Guest Blogger

We were contacted by the owners of pokerimestari.com today and asked to review their site. No one at WiseHandPoker reads any language that doesn't start with 'E' and end with 'nglish', but we took a look a look over there and it looks like a great portal for anyone who can actually read what's going on over there.

The easy thing for us about this review is the fact they link to a bunch of sites we're not affiliated with. The deals they have up for Titan Poker and PokerStars are competitive with any I've seen of late (actually, that they have an affiliate deal with Stars at all is pretty crazy...Stars is next to impossible to get to agree to affiliate work, and they generally spurn it), and the fact they've managed to make the kind of connections bodes well for their future.

Players of 'nettipokeri', the word for online poker over there, should be looking around pokerimestari.com and finding those good deals if the ones we have here aren't suiting their fancy. We're happy to tell you as much; the world is a big, big place and we're happy to share a small piece of it with someone else in the world of pokeri.

Now I want to turn my attention to sports instead of talking about poker all the time. Aside from poker I really love sports, so today I am going to review a great new sports handicapping site I found on the Internet. This is a sports handicapping website that has been a reputable handicapper for all the major league sports: NFL, NCAA college football, College basketball, MLB and the NHL.

Sharkhandicapping.com has an excellent quick link section to guide you through the site so you can navigate to their different sections like NFL Picks, Football Picks. College Football, NBA Picks, Basketball Picks, NCAA Basketball, Baseball Picks, Hockey Picks and Sports Tips.

Sharkhandicapping.com has collected a team of long time handicappers with proven experience in many areas including college football picks, Pro and College Football Picks, NFL Football Predictions, and they offer free NFL picks and free college football picks every season.

So if you want a reputable and experienced sports handicapping system with proven results in all your favorite major league sports like the NFL, or NCAA college football check out Sharkhandicapping.com.

It's time to say goodbye. My time at Wise Hand Poker has come to a close and this will be my last blog for the site. I'm about to take some big steps forward in my life, my writing, and my career. But, I feel it's important to take a moment to reflect on the footprints that have taken me to this present point in time.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my tales from the road. I tried to reveal a lot of myself to you readers in each and every one of my blogs. I learned a lot about myself in the process, and hopefully you learned a little something about yourselves as well.

I will be moving on to another poker media company. A big challenge lies before me, and I know I can draw confidence from the experience and lessons I learned while writing for Wise Hand Poker. It was a tough decision to leave, but hopefully my departure will open some doors for the talented pool of writers that call Wise Hand home.

Just a year ago I had your typical "office" job. I was a human resources assistant at the San Francisco Chronicle that wanted to write, wanted to see the world. An internship last summer at the World Series of Poker got my foot into the door of the poker industry. It was an amazing summer, but after it finished I was left wondering, "What now?"

I got a phone call one afternoon a few weeks later. Gary Wise wanted 52 tips on Texas Hold'em the next day. I got to work with the fervor of a young writer that knew opportunity was knocking. A month after that I was still writing poker strategy articles for Wise Hand when Gary called again. This time he wanted me to join the World Poker Tour coverage team for the Festa al Lago at the Bellagio. That is when my wild ride really began, and I have never looked back. It's been a lot of fun.

I will still play my part in this strange world of poker, covering a writer's dream lineup of characters and personalities. I will never forget my time at Wise Hand Poker, and I thank Gary as well as everyone else here for the opportunities and encouragement they have provided. I also thank you for coming along on this journey through words. They may have become a little tangled at times, while I searched for my voice, but I feel I'm starting to discover its song.

"It is a poor man who dies with his music still inside him." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks for letting me sing.

Sincerely,

Ryan "Force" Lucchesi

So...Liz Lieu, Jon Friedberg, and "The Captain" Tom Franklin walk into a bar. Sounds like the intro to a bad joke; right...Actually, it is the introduction to one of my recent evenings in Las Vegas. Day 1A at the WPT Championships has just ended, what do you do? After a dinner at the Bellagio buffet that was spent dining on lamp chops, Kobe beef, and chocolate-covered strawberries, Tom Bostic and I headed down the strip to the Karaoke Bar at the Imperial Palace. There are two palaces on the Las Vegas Strip, and after tonight I'll venture to say that Caeasar's Palace has nothing on the Imperial Palace. They might think of renaming the place the Superior Palace.

Disclaimer: The remainder of this blog will be administered in multiple choice, for all you college kids out there.

Question One: How many security guards does it take to patrol a dive bar at the less-than crowded Imperial Palace?

A: 1
B: 2
C: 3
D: 4

Correct Answer: Four, I don't know why but every ten minutes or so four security guards set up shop in preparation for god knows what. Don't even ask how many of them it would have taken to replace a light bulb.

Question two: Brian Devonshire walks up to a microphone at a karaoke bar, what song does he sing?

A: Summer Lovin'
B: Gin 'n' Juice
C: The Gambler
D: Any Country Music song you can imagine

Correct Answer: Gin 'n' Juice, he received bonus points for introducing his rendition of Snoop Dogg with this statement, "This goes out to all my fellow white boys who grew up listening to gangsta rap in Southern California." Extra Credit: the correct answer for "Captain" Tom (and half the bar) would have been D, he twanged his way through some country song I've never heard and then made a B-Line for the exit.

Question three: The color Teal is best represented by which object?

A: A Hornets jersey that Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, or Mugsy Bogues used to rock when the team still played in Charlotte.
B: A T10,000 chip from the WPT Championship.
C: The outfit the lady who was too old to be at the club was sporting at the Karaoke Bar on said night of said events.
D: That bomb Jansport backpack all junior-high kids used to rock in the nineties.

Correct Answer: My heart wants to say the answer is A or D. My eyes want to say the answer is B, but nine out of ten optometrists can't be wrong. The answer is C, quite possibly because this lady not only found two tones of teal, but she wore them at the same time. By the way, she totally rocked!

Question four: You're hanging out at a Karaoke Bar with "Captain" Tom Franklin, Liz Lieu, Wise Hand's own Tiffany "Hot Chips" Michelle, and Jon Friedberg. Which two poker players walk into the bar next?

A: Jeff Madsen and Theo Tran
B: Gavin Smith and Joe Sebok
C: Doyle Brunson and T.J. Cloutier
D: Mike "The Mouth" Matusow and Phil Hellmuth

Correct answer: Jeff Madsen and Theo Tran. Don't be too disappointed in yourself; I would have guessed B as well. Those two were not present. But there were rumors of Gavin showing up. There were also rumors that Kenna James would show up to sing some country songs, but he heard that Tom Franklin brought the house down with his performance and never showed.

Question five: The bathroom in the Karaoke Bar at the Imperial Palace smells like?

A: A Snow Cone Shack
B: One too many urinal cakes
C: Flowers
D: Kool-Aid, more specifically what it would smell like if the Kool-Aid man busted through the wall of said bathroom and shouted, "Oh Yeah!"
E: All of the above

Correct Answer: All of the above. These were all answers supplied by the four occupants of the bathroom at the time. The Kool-Aid answer prompted us to all start screaming, "Oh Yeah." This prompted one of the four security guards patrolling the area to bust into the bathroom as if he were the Kool-Aid man himself, prompting us all to laugh even harder.

Speaking of Flowers, Bostic and I ran into Frankie Flowers at the high-limit area of the Bellagio poker room on our journey back home. He was sitting at a table with actor James Woods and Rajendra Patel, who won the Foxwoods Poker Classic. I'm pretty sure a 15-minute hand took place between Woods and Patel in the time that we chatted with the always entertaining Flowers.

Bostic and I then returned to our home away from home at 1095 Bellagio Boulevard and I now sit here with you at my computer. Email me your test scores when you get a chance. On that note it's time to go to sleep, Good Night, Good Luck, and Good Riddance!

Ryan "Force" Lucchesi
force@wisehandpoker.com

While I was back in San Francisco for a few days I was able to take in a couple baseball games. Going to as many games as possible has been one of my favorite parts about living in the Bay Area. I'm a huge Giants fan and AT&T Park is one of the nicest parks in country. Many of you will discover this during the All Star game this summer. The Giants defeated the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals in both games I attended, which should boost their confidence in the climb back to a winning record. Barry Bonds hit homerun 738, which was great to see. No matter what you think of the guy he is one of the greatest ball players of this or any other generation.

All the hot dogs, peanuts, and cracker jacks got me thinking. We know baseball is the national pastime, but I think poker deserves to be considered an American pastime as well. If you think about it, we have internalized romantic versions of each game in our minds. Both games also continue to thrive and grow. While my recent proximity to the game has changed my vision of poker in the last year, I can vividly recall my adolescent vision of poker. I always picture a Saloon in the old west where cowboys stroll in through a swinging door to have a shot of whiskey, listen to the piano player, and take a load off. In the back corner of the room smoke rises from a circular green-felt table. Red, white, and blue chips are tossed into pots by Doc Holliday, Sam Bowie, your usual collection of riff-raff, and Wild Bill Hickock (with his back to the wall). They play cards late into the night while the occasional argument breaks out during a tense bluff or an accusation of cheating. Of course, every man at the table has a six-shooter strapped to his waist.

Your internal version of poker may be different. It might bring up images of a stud game taking place on a Mississippi steam boat as the white vessel steams up the river. It might be the classic image of five dogs sitting around a poker table, or even the images on the playing cards themselves. Poker is as deeply embedded into what we refer to as Americana as the historical periods in which the game was spread across the country.

To finish off my comparison of American pastimes I pondered some of the characters that make, and have made these games so popular. First things first, baseball has the Babe. Poker has the Texas Dolly. Both men are larger than life, and patriarchs of their game. Johnny Moss would have to be poker's Ty Cobb, his brusque demeanor often rubbing opponents and fans the wrong way. Stu Ungar would be Mickey Mantle, arguably the most impressive talent their game has ever seen. They were unfortunately, equally defined by what they could have accomplished if health problems and fast living had not diminished their prime. Phil Hellmuth has to be Barry Bonds. You either love him, or you hate him, but you can't look away. You can't miss what they'll do next. I may be reaching on this one, but I would say Amarillo Slim is the felt's Willie Mays, it's "Say Hey" kid. These two me are legends who were not only great players, but also possessed a contagious human spirit. I know I could keep going here but I have to hop on my flight to Vegas, but I've jump-started the discussion. Shoot me an email and let me know what you come up with, or if you disagree with my picks thus far.

Ryan "Force" Lucchesi
force@wisehandpoker.com

Many of us on the World Poker Tour crew fondly refer to Foxwoods as the ninth level of hell. There is just something about the place that's off. It could be the employee dining room, which would benefit from 52 cases of nicorette gum for every single employee who makes the place their personal ash tray. The enormous place encompasses the better part of Connecticut, and I'm pretty sure it employs the entire state of Rhode Island, so it takes about twenty minutes to get to the tournament area and a half-hour to the poker room. In addition to these minor complaints, the real reason we have so dubiously nicknamed the world's largest casino is due to the growing conspiracy theory that they pump the place full of more pure oxygen than the MIR space station.

Knuckles start to crack and bleed, legs start to itch uncontrollably, and you drink water all day and still manage to be dehydrated at night. My face looked like "Ashy Larry" from the Chappelle Show one morning. Oh, and one last thing, YOU CAN'T FALL ASLLEP FOR YOUR LIFE! I spent 12 hours of my life this past week trying to fall asleep. When I wasn't contemplating suicide during that time I managed to watch three episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, five episodes of Seinfeld, listen to the musical scores for Braveheart, Glory, Amadeus, and three chapters of Fahrenheit 451 on audio book (I could keep going here, and I'm not joking). I tossed, and I turned, and I counted sheep, when Foxwoods really wanted me downstairs attempting to count cards.

One good thing about the week came in the form of a free rock show put on by Foghat. The tournament was on dinner break for day 5 and I was walking back up to my room to catch a nap (what was I thinking). I got off the elevator on the casino floor and my ears immediately perked up at the distant blaring of guitars, bass, and drums. I wandered in and low and behold my timing was perfect, "Slow Ride" was the second song they played. In my opinion, it is one of the top ten rock songs of all time, so I was stoked. I returned to work and told Tony Berns, "I left here sick and expecting to take a nap, I ended up at a rock concert, kind of the same, but totally different."

Slow Ride could have also been the title for the last two days of the tournament. When you have calculating professionals like Allen Kessler and Ted Lawson trying to push the action against an amateur with a huge chip stack, who plays tighter than a cable holding up the Golden Gate Bridge, things will take a while. And they did. The chip leader in question, Rajendra Patel, checked down a full house and folded A-Q suited to a small stack all-in push. I have never seen Linda Johnson get impatient with conservative play at a final table, but this event broke all the rules. It was especially cute when Raj and Paul Matteo checked a board all the way down head's-up, and each player held an ace in his hand, Great poker! I'm pretty sure that Mike Sexton, Joe Sebok, and Gavin Smith all wanted to run down to the final table and strangle players at the final table. Sebok showed us some text messages between Gavin and himself that confirmed as much as the final droned on in the background.

I don't know if you'll want to watch this one on the Travel Channel. When the table ended I said, "Poker just took six steps backwards." Then I thought to myself for a moment, this show may single-handedly inspire thousands of more donkeys everywhere to step into card rooms around the country. In that case, "May all your draws be live, and your pots be monsters!"

Ryan "Force" Lucchesi
force@wisehandpoker.com

March has been my most lucrative gambling month ever, but I’m ashamed to say not a cent was earned at the poker table. I cleared $1,300.00 for the month when Florida beat Ohio State for the championship. After Texas A&M failed to reach the Elite Eight my bracket predictions matched the results exactly. As a result, I won the pool with my old college buddies, I won the pool among the poker media, and I took 4th place out of 416 entries in another. I know I may be tooting my own horn here, but I live for this stuff, and it pays to cherish even your small victories in life. With all that said, though, my March Madness winnings totaled $300. Where might that other $1,000 have come from?

Well…My birthday was on March 28th, and as you might have read in the coverage at worldpokertour.com for the World Poker Challenge, there was a small prop-bet between myself and Mark Newhouse. Newhizzle loves a good prop-bet (check out Gary’s blog to see his pending wager) so he bet me $1,000 that I couldn’t drink a drop of alcohol on my birthday. The terms were as follows:

-No alcohol between 12:00 a.m. March 28 and my flight landing in Connecticut for the Foxwoods Poker Classic on March 29.

-For me to lose the bet I must drink on my own free will, i.e., no one could sabotage my drinks.

-If I don’t drink I win $1,000

-If I do drink (here is the twist) I have to attend five AA meetings.

Now before you think I’m a raging alcoholic or something, let me correct you. Yes, I do enjoy drinks with friends, and yes, I’m a usual suspect on the party roster that surrounds the WPT. Also, I do value holidays more than your average bear, (just read about my St. Patty’s Day) so I savor the revelry that comes with turning one year older. The bet would definitely require me to derail my prior birthday plans, if even for a night.

The few friends I told about the bet prior to my acceptance were torn. The camps were divided between “Dude, its a thousand bucks,” and “But it’s your birthday!” In the end I couldn’t say no to the easiest grand I’d ever make, and by that point I’d look like an alcoholic if I didn’t take the bet, at no point of my consideration was not drinking for a night that big a deal to me. So…I called Mark, we finalized terms, and shook on it over the phone.

Our WPT crew went out for dinner at the casino’s Steak House the night before my birthday and enjoyed a superb meal. I dined on salmon topped with crab meat, while drinking a few Sam Adams before the clock struck midnight. (I felt like I had to make it back to my carriage by midnight or it would turn into a pumpkin). We got a private room that was so nice it prompted WPT photographer Brian Lowe to describe it as the ‘Godfather’ room. We had many birthdays on the tour that week between Lowe, Tony Berns, and me, so it turned into a nice celebration among our staff. We then hit up the bar at Chevy’s just before midnight for a few more rounds. I had Gary in tow as my official timekeeper and when he gave the word, I cut myself off at midnight.

I was sailing smooth through the first night, then things got interesting when there were three quick bust outs at the final table, and JC Tran had the lead. I texted Newhouse, “I hate you.” I knew the table was going to end early, and JC would win his first WPT title. There was going to be a party in Reno. Gary just kept laughing at me in the background. I still had no doubts I was going to succeed, but the timing was just impeccable. JC did win, and things did end early. I then proceeded to turn down a lot of birthday drinks that night at the driving range, then at the bowling alley, then at the bar where everyone ended up at to conclude the night. Most of these offers came from JC, and certain members of the media, who I will only refer to as LA Mike at this time. In lieu of being able to buy me a birthday drink, JC did offer me a no-strings-attached $100 prop-bet if I hit a strike on the spot. I choked, but thanks for the friendly offer JC.

I’ll tell you one thing though, I was throwing back Roy Rogers likes it was nobody’s business. Coke and grenadine, WOOOO!!!! The most hilarious moment of the evening came when I was standing in the middle of 30 people who were taking a shot to toast JC’s victory with my infamous non-alcoholic elixir in hand.

I made it through a 3:30 a.m. breakfast and back up to my room by 4 a.m. unscathed and sober as an altar-boy. I then showered, packed, woke up Tom “The Canon” Bostic, (you have to watch this man bowl) and was downstairs by 5:30 a.m. to catch our taxi to the Reno airport. Fifteen hours later (it’s a long story involving mechanical problems and missed connection flights that could be another blog) I was in Connecticut and $1,000 richer for the wear. Newhouse was true to his word, he peeled ten $100 bills off his wad of many the second he saw me at Foxwoods. Cheers Mark! I definitely owe you a round next time we’re at the bar.

Ryan "Force" Lucchesi
force@wisehandpoker.com

March 18, the morning after St. Patrick’s Day, and I’m up at 9am once again to take in the morning games. Eight hours of sleep in the last 49 hours. Priorities?

My old college friends head back home, and my friend Drew and I grab some donuts for breakfast. My friend Rico arrives in San Francisco at 11 a.m. and we hope into his car to drive down to Union Square. Waiting for us there is Lefty O’Douls, one of the cities oldest sports bars, it’s also a great place to grab a drink, a bite, and watch a game. We get there and I order a full plate of corned beef, cabbage, boiled potatoes, and a pint of Guinness. (This is the meal I should have had on St. Patty’s!)

A couple of my SF friends are waiting for us there and we join them at a table. It’s great to spend time with so many people that I see on such a random schedule with all my travel. I keep score of each game I predict correctly on my bracket sheet, which always looks like a ragged and frayed birth certificate by the time the championship game rolls around.

This continues for hours and I enjoy more brews as the day continues. An acquaintance of my friend Mallory, who has been eyeing me suspiciously throughout the afternoon eventually says, “Why are you drinking on a Sunday? Don’t you have work tomorrow?” I’m swallowing a gulp of Guinness as she says this and hold back laughter so I don’t spray out my mouth’s contents like a third-grader spurting milk from his nose. “I don’t have to work tomorrow,” I reply politely. “I actually don’t leave for my next business trip until Thursday.” She inquires further and I then give her my spiel about the World Poker Tour and Wise Hand Poker. What I really wanted to say, and what she really brought to light in my mind with her question was, “I don’t live in the 9-to-5 world, or by its rules, hallelujah!”

The games came to an end and it was time for Drew, Michelle, and I to make our way to North Beach. I decided it would be fun to take the most famous mode of travel in the city, so we hoped on a cable car. We then jumped off at the top of Lombard Street (the crooked street) and walked down to Michelle’s apartment. Attempt two to watch Boomdock Saints was met with in-and-out napping. Then we met some friends at Panta Rei in North Beach for dinner. I first learned of this restaurant from one of the cocktail waitresses at the Bellagio. Gary, Tony, and I had spoke with her about the place during long hours of coverage at the Five Diamond last December. Her boyfriend was the owner, so I was intrigued to dine there. The food was excellent, and afterwards we went across the street to the coolest candy store in the world. This place lets you sample whatever you want, for free. They’re also very loose about how much you can sample for free. I usually abuse the privilege, feel guilty, and buy something to support the store for their awesome policy. (I’ll say this much, Gary Wise should not be within 50 miles of this store during his bet to lose weight with Mark Newhouse and Gavin Smith).

Last on the agenda was Charlie Murphy’s stand-up routine at Cobb’s Comedy Club. I don’t even know how I’m still awake at this point, but I’m psyched to see the show, especially after bumping into him the night before. His first joke of the night hit home for me, so I’ll share it with you here: “You have no idea how many people run up to me and scream ‘Charlie Murphy’ at the top of their lungs. It doesn’t matter if it’s at a bar, a restaurant, or the airport. ‘Charlie Murphy!’ And you know what, that would bother a lot of people, but not me, nooooo. Because, for 18 f@!$ing years I was called Eddie Murphy’s brother. Even my own son called me Eddie Murphy’s brother one time, but that only happened once, if you catch my drift.”

After the show, Drew and I got a lift back to my apartment. Then Drew grabbed his stuff and left to drive back home to Oakland at 1 a.m. I have now been up for 57 of the last 63 hours. I had to pick up Megan from the Oakland airport that morning at 8:30 a.m. so I promptly collapsed on my bed.

Then my cell phone rang…

It was Drew and his truck had been towed. He was heading back up to the apartment and needed a ride back to school. Now I’m all about a helping a friend in need, but I did turn into to my pillow to muffle a scream of, COME ON, after I hung up the phone. At that point I decided to crash at Drew’s dorm for the night so I could avoid a treacherous morning crossing of the Bay Bridge. By the time we got across the Bay and settled at Drew’ school I didn’t get to sleep until 3 a.m. When I woke up at 8 a.m. Monday morning to rush off to Oakland International Airport I had slept 12 of the previous 72 hours.

Does anyone have a pillow?

Ryan ‘Force’ Lucchesi
force@wisehandpoker.com

The final table at Bay 101 was an experience; Ted Forrest defeated J.J. Liu in a historic event that lasted 263 hands. Longest WPT final table ever! J.J. recorded the highest finish by a female player ever in an open $10,000 buy-in event. While the Suicide King became the first player in history to have a WSOP bracelet, the NBC Head’s-up Championship title, and a WPT title on his resume. (Check out Tom Bostic’s latest blog, “The Suicide King?” to see how Forrest celebrated his monumental victory.) As the table played through the night and into St. Patrick’s Day everyone started to become impatient. Gary tried to remind me that I had a front row seat to poker history and that I should savor the moment. I knew he was right, but I had been up for 13 hours at that point, and I also knew what lay ahead of me in the next two days:

The table did finally ended, just after 2:00 a.m., and it was time for me to head back to San Francisco. I wrapped things up, and hopped into my Jeep for the 45-mile drive home from Silicon Valley around 3:30 a.m. I had to be in Alameda the next morning for a volleyball tournament at 8:30 a.m. I slammed a Rock Star energy drink, while Flogging Molly blasted on my stereo (have to get into the St. Patty’s day spirit). I stepped into my apartment around 4:30 a.m., packed my bag for the tourney, and was asleep by 5 a.m. I was then shocked back to life by my alarm clock at 7 a.m. CLEAR! Breakfast, shower, and back in the Jeep by 8 a.m. to make my quick drive across the Bay Bridge.

I arrived at the playing site and came upon a strange discovery; the tournament was being contested in an abandoned hangar at the Naval Base. Good times! Now, I haven’t played competitive volleyball in two years, so needless to say there were some cobwebs to shake out. After an awkward first match I regained my old form and our team, The Barnburners, won the whole tournament. I won’t give you all the details, but I will say it was great to be back on the court with my old teammates, who I hadn’t played with for two years.

Before we continue, remember what day it is: St. Patty’s!

Between each volleyball match I was getting calls and text messages from my SF friends to come join them for pints in North Beach. Side note: (It is quite ironic that the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration in SF takes place in its largest Italian neighborhood, but that works out just perfectly for an Italian-Irish boy like yours truly.) Fresh off the taste of victory, my teammates and I grabbed some Guinness, and headed back to my place to get the party started. We watched the end of the March Madness games for the day, and then threw Boomdock Saints. We also played some poker for fun and downed Car Bombs and Guinness.

Finding a taxi into North Beach was not an easy task, but when we did find one the cab driver was cool enough to let six people squeeze in for the ride. Upon our arrival, we hopped into a house party at my friend Michelle’s and went straight to the rooftop, which features an awesome view of the bay and Alcatraz. We then headed into North Beach for some dinner; at a Mexican restaurant! That’s right; I had Mexican food for dinner, in an Italian neighborhood, on an Irish holiday. Fiesta!

Then the pub crawl began. Things were going well, but every bar we went into had an uncanny ability to be shut down by a bar fight. The first one went out into the street before the place shut down; while the second place was shut down after a skirmish broke out during a game of billiards. That led me to Irish pub number three, where none other than Charlie Murphy was having a drink at the bar. I walk in and immediately blurt out, “Charlie Murphy!” like I’m the late Rick James. He turns in my direction and shoots me a grin that shows some mild amusement. But that same grin tells me I better think twice before walking up and asking him, “What did the five fingers say to the face? Slap!” It was a hilarious end to a fun, but long St. Patrick’s Day.

After last call, a late night snack, and a cab ride home, my head finally found a pillow around 3 a.m. For those of you keeping track at home that is 41 hours awake and 2 hours asleep for me since I woke up to watch March Madness games at 9 a.m. on Friday, March 16.

Coming soon to a blog near you: St. Patrick’s Day Part II, Charlie Murphy’s stand-up routine, and why I hate tow trucks in SF.

Every year around this time, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the arrival of spring, St. Patrick’s Day, and my birthday all converge upon the last half of March; and I feel like a kid in a candy store. March Madness eve rolls around and I feel like an eight-year old kid waiting for Christmas morning. It’s now 3:34 a.m. and I can’t sleep, but I have completed my course in bracketology, and feel confident in my picks. Considering it is late and I have a full day of tournament coverage ahead of me I’ll keep this short. Think of it as a blog in news and notes form.

- On the first night here in San Jose, I drove a group of us downtown to celebrate Mark Newhouse’s birthday. I’m pretty sure this city in the heart of Silicon Valley has the least freeway on ramps per capita in the United States. We ended up in the rental car parking lot of the San Jose International Airport at one point. I’m not joking.

-My final four picks include Florida, UCLA, Ohio State and Georgetown. The Gators will be the first repeat champions since the Dukies of ’91-’92, when they defeat Greg Oden, and the rest of the Buckeyes (sorry Mike Sexton) in the national title game. As a result, the state of Florida will feature the most obnoxious fans in college sports history, as they bask in the spring break sun, and dual national titles in football and basketball.

-Bill Edler told our World Poker Tour coverage team one of the best prop bet stories I’ve ever heard earlier tonight. He and Gavin Smith bet $20 that Gavin couldn’t write a four word sentence correctly. Gavin then angrily picked up a pen and jotted down this little gem: “Your a #@!%ing idiot.” Score one for Edler, he only wished he had bet more.

-The young guns of poker took over the Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament during day two. Jeff Madsen is the chip leader, and Joe Sebok is in second place. Both these guys crave a victory in a $10,000 event more than any other player on tour and my money is on one of them to capture it here. They’ll have their work cut out for them, though, because Nenad Medic and Joe Pelton are lurking in the fifth and sixth place respectively.

-Gary did fall asleep; I was there and can attest to the truth! Tony Berns and I did manage to stay up with Newhizzle and Chris McCormack for the screening of their WPT final table. It was a surreal experience to watch these two not only react to their poker play as high-caliber professionals, but also as two average guys, reacting to their first appearance on television.

Good Times!

Ryan “Force” Lucchesi
force@wisehandpoker.com