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In May 2004, I convinced Warner Books to pay me to write the inside story of the richest poker game of all time. Up to then, my only connection with high-stakes poker was a brief telephone conversation with Barry Greenstein, who was my wife’s friend’s cousin’s highschool classmate.
In the two years since, I have written and promoted one poker book, researched another, completed two of the longest articles ever written about the game, and pursued many other poker-related schemes that have not worked out (yet). I have gotten to know a lot of professional poker players. I consider several of them friends and hope they feel the same way. But if I am wrong and they are nothing more than sources or subjects, they have still enriched my life. Some are admirable. Some are flawed. All are extremely talented. None are simple. Their daily lives fascinate and, sometimes, horrify me.
Generally, I want you to experience what I experience. Usually, as I did in the last two issues with the Andy Beal articles, that means setting a scene and letting you watch.
I can’t do that this time. Since accepting this column in early February, I have been working hard on those articles and on a poker book. I have been too many places and seen too many things during that time to limit this column to one story. I have been accumulating details and I want to share them before they go stale. One of these statements is not true:
1. Todd Brunson’s real ambition is to open a steakhouse.
2. Andy Beal has played low-stakes poker with several pros, and not always heads-up Hold’em.
3. Howard Lederer is running a software company in Los Angeles.
4. Chris Ferguson consulted on the California Lottery.
5. I told Phil Laak he needs a new nickname. He is thinking about “Bomber.” I was thinking “Buster” or “Hollywood.”
6. Phil Ivey briefly, seriously, wanted to learn to day-trade securities.
7. Before Erik Seidel finished second to Johnny Chan in the 1988 World Series championship, his first big poker tournament, he tried and failed to win his way into the Main Event in eight single-table satellites. Down $8,000, he didn’t want to pay another $10,000 to play, so he sold 80% of himself before the beginning of Day 1.
8. Ted Forrest is probably a very good karaoke singer.
9. Mike Matusow has a betting ticket from a Pistons-Lakers 2003 game on a nightstand next to his bed.
10. Andy Beal and Chip Reese have played backgammon together.
11. Phil Ivey told me he has never read a poker book.
12. Two top pros have told me a defining moment in their careers as poker players was reading David Sklansky’s Hold ’Em Poker.
13. After hearing Enya’s Only Time on Barry Greenstein’s web site, I downloaded it. It was the one song on my iPod (out of 3,800) that Phil Ivey listened to before throwing it aside during the last day of his match with Andy Beal.
14. Ted Forrest’s first three World Series bracelets were stolen from his house several years ago. He gave one of his two 2004 bracelets to his daughter and has one locked away. He also owns Hamid Dastmalchi’s 1992 World Championship bracelet.
15. Dan Harrington has ruined poker publishing. His frank and honest discussions with other pros about the success of his books has led at least two pros to tell me that they can write a better No Limit Hold’em tournament book, make at least a million dollars, and do it in a month. They are crazy and I would put a lot of money on that.
16. A bag of potato chips costs $6 at Wynn Las Vegas. But they are excellent potato chips.
17. I have had discussions with three different producers about a movie version of The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King. At least one thinks the main character should be based on me.
18. An early draft of the April article I wrote for Bluff about Andy Beal and the pros included a sidebar describing my theory that Ted Forrest is a werewolf.
19. I was the immediate cause of two poker pros who had recently quit smoking starting again.
20. David Grey (who you have heard of but know little about) and Mike Svobodny (who you have probably never heard of) have been responsible for instigating almost all the crazy proposition bets (e.g., weight-loss, cheeseburger-eating, golfing, tennisplaying, breast-implanting) that are part of gambling lore.
21. My next book, due for publication in time for the 2007 World Series, is The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide – Tournament Edition. Since December, I have been learning advanced tournament strategy from the world’s best poker players. I might put some of my money where my mouth is and play several events at this year’s World Series.
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