Just When I Think I've Seen it All ...

Recently, I was playing in a tournament at the Venetian. You don't get much nicer than the Venetian. I love it there. Great, well run, tournaments, and you can dine table side. Which is exactly what I planned to do yesterday afternoon. I ordered my favorite, a chicken Caesar salad. As I was getting ready to dig in, I realized that the young man sitting next to me was chewing tobacco and spitting into a beer bottle. I can't think of anything much more gross at the poker table, or anywhere as far as that goes. I immediately covered my food as my appetite was wavering. It really sickens me. Maybe I am the only one this grosses out so much or maybe it's a mental thing. My father-in-law always had a "chaw" in his cheek. He got cancer of the mouth and ultimately had a large portion of his mouth and tongue removed. Although self induced, his disfigured face was pitiful. It was so sad. He eventually died of mouth cancer.
Back to the Venetian, I knew it was a no-tobacco room, not just non-smoking. I spoke to a floorman about it. He said, "Yes, Susie, it is a no-tobacco room except for one man, and he is sitting beside you." I looked puzzled. "I know," he said, "I couldn't believe it either but he has a doctor's note. There is some kind of medication in it." I went back to my table and mulled that over for a spell. The guy was chewing and spitting away, not trying to hide it nor be descret. I could not fathom a doctor requesting a patient to chew tobacco. There was a group of Venetian poker suits huddled together and I could not help myself, I got up, went to them, excused myself for interrupting them. I said, "You have got to be friggin kidding me! No doctor would prescribe someone to chew tobacco! I think he is pulling a scam on you all." One of them told me that they have doctors notes for some of their patrons to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes."
"I can believe that," I said, "but you don't allow them to smoke it in the poker room, right? So, why can this guy chew and spit at the table and gross me out?" One of the suits thought about that and said he had to go check.
About 10 minutes later, he came back and tapped the chewing, spitting man on the shoulder and asked him to come with him. About 15 minutes later, the young man was back and now he was chewing bubble gum. Gum is okay, if he simply had to chew something.
Later, I ran into Kathy Raymond (Venetian Poker Operations Manager.) I told her I was surprised the guys had been conned by the player. She laughed. She too was surprised, but explained that they have so many law suits coming at them that they try to be extra careful, however, in this case, she agreed that this was ridiculous.
While searching for a graphic to run with this blog, there were a few and there were a zillion million listings for the health hazards of chewing. I was a die-hard chain smoker for many a year. Quitting was difficult but I am so thankful that I did it. Yes, indeed, tough and I gained weight. But I have now lost 27 lbs. on Isagenix. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. If you want to chew and smoke, it's your life, your tender mouth tissue, and your black lungs, but I love you anyway.

Pendleton Report: The LOL, The Kid, and The Sketcher

The LOL: Doralee Rae, aka Lady Pink has enjoyed her drink of choice, Champagne, literally all over the world. She is, shall we say, a Champion Champagne Consumer. In her years of practice, she has made many discoveries. To surprise her, when she arrived in Pendleton, Tonia and I had gotten several bottles of the bubbly and iced it down in the bathroom sink. This labor of love took many trips to the ice machine with the ice bucket. Our friend was duly impressed but directed us on the proper way to ice down Champagne in Pendleton, Oregon. You take the trashcan to the ice machine (one trip) fill it, put some water in it and not one, but two bottles will slid right down into the icy cold slush. Well done! By the second bottle, we had kicked off our shoes and were laughing and talking. Tonia went to cross her legs and her sock foot went “splat”, right into the icy cold trashcan Champagne bucket. I don’t think I have ever seen Tonia move so fast or dance such a gig as that of of the frozen foot! Maybe you had to be there. It was like she had an electric shock and I laughed ‘til I cried!

Then Kid: I met Brad McFarland from Pittsburg, PA, a few years ago, on the shuttle bus taking a group of us from the Pasco, WA airport to Pendleton. He was with several other kids and at the time he looked all of 13-years-old. In fact, he had just turned 18. His buddies were 19. They were making the long trip to the Wildhorse Poker Round-Up because they can play poker legally at age 18 in Pendleton. They made quiet a name for themselves then and have returned every tournament since. Brad started playing on line at age 13. By age 15 he was making so much money that his parents agreed to let him have a go at it and they stopped trying to make him give it up and study. They had hoped Brad would go college but his goal in life, since he was 13, is to be a poker pro. After realizing the money he was bringing in, they agreed with his decision. By event number 7 of this tournament Brad had been in the money 5 times. The kid is a very good poker player. Remember the name, you read it here first.

The Sketcher: I should be a bit more proper and call Lynn Franklin what he really is: a sketch artist. Lori, the picture lady had called me and asked my permission for her friend Lynn to do a pencil sketch of me and to put it on display at the Wildhorse. Sure, okay by me. He used a photo she had made of me as a model and the sketch turned out very good, except I had lost 25 lbs. since the photo was taken, so my face was fat. Lynn, who also is a poker player, took one look at me and did some big time touch up (or perhaps I should say touch down) work, taking my face from fat to flattering. I did not know that Lynn had this awesome talent! What is even more amazing is that Lynn started sketching only a year ago!

So another Round-Up has come and gone. I was pleased with myself because I came home with more money than I left with and I only gained a pound and a half. I know I can get that off quickly and my goal is to lose more before the holidays. I was very proud when I saw the following on my Facebook inbox: “My 11th day and I have noticed a positive dietary change … I’m full … no cravings … drinking lots of water … lost 7 pounds … feel great with more energy … thanks Coach! Now play those cards with conviction!!
Jim Barbo

A News Flash and Another Pendleton Report

Jeffrey Pollack called me last night to tell me that he was resigning as Commissioner of the World Series Of Poker, effective this AM. He has my respect and appreciation for all the has done, taking the WSOP to new heights and for his very positive stance on keeping the Ladies event and the Seniors event as bracelet events, as they have always been. Thank you Mr. Pollack! You will be missed.

Now back to our regular news cast: the Pendleton Report: We keep busy playing great poker tournaments and having a grand old time all around the town. Keeping up with my "gang" takes a lot of time and energy! Thank God, I brought my Isagenix with me!
Someone said, in reference to Doralee, "She's like a box of Cracker Jacks, you never know what kind of a surprise you're going to get!" Joe Pane said, "She never runs down, she's like the Ever Ready Bunny!"
Kim from Portland has an adorable new puppy. As she passed around the picture, she said, "She's half Shihtzu and half Cairn Terrier ... we call her a shit terrier."
Jim Abrahamson from Stanwood, WA had a friend come up to him at the poker table whinning about how his aces got cracked, to which Jim responded, "Hate to tell you but half the people don't care and half are glad you lost!"
Yesterday, Lori, the Poker Picture Lady, hauled Doralee, Tonia, and me downtown to Hemley's, the famous Western Store and Saddle Shop. We did some damage. Tonia bought her first pair of low cut boots, she was going to get dull, boring brown, but Doralee and I talked her into red with lightening flashes! She was going to buy a very nice dull, brown, leatherpocket book, but Doralee and I talked her into a brown and tan, with western impressions, leather fringe, and silver studs. We took her from "no one will notice your boots and bag""You will get a lot of attention." I had to leave to get back to the Wildhorse for the tournament but the girls were into downtown Pendleton and decided to have lunch and continue shopping. They kept texting me about what they bought. Doralee is having some custom-made spurs made - talk about getting some attention! She calls the fancy work she wants added, "Do-Das". So "Do-Da Spurs". Tonia texted me that the mayor had asked them to be sure and come back next year as they were very good for the economy! I laughed, believing it was a joke; my two of my friends were spending the day as the Pendleton Stimulus Plan! Turns out the mayor of Pendleton is good friends with the boot maker at Hemley's and they really did meet him and have a nice visit!
More to come, but I have another tournament to get to right now.
Upcoming Reports: The kid, the champagne ice bucket, the Sketcher and the mark Doralee left on Pendleton.

Pendleton Fall 2009 Report - Part I

It's that time of the year again, time for the Wild Horse Spring Poker Round-Up in Pendleton, Oregon. A big group of us flew in from Las Vegas on Tuesday evening. The following day was opening day. The first order of business is to go to Wal-mart and get supplies (snacks, fruit, wine, etc). Bonnie Leinhos needed to stop by the bank on the way. She told the driver, "I won't be long. When I come out, I will be running and YOU drive like hell!" That got a few laughs.
The game on Wed. was No-limit, $215 buy-in, and the Wildhorse added $3000 to the prize pool. I got deep, just not deep enough. However, the day was not lost; I did win a Super Satellite that night.
Thurs. was Bonnie's birthday. She showed up with dozens and dozens of cupcakes. They wheeled then in on a luggage cart and one poker table was cupcake covered. It was an all day party for her. She announced early on that she was going to win the tournament, which happened to be HORSE, her favorite game. She did make 10th place and $1,100. Maybe next year, Bonnie! We had a lovely dinner party upstairs at the Plateau restaurant. A gourmet eatery, way out here in the wilderness. Their Whiskey Steak is the nuts and I highly recommend it. Grumpy old man Tahoe, who loves to tease the girls, was in the party. Our young waitress has a very soft voice. Tahoe mimicked her when he ordered his dinner in a very soft spoken manner. She looked at him, did a double take, and said, "Oh, I remember you! You were here last spring. You were ornery then and you are still ornery! Maybe more so!" She broke the table up.
Today was the $215 limit hold'em and again the house added $3,000. Tomorrow is Sat. and there should be a big crowd for the $315 no-limit with $5,000 added! The juice is the lowest in the free world and the added money is a wonderful Wildhorse tradition; that is why folks come from PA, New York, New Jersey, The Carolinas, and Texas for this tournament series. My friend Tonia is coming in tonight from Tampa, FL.
On a very serious note: We all miss Barbara Enright who was injured in a freak accident a few weeks ago. She will be OK with time, but she is down for now.
Also, the "seasoned" players who have been in the poker world for a long time will remember the name, Hans, Tuna Lund. He passed away this morning after a long battle with cancer.

Post Halloween Report

What a fun holiday Halloween is. My friend Doralee Rae aka "Lady Pink" wins top prize for home decorations. She is amazing and does she ever get into the spirit - of what ever she is up to. She hosted a small Halloween dinner party last week and it was a delightful evening. We began the evening with orange champagne, followed by Pumpkin soup in the Pumpkin patch. After a lovely dinner at the haunted table, we laughed and talked outside, what a beautiful night!
Sassy, who is in with the "in crowd" went to a party at Todd Brunson's home with a whole slew of her girlfriends. Sassy's friend, Pam Brunson and her brother Todd weren't the only Brunson's on hand. Legendary poker guru, Todd and Pam's father, Doyle Brunson made an appearance. I think he came as a poker player!
Our friend Gabriella, told us a very funny Halloween story. She had seen on TV that orange Kool Aid was a good way to tie a beard, your hair, or your pet for Halloween and that it would wash right out. Everyone else must have seen the same TV show and wanted orange Kool Aid because they went to store after store and every store was all out of orange Kool Aid, so, as an alternative, she bought orange Gatorade. She put Nevel, her blonde Yorkie, in the sink and commenced to Gatorade the poor fellow. He was happy with the situation as it turns out, he likes Gatorade and was lapping it up as quickly as it ran down his face. Gabriella discovered that Gatorade has no staying power, and went down the drain as soon as she began the rinse cycle. Nevel, who has a reputation for always being in some type of character for the Trick or Treaters, was just, Nevel. Then Gabriella remembered that she had some orange cake coloring - you're probably way ahead of me. It worked all right, and Nevel was indeed, to this day, an orange Pumpkin Head! And now for the rest of the story; some friends got together and send the following email to Nevel's mom:
We have barked to "The Society to Prevent Turning Your Dog Orange". They were apawed with the incident. I told them we were pissed and needed to poop out our feelings. They will be scratching on your door soon to start beagle proceedings. Sorry, this is for your own obedience training. Do not try to flea.
From the Citizens of Orange County.

It Came - It Went!

I didn't blog for weeks and now it seems I have something important or exciting to tell you everyday.
As you know, I have been on the Isagenix Health and Wellness System, which results in weight loss. I had managed to get 24 pounds off in a little over two months and then came a working vacation to Florida where I ate and drank everything in site for over a week. I gained 4 pounds. I came home, got directly back on the program and I am happy to announce today, nine days after my return, I have lost the four plus another pound and a half! I am now down 25 lbs! I love this system and even better than losing weight, looking better, and feeling better, my energy level is wonderful. I can't recommend this enough. If interested, contact me.
I have many friends who have been on it and are delighted!

Sally Boyer Takes a Stand

In 2007, I, like many others, thought the World Series of Poker Academy starring Annie Duke, had taken an unknown, Sally Boyer, taught her, molded her, gave her a whirlwind top notch poker education and she won the Ladies World Title a few days later. She is in fact the 2007 Ladies World Champion and she did in fact go to the first WSOP Ladies Poker Academy. I was so impressed and curious with the WSOP advertising about Sally learning so much in that boot camp that I made arrangements to attend the following year. I wanted in on the magic that could take a beginner player and turn her into world champion material in two days. A dear friend of my agreed, so we made our plans together. Sally had only been playing competitively for 6 months! Note that the price tag for this seminar was not cheap. I'll admit, I got in on a press pass, but the friend who joined me paid full pop. In a nutshell, our experience was horrible. Annie Duke is not a fun, friendly instructor. She will embarrass a student in a minute and preaches math, math, math. I am a winning player and I do not do the math that Annie's claims must be done in seconds in order to be a winner. She is tacky, impolite, rude, and impatient. I felt horrible being there and I felt terrible that I brought a friend. At one point, in a lab, Annie called every student at her table "idiots." These ladies did not pay good money to be called names! My friend found the producer of the seminar at the lunch break and politely demanded her money back. I was actually on an assignment for a magazine and hung in there, trying to hide in the back and avoid any of Annie's wrath. I was so disappointed and honestly upset, that I did not return for day two. I also did not write an article about it.
I met Sally a year or so later at the Golden Nugget where we both were playing in a tournament. We hit if off immediately and had lunch. We have become good friends since then. During our many conversations, we finally got around to a discussion about the infamous Annie Duke/WSOP boot camp. We compared stories. I told Sally that I had attended because of the hype over her success. She just shook her head. Turns out, she too hated the experience, did not think Ms. Duke was a very nice person and didn't even attend the second day. She also was very upset that anyone would pay that kind of money due to advertising about her! She shared with me that the boot camp did her no good at all. In fact, she secluded herself in her room the day before the event and studied several different books. She was distraught that the WSOP Academy continually used her photo and implied strongly that the academy was the reason she won the event. She does not recommend the training and considers what they are doing, false advertising! She thought that after the first year, they would stop. After the second year, she got angry. She told me that even if they paid her, she would not promote the academy. She made calls and had an attorney send them a letter, asking them to STOP using her photo to promote the academy and telling them bluntly that she does not recommend the academy. They ignored her. With encouragement from friends, Sally decided to take a stand. She sued Harrahs and the WSOP Academy. Best of luck Sally! For more details on the lawsuit and the situation, google: "Sally Boyer Sues Harrah's".