December 2005 Archives

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There is no denying 2005 was a spectacular year in the PokerStars community. The 2006 horizon looks just as promising.

Happy New Year to everyone.

One week from today, the little airport in Nassau, Bahamas will be teeming with poker players on their way to Paradise Island, home of the Atlantis Resort and Casino and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Regardless of how well the players fare in the main event, the trip itself will be one to talk about for years.

If you are one of the hundreds of people on their way to Paradise Island next week, this post will serve as a primer for your trip. Feel free to print it out and bring it with you.

If you are one of the unfortunate folks who can't make it to the Bahamas this year, this blog will be updating many times daily beginning Janaury 4 and lasting all the way through the final table on Janaury 10, where I'll provide hand-by-hand action of the event.

Getting there

If you qualified for your seat through PokerStars, by now you should have already registered online for your hotel rooms. If you have not, you should e-mail pca @ pokerstars.com immediately (remove the spaces in the e-mail address). You should also have already booked your flight, which will likely land you at the airport in Nassau (there are sea planes that fly directly up to Atlantis, but if you've done this, you're already a step ahead).

When you land at the Nassau airport, you'll quickly find your way to baggage claim and customs. When I went through last year, it took me very little time to make it through. Don't forget your passport. It will make your life 100% easier. The airport is small and it's just a few steps from baggage claim to the ground transportation area. Once outside, there should be a long line of cabs and limos waiting for guests of the island.

Here's a tip: Chat up the people on your plane before you land and find out how many of them are headed to Atlantis. Then, find a mini-van or SUV cab and fill it up. There might be a per person surcharge on the cab, but splitting the cab fare is the way to go. Last year, when splitting the cab with a few dealers, I paid $27 for my ride to Atlantis. However, to be on the safe side, I'd suggest you have at least $50 in pocket when you land (I would expect, as poker players, you'd have much more, but make sure you are carrying some cash, regardless). Also, American dollars spend just fine in the Bahamas, so you don't need to worry about exchanging your cash.

Depending on the traffic, it will take you a half hour or so to get from the airport to Atlantis. You will likely ride through Nassau's bustling downtown (a place where all the cruise ships let off their passengers for a day of shopping and such) and then over a bridge to Paradise Island. Depending on your cab driver and his/her tolerance for traffic, you might also end up on some of Nassau's back streets. This is faster, but not nearly as pretty. Either way, in 30 minutes you should see a giant salmon-colored structure they call Atlantis.

The picture does the place little justice. It is as huge as it is beautiful. Here's a short snippet from something I wrote last year:

As a guy who likes to play around with words, I'd like to come up with a nice way to describe the enormity of the property. I find myself lacking. Instead, I can only relate what one helpful lady told me when I asked where I was going.

"It's about a twenty-minute walk that way," she said, her pointing finger only making it an inch or two along the marbled walkway I'd eventually find myself treading along.

In short, it's big. You will get lost. Do not be ashamed.

Once there, go to the main desk and check in. Your room should be reserved in your name. Find your room, chill out, and check out Atlantis.

Among the first the first things you should do is go to the PokerStars hospitality desk to pick up your premium bags, participant's bracelet, and a schedule of events. Do not forget to do this. The bags are top of the line and contain more cool stuff that can you can imagine. The participant's bracelet will get you into the big parties. The schedule will make sure you know when everything is happening. Don't mess around and forget to do this. You'll find the PokerStars hopsitality desk outside the poker room (also known as the Atlantis Grand Ballroom).

The parties, the poker, the paradise

When you arrive on Janaury 4, you will have time to yourself until 7pm. That's when the fun will start. At 7pm, PokerStars will be throwing you a big party on the Atlantis Royal Deck. Prepare to enjoy yourself. If the event is anything like last year, the food and drink will be fantastic. You will also have a chance to meet the PokerStars staff and all the members of Team PokerStars. DO NOT FORGET TO WEAR YOUR PARTICIPANT'S BRACELET. Without the bracelet, you're not getting into the party.

A word or two on the PokerStars staff: These folks have been working for the past year to make this a great event and there will be several memebers of PokerStars' team on-site to make sure you have a great time. Most of the time, the staff will be wearing light blue/gray staff shirts with the PokerStars logo on them. I will be among the staff and wearing the same shirt. Feel free to introduce yourself and ask for help when you need it.

After the party, the poker room will open at 8:30pm. Over the course of the week, in addition to the main event, you'll be able to play just about anything you want. Cash games, SNGs, and tournament satellites will be running every day from 10am to 4am. The first night, the poker room will run a $200 Super Satellite to the main event. Over the course of the week, there will also be side multi-table tournaments ranging from $300 to $1,500 buy-ins. So, even if you get knocked out of the main event early, you'll still be able to play poker all week.

Please be aware, you will not be able to withdraw funds from your PokerStars account while at the PCA. If you plan to play in sidegames or other tournaments, you must bring the cash with you or have a working ATM card. If you're running well while in the Bahamas, please be aware of U.S. Customs laws about returning to the U.S. with currency. Failure to declare currency in amounts of over $10,000 can result in its seizure.

Update: There will be limited hours each day during which you will be able to get money from your PokerStars account. You will be able to withdraw a maximum of $10,000 during the week.

The Main Event

Starting on January 5, the big event starts. Flight A will begin playing on that day. Flight B will play Day 1 on January 6. When you arrive, be sure to confirm your flight assignment. It is your responsibility to be sure you are in your seat at the start of play when your flight starts.

Tournament Director Mike Ward (some of you may know him from last year's PCA or from Foxwoods) will be the point man for the main event. Listen to him. He knows what he's talking about and will steer you in the right direction.

From there, it's all up to you. Still, there will be a lot going on around you that you should be ready for.

First, the PCA is a big deal. The World Poker Tour cameras will be there and you never know when you'll end up on camera. CardPlayer will be there covering the event just like it did the WSOP, as will some of the biggest magazines and newspapers around the world. That's not to mention, I will be in your face...all the time.

So, let's talk a little bit about how I work.

From the moment the party starts on the 4th until the final hand is dealt at the final table, I'll be around with a camera, a note pad, and a laptop. I'll be taking pictures and updating this blog all day, every day.

That's me. Chances are I'll look a lot like that when you see me.

A few things to remember: I'm going to want to know your name and PokerStars screen name. You don't have to give it to me, but it would be nice. I won't bother you when you're in a hand. More often than not, I'll crouch down beside you and try to catch you for a few seconds after you've folded. I'll also be taking pictures like mad and posting them for the folks back home. And while I'm pretty good at counting piles of chips without touching them, I might ask you how many chips you have. If you know, just tell me. It'll make things easier.

Chip counts, obviously, are important. However, everyone should remember that we won't have a chip count on everybody at all times. In the first couple of days, you can expect day-end chip counts as well as updates from time to time on the people who have chipped up early. But, don't expect to see how everybody is doing at all times. It just doesn't work like that.

Finally, even more than tournament reporting (which I enjoy more than I can say), I enjoy telling stories. So, I may pull you aside during breaks and interview you a little bit. And if you have a great story to tell about how you got to the PCA or something that's happened to you while you're there, pull me aside and let me know. The only thing I don't want to hear are bad beat stories (unless, of course, you pay me the Lee Jones' $1 fee, in which case, I'll listen happily).

Other stuff

Since most of you are online poker players, there might be the occasion that you want to play online while in the Bahamas (it happened a LOT in 2005). That means, you'll want to know about high-speed access. The Atlantis system is set up as follows:

Guest rooms are only set up for dial-up access at 50 cents per minute...however...

Pool decks are WiFi hotspots

Hotel lobbies are WiFi hotspots

Marina is a WiFi hotspot

WiFi access is $10 for 24 hours

Last January, I was lucky enough to have a hotel room that overlooked a pool deck, so I had high-speed wireless access from my room.

Remember, while it is very close, the Bahamas is not in the U.S. So, if you want to keep in touch with the folks back home and do it cheaply, you might want to consider Skype.com. Skype has a cheap pay service called Skype Out that allows you to call anywhere from your laptop. You can fund your account in any of eight different ways and then make unlimited calls for something like two cents a minute. All it requires is a laptop and headset/microphone. I've used it all over the world and it works as well as a cell phone.

If you're not bringing a laptop, consider buying an international phone card before you leave home. It could end up saving you a lot of money and keeping the folks back home happy--especially if your wife is like mine and likes to make sure you haven't lost a limb in an unfortunate late night rock-climbing accident.

Finally, if you've never been to the Bahamas, check out this link for a page dedicated to Bahamas information.

If you have any questions, please shoot me an e-mail at blog @ pokerstars.com (remove the spaces in the address). Otherwise, I'll see you in a week, folks. Have a safe trip.

Around the world, December 25th was a holiday. At PokerStars, the holiday gift was an extra $100,000 in the Sunday $500+$30 NL Hold'em Event. A whopping 1876 players showed up and played for a prize pool that was worth more than a million bucks. The final table hosted "serb2127," a final table player from the 2005 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. But, in the end, "thekid08" came out in first place after a three-way deal. Here are your final table results.

PokerStars $100,000 Added Tourney Results
(based on three-way chip count deal that left $10,000 for first place)

1. thekid08 (London, United Kingdom) $137,125
2. serb2127 (Niagara Falls, ON, Canada) $115,934
3. JTriverrat (St. Louis, MO) $83,460
4. 100189 (Las Vegas, NV) $48,267.00
5. $saxo$ (Vanloese, Denmark) $38,925.00
6. 942003 (Mont, Switzerland) $30,621.00
7. TheThrill (Toronto, ON, Canada) $23,043.60
8. gordita28 (Bolivar, Venezuela) $17,646.00
9. AmuLeto (Argentina) $12,456.00

What a weekend for PokerStars. Heading into the holiday weekend, there are three big pieces of news coming from PokerStars HQ. In case you missed them, here are the big announcements.

Introducing the PokerStars VIP Club

For years, PokerStars has rewarded you for your play with the best Frequent Player Point merchandise and freerolls in the universe. Now, we're upping the ante with our brand new VIP Club. Beginning January 1, your regular play will earn you countless benefits in PokerStars' new FPP Store and help you earn your FPPs even faster. What's more, now you'll be able to enter major tournaments and buy luxury merchandise with your FPPs. Your loyalty to PokerStars has not gone without notice. Now, get ready to cash in. Click here for details.

Double FPPs for the rest of the year

To celebrate the holidays, PokerStars will double your Frequent Player Points for the rest of the year on all the ring games you play. Just keep playing your ring games as you normally would, and we'll give you twice the FPPs you would normally earn. Happy holidays!

$100,000 added to NL Hold'em tournament

It's PokerStars' holiday gift to you. On Sunday, December 25th at 4:30pm ET, PokerStars will add $100,000 to the $500+$30 NL Hold'em tournament. Not only that, but 405 players will finish in the money. Satellites run all week long. Click "Tourney" and "Satellite" in the game lobby to win your seat today.

Last weekend, I was playing in a private tournament with FellKnight of RGP fame. He's a cagey character and I was doing my best to pay attention to the game. Between hands, he encouraged me to do more Sunday final table reports. I think he might've been luring me into his lair, because shortly thereafter, he limped under the gun with his pocket aces and took a nice portion of my stack. Nonetheless, his encouragement lured me to tonight's $500,000 Guaranteed tournament. I saw a couple of familiar faces rising through the ranks, including dblgutshot and BKLaw (a member of the World Cup of Poker champion Costa Rica team). The next thing I knew, the final table was on and it was as interesting as ever. Here's how it looked when the final nine met:

Seat 1: karlos,uk (810636 in chips)
Seat 2: dblgutshot (1153627 in chips)
Seat 3: RuudGullit (2435215 in chips)
Seat 4: APAANT (614380 in chips)
Seat 5: KillerKop (1015868 in chips)
Seat 6: bocaorange (630819 in chips)
Seat 7: D-ROY (370736 in chips)
Seat 8: bogav47 (1250168 in chips)
Seat 9: sqs1 (516051 in chips)

To be fair, I counted APAANT out of the tournament long before the final table started. It wasn't that he was playing bad. It was that a stroke of ugly luck had cost him nearly all of his stack. With only two tables remaining, he was down to $13,000 in chips. But, all-in against two other players with a pair of eights, he turned a set to triple up. From there, he took a wild ride to the final table, where in the beginning moments of nine-handed play, he got all-in with a pair of nines. KillerKop isoloated with AKs. The flop gave KillerKop his king, but gave APAANT a nine for another set. APAANT was on his way.

Karlos,uk, strong for the entire tournament, ran into one of the most frustrating late tournament experiences. Folded around to him on the button, he found AJo. It's a hand few people love to play, but know they HAVE to play on the button when only the blinds are left to act. What moves can he make? With only 483,000 left in his stack, he was among the bottom chip stacks. Any decent raise at $30,000/$60,000 blinds is going to basically commit him to the pot. A min-raise is not going to get any respect from the big blind, RuudGullit, who has shown he will call small raises in hopes of outflopping or outplaying his opponents. Simply calling is a horrible option. And he's obviously not folding. His only move seemed to be all in. He had to figure--against only the blinds--he had the best hand at the moment. So, he pushed. He had to know he was in trouble when stalwart player dblgutshot pushed in his entire stack from the small blind to isolate. RuudGullit folded and dblgutshot showed QQ. Karlos,uk's only improvement was a jack...on the river. After a strong performance throughout the night, he finished in ninth place and cashed for $7601.04.

D-ROY (another tenacious short stack), who disconnected during a short break, came back with a 'Thank God' and an eventual double-up. Bocaorange came in for a blind steal raise from the button with K5. D-ROY knew it was time to get his chips in with AK. The best hand held up and the onetime short stack moved into a position to play.

KillerKop, who at one point looked to be headed for a top five-finish was the next to go. He came in for a raise with AT under the gun and only got a call from the big blind, RuudGullit. When the flop came down QT7 rainbow and RuudGullit checked, KillerKop had a pretty easy decision. He pushed. Unfortunately for him, RuudGullit held AQ and had laid the perfect trap. KillerKop finished in eighth and took home $12,668.40.

Shortstacked sqs1 seemed to be holding on for dear life and when the prize money went up, he went out. He pushed with 46o from the big blind (only having about $30,000 behind his $60,000 big blind). It was no match against 73o (a limp from the button). Sqs1 went out in seventh place and cashed for $18,298.80.

After watching RuudGullit run over the table, it seemed dblgutshot was ready to pick him off. From the bid blind, dblgutshot called RuudGullit's 3x the big blind raise with 33. The flop came out J55 and dblgutshot pushed. Bad luck and bad timing struck. RuudGullit held KJs and insta-called. The $2.3 million hand bounced dblgutshot in sixth place and sent RuudGullit to a sky-high chip lead.

Shortly thereafter, APAANT doubled up though with Q9 vs RuudGullit's 33 when the flop brought two queens. And then came the hand of the tournament. D-ROY raised from the cut-off, which proved to be inconsequential. It would be a battle of the blinds. RuudGullit re-raised from the small blind and one-time tiny stack APAANT pushed all in. After D-ROY folded, RuudGullit took his entire time bank before calling with QQ. APAANT held AA and RuudGullit didn't improve, going from penthouse to outhouse in the time it took me to let my dog outside to vomit (she must have seen what was coming, but is feeling much better now, thank you).

Bogav47 had been pretty quiet, but woke up the moment RuudGullit was gone. He tripled up with KK vs. APAANT's AQ and bocaorange's JJ. Bocaorange finished fourth. Bogav47 immediately refused a deal and the tourney went on three-handed.

D-ROY, who started the table with the shortest stack, finally gave up the ghost, going for a blind steal with Q3 and running into APAANT's A3. D-ROY called for a queen but it didn't come. He finished third and cashed for nearly $53,000, proving that beginning the table with few chips doesn't mean you have to cash small.

After D-ROY was gone, the final two players discussed a deal. APAANT took $97,000 happily and a few hands later watched his A9 fall to bogav47's 77.

Here are the final table results:

PokerStars $500,000 Guaranteed Final Table Results 12-18-05

1. bogav47 (Abbotsford, BC ,Canada) $128,216
2. APAANT (Old Forge, PA) $97,000
3. D-ROY (Numalol City, Norway) $52,785.00
4. bocaorange (Delray Beach, FL) $40,820.40
5. RuudGullit (Aarhus N., Denmark) $31,671.00
6 dblgutshot (Miami Beach, FL) $24,633.00
7. sqs1 (Van Nuys, CA) $18,298.80
8. KillerKop (San Jose, CA) $12,668.40
9. karlos,uk (Margate, United Kingdom) $7,601.04

PokerStars recently introduced several new options in its game lobby to help you better sort through available games and tournaments. Included here are detailed descriptions and instructions on how to navigate the new system.

Before we start, don't forget that PokerStars has always allowed you to search through individual columns in the header bar. That's not changing. PokerStars is just making it better.

Hiding Full Tables

The first thing you'll notice is a new button at the bottom of the game lobby. Now, when you play in Hold'em ring games, the new button will read "Hide full tables." In the picture below, you'll see what the new button looks like. Click the image to see a full-screen version.

If you click on that button, the Hold'em ring games that are currently full will disappear and leave you with only the games with open seats.

If you're looking for tournaments, click on the "Tourney" tab. The new button will now read "Show registering/upcoming only". Pressing this button will allow you to filter out the full tournaments or already-active tournaments. Click on the picture below for a picture of the new button on the full-sized screen.

Your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. If you loaded up PokerStars today and things looked a little different, there's a reason for it. The PokerStars software was upgraded this morning with some aethetic changes and functionality upgrades that should make your PokerStars experience even better.

You'll likely first notice a new look in the PokerStars lobby. The messages you used to see in the corner of the lobby now appear across the top of the screen.

Hiding Full Tables

Aside from giving PokerStars more room to inform you about new things in the poker room, the new look also makes room for new buttons at the bottom of the lobby. Now, when you play in Hold'em ring games, a new button will read "Hide full tables." If you're looking for tournaments, the button will read "Show registering/upcoming only". Pressing this button will allow you to filter out the full tables or already-active tournaments. After you press the button, you should only see ring games with open seats or tournaments that are still registering players. Now, finding an open game or tournament will be even easier.

Buy-in filter

If you're tired of swimming through micro or high buy-in Sit & Gos to find the one you want, now you only have to go to the Sit & Go lobby and you'll find a new list of options with choices for: All/High/Medium/Low/Micro/Rebuy/Turbo buy-ins. Scroll your mouse over each of the tabs and it will show you what dollar amount each level represents. Regular tournament lobbies and Hold'em ring game lobbies will also give you the option of filtering by buy-in.

Customizable Sorting Options

Now, in all of the lobbies, if you right-click on the Header Bar (Game, Limit, ID, etc.), it will open a new window. In that window, you will be able to customize your sorting options. Now you'll be able to sort games in any number of ways you want.

Enjoy the changes!

In the world of sports and poker, players are always aware of what is on the line. Money, fame, and competitive drive push the athletes to their maximum potential. In the end, though, most of those players realize they're only playing a game. That's why many athletes and poker players take time out of their schedules to support charities and lend their celebrity to good causes.

Now, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Philadelphia Phillies' Cory Lidle, and PokerStars.com are teaming up to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses.

On January 14, 2006 at the Palms in Las Vegas, Make-A-Wish and PokerStars will host a $1200 buy-in charity tournament (with optional $300 rebuy) to benefit Make-A-Wish.

Entrants will be competing against some of the best athletes in the world. So far, the following ball players have signed up:

Jimmy Rollins, Randy Wolf, Mike Lieberthal, and event sponsor Cory Lidle (Philadelphia Phillies)

Jason Giambi (New York Yankees)

David Wells, Shawn Wooten (Boston Red Sox)

Adam Dunn (Cincinnati Reds)

Eric Chavez (Oakland As)

Ron McKinnon (New Orleans Saints)

Tom Wilson (Colorado Rockies).

Bret Saberhagen (2 time Cy Young Award winner)

Scott Erickson (L.A. Dodgers)

Lisa Guerrero (Playboy Cover, January 2006)

Satellites begin December 17th, 2005 and end January 1st, 2006. If you have questions, please contact support@pokerstars.com.

Click here for more information on the tournament and its players.

It's been just a little more than a year ago that I ran into Justin Bonomo for the first time. As I wandered the floor at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, I kept heading back to the table where a young man with spikey green hair was advancing through the field. Word on the street was he was a tough, young online poker prodigy who called himself ZeeJustin. He went on to cash in the PCA and over the next several months I ran into him time and time again on the European Poker Tour circuit. Later, I saw him final table in Deauville, France at the French Open event. His game never changed, even if the color of his hair did.

Since then, I've run into Justin several more times in various exotic locales. The young Magic: The Gathering player turned poker pro has never failed to impress me with his ability to turn online success into live wins in major tournaments.

In recent months, Justin has been on a bit of an online rush, hitting big win after big win. That was no big surprise. Still, he managed to startle me once again.

I just returned from a poker blogger convention in Las Vegas (attended by Team PokerStars' Wil Wheaton). Because I was in an airport, I missed out on watching the PokerStars $500,00 Guarantee as I usually do. Still, I checked in on the results and found that Justin bested the entire field and won first place outright.

Once again, the young stalwart has proven he is a force with which to be reckoned. Now it looks like Justin is on his way to compete in the PCA for a second time. So, if you're one of the fortunate folks heading down to Atlantis next month, be careful of the guy they call ZeeJustin.

Here are the rest of the final table results.

PokerStars $500,000 Guaranteed Results

1. ZeeJustin (Shermon Oaks, CA) $136,920
2. Kometen1(Stavanger, Norway) $82,152
3. omfgyfish (Oslo, Norway) $51,345
4. Krispen (Evanston, IL) $39,706
5. rarely sober (Tuscon, AZ) $30,807
6. -BBJ- (Florida) $23,961
7. 777toome (Reykjavik, Iceand) $17,799
8. Mattster24(Brownstone, IN) $12,322
9. luetch1 (South Hampton, UK) $7,393

If you've never been in a poker room in the waning hours before a major event begins, you are missing out on a frenzy that is so chaotic, it can sometimes be beautiful. The satellite area teems with players so bent on winning a cheap seat to the big event that they hop from one satellite table to the next and push every edge to its full potential. I've even heard of ten players sitting down at a table and simply drawing a high card for a seat.

While the frenzy is not yet as chaotic on PokerStars, it is getting there. Less than a week remains for players to win the $12,000 package to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. With that onus on them, the players are fighting hard for their seat. It is a pleasure, both painful and wonderful to watch.

It's been nearly a year since I made the trek down to Paradise Island and watched PokerStars turn a huge ballroom into the first and biggest poker room in all of the Bahamas. I stood tableside as the first-ever hand of live poker was dealt. It was a little game of $10/$20 Limit Hold'em. This guy took down the first hand, rivering a flush to crack a pair of kings.

Looking back, it was one of the more fun poker weeks I've had, despite the fact I didn't get to play a single hand the entire time I was there. Atlantis is a fantastic resort with more fun than you can imagine. What's more, the weather is a lot better than the 5-degree temps in the American north right now.

Players fortunate enough to win a seat will face the big players they see both online and on TV. Team PokerStars will be in attendance, along with just about anybody else you can imagine.
So, if you have a jones for paradise, this is the week to turn up your satellite skill. It could be your last chance at a Bahamas trip and a week you won't forget.

Sunday continues to be a monster day on PokerStars. The field in Sunday's $500,000 Guaranteed tournament had more than 3500 players and generated a prize pool of more than $700,000. The final five players split the remaining prize pool evenly, leaving $10,000 for first place. Congratulations to all the players.

PokerStars $500,000 Guaranteed Results
(results based on five-way even cash deal that left $10,000 for first place)

1. madiso (Tallinn, Estonia) $78,616.40
2. helstokk (Oslo, Norway) $68,616.40
3. spin to win (Dillon, CO) $68,616.40
4. Kid Blaast (Bristol, United Kingdom) $68,616.40
5. kevmike (Chicago, IL) $68,616.40
6. vovchik71 (Valley Village, CA) $24,815.00
7. skarbiec (Wroclaw, Poland) $18,434.00
8. Manor (Lulea, Sweden) $12,762.00
9. TaK-47 (Flensburg, Germany) $7,657.20

by Greg Raymer

It's a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, and I get a phone call from Rich Korbin, the Director of Marketing for PokerStars. Somehow he has finagled an invitation for me to attend the Celebrity Pro-Am that takes place prior to the Skins Game (the long-standing annual golf competition where four top professional golfers are invited to play against one another on Thanksgiving Day weekend on national television for a million dollars). Heck, I didn't even know that there was a celebrity pro-am associated with this thing. And you're saying I might get to play golf with Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, Fred Funk, or Annika Sorenstam? You bet I'll go!

The Pro-Am was on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the day before the start of the Skins Game itself. Because I was coming into this event so late, I couldn't fly in on Thursday, as the flights were pretty much booked for that day. Instead, I flew to Palm Springs on Wednesday afternoon. The event organizers had put me up in a place called Casitas Las Rosas, which was kind of like an apartment complex. I had a nice little one-bedroom unit with a kitchen and living room, very comfortable.

I called up Kaitlin, the lady from Trilogy who was organizing my participation, and got set up to play a practice round on Thanksgiving Day. I was paired up with three guys from St. Louis. Raj, a Merrill Lynch advisor, and two of his clients, Andy and John. Merrill Lynch is the main sponsor of the Skins Game, and most of the pro-am participants are clients of theirs. John and Andy are real estate developers, and they and Raj are all 30-something young guys who all play a great game of golf. Their handicaps are 4, 5, and 12, if I recall correctly, while mine is about 20. We played a game called Vegas for $1 a point, and I was told that it was rare to win or lose more than $50 over 18 holes. Well, Raj shot 1 under par on the front nine, and was stuck $160 already. I ended up shooting 91, but because of the weird structure of this game, I was the big winner, to the tune of $178. I did make two birdies, which is huge for me, but I also had my typical 3 or 4 holes where I shot an X. That means, your score for that hole is so high, you just take the maximum and move on. I think John and Andy won as well, so Raj must have lost at least 6 times as much as he told me a typical big loser would suffer. I was pretty impressed that he could shoot a scratch round, and still play client golf at the same time. ;-)

The Pro-Am started the next day bright and early, with breakfast at 7am. They had a long driving exhibition on the range, but I missed it, as I didn't manage to arrive until 8am, just enough time to grab a quick bite at the breakfast buffet. While eating, I started chatting with the guys at the next table over, who turned out to be Major League pitcher Brett Tomko and his brother, both very nice guys. I also signed several autographs for some fans between bites.

After eating I found Rich Korbin, who had flown in from Colorado to check out this event and do a little marketing for PokerStars. While chatting outside I spotted Fred Couples, and went to say hello. He saw me walking towards him, and said something to the effect of "Hey, I know you. I watch you on TV all the time." Well, Fred is well-known for his addiction to watching sports, so I guess that carries over to poker as well. Fred lived up to his reputation as being a friendly and genuine guy, nice to everybody who came up to him, always with a grin on his face. I told Fred that I had moved to a golf course in Raleigh, NC, and that he was welcome to visit anytime if he wanted to trade some golf lessons for poker lessons. He said he might take me up on that, so we will see.

While inside I had been given a gift bag which went to all of the Pro-Am participants. A nice travel bag with some Izod shirts and a hat, as well as a card to fill out for a free made-to-order set of Callaway golf clubs! My Dad is going to get these, and I'm sure he will love them. While taking this stuff back to my rental car, I walked by a huge group of young men and women all wearing the same orange shirt and tan slacks. It turns out that these were all Marines from a nearby camp who had volunteered to be the marshals for the event. I stopped on the way back and took several pictures with them, as well as signing a few souvenirs. A great bunch of guys we can all be proud of.

I also ran into Gary McCord on the way back, and asked him if he was a poker player. He said that he was a magician, and cheated, so nobody would let him play anymore. I went on to the putting green, which was fenced off with a white picket fence and a single gate for the players to enter. It was pretty weird to have 100 people standing around and watching you putt. Can't imagine doing that myself, unless the celebrities doing the putting were Playboy bunnies or some such.

Proceeding to the range, I waited for a spot to open up so I could hit. While I had been hitting the ball mostly pretty well the day before, I was terrible this day. I wasn't nervous or anything, so I don't know what the problem was. I just couldn't find the groove on my full swing all day. Brett Tomko was next to me, and had a pretty good swing, but he wasn't happy with his game either at that point. They say golf is a game of mistakes, so I guess I was going to play some real golf today.

Walking to my cart, I spotted John Elway. Rich was standing nearby, and I knew he was a big Broncos fan, so I said let me introduce you to John Elway. We walked over, and I introduced myself to him, and then Rich. Like so many sports fans and athletes, John is also a big poker fan. We tried to talk him into coming to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, and he appeared to like the idea. If any of his fans come to the PCA and expect to see him, none of this is a promise, but we are hopeful he will be interested in attending. Now, if you listen to Rich tell the story, while I was chatting with John, several fans brushed by and ignored him to ask me for an autograph. The way I remember it, one fan did this, while about 5-10 other fans brushed by me to get his autograph.

We started the Pro-Am, and I was paired with four very nice guys from ESPN. We were playing a shamble, which is a modified scramble. All five of us hit a tee shot, and we pick the best one. The four amateurs each play their second and subsequent shots from the best drive playing independently. As the celebrity/pro member of the group, I was supposed to play my own tee shot whether they picked it or not, and play out the hole from there. The best individual score, after adjusting for handicap, would count as the team score. As you might imagine, with a 20 handicap, I was either the worst golfer in the fivesome or close to it, so this format did not make it very likely I would be of much help to my team. If they had instead had the good fortune to be paired with one of the professional golf celebrities, then they would have gotten some help.

After playing 9 holes, each group was supposed to switch around, and trade their pro/celebrity for the pro/celebrity from another group. My four guys from ESPN probably had better luck with their new celebrity, a pro golfer. My new guys probably weren't that thrilled with their new celebrity, who did not bust 330 yard drives like the previous one. However, they were very friendly to me, and their disappointment did not show, so I give them my thanks. Talking to a couple of these guys, I found out that they worked for Trilogy, the company who owned this golf course and had built the surrounding community. I made the mistaken assumption that the other two guys also worked for Trilogy. At one point a few holes later, I was talking to Dan, a member of this group who was clearly very athletic, though also clearly not quite up to the level of a professional golfer. In fact, his golf bag had his name sewn into it, along with the phrase "World's Greatest Athlete." I asked him how old his kids were, and had they gotten him this golf bag as a Father's Day gift. He told me no, he got the bag for winning the gold medal in the Decathlon in the 1996 Olympics. "Oh, you're THAT Dan O'Brien" was my intelligent follow-up. Fortunately, Dan is a very nice guy, and didn't hold this mistake against me. I also told him about the PCA, and asked him to contact us about attending.

I was able to provide some help to this second foursome. On our second hole together, a 180 yard par 3, I was last to tee off. One of our group had put his ball on the green, but had left a putt of at least 80 feet. Everybody else had missed the green entirely. I informed them all that it wasn't necessary to test me under pressure like this, because I could perform equally poorly with or without any pressure. I then stepped up and hit a crisp 5-wood to about 10 feet from the hole. Maybe pressure is a good thing for my game. However, I was of very little help to their score over the next 7 holes, so apparently they needed to apply the pressure more than they did. Most of them could outdrive me at will, including one tee shot that Dan busted at least 350 yards. So much for my new and improved 250 yard drives.

The round of golf was fun, even if I played rather poorly. There was a small crowd of observers on most of the holes, and they were very friendly. I even got some nice golf applause on a few half-decent shots. Unfortunately, there had not been much of an audience for the 180 yard par 3 that I hit tight, but a good shot is satisfaction enough in itself.

I drove back to my hotel room, and got cleaned up, as this was the big night. Merrill Lynch and Tiger Woods were hosting a big party at the golf club, and it was going to be a good time for all, I was sure. All or most of the pros and celebrities were expected to be in attendance, as well as most of the amateur participants in the Pro-Am. The party started at 7pm, but Rich called me at 20 minutes before 7, asking me where I was. Slow down, Rich, 6:40 is not fashionably late. ;-)

When I arrived a little after 7pm, I found Rich, and he told me he needed to introduce me to Tom, the photographer. Tom had been hired to wander around the party and take pictures, but Rich had paid him to follow me for a while, and get shots of me with various celebrities. I found this pretty amusing, but since Rich had already paid him, I made it a point to find some of the celebs and introduce myself, at least for the photo opp. Our first goal was to find Tiger, and get a picture with him.

First we had to find out if he was around or not, which wasn't hard, as he was unexpectedly surrounded by a large group of people. As I slowly moved towards him, Rich and Tom came up behind me, and kept telling me to be more aggressive, to just push myself in there and say hi. Not my style. So, as I came towards him, he started walking away from his group, and away from me. I kept trailing him out the first room and into the next, until he finally slowed down for a minute. As I walked closer, he turned towards me, grinned as he saw me, stuck out his hand and said "I know you, and no, we're not playing any poker together." Of course, I wanted to know why, as I had heard he enjoyed gambling. He said he mostly played blackjack, at which point we got into a conversation about card counting. I told him he could probably get away with counting cards as effectively as anybody in the world, as what casino would ever want to bar him, even if he was winning? As our chat continued, I told him that if he wanted to improve his poker game, I would trade him some poker lessons for golfing lessons. I also invited him to the PCA as well, telling him what a great group of poker players would be there, and how much fun it would be for him and us. I think he liked the idea, but I suspect his calendar is a bit full, even that time of year, so I'm not holding my breath.

Greg Raymer and Tiger Woods

Later on I was outside getting some of the great crabcakes at the buffet, and I saw Paul Azinger. Now here was somebody I needed to talk to. One of my last trips to Foxwoods, a floorman had told me that Paul had been in there a few weeks prior, during the Greater Hartford Open golf tournament, and had asked if he could be introduced to me. The floorman had informed him that I wasn't at Foxwoods much, even though I lived nearby, and was out of town a lot. However, since he had been asking for me those several weeks ago, I wanted to see what he wanted. I walked up to say hi, and mentioned that I had heard he was looking for me. He said it was nothing in particular, he had merely heard that I lived near Foxwoods, and he was hoping I would be around so he could meet me. He asked me a lot of questions about online poker and PokerStars, and is clearly very interested in playing poker and getting better at it. I also invited him to come visit me in North Carolina and trade some golf lessons for poker lessons.

Paul Azinger, Greg Raymer, and John Elway

While Paul and I were talking, John Elway walked up and joined us. He was also an extremely friendly and likable guy, who was also very interested in learning more about poker, both live and online. The amazing thing is that all of these great athletes tell me how impressed they are when they watch me and other pros play poker on TV. They say they don't understand how we stay so calm when making million dollar decisions. I think they have it backwards. All we have to do as poker players is to think. The execution of those thoughts isn't that hard. On the other hand, they have to think, figure out the right play, and then they have to physically execute that decision. And often under just as much or more money pressure than a poker player. I know I'm impressed when I watch these guys perform on TV, and it's hard to imagine that they are impressed with us for playing poker, but somehow, they are.

While I would have enjoyed hanging out at the golf course the next two days and watching the Skins Game itself unfold, I also wanted to get back home and spend some time with my family. The only downside of my new life is that I am on the road a lot, and don't get to see my wife and daughter as much as I would prefer. I have to thank Cheryl for letting me go to this golf tournament and miss Thanksgiving at home, and for all the other inconveniences she has put up with in the last year and a half.