Rested and Ready!

I have been out of contact. I went on vacation. I may as well have been on the moon -- I didn't take my laptop with me! I went to DeLand, FL to see my sister, Judy. My sister and I are as different as black and white, but we have always gotten along wonderfully. Being with her is comforting to me. She lives in a small, quaint town, where Main Street is reminiscent of the '50's. She is a great cook and she is very nurturing. I like to be nurtured now and then. For one week, I visited this other world. One that is calm and low key. No hurry and scurry to get anywhere or do anything in particular. We watched old movies and went on walks. We ate great home cooking and then great home cooked leftovers. Her cute little house sits on the edge of a forest. Back in that forest is a peacock farm or reserve or whatever you call were one raises peacocks. Half a dozen of these peacocks take morning and afternoon walks. They always visit my sister's backyard. Probably because she always has something to feed them. On any given morning there are from one to six peacocks right outside her backdoor. Now, that is a sight to see. If she is not quick enough with the goodies, the most brave of the clan, the one I named Snow Belly, will peck on the back door. The boy peacock is gorgeous; his harem are pretty, but he is the cock of the walk, so to speak. Also in her backyard on any given day, is a family of raccoons who like to play in her birdbath. Birds, more than I can name, little lizards and snakes (the good kind, Judy says, more afraid of us than we are of them.) Knowing my poker/Vegas hustle, bustle lifestyle in the desert, Judy was determined that I was going to get a extra heavy dose of nature. She took me on a nature cruise at Blue Springs. "Captain Bob" introduced us to hundreds of plants, trees and birds. My sister knew more than he did. We got to see the prettiest, white, long-necked bird fighting with a fish, winning, and then eating that sucker whole. I could see that poor fish fighting all the way down that long, slender neck. Now, why did that remind me of some delicate, innocent looking poker players, eating the fish alive? I saw a HUGE alligator. Boy, did he look mean! Again, I was reminded of a poker player or two that I know, he was just laying there in wait, ready to destroy and consume.
I got so detoxed from my normal life, if I were any more relaxed, I'd be in the coffin. I came home rested and ready. Bring it on: the WSOP, the Venetian, the Golden Nugget. I am ready, ready to look as good as the boy peacock but attack like the 15 foot gator!

More WSOP Final Table Controversy

Talk about a hornet's nest! Seems like one has fallen on my head! I realized the first time I went out to play poker, after the official announcement that the WSOP final table would be played three months after the fact, that this was the main topic of conversation AND I was in the vast minority. As a matter of fact, with the exception of Harrah's, ESPN, and Daniel Negraneau, I have not found one person who thinks it's a good idea. On my radio show Monday afternoon my guests were Lupe Soto and Lisa Adams. They, along with my "cute as a puppy" co-host, Gavin Jerome were adamatly opposed. The producer of http://www.holdemradio/, Wade Andrews, who usually just runs the show and hits buttons, chimed in with his opinion. Their opinions were all in unison -- no, no. no! They believe it is a terrible idea for many good reasons so I had to do some rethinking. Now that I have had a few days to let it all sink in and get yelled at from many directions, I still don't think it's such a terrible thing for poker. I guess I look at it sort of like the aging process ... there isn't a damn thing we can do to stop this runaway train so we may as well embrace it and make the best of it. There are however, many negatives and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. I do agree with my mama, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but life is a state of change and all change is not necessarily bad. To reiterate, yes, Harrah's, ESPN, and all the sponsors will make the big bucks while the world waits for months to see who our 2008 world champ will be, but the nine final table players also will be making the big bucks with sponsorships and public appearances. They will have time to be well rested and in shape for the game of their lives and the amateurs will have the time and the money for first class coaching. I have always been one who tries to make lemonade no matter how sour the lemons. Time will tell. There could be another huge change in the schedule for 2009, that of putting it back the way it used to be. To quote my friend Daniel, "The sky isn't falling and the WSOP will be just fine."

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

Where does the time go? I didn't even do my last of Pendleton blog, but I will now. During the main event, Lori Avert, the Poker Picture Lady, will lay anyone in the room for $10 (the best lay) or $5 (a cheaper lay.) She buys up a bunch of Hawaiian leis at the dollar store and proceeds to "lay the poker room." The "Lay Lori" money is then donated to the Wildhorse in-house charity which goes to help with the tribe's basketball team and any employee who faces an emergency. Bonnie Leinhos buys her whole poker table a round of Lori Leis.
Another terrific Wildhorse Poker Round-Up comes to an end. I didn't do as well as I have in the past (made two scores but no final tables) but I plan to do better in November.

WSOP fever is beginning to brew. I am already having private satellites for it and the on line sites are giving away hundreds of $10,000 packages, probably thousands. As is the norm, there is always something new for poker players to bitch about. This year is no different and we're a month away from kick-off. The huge controversy for WSOP 2008 is the delay of the final table, purely for momentary purposes. Many have asked my opinion. Here is it. I think it is great! Can you tell me two players who were at the final table in 2005? Of course not, because nobody remembers any of them except the winner and maybe second place. It won't be that way any more. The final nine will be talked about and promoted for months before they take their seat to crown the 2008 champ. We will have nine poker celebrities rather than one. We will see them on TV and hear their interviews. Yes, Harrah's and ESPN will make gobs more money but so will the final nine. I just hope to be one!
And just in case you don't know the whole story, the final nine will all receive ninth place prize money immediately and the rest of the prize money will be held in an interest bearing account to be distributed to the winners.

The Biggest Win in $10-$20 Limit Hold'em History

The Spring Wildhorse Poker Round-up is drawing to a close. Two more events left and then it is back to the real life after another wonderful visit to Pendleton, Oregon. Think Mayberry, 1958 and you will picture downtown Pendleton. You too can make terrific memories and have an opportunity to win big bucks for relatively small buy-ins next fall. Go to http://www.wildhorseresort.com/.

I have thus far won some but not enough to brag about. I will not go home empty handed as my horses at Wildhorse have done a fine job (I trade 5% with several of the pros.)

The question of the day, posed at the poker table was, "How much do you think is the most money ever won at one session of a $10-$20 limit hold'em game?" I had no idea but guessed $2,500. Other guesses ranged from $900 to $3,900. The answer -- are you ready? You're not going to believe it either -- $126,890. I had to go into the think tank on that one. Even a virile, fit, strapping 21-year-old on a three-day rush of a lifetime could not win that much. The story teller, Terry Cook swore it happened a few years ago at Muckleshoot Casino. The winner, he announced was Dr. Peter Fisher! I know Peter and his daughter Jan. I went straight to Peter. "That's correct", he proclaimed with an ear-to-ear smile. We then went to breakfast and he told me the whole story (and several other great stories.) He won $126,890 when his straight flush was crushed by a royal flush. Of course! No wonder I didn't believe the riddle; I didn't even think about a Bad-Beat Jackpot! Peter asked me how long I thought it would take a Muckleshoot employee to count out $126,890 in $100 bills? An hour and a quarter, he said. And, he asked me, how long do you think it would take an experienced bank teller to count $126,890 in $100 bills. An hour and a quarter, he answered himself. Between hitting that enormous jackpot and getting to the bank is a whole 'nother chapter. Peter's story is so funny and so entertaining that I asked him to be on my radio show, "Broad-Minded Poker" and tell the poker world. Watch http://www.holdem.com/ for the date. It will be when he visits his daughter, Jan, in Las Vegas in early summer.

Pendleton Table Talk & More Nigel

I hope my potential marriage to Nigel is not doomed. I found out he smokes! BUT, he assured me he only smokes occasionally and only when he is playing poker (going outside, of course). I quit in '96 and know I couldn't live with a smoker. He absolutely assures me he can quit NOW and that he can be trained. To prove the training part, this suave, debonair, sophisticated gentleman donned my purple cowboy hat for several hours in the poker room. That was a test, he passed and I have not smelled smoke on him and I have a great smeller! So, the marriage could be back on. In the interest of time, we have decided on a Vegas drive-through wedding! One more obstacle out of the way. Since everyone knows me as Susie Isaacs and everyone knows him only as Nigel, he has agreed that I will not be Susie Jones but he will go with Nigel Jones-Isaacs!

Pendleton table talk: Joe the dealer is happy to be raising his 7-year-old daughter. He has had her since Dec. A few days ago, she said to him, "Dad, I think we need to be more responsible and you're not helping!"

Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher gave a seminar before the ladies event. As usual, they are entertaining and helpful and as usual, I learned something new! I know about the "under-the-gun" seat and the "cut-off" seat, but I did not know about the seat to the right of the cut off seat. It is called the "high-jack" seat. From the button, you can steal, from the cut-off you can steal the button and from the high-jack seat, you can
"high-jack" both the cut-off and the button! After the seminar, which was great and had a lot of laughs, we began the ladies event. After about 15 minutes of play a lady raised and announced "I am raising from the 'jack-off' seat!"

Susie's Getting Married! (Maybe)

The longer I live, the more "firsts" I see at a poker table. On Saturday, I saw a fellow have aces three times kings once, and queens once all within about seven hands and he lost three of them. That was a first.
Yesterday was no exception. As is usual at the Wildhorse, the table is friendly and often talkative. I met Nigel, who was sitting to my left. He made an impression on me because he is a good poker player, interesting and he has a very sexy European accent. I just wanted to keep him talking so I could enjoy that delicious accent. During table talk, it came up that for the last three months, Nigel has been in the U.S. playing poker here, there, and yonder, and doing some sightseeing. He wanted to stay in this country through the World Series but he had only a three month visa. In order to play in the WSOP, he had to go back to the South of France, get revisatised (or whatever) and turn around and come back to the good ol U.S. of A. I asked if he married an American citizen, if he could just stay. He thought so. I remembered back, years ago, one of my girlfriends married a guy who was not a citizen for $10,000. He became a citizen after some years and that was that. I figured, with inflation, $25,000 would be a resonable price. I asked Nigel if he could afford that. He had recently sold his business and retired, so yes, he could afford it. I immediately proposed to him; the dealer even stopped for a moment for the exchange. We got a round of applause for the show and Lori, the poker picture lady was right there. I'm not sure what his answer was because when he properly introduced himself to the woman who was proposing to him, it came out that his name was Nigel Jones. Whoa, wait a minute. My maiden name is Jones. We may be distant cousins or something. Although we had already decided on an open marriage and the future was looking bright, niether of us wanted to risk inbreeding so we are presently on hold with our future wedding plans. Stay tuned ........

The Great Pendleton Swim Race

And the race was on, but I must digress. Tahoe got in the warm pool to "warm-up" and let the audience know that he was having some problems with arthritis in both shoulders and that a few years back, he had a hip replacement, so essentially he was swimming with less than a whole body. However, he proclaimed, "I will still whip these two young asses."
Minutes later the swim meet commenced and the race was on. Jennifer took an early lead and the old man actually held second for about a second, after the turn, the newcomer, Mara took over and held the lead to the end. Jennifer was a very close second, followed Tahoe who took his first third place (of course, it has always been just two in the race until this year.) Tahoe is already announcing that it was a fluke. While gasping for breath, he proclaimed that he would regain his championship in the fall. He also claimed that the girls closed in on him and slowed him at the turn and that a spectator grabbed his foot to slow him down. He politely denied the girls plea for a second race. "Not even in the same week, much less the same day," he replied.
Authors note: I honestly think that Tahoe lies/brags so much about beating young Jennifer that he convinces himself that he has actually won the races. Jen was the first place champ for every race until today. The race was filmed today and will be shown during the poker tournament. Tahoe will probably claim the film was tampered with.