Some Phil Ivey musings. some for fun.

Another day, another bracelet. Such is the life of “The Man” Phil Ivey. Phil Ivey took down his 7th bracelet tonight when he won the $2,500 ½ Omaha Hi-Lo ½ Stud Hi-Lo event. He added another in a long line of mixed bracelets to his resume.

I played in Event #26 on Saturday, which was the $1,500 Limit Holdem event. To sum up my day in one word…ugh. I have not seen such a weird bunch of suckouts and outdraws in a row in my life. Limit Holdem is famous for its bad beats and people sucking out, but I have never in my life seen 10 sets outdraw in the court of 2 hours at one table.

Dear Gentleman Poker Players; It was only a short time ago when we were not common place in your smoke filled basement rooms laced with testosterone where you patted our behinds for bringing your drinks and lighting your cigars. The women of your time who dared face you down and pronounced the courage to sit at a table and endure your disparaging remarks and stares paved the way for a new generation of women poker players. When the poker boom rocketed women into poker you called us names, accused us of belonging to “man hating clubs” and had a tough time accepting that the person playing next to you was not part of the good old boys club but actually someone who could have been your mother/sister/teacher or grandmother. You forced many into an online life of solitude, pretending to be a man to avoid confrontation.

Jeff Lisandro won his second WSOP bracelet on Monday. For many of you that watch poker on TV, you may remember Lisandro from the 2006 World Series of Poker. Prahlad Friedman accused Lisandro of stealing another player’s ante before a hand and eventually the argument got very heated and almost came to blows. ESPN heavily edits many poker tournaments and I had a chance to talk to Jeff in 2007 during a Stud 8 tournament at the WSOP.

Winning a coveted WSOP bracelet isn’t for everyone. But there’s another kind of WSOP bracelet too. It’s a little less coveted but also a little easier to get at: The plastic bracelets are used during the WSOP to guide hordes of players to the right enclosure. To get one of these bracelets you need only put up the buy-in.

As I mentioned in my last blog, I played a $500 H. O. R. S.

I just finished playing the $500 buy-in H. O. R. S.

If you can't beat them, cheat them. That could be the credo of many a skilled card sharp. I heard of a world class card magician who had offered to deal the cards at a poker club, "even though I'm not very good at it". His friend took home some 100 grand during a couple of weeks.

Amarillo Slim is the king of prop betting and of gambling in general. He has taken Millions from people from prop bets that have ranged from playing pool with a broom to launching a golf ball 1000 yards. The latest in Slim’s prop betting lore involved a scooter race with Doyle Brunson. During the Champions Event, Slim and Brunson were talking about which of their motorized scooters was faster.