Twas the night before FTOPS, And all thru the house
Not a freeroll was running, no use for the mouse.That being the first, and possibly last, poem ever written for me, I was particularly tickled. Less so after someone posted a link to my Facebook page and the illusion of a twenty-something hottie was replaced by the cold reality that I am, in fact, much older than the World Series of Poker.
The grinders were nestled all tucked in their beds,
While visions of Shari Geller danced in their heads.
As we went through the list, two things stood out as themes for 2010. One, was the number of first-time WSOP bracelet winners who also fell in the category of the nice guys. Not to say those who still lack that fine piece of jewelry are naughty -- Tom Dwan, who came pretty close in one of $1,500 No Limit Hold'em events, finishing in second place, and the sole remaining member of the best who haven't won, Andy Bloch, both seem like cool guys. But having Michael Mizrachi, Gavin Smith, Phil Laak and Gus Hansen each pick up their first bracelet this year was good for them and good for the game.
The other consistent theme was just how much the government is at odds with the poker community, especially those in favor of online poker. Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts has tried unsuccessfully to get a bill legalizing and regulating online gambling through the House. Whether it's lack of clout or the inability to draft a bill that can withstand attack from the religious right, Frank has been able to get dozens of co-signers to the bill, but not able to get a house vote for the bill. At least his heart, if not the brain of his legislative drafting staff, is in the right place.
But opposing efforts to legalize online gambling for the past many years has been Nevada Senator Harry Reid. That was until this election year when his ass was saved by a combination of a loony Republican opponent and massive campaign contributions from MGM and Harrah's (now Caesar's). Suddenly, miraculously, Reid did a 180 and became a champion of the rights of poker players to play online. As long as they did so on a site owned and operated by MGM or Harrah's or one of the other brick and mortar casinos that supported his campaign. But, Reid, despite having a majority in the Senate, a Democrat in the White House, and the perfect bill within which to put this bill -- failed.
He could have pushed harder. He could have dug in his heels. He could have stressed how online gambling would add millions in tax revenues which are desperately needed right now. He could have been a leader and stood tall and did what he said he wanted to. Instead, he was a typical politician. Pretending to try to pay back the people who paid for his seat, while in reality doing nothing.
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| Shaun "Tootsie" Deeb |
Women were shut out of bracelets in this year's WSOP, with their only win in the Ladies' Event. They were chided by wunderkind Annette Obrestad who memorably told ESPN that "women suck at poker." Notwithstanding, outside of the WSOP, women made some major strides, taking down a number of big tournaments throughout the year. In March, Annie Duke won NBC's National Heads-Up Tournament. The next month, Vanessa Selbst won the NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event and Liv Boeree won the EPT San Remo. Obrestad put either her quote or her gender into question by winning the EPT London Heads-Up NLHE event in September.
Selbst came back in November to win her second major of the year, the Partouche Poker Tour in Cannes. In December, Leo Margets, the last woman standing in the 2009 WSOP, won first place in the Full Tilt Poker Masters Series at the Grand Casino in Costa Brava, Barcelona. Vanessa Rousso went into the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic final table as the chip leader, but fell in third place
On a less positive note, there was a rash of articles about WSOP event winners selling, hocking or auctioning off their bracelets. Some, like T.J. Cloutier and Paul "Eskimo" Clark, were doing it out of financial need. Recent main event winner Peter Eastgate put his up for auction because he was leaving poker and wanted to use it to raise money for charity. Under either circumstances, I think it is an unfortunate decision. The WSOP bracelet is the pinnacle of success for a tournament poker player. Even with so many events per year, it is still that piece of hardware that signifies that you have made it. You have left an indelible mark on poker and will be in the record books as long as people remember what books are.
The bracelet means something and it shouldn't be something that you can buy; it should be earned. It should belong to the person who, through a magical combination of luck and skill, outplayed and outlasted everyone else at the most prestigious poker tournament in the world. In the movie world, the Oscar is their gold standard, the award that has the most significance with the public as identifying the holder as special and unique. Since the 1950's, the Motion Picture Academy has tied ownership of the statute to the award recipient and required that anyone who wants to sell it must first make it available to the Academy for the price of $1. I think the WSOP should institute a similar legal requirement.
So here's the complete naughty and nice list for 2010:
Naughty:
John Racener, whose third DUI arrest completely obliterated all that he had accomplished on the felt this year.
Shaun Deeb, for his "Tootsie" turn at the WSOP Ladies' Event. It wasn't original and it proved nothing other than the fact that he is in serious need of a bra.
WSOP bracelet sellers, for trivializing a significant accomplishment.
The State of Washington, for losing its rep as a forward-thinking state when its Supreme Court ruled in favor of its online poker.
Harry Reid, for being a weasel, a wuss, and a phony.
Nice:
Michael Mizrachi, for giving us a great ride as he tried for the WSOP trifecta, and bringing along his entertaining family to share the experience with all of us.
Phil Laak, for his stamina, his resilience, and his sense of humor.
First-time bracelet winners, for making us feel sorry for MIT and Harvard educated, but bracelet-less, Andy Bloch.
Matt Affleck, for playing great poker, losing excruciatingly, yet accepting it with grace.
New Hall of Fame members Dan Harrington and Erik Seidel, for representing poker with grace and class and skill.
Check out my articles from the past year over at Poker Player Newspaper. And Happy New Year!
