamus is not only a fantastic poker writer and novelist, but he's also a college professor. This semester he's teaching a special course titled Poker in American Film and Culture. Man, if I had Shamus as my prof, I would have not ditched class to follow the Grateful Dead and I would have actually gone to class (albeit, I would have been stoned to the bejesus, but at least he's teaching a subject that I'd be thrilled about). Anyway, you can imagine how thrilled (and floored) that I was upon learning that Shamus selected a chapter out of Lost Vegas as part of the required reading for the course. I can't believe that I'm in the mix with the Mount Rushmore of poker scribes, along with several of the most historical pieces of gambling/poker cinema in the history of film making. Now, if I can just figure out how to audit that class... (Hard-Boiled Poker)
Astute observation from los hombres about Can Live Tournament Poker on TV Work? They have an opinion about the novel concept after they watched the semi-live feed of the PCA Main Event final table on ESPN 2, which was produced by the same crew, 441 Productions, that produced episodes of the WSOP on ESPN. Because I was actually in the Bahamas and sweating an NFL game and Change100's run at the final table of the Ladies Event, I never got to watch the event on ESPN 2 aside from seeing a few hands aired on the big screen in the tournament room. My two cents from what I did see at the PCA... the production seemed top notch. The hardest thing about any televised final table is getting amicable and talkative players. The second hardest thing is the dearth of inaction, because most final tables are boring affairs with only a few incendiary moments. In our short-attention span world, it's not easy retaining viewership over an eight to ten hour period. (Wicked Chops Poker)
I first got wind of the Russ Hamilton sighting on Twitter when Jon Aguiar twit pic'd a photo of the legendary shit stain himself. What followed was an epic encounter with a couple of 2+2'ers at a 5/10/20 NL table where one of them tilted old Russ, who ended up calling the floor on him. The floor asked the 2+2'er to stop tormenting Russ...and hilarity ensued. Read all about the encounter in one of the better threads I've read in some time: Russ Hamilton Verbally Eviscerated. (2+2)
While I was on vacation, the one and only Human Head filled in for me with an installment of the Monday Morning Blue Pill and the Morning Morning Red Pill. The Head points out a few of his favorite stories. (Tao of Fear)
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