Filed under Vegas …

Nov 03 2011
7 Comments
Poker, Vegas, WPBT

WPBT Winter Classic – Countdown Begins

Greetings degenerates! Now that November is upon us (holy crap, can you believe it’s already NOVEMBER? Jeez…) ANYWAY, now that it’s November, that means we’re fast approaching the WPBT Weekend – woo hoo!

To address a couple of questions that have come up in the past week:

1. Yes, you can still get a room at Aria. I’m sending requests in until they tell me we’re cut off. If you’ve requested a room and haven’t heard back yet, please drop me a line. Everyone should have a confirmation letter (except for those requests I just put in; give it a day or two)
2. Please update your RSVP on Facebook, OR if you’re totally anti-Facebook, then fine, just comment here or drop me a line. This is so we have at least a rough idea of how many are playing.

To recap the weekend:

Yes, I moved the date from the second weekend of December to the first. Yes, there’s a reason. No, none of them asked me to move it. For you old schoolers, you’ll recall that these gatherings started just because Pauly & Derek’s annual brothers trip turned into a blogger meet-up; which then grew every year. With that spirit in mind, it seemed tragic to schedule the tourney for a weekend *after* several bloggers were in town. I get that not everyone can make this weekend. Unfortunately, there’s never a date that works for everyone. As a bonus, this gets us back on schedule with the start of the rodeo, which maximizes our Cowboy-tilting potential. (No idea why I felt Cowboy needed to be capitalized. Must be a Texas thing).

And keeping with the old-school ness, for Thursday night, I BEG OF YOU PLEASE let’s meet at the Sherwood Forest Bar in Excal. Friday night we’ll have the traditional mixed games, only at Aria. Saturday the tourney is at Aria. Sunday, no one has planned anything for football-watching, but previously in years past we had someone stake out a spot at Mandalay Bay for watch parties. If someone wants to take that on again, perfect. If not, we’ve got Twitter – perfect for announcing where large groups of us are. {Follow the @wpbt account, where Chilly & I will do our best to make sure we retweet good stuff. Also keep the #wpbt hashtag in your tweets, as 1) it’s a great way for everyone to follow along and 2) it makes a certain news station look way cooler than it is.] And speaking of Sunday, the aforementioned group of runners will be headed down the Strip that night – I for one will be there to cheer them on. I can attest that race watching is waaayyy better with a drink in your hand. And for you golf-lovers, check in with Mr. Speaker please for a Friday golf outing.

Some new stuff this year, I know, and understand that it freaks some people out a bit. Don’t fret – it’s still a weekend in Vegas with your favorite degenerate gambling friends. Don’t overplan. Don’t overanalyze. I can say this after having done a very good bit of both for the first few years of coordinating these gatherings (a fact that PokerGeek and Bill Rini can both attest to!) You can always guarantee that we’ll be at some bar on Thursday, playing at the same place on Friday, and tourneying on Saturday. Make time for a nice dinner (and feel free to invite me to tag along!) and make time for a drink with that person you just really haven’t connected with enough in the past year. Aside from that – the magic happens when you’re not expecting it. It’s the 2am craps game, the mid-afternoon roulette sessions, the 4am breakfast.

To that end, I’ll be posting here some favorite recaps/photos/links from our previous adventures over the years. It’ll get you in the spirit and help rev you up for the weekend (but no, it won’t make time go faster. Sorry). We’ve got a good seven years of material, so I’m personally looking forward to digging through it all again. Got a fave? Link me.

Questions? Send ‘em on! Otherwise, see you in December. :)

P.S. DAWN SUMMERS WILL BE THERE PEOPLE!! Now it’s a party.

Jun 29 2011
21 Comments
Poker, Vegas, WPBT

WPBT Winter Classic 2011

Last year I announced plans for the Winter Classic on July 2nd. It would be cute to announce this year’s plan on the same day, but that’s a Saturday this year and it doesn’t really work for me. Today I have a laptop and a train ride in which to type away.

Also, this year holds the record for single most easily booked event EVER. EVER. I cannot speak higly enough of Adam Altwies and the crew at Aria Poker. Immediate response to my request, and immediately looked for ways to add value for us. Just an awesome crew all around, and a complete no-brainer to pick Aria after the fantasic experience we had there last year.

So, you got that, right? Tourney is at Aria.

We’ll be mixing things up a bit this year. Why? Because dude, we so need to. The first Winter Classic was in 2004. We are officially in the 7-year itch; time to shake things up! It won’t be crazy, I promise.

For starters, how about on Thursday night we meet at the Sherwood Forest Bar in Excal? I like the idea of returning to our roots. The poker room is back, and the Excal has been the scene for many a great story. It also has less hookers, but I don’t see that being a problem for anyone (maybe Waffles).

Friday night, we move the mixed games to Aria. Why? Did I not mention how awesome their staff is? Last year, many folks suggested we host the Friday night games at Aria this year. So we will.

Saturday, tourney. Starts at noon, uses the nightly tournament format. $100 + $25. No rebuys for us though.

Sunday, there are football games and places to wager on the outcomes. There is also several folks we know running down the Strip – and not even because they’re being chased!! I’m sure they would love some supportive degenerates. Or at least someone at the finish line with a beer.

And finally, all this awesomeness will take place the FIRST weekend in December, not the second. Tournament will be December 3rd; Excal on December 1st, Mixed Games December 2nd. The cowboys will be there too.

And because Aria is so awesome, they’ve extended to our group the poker room rate for reservations there. Rates are $99+tax+resort fee Sunday – Thursday; then $139+tax+resort fee Friday and Saturday. There is no hour played requirement for us to get this rate. If you’d like to book under it, send me an email with your check in/out date, first and last name, full address, and telephone number. Also tell me your room request – non-smoking/smoking with king or queen beds (2 queen beds are based upon availability). You’ll give a credit card when you check in.

Tourney RSVP on Facebook please! Lot of info here, if I missed something just holler. And get started on that bankroll and booking your plane tickets! See you in December!

Jan 26 2011
35 Comments
Emails from Scott, Love, Vegas

I have news

‘Round about last summer I went to Vegas for a weekend, part “see my reporter friends before they hit the downward part of the WSOP”; but bigger part – to meet up with an awesome dude I had met a few months prior, and maybe have a date or two and see if he was as good in person as he was on paper. We had our first date at the MGM West Wing Bar, followed by dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s, then rounded things off with a stop at the craps table because 1) they always seem to put those things RIGHT where you need to be walking, and 2) because he had been in Vegas for almost 12 hours at that point and hadn’t yet gambled other than a sports book bet placed on the NBA Championship, and “needed to feel like he was in Vegas”. So far so good.

He passed the first test with flying colors, so why not just throw him into the advanced class? The next morning there was a brunch with Dawn, then a trip to the Rio and finding an F-Train. Dawn and I then left him at the hooker bar while we explored the Diamond Lounge (which, in hindsight, is probably NOT the place to park a guy you just started dating), and then capped a full day off with a blogger meal – Spaceman, Caity, F-Train, VinNay, Jen. If you can survive that group and not walk away wondering what the hell you have just gotten yourself into, then we’re good, right? Or maybe I’m just so awesome it totally overpowers the sometimes odd antics of my friends.

At any rate, it was a weekend that went very well. As did the one two weeks after that, and the one a month after that, and so and so on. Long story short, the girl who was just a year ago was absolutely-not-looking-or-interested-in-having-any-relationship had herself one. A pretty great one. Complicated only by the fact that he was in California, and me, well, I’m in Texas.

But only for 45 days more. Because you see, it kinda sucks when you’re 2,000 miles away from the person you love more than anything in the world. And it sucks not having them there for the big stuff, the tough stuff, the fun stuff, the day-to-day life stuff. It sucks making a trip to the airport every month, and rearranging your life chores in ways that will maximize your frequent flier miles. It sucks flying in said plane next to a lovey-dovey couple and the turbulence is terrible and a little scary and she keeps hugging on him which makes her feel better; and you, well, you would if you could but you can’t. Because you just left your him. It sucks so much that you might even find yourself willing to leave your family, friends, amazing coworkers, life as you know it, and relocate to a part of the world that you’ve always loved, but understand they have some weird geophysical thing going on that sometimes shakes buildings and stuff without any warning. Also, they don’t have Tex-Mex. Or Whataburger. I really don’t get how people live.

Vegas and I will find out though, as we load up into the Mustang and start the drive to our new home. We’ll be traveling in March, and you know, Arizona is totally on the way, so perhaps I will now finally get to say I have been to Spring Training. Naturally, Scott was one of the first people I told, and naturally, he had questions.

1. You got a job or are you just going to be living off your looks as a trophy for your new man?

2. Will you be supporting local sports teams or like a good woman switch your allegiances to your mans favorites?

3. You are not pregnant now but when do you expect to be?

While I no doubt would make an excellent trophy, I’ll leave that status to Vegas instead, and am working on the whole work thing now. I will always be a fan of Houston teams, and while I may attend the occasional A’s game in honor of JoeSpeaker, I’m not really interested in the Giants and honestly didn’t realize the 49ers were still playing football. Jason’s teams are the Patriots and RedSox, one of which I was already well on board with due to Scott’s influence and some movie. The other, well, I can be convinced. I now have to learn about basketball and hockey. I’ve been to one hockey game so far; made all the better by the team mascot and the fact that hot chocolate is a totally acceptable sporting event beverage. Scott likes to mention pregnancy because he’s dying for cool parents that he can hang out with while the kids play, but as I keep reminding him, I will not be joining that club anytime soon. I make an awesome aunt though.

I’m excited. It’s a big change, and I know as it gets closer it’s going to get a whole lot more REAL, and I’ve tried to prepare all those close to me for the inevitable crying and freak outs. It’s absolutely the right thing to do though, and I don’t doubt it for a second. I love this man more than I ever imagined I could. One of the good things about long-distance relationships is that you get to the big issues fast, and communication is paramount and doubly important – all really good things to build on. I am, however, scared that it’s been the long-distance that has actually made us work – but I also know there’s no one I’d rather be with at the end of the day, every day. Luckily, I get to be.

Dec 03 2010
Leave a comment
Vegas, WPBT

WPBT: Pre-tourney poker primers

(Say that 5 times fast)

As I mentioned in my last post, Alex PokerGuy is offering a Poker 101 session before the tournament at Aria for those interested. Beginning at 10:00am he’ll cover hand selection, bets, and strategies for beginners to battle the players. There’s no charge for this lesson and it should last about 30 minutes. It is however limited to the first 18 folks who show up, so if you want to take part you’ll want to be sure you’re on time!

Alex will also hold a Poker 102 session that will cover betsizing, odds, tells, hand selection, and strategy. It will begin right after Poker 101, at 10:30am and last until the tournament kicks off at noon. This class would normally cost about $150, but Alex is offering it for $25 per player for this session. Of that, $3 will go to dealer tip and $7 will go into a last longer for every student.

This is a great opportunity to brush up on some skills or learn a few new tricks!

Nov 22 2010
9 Comments
Poker, Vegas, WPBT

WPBT Winter Classic 2010 Update

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready for a trip to Vegas.

As a reminder, if you have not yet RSVP’d YES for the tourney on Facebook, please do that this week. By the same token, if you had said yes but now aren’t going to make it – well, BOO and then please do update your RSVP. If you just can’t bring yourself to use Facebook, well, maybe someone will make a profile for you. If not, just go ahead and comment here. :)

The loose schedule for this year remains the same – IP Thursday night for Geisha Bar hijinks, MGM Friday night for blogger games, tourney on Saturday, and football on Sunday. We’ve also got Alex PokerGuy who is looking to set up a pre-tourney training session for folks who may be interested. More on that when confirmed. And don’t forget about JoeSpeaker and Friday golf – if you’re wanting to hit the little while balls get with him asap. Finally, our friend John Hartness is pondering a book signing Friday afternoon, if you’re interested let him know so he can plan accordingly.

Some have asked about Sunday football; I will be departing Vegas Sunday morning so you’ll all get to miss out on my cursing the Texans, but for those who would like to get together for game-watching, I’d suggest starting the conversation on the WPBT page and see who’s interested.

Thank F-Train for once again allowing me to hand out his address as shipping destination. :)

And also please give a hearty thanks to CK who has taken a big role in this year’s event, having served as the primary contact method with our tournament hosts. She’s got everything confirmed and is the “woman-on-the-ground” – a role that has become increasingly important in years past.

I think that’s the big stuff! Let me know if you have any questions; otherwise see you soon!

Jul 02 2010
24 Comments
Poker, Vegas, WPBT

WPBT Winter Classic 2010

It’s that time again.

Well, it will be THAT time in about 5 months. But right now it’s that other time, the time where we start planning for and looking forward to THAT time.

For those of you unaware, THAT time I’m referring to is the WPBT Winter Classic; the annual poker blogger gathering in the happiest place on earth – Las Vegas. If you’ve never been before, consider this your open invitation and welcome. If you’ve never missed a gathering before and have no intent of starting now, fantastic. If you haven’t been in years but are planning a triumphant return, even better. Here’s what you need to know.

WHEN: The tournament will be held Saturday, December 11th. Folks will start to trickle in Thursday night, December 9th. Come for as long as you can!

WHERE: Tournament will be held at Aria. If you’ve never checked the place out before, now’s your chance! Cards in the air at noon.

HOW MUCH: Buyin will be $100+$20. For simplicity sake, we’re using the Aria Nightly Tournament structure. Start with T8000 and 25/50 with levels increasing every 30 minutes. For point of reference, last year at Caesar’s we started with T7500 and 20 minute levels.

WHERE TO STAY: Many people have booked at the MGM Grand already, thanks to the awesome specials they’ve been running. (And happen to be running right now). However, if you were to choose to stay at Aria, God knows I would not argue with you. Have you SEEN those rooms? They’re amazing. I will absolutely cheat on the MGM Grand with Aria should the opportunity present. If you choose to stay at the IP (looking at you Dawn Summers) I might have you committed.

OTHER STUFF: Tradition will hold and Thursday night the 9th you’ll find us at the Geisha Bar at the IP (but don’t try to text anyone!!!) and Friday night we have the MGM set up for private cash games. Specifically, I reserved table 16. “Ace Finder!” Sunday is always spent in the sportsbook, if we want to do Legasse’s again I will leave that to someone with a bigger credit card limit than I. ;)

GET ON THE LIST: Because it worked so well last year, there will again be a Facebook invite for the tournament sign-ups. For you Luddites please go ahead and comment here or email me. Just be sure to keep track of what name you sign up with, as you’ll need to give it to the cage when you buyin for the tourney.

NEXT STEPS: Start saving your roll, find a flight, secure your party pass from your spouse, and book a room! We want to see you!!

Thanks go out to CK for making introductions at Aria, to Adam Altwies in the Aria poker room, and as always much thanks to Mike Green with the MGM poker room, who continues to take good care of us and has a secure spot on my list of favorite people.

Questions? You know where to find me.

Aria photo from FlipChip at LasVegasVegas.

Dec 31 2009
2 Comments
Vegas

Eyes on a big green prize

I read a lot of books for work, the business theory and management types that teach you all about how to be better, stronger, faster, smarter, etc. In
the latest one a recurring theme was that at the end of it all – like THE END, funeral time, crying in the aisles, lining up at the casket – who from the office today is really going to be there, 40 years from now. Right? I mean come on. Cause for 99% of the working world, the answer is no one. But when I read that, I thought, “Well for sure Brandi damn well better there. Because let’s be honest, probably she was involved in some way. And Ed, because he’s never getting rid of me and vice versa. And Fayza, who will undoubtedly yell out “MONKEYS” or something similar. And of course Maggie, who has become one of my dearest friends in the little less than a year that I’ve been working here at Schipul.

It’s a weird wonderful little family we have here. It’s been suggested we be filmed for a reality show. We often have puppies running in the office hallways. Rumors of unicorns are untrue, but yet, those rumors pop up often, and how the hell would you know for sure? The ninjas and cupcakes are well documented, and while this is NOT where Todd Todderson was birthed, it certainly is where he multiplied. It’s a very special place, and so are the people.

Now stick with me here, this is not all sappy “OMG I LUV MY JOB AND COWORKERS” mush. I promise. Degeneracy is coming soon. Over Christmas I was catching up on some very important tasks, namely my viewing of The Hills. In one important episode Kristin makes a road trip to Vegas and Justin Bobby surprises her out there when she calls him from Ghost Bar to say she misses him which is totally sappy and what are you doing girl you went to Vegas to pick up ANOTHER GUY and FORGET Justin Bobby!!! JEEZ!

But I digress. Watching that episode with all the pool shots made me think about how I have not been to Vegas in the summer in years, since the WSOP in 2006. We hold the WPBT in winter, which puts me in my most favorite place in the world during the time of the year I hate the most. There’s something wrong here. Seed planted #1.

And then MGM Grand emails with their 96 Hour sale full of discounted rates all year long! Great! Except… booking only until the end of November. Well fuck me. Hell of a lot of good that does someone who makes an annual trip in December. Doesn’t hurt to check the rates though, right? Cause I’m not an addict or anything. And there it sits, the little weekend of June 18th, with the perfect rates and perfect timing with the WSOP and just perfect everything. And I get to thinking about my girls who always tell me that they’ve never been to Vegas and how they want to go and how I have to take them. Hmmm… well ladies, perhaps it’s time to put up or shut up. I decide to sleep on it though. Just a feeling I get.

So the next morning when I get to work and Maggie makes her announcement, I do the perfectly logical thing.

me: sooooooooo
i know you’re like about to quit your job and stuff, but you wanna go to Vegas the weekend of June 18th? :)

Maggie: YES!

Once that we settled and Maggie and I had our talk, we then moved on to concern over how Brandi would take the news of her departure. We were naturally concerned. Obviously there was only one thing to do.

me: should we take Brandi as a post-wedding trip?

Maggie: YES! THAT IS A GREAT IDEA!
We can tell her that today when she is having a freak out.
Don’t Worry!! WE”RE GOING TO VEGAS!

me: LOL
that is a fantastic idea
it’s like what parents do to kids when the dog dies

I really wish we had video of Brandi’s reaction – a combination of disbelief and suspicion and excitement and sadness but mostly convinced that we were fucking with her.

Fayza rounds out the fourth in our trip, as Maggie put it “like having a toy in Vegas” – tell her to do just about anything and she will. I’m not sure the city is ready for this combination.

Maggie is right now doing for herself what I did a little over a year ago – leaving a fun environment to strike out a new path all her own. I admire the hell out of her for it but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. I will miss her terribly. Lets be honest, a Vegas trip distraction was as much for Brandi as it was for me.

So. June 18th. Who’s with us? Bring bail money.

Dec 08 2009
4 Comments
Vegas, WPBT

Because some of you assholes are flying tomorrow

Here it is, your final WPBT update:

1. The agenda hasn’t changed… much. Pokerati Dan has added a new event on Friday, a 1/2 NLH/PLO @ the Hard Rock, starting at 7. It’s $100 min, $400 max. We play a round of each and can run-it-twice. There’s also a hammer bonus of $5 from each player for taking down a pot with 2-7. [Which is kinda cool] And free food from Lucky’s 24/7 for any and all bloggers. [Which is kinda awesome]

To give that game a little more breathing room, I’ve moved the MGM Mixed games to 9:30. That start time is somewhat flexible though. I spoke with them today, and the general feel is that it’s not a problem to push it back later if need be based on how things have been this week so far, but if it picks up that night and the tables get really full; well, we know the drill. :)

IN SHORT: Dude, go to Hard Rock if you like to play PLO because Dan’s game is awesome. Go if you like free food and like watching people play PLO and/or donking off chips because you don’t really understand the game fully (OO! MEMEMEMEMEME!!!!!!) If you don’t understand that four card shit AT ALL and want no part of it and refuse to leave the strip then come to MGM like planned. PLO’ers head on over when you’re ready to add in some R and S.

2. Tournament:

Facebook RSVPs + these degenerates:

1. Jeff Willis
2. Mark Thoennes
3. Chris Peers
4. Naseem Husain
5. Edward Son
6. David Spire
7. Ellen Cincotta
8. Angelo Cincotta
9. Garth (the Aussie)
10. Matt Volk
11. Iggy
12. Lowen Overby
13. DJ Ocean
14. Matt Parvis
15. Mrs. Falstaff
16. Change100
17. Derek
18. Pauly

Get yourselves in the Luckbox Last Longer Challenge too.

3. You old timers will remember how we used to email out spreadsheets with phone numbers and email addresses and track arrival and departures and hotels and all sorts of data points on each other – and there was one summer over 150 of us that made the trip. FREAKING INSANE people. But I remember how we printed out those spreadsheets, and Heather and I would check our purses before leaving the room each day and be sure we had them in case we desperately needed to get a hold of someone randomly.

God Bless technology, right? Oh how you mocked me for the Twitters! And still some of you shun the Facebooks! You’ll see. If you didn’t last year, you will this time round.

To get started, please see the WPBT Twitter list that the lovely and talented Gracie has put together for us. She’s got almost all of the poker bloggers who tweet included. If you’re not on it, please @ her and she’ll add you.

I’d highly recommend you follow Otis. Not only is he witty, charming, and handsome, but oh, at some point during the weekend there will be a castle storming and that’s where the charge will come from. [I've got dibs on blue btw, and G-Rob you're going down.]

Now on to getting said tweets. iPhoners, I’m of two minds here and honestly I can’t decide which at this point. I use Echofon, which I really like, mainly for the push notification whenever someone @ replies me. This can be really helpful, especially when in a situation like oh, say a weekend trip to Vegas with 100 of your closest friends. On the other hand, there’s TweetDeck, which lets you put those you follow into columns – another helpful feature when you’re in a big group. I’m thinking I’ll end up sticking with Echofon for the push [PUSH IS A WIN!] and using the search feature to pull in the #wpbt hashtag. [Which only works if we use it, soooo, let's try and do that. Cause how awesome would it be to have #wpbt as a trending topic?] Then also grabbing from TweetDeck whenever I’m so inclined. [Read: standing around while someone plays blackjack]

**Mr. Speaker points out that the Echofon push notification is only on the Pro version. My bad for not including that earlier. For what it’s worth, it’s totally worth the $4.99 and will make your life so much easier when you’re rolling with Todd Todderson. And no, I’m not getting any kick-backs.

***Monkeyhammer points out Boxcar, another little iPhone app that also works to push notifications for Twitter. I have several friends who use this and love it.

Blackberry folks: I’m told UberTwitter is the new hotness for you. TwitterBerry was always the default client for ages; and I am sure there are other ones out there, but remember I work with social media and web design geeks – we tend to shun your kind. I found out what I could.

Everyone else: I’m shaking my head at you.

___________________________________________________________________________

Anything else? I don’t think there’s anything else. Tell me if there is anything else. :)

So very much looking forward to seeing everyone!!

Nov 30 2009
7 Comments
Poker, Vegas, WPBT

WPBT Winter Classic Update

Almost time! This past week I spent Thanksgiving with my friend Wendy who I haven’t seen in ages, her living in Austin and down visiting her family who still lives in Houston where she grew up. We were discussing my upcoming trip, she loves Vegas almost as much as I do, there’s this awesome Kayak app for the iPhone, one thing led to another, yadda yadda yadda, and you’ll all be meeting Wendy very soon. :)

So, that being said, here’s where we stand with the weekend plans.

Thursday, December 10 –
IP, Geisha Bar. Please pack your H1N1 shot.

Friday, December 11 –
WPBT Golf Shoot-out -12pm – see CK or Bam Bam for details
MGM Grand – Poker Room (mixed games) & Sports Book Bar (mixed drinks) – 9pm
Green Valley Ranch – Steel Panther show – 12:30am

Saturday, December 12 –
Caesars Palace – Poker Room – WPBT Winter Classic & Luckbox Last Longer Challenge – tourney at 1pm

Sunday, December 13 –
The Venetian – Sunday in the Sportsbook @ Legasse’s Stadium – kickoff at 10am

There are other things planned loosely – I know Kat has been organizing a trip through the Neon Graveyard – I have no details on this other than it’s planned for some time Friday; if you’re interested reach out to her and see what’s up.

Now, on to what I do know.

For starters, let me shout out again to F-Train for his help with the tournament, and now let me add Otis and CJ to the list of awesome-and-handsome-bloggers-who-totally-kick-ass-at-event-planning-too. CJ is literally running a tournament of his own with the Luckbox Last Longer Challenge, and is coordinating Sunday’s football fun as well. And Otis… well, he’s Otis. No doubt you’ve heard by now about how PokerStars has generously and AWESOMELY added $2,000 to the prize pool of the Luckbox Last Longer Challenge – how cool is that?? Put your team together and get ready – next week will be here before you know it.

Regarding those teams. Who’s in the tourney, you want to know? So far I’ve got 69 of you (hush) signed up via Facebook and then the following signed up via email, Twitter, or good ole fashioned blog comment.

1. Jeff Willis
2. Mark Thoennes
3. Chris Peers
4. Naseem Husain
5. Edward Son
6. David Spire
7. Ellen Cincotta
8. Angelo Cincotta
9. Garth (the Aussie)
10. Matt Volk
11. Iggy
12. Lowen Overby
13. DJ Ocean
14. Matt Parvis

That gives us a grand total of… 83 [Note that number is inflated because I know the Facebook RSVP is inflated because oh, for instance, Todd Todderson is NOT going to play in the tournament. Unless someone wants to back him. I mean he can't do any worse than Waffles, right?]

So there’s the big stuff. Please also see F-Train’s post about the Caesar’s Bad Beat Jackpot. Definitely worth checking out while you’re in town. Also, Bam-Bam has set up a WPBT Warm-Up tournament at Full Tilt on December 4th at 10pm ET. It’s a HORSE Deep Stack $10+$1. I love this idea. Several of us having been hitting the $2 SnGs late night lately and having a ton of fun slinging chips around just like the old days and it has really gotten the spirit up. Cannot wait to get back to Vegas and see you all again.

And on that note, just a little over a week left! Any questions? Need anything? Aside from a loan, plane ticket, room to crash in, rack of whites, or anything else along those lines… ?

Nov 08 2009
11 Comments
Poker, Vegas, WPBT

WPBT Winter Classic Details

WPBT Winter Classic Tournament structure has been finalized and the details are below. Props and thanks to F-Train for ending the game of phone tag I was in and meeting with the Caesars TD to knock it all out. You can grab the full tournament sheet here, or keep reading for the highlights.

Tournament registration will begin at 10am. Cards in the air at 1pm. Buyin is $100; with $85 to the prize pool, $15 to the house with $5 to the dealers.

7,500 in chips with 20 min levels.

When play gets down to the final table, blinds will be backed up to where the average stack will have 20 big blinds. For example lets say that the blinds are 10K-20K when we reach the final table. The average stack is 160K. Instead of everybody having 8 big blinds we will back the blinds up to the 4K-8K blind level. This way the players can have some play on the final table not just an all in fest.

The document I linked to up top (and will again – right here) gives you the full structure. If you have questions, please ask. If you have complaints, please see Al.

There are 57 of you who have RSVP’d yes to the tournament event on Facebook, and 23 who are listed as Maybe. I’m going to need you now to tell me if you’re REALLY in and if that includes in FOBs [thank you Carmen for being way ahead of the game ;) ] and make those Maybes be Yes’s or No’s [I'm looking at you Dawn Summers].

Awesome thing about Facebook is I can print a list of who has said yes and it includes your REAL name and not weird nicknames so the poor girl at the cage has to figure out that John is checking in as Falstaff because that’s what we have on the list but his player card says John and why in the hell are we all calling that one dude Waffles?

If you’re coming but not on FB, that’s fine – just RSVP here. I can merge the two lists. But if you ARE – RSVP there please.

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