So, since my crisis of historical integrity yesterday, something big happened. Justin Bonomo, better known to the Internet community as ZeeJustin, posted an apology on the 2+2 forums in the wake of his being busted for entering multiple accounts in one tournament. The punishment, Partypoker.com stripping his six accounts of $127K and banning him from the site, has been seen as harsh by some, weak by others. You can’t keep all the people happy all the time.

A lot of Justin’s detractors have taken on the guise of a lynch mob. They don’t like the wording of his apology. They don’t like that he’s maintaining a lack of intent. “LIAR” they scream, as if to say ‘you did this to us.’. People are feeling betrayed, because a guy they considered one of their own…one of their leaders, has turned out to be less than the shining example they thought he was.

Part of me says cheating is part of the game. Its not excusable, don’t get me wrong, but where money and pride are concerned, morality is easily lost. That’s the reality of the human animal. Especially in North America, where victory and defeat are so closely connected to success and failure, they’re bound to become more important to some individuals than how they played the game.

The other part of me is vindicated. In Magic, which I played while young, dumb and full of (you know) I was always the guy calling out cheaters and pissed when the community accepted them back into the fold. Players just didn’t seem to mind that they’d essentially been robbed of prize money by guys who hadn’t earned their lofty placings. It drove me nuts. I was more than a little disillusioned.

Magic and poker differ as the former targets teens while the latter is undoubtedly a game for grown ups. The poker community seems to know that having money gained in sketchy ways taken away is not punishment enough. When someone gets caught cheating in poker, hundreds of threads containing hundreds of posts spring up from the void, and while some forgive, they never, ever forget. Justin Bonomo will never again deal an uncut deck of cards. This isn’t really about him though.

I love that poker players police the community. I love that they don’t sit idly by as the darker element tries to re-assimilate. Doyle Brunson himself has said he doesn’t like using written contracts much because he doesn’t like doing business with people whose word isn’t good enough. There’s a strange honor system at work, which could well be the only thing between anarchy at the tables and what we have instead.

Cheating’s always going to be an issue, but I’m not too worried about it. The poker world, tries to feast on the weak, but they do it at the table, where it belongs. Thanks for restoring a little faith to this previously resigned observer.

Gary@wisehandpoker.com

Just doing some research and I wanted to share this page:

http://www.gocee.com/poker/stu_ungar.htm

What you’re about to find is the recorded reflections of Stu Ungar’s friends after his death and before poker was the stylish way to spend a friday night. Every entry gives a different reflection. You won’t find a better, more honest tribute to the man.

gary@wisehandpoker.com

So, the other day, I was browsing the forums at 2+2 when I stumbled across my name. It

So, its early Sunday evening, I’m sitting home writing and researching and GSN’s Anything to Win came on, with today’s subject none other than Amarillo Slim. Sitting here, watching, knowing full-well the kind of man this is, I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty when I found myself chuckling at some of Ol’ Slim’s stories.

Minnesota Fats wants to shoot some pool, Slim beats him using a broom for a cue. Titanic Thompson tries to take a little money from Amarillo, but instead loses when the tables are turned. Every story you hear about Slim seems to have him outfoxing the best in the world at what they do. I can’t help but admire his ability to dominate dominance.

Dominance has always fascinated me. For one person to take something that many endeavor to be strong at and do it so much better than anyone else, is, to me, an admirable quality. It takes a special kind of person, combining talent, drive, intelligence and will, to truly be that much better than anyone else at doing what you do.

I’m not that person. I’ve known a few of them in my time, and they were far better at keeping their eye on the ball than I’ll ever be. I’ve always been the kind of guy who questions what drives the billionaires of the world to keep trying to make money. I recognize that there’s a beauty in the hunt for perfection, a hunt that can never be fulfilled, but I don’t have the patience or discipline to keep hunting after feeding and clothing everyone I’ll ever know for the rest of their lives. I guess my recognizing that shortcoming in myself heightens my appreciation for the strength required to keep pushing forward.

Amarillo Slim screwed over a lot of people in his life. He took money in ways that you might think cheap. He was accused of abusing a relative. He was not a nice man. Still, when it comes to finding the angles and making them pay off, no one did it better. I’ll always respect him for that.

gary@wisehandpoker.com

Hey guys,

Just wanted to point out that I’ve started doing a seperate daily column for Poker Listings. I’m doing week-long series with unifying themes. Make sure you check it out. We’ve also been featured on pokerineurope.com, the official site of the European Poker tour and the World Heads Up Championships. We’ll be joining up with a few more sites by the end of the weekend, so thingws are getting pretty busy. We got some more big news today, the biggest yet, but I’m going to hold off on talking about that until next week.

Pokerroom.com is still maxing out with a 40% sign up bonus right now. Remember, your sign ups help us maintain the site. If you want more info on the additional bonuses we’re offering, sign up for our newsletter and it’ll tell all. Hope everyone’s having a great week. Nut rivers,

Gary Wise
gary@wisehandpoker.com

One of the best resources for an inside look at the tournament scene is CardPlayer.com’s live webcast ‘The Circuit’, hosted by pro player Mike Matusow and On site reporter Scott Huff. The show takes questions from callers, features interviews with well known pros and discuesses strategy, tactics and the culture of the game.

Today, I listened to some of the segments from the National Heads Up Championship, an overdue exersize left for later during a busy two weeks stretch. The interview that reallyy caught my attention was with Jim McManus. You’ll see tomorrow that the interview inspired a Hand of the Day. It’s a pretty nasty one that you’d know pretty well if you’ve read his famous accounting of the Vegas experience in Positively Fifth Street.

I’ve always written about games, but McManus focused on poker before it was cool. OK, that’s not quite fair, poker’s always been cool, but Jim wrote his book out of genuine curiosity and a love for the game that we were all reminded of in his infamous clash with Ellix Powers. He seems to see the game as romantic topic matter, kind of the way I do. I’d love to talk to him about it some time.

McManus was spot on when he said that poker affords us the opportunity to delve into details physical competitions don’t. In sports, the action is constant, but in poker time stops on the flop, turn and river. Every twitch or flinch can be recorded. DVD helps. So does TIVO. The thing is, images don’t encompass the entire spectrum of poker experience because so much is going on beneath the surface. It may be the last true form of confrontation, or at least the most popular.

Part of what makes poker great is its balances: Math and psychology, aggressive and passive, tight and loose. The math wizards definately outnumber the right-brained guys in the game, but that makes things more interesting on this side of the web. Thanks for the inspiration, Jim. Your work has become more than about the game. It’s become a part of it.

gary@wisehandpoker.com

9:03 – I love watching Barry Greenstein play. While he doesn’t push the action the way a Daniel Negreanu or Gus Hansen might, he does all the little things so well. He’s a picture of poker professionalism and proof there is such a thing.

9:05 – Here’s how much I like this show; The World Baseball Classic final is on and it’s only getting my attention at commercial breaks. I’ve been following the WBC closely and I’ve really enjoyed the whole affair, but what are they playing for, national pride? I’ll see your national pride and raise you a couple hundred grand.

9:06 – Ladies and Gentlemen, Phil Hellmuth. I’ve said it before, but it’s more fun to watch Phil lose money than to watch anyone else win. To that end, I actually find myself cheering for Phil so he can stick around longer, allowing me to watch him lose longer. I know, that makes no sense, but it works for me so I ain’t fixing it. Word is Antonio Esfandiari takes him to the tool shed throughout. If the last time Antonio took Phil’s money on national TV (back in WPT season 1) is any indication, Phil should get plenty pissed before the night’s over.

9:10 - Is it just me, or has Eli Elezra looked a little lost at the table the last few weeks? The man obviously knows how to play poker, but last week he played a bunch of brutal hands and now he’s letting himself get trapped by the Magician. Maybe it was just a bad week, but when the highlight of your session is Gabe Kaplan making Jewish jokes at your expense, things could be going better.

9:15 – The WBC is delayed. This from ESPN’s baseball editor David Kull:

“they had to remove everything from the field. Basically, the same thing happened the other night as well.”

Apparently, no one had figured out there was going to be a ballgame by nine o’clock. WBC falls behind The Apprentice in the commercial queue.

9:16 – Never mind, the Apprentice has been so bad this year I’d rather watch Canadian sports network gap filler while waiting for Cuba and Japan to get going.

9:17 – See? Told you Barry was good. He got those quad eights to stand up real nice like. Bet just enough to keep Phil in the hand too. Nice hand, sir. Phil gets up at the 18-minute mark looking like he’s ready for a bitch fest. What kind of timing is that for a commercial?

9:19 – A Dell commercial came on, I went to change the channel and suddenly gave up on channel surfing altogether. You’ve apparently done a fantastic job this year Donald. I’m a reality TV lover too.

9:21 – OK, back on Apprentice. Have I mentioned that I’ve got ADD?

9:22 – Phil raises with 43o??? This should be good.

9:23 - “I wish I’d gotten this flop last time”. Might as well look Freddy right in the eye, yell “STRONG WHEN WEAK, WEAK WHEN STRONG!!!” and move all in. Brilliant. More and more, I think whenever Phil declares his strength it’s a sign of weakness. Of course, I’m a victim of television editing.

9:24 – Man, Phil can’t get away from a hand.

9:25 – lol. Phil calls Barry’s QQ raise with KQo and the flop comes K-4-Q. Gabe Kaplan called it when he said “Phil made one of his patented all-in calls” with the quick response. This is entertainment. I just threw my remote off my balcony.

9:27 – Amarillo Slim on ‘Anything to Win’ Sunday night. Mark it on your calendars. I’d be willing to bet they don’t delve into ‘the accusations’ nearly as much as they should. No one does. It’s like every person in the industry has this deep, dark, dirty secret and doesn’t want anyone else to find out about it. Just something that frustrates me. I understand this is the newer, cleaner poker, but that doesn’t change the past. I’d rather give us the credit for having grown beyond the back-room era and look back at it as something that’s passed us by and talk about it openly.

9:29 – Phil’s re-bought. It seems like everyone at the table is in very good spirits. Connection?

9:31 – I like Antonio’s fold in the Greenstein-Negreanu hand with 9-9.

9:33 – I’d have lost a lot more money than Antonio when his AA got out-flopped by Barry’s KQ. He checks the flop (granted, four ways), just calls on the turn, then folds on the river. Not too shabby.

9:35 – Just checked back in to see if the ballgame had started yet. Japan’s up 1-0 with bases loaded in the top of the first. I feel like I missed the entire ballgame. I’m cheering for Japan…that takes the sting off a little.

9:38 – Thus far, Phil’s been his tournament self’s polar opposite. Limping four off the button first-in with J4dd may be a part of his grander scheme, but I’m not seeing it.

I loved Doyle’s call with A5ss against Daniel’s button raise vs. two callers. My special* logic tells me he knew Daniel was trying to play his position and there wouldn’t be more raises. That Brunson flopped a full house and Daniel turned the flush didn’t hurt too much either.

9:43 – 4-0 Japan. Good game.

9: 46 – “They won’t let me win a pot” – Phil Hellmuth. “Phil, you just started, man” Freddy Deeb. I chuckled.

I get the sense that a lot of the pros see Phil as their estranged space cadet brother. There an obvious disdain there, but he’s been a part of their lives for so long they can’t help but have some sub-conscious affection for him.

9:49 – Everyone’s piling on Phil and he’s just taking it, but the moment Sheiky tries to join in, Phil puts him in his place. Phil may not be at the top of the pecking order with this crew, but I don’t think he’s at the bottom either.

9:54 – Ouch, Daniel hits his king on the river and pocket aces get cracked again. It’s almost enough to make me reconsider my favorite hand.

9:56 – Phil re-raises with pocket tens after Antonio bets his aces and Elezra raises his jacks. This is the highest of comedy.

By the way, I’m not a huge fan of ‘rocks and rings’, but I like the way Antonio’s carried himself.

9:58 – You have to love the automatic two-minutes-to-the-hour-bad beat. Aces go 0-3 for the hour. If we wanted the favorite to hold up every time, we’d play chess.

gary@wisehandpoker.com

Hey guys, things are a little crazy right now, so for today, just a reminder that Pokerroom.com is offering a 40% sign up bonus along with all kinds of goodies. Hope everyone had a good weekend, see you tomorrow. Nut flushes,

Gary Wise
gary@wisehandpoker.com

So I did a TV interview today. Just a small one, mind you. A reporter from a local station (Global Television here in Toronto) was doing a piece on online gambling, and when I heard I got in touch to offer assistance. Before I knew it, I was trying to beat him to the office.

The questions were pretty basic; why did you start? What made it fun? Do you make money? I gave him the basic-level history lesson about Henry Orenstein and Rounders and WPT and Moneymaker. It was a nice little chat. One question did keep me thinking though. ‘How do I know when to quit?’

His story is being done in two parts; day 1, everyone loves poker! day 2, well, maybe not everybody. Being possessed of some card sense and the will to leave the table, the urge to gamble has never been a huge problem for me*. I gave him the usual spiel about how I don’t play other casino games because of the obvious diminishing returns and poker is something more because you can overcome the dealer’s advantage by beating the living crap out of your opponents. Something like that.

Is addiction an issue? Absolutely. After you lose a certain amount, you hit the point of no return and money means nothing. That can get you into trouble, and while it seems like an obvious mistake to avoid, mistakes happen. People do stupid shit. Some things don’t change in that regard.

The key for most people is rigorous self-awareness. Set a limit. Know what your breaking point and stop when you’re pushing it. Never, ever play with money you can’t afford to lose. It’s poker’s first rule. Of course, ‘afford’ is an eye of the beholder kind of thing, and some people feel they can ‘afford’ to go bust. You need to know what priority poker plays in your life and judge accordingly.

If you think you may already be addicted go to google after you read this and search for ‘gambling addiction. If you don’t know if you are, step away from the computer for 48 hours and see how you react. Ultimately, you’re the only person who can protect you from yourself. Man, television’s depressing.

gary@wisehandpoker.com

* Yes, I know, this is the first thing a problem gambler would say.

I’ve been reading and writing for fifteen hours straight, and while my brain seeps out my ear filled with thoughts of Gavin Smith, Ted Forrest and Kido Pham, I have to admit, I don’t have much left for this space.

Tomorrow we go live on Pokerlistings.com, while is a pretty big deal, so hopefully the work will be worth it. I’ll check back in tomorrow and probably come up with the same lame excuses for you then.

gary@wisehandpoker.com