Nice read.

G****tin'inthekitchen,lolG

For sure. Another example of "do as I say, not as I do."

Bob's WSOP Recap

The early part of my WSOP was spent mostly with the Nola crew. Plenty of Gulf-Coasters were in the mix this year in the Main; a few went deep, but no one went super-deep. The highlight of the summer was Anderson Ireland, a Nola-based tour manager for The Soul Rebels. He’s a gambly, fun-loving guy who always makes the games better at Harradise, so I was thrilled to see him ship a PLO bracelet after having only played the game for a mere nine months!

On Day 5 of the Main I began editorial duties at PokerNews, which more or less entailed writing profiles and trawling poker Twitter for newsworthy topics. It's very different work than live reporting, which I'd done two summer ago, and overall I enjoyed it.

The story of the the summer has to be Joe Cada, whose deep run in the Main was soon followed by a fourth bracelet! Cada's presence aside, the most compelling member of the final table, for me, was Michael Dyer. He wanted nothing to do with the media (folks were calling him the Bill Belichick of poker after interviews) and he godmoded for a good while until the wheels finally came off. Someone created an amusing Twitter account given Dyer's propensity to always (and I mean always) cbet:DidDyerCbet?” currently has 592 followers.

As most of you probably saw, an incredible moment came on the stone bubble of the Main, when AA got in versus KK and KK. I'm still shaking my head over that one. In a freak coincidence, the very same AA vs KK vs KK happened in a cash games at the Nugget!

There were a bunch of impressive performances this summer, including Shaun Deeb, Ben Yu, and Phil Foolmuth—er, i mean Hellmuth—winning bracelet #15.
Finally, I wrote a piece on James Obst, who's leaving poker in order to pursue his dream of playing professional tennis. Who woulda guessed?

An irony of logging dozens of hours inside the Rio is that I barely watched any of the action. PokerGo coverage was blacked out in Vegas, so I couldn't follow online, and I was mainly tucked away in a remote corner of the Amazon Room, writing. I’m looking forward to skimming most of the coverage, including the epic HU match between Miles and Cynn (the latter deserving the win imo). Also looking forward to catching up on the One Drop.

After an eventful three weeks, I’m eager to return to Nola. Am vagabonding quite hard as I drive cross country. Obvious first stop is obvious!

Awesome thread Bob, I read half a while back and time to catch up.

Man that looks like one hell of a view!!!

Indeed, am jealous of that camping spot/the view.

Not a proponent of VPNs, bob? That comment stood out to me, as I always use one, even when grinding online (contacted my poker site to let them know). But I also push this virtual privacy thing to a whole new level but never using google, edge, chrome etc.

TY Bobo!

I use one. fwiw I still can't connect to the PokerGo coverage in Nola, and tried a few other locations without any luck, so not sure what's going on.

July Results, Bob Climbs a Mountain, August Goals

From the start we encountered a good deal of trouble, for the mountain is a steep and almost inaccessible pile of rocky material. However, what the Poet says is appropriate: "Ruthless striving overcomes everything."

—Francesco Petrarch, "The Ascent of Mount Ventoux"



July Results

[82] Write 75 hours
[7] Play 50 hours
[] cover WSOP ME

North Rim

Glen Canyon Dam

After exploring the North Rim and Lake Powell, I drove east on Route 160, a beautiful highway that winds through southern Colorado. Definitely an area I'd like to explore more fully.
At one point I was possessed by an inexplicable need to scale the highest peak that I could see. I parked my car, found a trail, and hiked three or four miles through a partial burn area until I reached a gate sheltering a secluded cabin.

Realizing that the trail didn't lead to the high point, I did what any fool would do: bushwhacked a mile or so straight up the mountain. It was hard, but I made it. Thus rewarded with mediocre views and a job well done, I staggered downhill to beat dusk.

After two long days of driving through the Meh part of the country, presto!, I'm back in my element.

I had a necessary Moment of Reckoning and made preparations for the fall in order to meet my yearly goals. Less due dis!

August Goals

[ ] Write 120 hours
[ ] Play 25 hours

Cool pics! I've only been to south rim, I'd like to check out north rim one of these days. Trailblazing is fun, last time I did that was near Lake Tahoe with my buddy Ace, we were wearing shorts and our legs got nice and sliced up from the brush.

Love the pics Ben, what % of your writing is dedicated to your novel, if I may ask... And is there any important side long time projects that we do not know of that you are working on, or is it mainly articles and your novel?

Love the pictures!

Gotta check out the North Rim, pure. Not exactly remote but it's not tourist-infested like the SR. If you go, Cape Final is a great hike that will get you somewhat off the grid.

A high %, 80% if I were to guess (I should mention that I'm not writing a novel—and haven't written any fiction, really—but am working within the genre of narrative nonfiction).

Side projects include teaching/writing related to literature, narrative, and health (so basically anything ). For example, I've been working with my friend/mentor for about five years on a book called A Country for Old Men, which is a collection of interviews about finding meaning in later life. If you recall the main character from Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men—played by Tommy Lee Jones in the film—you'll have a sense of the sorta guys we're interested in. It's not my book but I've been heavily involved in the writing/editing/brainstorming process, and collaboration in general is something that's immensely important imo. Doing a final read-thru of the manuscript now, so that's probably why it's on my mind!

Glad to hear it! Also good to see you streaming again. I've managed to catch a bit of the action and hope to hop on again soon.

Poker Faces in the Crowd: Anderson Ireland

One of the highlights of visiting Las Vegas this summer was interviewing Anderson Ireland, the tour manager for The Soul Rebels and owner of a new WSOP bracelet. We discussed addiction, life as a tour manager, transitioning to pot-limit Omaha, and winning a bracelet.

Cool friend, am looking forward to reading some more (diversified) material of yours

Update on Sia Layta

A few folks were wondering what happened with Sia Layta, the pseudonymous poker player who planned to compete at the WSOP disguised as a man. Well, turns out she's vlogging. You can see her (in partial disguise) here: https://youtu.be/jmqIbnTxVCI

After watching the vlog, it sounds like she opted not to play in the 2018 WSOP after all.

Right back atcha! Hope the writing is going well.

August Results, September Goals



[105] Write 120 hours
[30] Play 25 hours

Did a little loop from the Redneck Riviera to Cherokee NC to Augusta GA to the Forgotten Coast to Ebro Dog Track and then back to Nola.

The new Tiger Woods biography is as enjoyable as it is comprehensive. Can't imagine the effort that went into putting that thing together (the work was spread across two authors and a small army of researchers/fact-checkers)

I've always found the longform interview format interesting, and recently stumbled onto David Marchese's celebrity interviews. Have only read a few so far but they're well worth it.

Am finishing Among the Thugs, Bill Buford's eye-opening portrait of English football hooligans. After spending eight years with Manchester United's most ardent supporters, Buford reveals a repellent and strangely captivating subculture. He admits that, like drinking or smoking or gambling, the experience is disgusting, at first; pleasurable, with effort; addictive, over time; and self-destroying, maybe, in the end.

In approach, Al Alvarez’s The Biggest Game in Town mirrors Buford’s book. An American wanders among the thugs; an Englishman explores Fremont Street.

Legal Sportsbetting in Biloxi

Fluffball in his element

September Goals

[ ] Play 100 hours
[ ] Write 60 hours
[ ] Inculcate mulish tyros with the notion that the purpose of good writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor reasoning, and inhibit clarity

Well, you're a true a adademic.

Tyro? Really? Noob too pedestrian for you?

Confirmed not true academic. Dubiously-employed homeless miscreant more likely.

How's grad school, btw? You're starting a phd in history? Something to do with the middle east?

Tyro is a top tier word! Right up there with plump, fluffy, and obsequious.

Some of my students' favorite words, as revealed in today's class:
Pizzazz (NOT pazzazz)
Coquettish
Malpropism
Money
Anomalistic
Boop

I'm weak in grammar and I cringe at what I see today. Are the games at Ebro still butter? Best of luck with all your current endeavors.

Wow never thought I'd see ebro mentioned. But yes. Ebro is the softer than Charmin.

Thanks for asking. It's a grind so far. I'm pretty sure I'll get back into the groove eventually, but right now I'm feeling buried and have some imposter syndrome going on.

Ty zombie. Ya, the class will be challenging for many reasons. Will be a net positive overall, I think.

I’ll +1 this. Games have always been good in the tenish times I’ve played there, and this last trip was no exception. Still had one twentysomething ego-grinder at the table who chatted about action in Manila and threatened to 4bet cuz “I have a good bluffing candidate” (he did not in fact 4bet) There’s no escape!

Sounds about right. Keep working hard and GL. I think the struggle is a necessary part of the process.

If I need a LOLacademia moment, the Sokal Affair always amuses me.

Holy **** that might have been me lol. Do you remember if it was seat 8 or 9? Because we were both talking about it. I was seat 8 lol. I think that was me actually. I apologize if I came across negatively. I tend to get very chatty at the table and try to be "the table captain" or whatever.

This is purely strategic. I talk to everyone at the table and try to get everyone at the table talking. I find this makes for a looser, more action game. Sometimes, I can take it a bit too far though, perhaps.

Thank you for pointing this out and I'll try to keep it mind from now on.
Now I'm wondering who you are though

I have a thread here on PG&C with a pic of myself if you want to check it out and confirm if it was me or my friend to my left.

Pretty sure the guy was sitting across from the dealer, so seat 5 or 6. If it was you, no need to apologize. The guy was sociable and talkative (which is almost always good, for the reasons you mention) but talking strategy tends to alienate or intimidate recreational players, in my experience. It may also open you up to exploitation... although I doubt that's a problem at Ebro

I'm tall and look like Dirk Nowitski. Won't be back to FL anytime soon, but if you come to Nola, hit me up. I'll check out your PGC. Always looking for good ones. How long have you been grinding @ebro? I always wonder how many grinders a small room like that can support.

Thank you sir and I will. Not that long.. I've been playing here about 2 months now. I'll be moving south to greener pastures soon if all goes as planned

Poker Faces in the Crowd: Tara Snow

Two summers ago, after a lively three-set tennis match, Tara Snow felt tingling in her toes. She didn’t think much of it. But a few days later, as numbness invaded the rest of her body, she rushed to the emergency room, where doctors found a lesion in her spinal cord. She eventually learned that she had multiple sclerosis.

I met Tara, a mother of two from Union Hill, Alabama, this summer in Las Vegas. Poker-wise, the trip went well: she final-tabled the WSOP Ladies Event, finishing ninth for $8,900 and cashed for $17,025 in the Main Event. Health-wise, every week is a challenge. We discussed growing up as a tomboy, transitioning to tournament poker, and managing life with MS.

Good stuff. I assume by south you mean south FL? Good area of the country to grind in. GL