Category Archives: Professional Poker Players

Last Longer

I thought I played in the longest running regular home game in Austin. The gang has been getting together almost every week for more than 15 years. But in Friday’s paper, I learned that Austinite Emma Long has been running hers for over 60 years. Emma was the first woman elected to the Austin City […]

Sadly Vahedi and Biloxi is My New Tunica

Before Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP, propelling the game into a Cinderella fantasy, I got to know many professional players during my trips to Tunica, Mississippi. There were no fans. There was no television. Jack Binion’s World Poker Open was a refuge for hardcore players, looking for a chance to do what they did best. […]

A Tale of Two Amy Calistris

A couple of nights ago, the Poker Shrink forwarded an email from Dan Michalski. It said “46 searches for ‘amy calistri scam’ have brought people to Pokerati this month. Did she write about a scam or is she in one?” I also got emails from Oliver Tse saying he has been seeing an ad with […]

Hans “Tuna” Lund Musings

“You’ve got to have the heart of a lion — play fearless, don’t be afraid and, when you roar, they better back up.” – Hans “Tuna” Lund. It was probably arrogance. But by early 2007, I figured I had met most all of the “old school” players who still had game. A lot of them […]

Poker and Nudity: Show Me Something New

Using a Swimsuit Edition-esque model, ESPN Magazine has released its Body Issue, featuring athletes in various stages of undress. Poker gets its due, with this picture of Scotty Nguyen, Jennifer Harman, Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu. I have no beef with the magazine’s selection. I feel our fearless foursome pretty much represent the field of […]

Protecting Your Assets

Note: I wrote this article for PokerPages in 2005. It started from a pitch I made to Capital Sports and Entertainment (the company that represents Lance Armstrong). I wanted to see if they would start a business unit dedicated to representing professional poker players. As part of my pitch, I wrote three commercials: Phil Hellmuth […]

The Omaha Tell: Andy Beal Kicked the Oracle’s Ass

It’s an age-old adage in the investment world: Buy low and sell high. Everyone rolls their eyes when they hear it — as if it were that easy. The latest Forbes 400 has been published, listing America’s top 400 richest people. It was no surprise that the sub-headline was “Almost all of America’s richest citizens […]

Poker’s Old School Still Rules

“Dear Amy, thanks for the kind words and I will see you at the Rio, Tom.” Well actually Tom McEvoy probably won’t see me at the Rio – at least not this month. Like last year, I’m feeling the double-edged sword of not covering the WSOP. I’m glad I’m not the one putting in 14 […]

Another Reason I’ll Never Be a Pro

I can take a win in stride. I’ve gotten to the point where a big loss doesn’t jar me. But I just can’t imagine being dependent on debt. I’ve never bought stock on margin. I’ve never had a car loan. I didn’t borrow money to go to graduate school. I keep my credit card balance […]

Running in the Rain and Poker & Drugs

At about 9:00am on Saturday morning the sky grew dark and a cool wind started to blow through. By ten, the skies had opened up to a beautiful torrential rain. We’ve been battling a drought and I was already registered for the Run Good WSOP Seat Challenge, so I was content with nature’s whims. I […]