Tao of Poker

Event #20 $5000 Pot Limit Hold'em -- Event #19 $1500 Pot-Limit Omaha Final Table -- Event #18 $2000 Stud Hi/Lo Day 2

At the Redneck Riviera there is a pool and a spa near by. I don't go to either. The pool is cluttered with inbred kids with pot bellies and their half-baked parents who let them dive into the shallow end with the recklessness of a Hawaiian pearl diver.

The spa is much smaller and is secluded with fake rocks and palm trees. I decided to spend some more time there. Why? Because that's where the strippers hang out. I spotted Candi, one of my upstairs neighbors, sitting in the mini pool and sipping a cocktail. I stopped by to chat for a few moments. She asked me about my work at the Rio. A lot of poker players have been coming into her club. The drool was hanging off of my chin as I starred at her bowling ball sized breasts. At that moment, two kids ran into the spa area shouting, "Mommy!" Candi said she was 19 and looked it. She also had two small children.

Moving on...

Oddjack pimped both me and my brother Derek today. Thanks guys! Here's what they said about me in a post called Tao of Poker Continues His WSOP Ubiquity:

One of the most fascinating stories about the WSOP so far has got to be the fact that it seems one man is completely outreporting everybody else in terms of match-recaps, anecdotal lunacy, and his own personal impressions. Paul McGuire(aka Pauly/Tao of Poker) takes time away from his Las Vegas and Poker Blogging, his Poker Player Newspaper reporting, his own personal blog, to write a story for Fox News about his impressions after the first two weeks of the WSOP. We're assuming that he either wrote this story in the shower or while he was sleeping because it doesn't seem humanly possible for a man to churn out as much hardline information as this. Maybe he just types with his feet? Regardless, color us completely impressed.

Thanks for the pimpage again guys. I'm impressed that I impressed the Oddjack junta.

By the way, Steve Hall is my fuckin' hero. Here is proof.

It's Monday. Today marks the 15th day of straight WSOP coverage. Just yesterday it seemed that I walked in here an eager beaver in awe of every pro I set my sights on. Now, I'm totally jaded. I don't even flinch when I'm taking a piss next to Howard Lederer.

Today I'm covering three tournaments. We got a final table, a day two, and a day one. Sounds like another busy day, eh? I have to warn you and let you know that I'm on some serious cold medication. I feel something coming on and a lot of the staff has gotten sick the last few days. I'm loopy. Beware.

Here are the tournaments that I'm covering today:

1. Event #20 $5000 Pot Limit Hold'em
2. Event #19 $1500 Pot-Limit Omaha Final Table = Green font
3. Event #18 $2000 Stud Hi/Lo Day 2 = Red font

The PLO event started with 291 players. We're down to 9 and those guys are fighting for $523,405 prize pool. The Stud Hi/Lo event began with 279 players competing for a prize pool of $513,360. 239 players are playing in the Pot Limit Hold'em. The prize pool in that is $1,123,300. Both Jesus and Barry Greenstein are two-tabling it today. They made the final table of the PLO event and are playing in the PLH event as well.

****** Live Blogging Updates ******

2:44pm... Stud Hi/Lo Day 2 update: We started with 31 players. Mehdi Vatan is the chipleader with almost 52K in chips. Howard Lederer, Mel Judah, and Erik Seidel are all still alive. Gavin Smith just busted out.

3:30pm... PLO Final Table update: For an unknown reason the event was postponed until 4pm instead of 2pm. I will consult my sources and get back to you.

3:50pm... Stud Hi/Lo Day 2 update: Mel Judah was knocked out in 21st place.

4:20pm... PLO Final Table update: Action has finally began. There was a computer error in the payout structure and some of the players who cashed yesterday got more than they should have. The error has been corrected. I heard a rumor that the WSOP fucked up last year and paid out an extra $500,000 to players due to accounting errors and computer glitches. Here's the final table players and chip counts:

Seat 1 Chris "Jebus" Ferguson (Pacific Palisades, CA) $16K
Seat 2: Sam Silverman (Las Vegas, NV) $39.5K
Seat 3: Paul Vinci(Shell Beach, CA) $54K
Seat 4: Paul Maxfield (Stroke-On-Trent, England) $67K
Seat 5: Barry Greenstein (RPV, CA) $92K
Seat 6: Tim Martz (Butte, MT) $72.5K
Seat 7: Toto Leonidas (Los Angeles, CA) $45K
Seat 8: Eric "My Boy Blue" Bloore (North Hollywood, CA) $16K
Seat 9: Chris Lindermayer (Pickerington, OH) $35.5K

In the writer's pool, we have some serious action on this event. Mike Palle took Paul Vinci. I took Toto "Tito" Leonidas. BJ went with Paul Maxfield. Jay "Big Shot" Greenspan has Jebus all the way. And Daryn from Poker Pages went with his buddy Sam Silverman.

4:30pm... PLO Final Table update: We have our first elimination. Barry Greenstein knocked out Eric "My Boy Blue" Bloore. Barry Greenstein raised preflop to 6k. My Boy Blue reraised all in for 10k more. Barry called with As-5s-2s-2h. My Boy Blue had Ac-Kc-10h-9h. Barry caught a boat on the river on a board of Kh-6c-3s-6s-2c. Eric "My Boy Blue" Bloore finished in 9th place. He won $8,030.

5:00pm... PLO Final Table update: Sam Silverman was just knocked out in 8th place. Silverman moved all in on the flop of 2d-8c-8h when he flopped trips with 5s-6c-7d-8d. Paul Vinci showed 7s-7c-As-Ad. Silverman lost the leadwhen an ace spiked on rhe turn. His boat was good enough to win. Sam Silverman won $12,045 for 8th place. We're down to 7. Dayrn's pick has been eliminated.

5:11pm... PLO Final Table update: Jay Greenspan's pick was just busted. Chris Jebus Ferguson is being consoled by his girlfriend after he was knocked out in 7th place by Chris Lindenmayer. Jesus missed his flush draw and Chris flopped two pair. Jesus won $16,065 for his efforts. Barry Greenstien is the cipleader.

5:15pm... PLH update: TJ Cloutier was in the middle of a massage when he was busted. Perry Freidman was knocked out as well. In true Hellmuthian fashion, Phil Hellmuth showed up late. He doubled up quickly with pocket Hellmuths (KK) versus Big Slick. There are 124 player remaining.

5:20pm... Stud Hi/Lo update: We're down to two table of 18 players. Chad Brown appears to be the chipleader. Hward Lederer and Jen Harman are still playing, althought Jen has a short stack.

5:50pm... PLH update: Juha Helppi looks like the chipleader with over $30K. John Phan, Devilfish, Eli Elezra, Cyndy Violette, Daniel Negreanu, The Grinder, Todd Brunson, Gabriel Thaler, Minh Nguyen, and Amir Vahedi are still in it.

6:20pm... PLO Final Table update: In the battle of the Paul's... Paul Maxfield was knocked out in 6th place by Paul Vinci. Maxfield moved all in preflop with As-Ks-10d-6d. He was called by Vinci's Ac-Qd-3d-7c. Maxfield flopped a pair but Vinci caught running clubs to spike the nut flush on the river. Paul Maxfield won $20,080 for 6th place.

6:40pm... PLH Update: I was hanging out at table that included a very sun burnt The Grinder, a very sleepy Erik Seidel, and a very chatty Eli Elezra. Cyndy Violette, Clonie Gowen, and John Juanada are all still playing.

6:48pm... Stud Hi/Lo: Howard Lederer was knocked out in 14th place. We're down to 8 players. Everyone just went on a break. Chad Brown is the chip leader. Jen Harman made the final table. Here are the final table seat assignments and chip counts:

Seat 1: Jennifer Harman (Las Vegas, NV) $50K
Seat 2: T. Fu $110K
Seat 3: Chad Brown (Los Angeles, CA) $140K
Seat 4: Tom McCormick $21K
Seat 5: Bonnie Rossi (Hemet, CA) $70K
Seat 6: Lance Edelman (Las Vegas, NV) $45K
Seat 7: Phillip Penn Sr. (Norwalk, CA) $62K
Seat 8: Denis Ethier North Carolina) $85K

Play will resume at 8:15pm.

7:50pm... Tournament Director Jack Effel is scavenging media row for food. He's starving.

8:01pm... PLO Final Table update: Toto Leonidas has been on a mini rush. He caught several cards on the river to double up a couple of times. He knocked out Tim Martz in 5th place. Marz won $24,095.

8:17pm... PLO Final Table Update: Big hand here at the final table. On a flop of 4d-2d-7c, Barry Greenstein moved all in with a pair a kings and a flush draw. He had Kx-Kd-Td-4x. Toto Leonidas called with top pair and a straight draw. Barry caught his diamond on the turn and doubled up against Toto.

8:23pm... PLO Final Table update: Barry Greenstein took down another huge pot from Toto. The flop was Js-9d-4s, Greenstein bet $15K and Toto called. The turn was the 3d and Greenstein checked. Toto bet the pot about $54K and Greenstein moved all in with Kc-Jd-Jh-6c. Toto called with Kd-Qd-Qs-3c. He had a flush and a gutshot draw. He missed both on the river. Greenstein's flopped set of Jacks was good enough to win. Toto Leonidas was eliminated in 4th and he won $28,110. Barry moved into the chip lead.

8:38pm... PLO Final Table update: Chris Lindenmayer was knocked out in 3rd place by Paul Vinci. Here's what happened. Both players checked on the flop of Kd-Qs-5s. Lindenmayer bet $26K on the turn when the 6c hit. Paul Vinci called. The river card paired the board with the Kh. Lindenmayer bet $20K, Vinci raised, and Lindenmayer moved all in. Lindenmayer showed Qd-Qh-7s-4d for a full house Queens full of Kings. Paul Vinci showed Kc-6s-Ac-9c and a bigger boat with Kings full of Sixes to win the pot. Chris Lindenmayer was knocked out and he won $36,140 for his efforts. We've reached heads up play and the chip counts are about even.

8:40pm... Stud Hi/Lo update: We have our first player eliminated. Tom McCormick's two pair, aces and queens, lost to Chad Brown's flush and a 7 low. He scooped the entire pot. Tom McCormick was eliminated in 8th and won $14,374.

8:45pm... PLH update: Play was suspended while the tape was being reviewed to figure out what happened to Todd Brunson's missing chips. During the break a drink was spilled and Brunson's chip stack was knocked over in the process. When he came back, he noticed that his stack was light about $5K.

9:05pm... PLO Final Table update: On the 16th hand of heads up play, Barry won a huge pot when he caught a Wheel straight on the river. Barry held a $400K to $43K chip lead.

9:10pm... Stud Hi/Lo Final Table update: Phillip Penn was knocked out in 7th Place. Penn was shortstacked and had a pair of aces. He ran into a full house. He won $20,021.

9:35pm... PLO Final Table update: During one of the mini breaks, I walked up to Barry Greenstein and thanked him for calling Charlie Tuttle, who's been battling cancer. He told me that he was going to dedicate the win to Charlie. At the time he was in the middle of the pack in chips and right away I began to root for Barry. He came back and won two big pots off Toto Leonidas and then beat out Paul Vinci to win this year's event. It was special because he was doing it for Charlie. He told the auidence that he did it all for Charlie. He couldn't really speak much more because he was playing in the other Pot-Limit Hold'em event and he was overhwelmed with emotions. I think a lot of us were. I had to excuse myself and go into the hallway because I was teary eyed. I want to write more and I will, but for now, this is all a little emotional for me.


2005 WSOP $2500 PLO Champion: Barry Greenstein
11:00pm... OK, I'm back after a tough interview with Nolan Dalla. He wanted some more information on one of the biggest stories at this year's WSOP... the affect Charlie has made on the poker community. I also finished up my recap from tonight which will be posted on Lasvegasvegas.com and Poker Player Newspaper on Tuesday morning. I wanted it to be one of the best I have written but I'm afraid I came up a little short because I was too worked up to write clearly. At any rate, I headed to the bar and downed a few doubles of SoCo to numb the pain so I could get back to work. I still have the final table of the Stud event to work on.

12:01am... Stud Hi/Lo update: Jen Harman was busted in 3rd place. We're down to two.

12:50am... PLH update: We're down to 45 players. Cyndy Violette just knocked out Kathy Liebert. Amir Vahedi knocked out Billy baxter. Huck Seed was knocked out by John Gale. Devilfish, Barry Greenstein, Clonie Gowen, Erik Seidel, Allen Cunningham, Hasan Habib, Al Krux, Juha Helppi, and Eli Elezra are all still alive. Joe Sebok os the chipleader. Play will resume at 2pm on Tuesday.

3:05am... Stud Hi/Lo Final Tale update: After three hours of heads up play, we have a winner! Denis Ethier came from behind to beat out Chad Brown to win the 2005 WSOP $2,000 Stud Hi/Lo championship. Denis wins $160,682. Chad takes home $89,838 for second place. Congrats to Denis!