Category Archives: Investment

Apr
18
2009

Online Gaming: Hope Springs Eternal

Both poker and investment seem to be hanging their hats on hope this spring. Where the two worlds intersect is perhaps the epicenter of hope. Online gaming stocks have popped both on the news that PartyGaming settled with the U.S. government and the promise of Barney Frank’s new stand alone bill that would serve to […]

By java | Comments Off on Online Gaming: Hope Springs Eternal
Apr
08
2009

Afterbirth

Last week I dropped my cellphone in the toilet. Luckily it was “pre-game” and I was willing able to fish it out. It started working again the next day – although it doesn’t ring anymore. That’s kind of been a metaphor for my life over the last few weeks – a number of “oh shit” […]

By java | Comments (8)
Mar
05
2009

MGM Mirage Busto…Harrah’s Next?

I suspected something was brewing at MGM Mirage. Its earnings announcement was overdue with nary a peep. Then, instead of reporting its fourth-quarter earnings, MGM filed two other SEC forms. The first one was to confess they had tapped out their $4.5 billion revolving credit line by withdrawing the last remaining $842 million. And the […]

By java | Also posted in Las Vegas | Comments (1)
Mar
01
2009

Another Bust and a Bank Sings Proud Mary

“You sure do know a lot of people who get arrested,” said a co-worker after reading my last blog. I quipped, “Maybe it’s just that your friends can afford better lawyers and accountants.” If I needed any ammunition to support my argument, I found it while cleaning out my closet yesterday. I unearthed an old […]

By java | Also posted in Professional Poker Players | Comments (3)
Jan
25
2009

Deleveraging is Shrinking the Game

Lou Mannheim: Kid, you’re on a roll. Enjoy it while it lasts, ’cause it never does. Imagine how small the world of poker would be without debt. What would happen to poker if a large number of players stopped being able to pay back what they owed? Some generous players and backers would get burned […]

By java | Comments (2)
Nov
21
2008

Ben Bernanke Needs a Hooker’s Heart

Crash Davis: Look, Nuke – these Big League hitters are gonna light you up like a pin ball machine for awhile – don’t worry about it. Be cocky and arrogant even when you’re getting beat. That’s the secret. You gotta play this game with fear and arrogance. Nuke LaLoush: Fear and ignorance. Crash: No. Fear […]

By java | Also posted in Poker Bloggers | Comments (3)
Oct
26
2008

I’m shocked, shocked…

Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds? Renault: I’m shocked, shocked to find that there is gambling going on here! Croupier: Your winnings, sir. Renault: Oh, thank you very much Alan Greenspan: Those of us who have looked to the self-interest of lending institutions to protect shareholder’s equity (myself especially) are in […]

By java | Comments (3)
Oct
10
2008

One Step Beyond Tilt

I’m still surprised how similar the investment world is to the poker world – and how the people within those worlds are seemingly cut from the same cloth. But to some extent they play the same “risk versus return” game. And while each set of players knows that probability and odds factor strongly in their […]

By java | Comments (2)