Work
More WSOP stats
Jun/10/08 17:01
Day 11 of the World Series of Poker. Lunches eaten in
Poker Kitchen: 11. Pretty sick of crappy sushi and
Caesar chicken wraps. And here are the drink choices:
Red Bull, Diet Red Bull, Mountain Dew, Diet Mountain
Dew, Lipton Tea, Lipton Green Tea, water. Yep, that's
it.
Total hours so far: 131. Workouts: 9. Bags of free peanuts eaten: 17. Brownies eaten: half a pan. Loads of laundry washed: 0. Days slept past 7:00 am: 1.
Times new video site has been wrecked by database problems: 4. Light bulbs blown: 1. Tapes used: 32. Compliments on new site: legion. Complaints about new site: they were in another language, so I couldn't read them.
Poker hands played: 0. Hands of blackjack played: 0. Alcoholic beverages quaffed: 0. Drunk guys messing around on the mikes in an empty conference room: 3.
Total hours so far: 131. Workouts: 9. Bags of free peanuts eaten: 17. Brownies eaten: half a pan. Loads of laundry washed: 0. Days slept past 7:00 am: 1.
Times new video site has been wrecked by database problems: 4. Light bulbs blown: 1. Tapes used: 32. Compliments on new site: legion. Complaints about new site: they were in another language, so I couldn't read them.
Poker hands played: 0. Hands of blackjack played: 0. Alcoholic beverages quaffed: 0. Drunk guys messing around on the mikes in an empty conference room: 3.
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Our new video player
Jun/06/08 20:52
Our new video player has finally launched! PokerNews TV. I
couldn't be more proud. When I came to PokerNews, the
videos were difficult to find and the player had some
severe limitations. All of our video was hosted on
one server in the United States, so if you lived
somewhere outside the U.S., the load times were
unbelievably long.
We came in with quite a few goals and expectations for a new player, and while we haven't met them all yet, we're a lot closer than we were when we started. We'll be adding search and comments soon, and we'll be rolling this out in other languages soon, as well. You can link to your favorite videos, and they're a lot easier to find.
Please take some time and check out what we've been working on since January.
PokerNews TV
We came in with quite a few goals and expectations for a new player, and while we haven't met them all yet, we're a lot closer than we were when we started. We'll be adding search and comments soon, and we'll be rolling this out in other languages soon, as well. You can link to your favorite videos, and they're a lot easier to find.
Please take some time and check out what we've been working on since January.
PokerNews TV
More Survival Tips for the WSOP
Jun/03/08 11:41
The last post sounded like your mom sending you a
letter of advice, so I thought I'd share a few more
tips that you may find more relevant.
Between cocktails, drink a bottle of water. I ran with some pretty serious alcohol imbibers during past WSOP's, and the only way I could keep up was to stay hydrated. This will also help minimize your hangover the next day.
"Talking with the ladies" is a great buzzkill. You will go from having a great time to feeling like Sigmund Freud twiddling his thumbs in the space of about five minutes. The fact that you're in a strip club means you've got some kind of confidence or insecurity issues. It's no different for the strippers. It may even be more rampant among them. That's a brutal and competitive culture, and it's cutthroat for some of them. One girl said that after she would ask guys if they wanted a private dance, another girl would come along and say, "You probably don't want a dance from that girl. She has herpes/AIDS/STD/insert other repulsive disease here." So if you're out, drunk, at 3:00 a.m., do yourself a favor and enjoy the lap dance without asking about where the girl is from and how long she's been in Vegas. That's the door away from fantasy and towards the brutal reality of where you are and what you're doing. And whatever you do, leave the place before they turn on the lights.
I hesitate to share this, but only eight people (and my parents aren't included in that number) actually read this site, so I'm just going to throw this out there: the $4-$8 Limit game with a half-kill at the Gold Coast is the best game in Vegas for low-stakes players. Period. I have officially retired from playing poker and from any casino gambling, so I'm not afraid to share this secret with my friends.
The Japanese restaurant in the Palms (Little Buddha) is a great place for sushi, and the Mexican restaurant there is pretty damn good too. But if Mexican is your thing, go west on Flamingo and five minutes away from the Rio is a local secret called Ricardo's. Have a margarita and think of me. Better yet, invite me!
Alcohol and special enhanced brownies do not mix. Well, at least for some people. Do not try this blend at home. Could ruin your night.
The late show at the Palms is a good way to unwind after a long work day. I enjoyed the self-aggrandizing owner of the place that has his picture with some celebrity in every other ad before the movie.
BJ Nemeth is the source for all arcane poker-related knowledge. Well, between Nolan Dalla, BJ Nemeth, Jen Creason, Dr. Paully and Change100, I don't think you can stump them. Those are my go-to sources for information about all things poker. I'm not talking about gameplay. You can find better teachers than these guys! But for anything about the history, culture and mythos of poker, those are the people I'd want on my QuizMaster team.
$50 for a massage once a week is money well-spent.
I may come up with more WSOP survival tips, and if I do, you'll be the first to know.
Between cocktails, drink a bottle of water. I ran with some pretty serious alcohol imbibers during past WSOP's, and the only way I could keep up was to stay hydrated. This will also help minimize your hangover the next day.
"Talking with the ladies" is a great buzzkill. You will go from having a great time to feeling like Sigmund Freud twiddling his thumbs in the space of about five minutes. The fact that you're in a strip club means you've got some kind of confidence or insecurity issues. It's no different for the strippers. It may even be more rampant among them. That's a brutal and competitive culture, and it's cutthroat for some of them. One girl said that after she would ask guys if they wanted a private dance, another girl would come along and say, "You probably don't want a dance from that girl. She has herpes/AIDS/STD/insert other repulsive disease here." So if you're out, drunk, at 3:00 a.m., do yourself a favor and enjoy the lap dance without asking about where the girl is from and how long she's been in Vegas. That's the door away from fantasy and towards the brutal reality of where you are and what you're doing. And whatever you do, leave the place before they turn on the lights.
I hesitate to share this, but only eight people (and my parents aren't included in that number) actually read this site, so I'm just going to throw this out there: the $4-$8 Limit game with a half-kill at the Gold Coast is the best game in Vegas for low-stakes players. Period. I have officially retired from playing poker and from any casino gambling, so I'm not afraid to share this secret with my friends.
The Japanese restaurant in the Palms (Little Buddha) is a great place for sushi, and the Mexican restaurant there is pretty damn good too. But if Mexican is your thing, go west on Flamingo and five minutes away from the Rio is a local secret called Ricardo's. Have a margarita and think of me. Better yet, invite me!
Alcohol and special enhanced brownies do not mix. Well, at least for some people. Do not try this blend at home. Could ruin your night.
The late show at the Palms is a good way to unwind after a long work day. I enjoyed the self-aggrandizing owner of the place that has his picture with some celebrity in every other ad before the movie.
BJ Nemeth is the source for all arcane poker-related knowledge. Well, between Nolan Dalla, BJ Nemeth, Jen Creason, Dr. Paully and Change100, I don't think you can stump them. Those are my go-to sources for information about all things poker. I'm not talking about gameplay. You can find better teachers than these guys! But for anything about the history, culture and mythos of poker, those are the people I'd want on my QuizMaster team.
$50 for a massage once a week is money well-spent.
I may come up with more WSOP survival tips, and if I do, you'll be the first to know.
Survival Tips for the WSOP
Jun/03/08 10:06
This is the fourth World Series of Poker that I have
worked. A few of the people I met that first year are
still lurking about the Amazon room, and we all look
at each other with the knowing look that only people
who have worked together in difficult and stressful
conditions recognize.
When I first started, I tried to live the "Vegas lifestyle" in addition to working 14-hour days. This included all-night poker sessions, drinking and general carousing and rabble-rousing. (Yes, that was intentionally vague.) I have mellowed considerably, due in large part to quelling the flames of my OCD, and learning to see the "Vegas lifestyle" for the mirage in the desert that it really is. Many people in Vegas are lonely or bored, and seek all kinds of self-destructive ways of quieting that voice in their head that says "There's something wrong here."
That got heavy. Sorry! I just wanted to post some tips about what I do to survive the World Series of Poker. These are hard-won strategies for dealing with a high-stress environment over a seven-week period.
Do I follow these every day? No. Do I get upset and disappointed in myself? No. I just notice that I'm slipping off track and re-focus on doing what works and avoiding what doesn't. Late nights and drinking don't work for me when I need my full attention and focus throughout the day. Exercise and sleep help sharpen my focus and ability to remain calm, so I'm sticking with it.
If you come down to the Amazon room, give me a call, or drop me a note on Twitter, and I'll grab some sushi from Miranda's Kitchen with you!
When I first started, I tried to live the "Vegas lifestyle" in addition to working 14-hour days. This included all-night poker sessions, drinking and general carousing and rabble-rousing. (Yes, that was intentionally vague.) I have mellowed considerably, due in large part to quelling the flames of my OCD, and learning to see the "Vegas lifestyle" for the mirage in the desert that it really is. Many people in Vegas are lonely or bored, and seek all kinds of self-destructive ways of quieting that voice in their head that says "There's something wrong here."
That got heavy. Sorry! I just wanted to post some tips about what I do to survive the World Series of Poker. These are hard-won strategies for dealing with a high-stress environment over a seven-week period.
- Drink more water than you think you should. Vegas air is already dry, and air conditioners remove humidity from the air. I am currently working in a room that has three air conditioners (it's a server room) and I got a cold on day 2 of the World Series because my throat was so dry.
- Get sleep. Under stress, cortisol and adrenaline are released into your system, which causes all kinds of problems over time. Sleep helps repair the damage of these hormones, and really helps your focus through the day. I find it much easier to stay calm when I've gotten plenty of sleep the night before. This may mean you have to say no to that drink after work or just playing poker "for an hour or two." Get home and get some sleep.
- Exercise. I wake up, answer the urgent emails, and head outside in the sun for a workout. This has two great effects: the obvious benefits of exercise, and I get my daily 30 minutes of sun exposure that helps my body make vitamin D and fight off disease. Humans have only spent the majority of their time indoors for the last 100 years or so. Don't ignore 100,000 years of evolution.
- Eat less than you think you should. A lot of people around me grab junk food or eat huge buckets of food and say, "Hey, it's the World Series." You don't need as much food as you think. Really.
- Go outside. I talked about this in number 3, but I don't want to scare you away if you "just aren't into exercise." At least go outside in the morning. Eat breakfast or lunch outside where you can get some sun. "But the sun is dangerous! It gives you cancer!" Not getting enough sun is just as dangerous. Reference material here.
- Don't shoot video of players playing in the Amazon room. Ever. For any reason.
Do I follow these every day? No. Do I get upset and disappointed in myself? No. I just notice that I'm slipping off track and re-focus on doing what works and avoiding what doesn't. Late nights and drinking don't work for me when I need my full attention and focus throughout the day. Exercise and sleep help sharpen my focus and ability to remain calm, so I'm sticking with it.
If you come down to the Amazon room, give me a call, or drop me a note on Twitter, and I'll grab some sushi from Miranda's Kitchen with you!
Update from the World Series of Poker
Jun/01/08 21:39
Third day of WSOP action behind me. Here are my stats
for the World Series of Poker so far. Total hours so
far: 35. Total junk food so far: One Ben&Jerry's
Ice Cream Bar. Total throat lozenges eaten today: 21.
Number of Vice Presidential candidates interviewed:
1. Number of 1-liter bottles of water quaffed: 13.
Number of videos that have been put up, pulled,
corrected, and re-posted: 7. Number of text messages
received: 314. Number of times accosted by creepy
carnie-like massage therapists in the hall: 4. Number
of bags of free peanuts eaten: 9. Number of workouts:
2.
And the level of multitasking required to be a manager/team-leader-type person is amazing and right on the edge of what I can keep in my head. Small things slip through but I have been relying on using iwantsandy.com to send me reminders, and that's helped a lot. But this manager stuff is a whole new ball game. Scheduling? Coordinating equipment needs? Making sure everyone is happy? A lot more challenging than I thought it was going to be, but my team has definitely gelled a lot faster than I thought they would. Everyone has stepped up, learned quickly, and we're turning out some damn fine videos already.
And the level of multitasking required to be a manager/team-leader-type person is amazing and right on the edge of what I can keep in my head. Small things slip through but I have been relying on using iwantsandy.com to send me reminders, and that's helped a lot. But this manager stuff is a whole new ball game. Scheduling? Coordinating equipment needs? Making sure everyone is happy? A lot more challenging than I thought it was going to be, but my team has definitely gelled a lot faster than I thought they would. Everyone has stepped up, learned quickly, and we're turning out some damn fine videos already.
Airport Security
Mar/31/08 10:05
I arrived at the Las Vegas airport this morning, and
after using curbside check-in, I proceeded to the
very long pre-fast-pass-at-Disneyland line for the
security check-in. After waiting in the long tail of
the line for about 5 minutes, I then entered the
section of the line that snaked left, then right,
then left and so on no less than nine times. I
estimated the number of people in line for the C
gates to be around 300-400 people. And there was a
faster-moving line identical to mine for the D gates.
So there were approximately 600-800 people in this
very close area. And we haven't had our bags checked
yet.
So here's my thought for the day: what if terrorists don't care about actually taking over a plane now? What if they just want to kill people? Now we've created this huge labyrinthine line that collects unchecked people in an area where there's no escape. Some man (or woman. Terrorist groups are equal-opportunity employers) with dreams of a better afterlife and a whole lot of C4 strapped to his/her chest walks in and you can probably guess what could happen. Especially if these people coordinated these attacks on several congested airports on a Christian holiday weekend. Boom.
And I'm probably going to get SSSS (a code indicating that I'm a high-level security threat requiring extensive screening) on my boarding pass from now on just for writing this.
So here's my thought for the day: what if terrorists don't care about actually taking over a plane now? What if they just want to kill people? Now we've created this huge labyrinthine line that collects unchecked people in an area where there's no escape. Some man (or woman. Terrorist groups are equal-opportunity employers) with dreams of a better afterlife and a whole lot of C4 strapped to his/her chest walks in and you can probably guess what could happen. Especially if these people coordinated these attacks on several congested airports on a Christian holiday weekend. Boom.
And I'm probably going to get SSSS (a code indicating that I'm a high-level security threat requiring extensive screening) on my boarding pass from now on just for writing this.
Life on the Road
Mar/02/08 16:50
Well, kids, I'm in Las Vegas shooting and editing
video at the National Heads-Up Poker Championship. I
have a very nice room here in Caesar's Palace. If you
want to see the new Bette Midler show, get ripped off
by crappy blackjack rules while you stare at
pseudo-strippers in the Pussycat Dolls section of the
casino, or if you just want to walk around the Forum
shops, then I would definitely recommend the rooms
here.
Big story of the tournament is Orel Hershiser. He's been playing poker for eight hours per day for a few months now, and got invited to this tournament. He beat Ted Forrest in the first round, Allen Cunningham in the second round and Freddy Deeb in the third round. He faced Andy Bloch in the fourth round, and I think Andy had read a scouting report on Orel, because Andy called him down more, so Orel was not able to use aggression as effectively in this match.
Orel used a baseball as a card protector, and every time he won, he had the person he beat sign the ball. When Andy beat him, he gave Andy the ball. It has been signed by Orel, Ted Forrest, Allen Cunningham and Freddy Deeb.
We're now down to the finals: Chris Ferguson vs. Andy Bloch. I just had a photographer-geek chat with a couple of the photogs hanging out here, while I wait to interview the winner.
Big story of the tournament is Orel Hershiser. He's been playing poker for eight hours per day for a few months now, and got invited to this tournament. He beat Ted Forrest in the first round, Allen Cunningham in the second round and Freddy Deeb in the third round. He faced Andy Bloch in the fourth round, and I think Andy had read a scouting report on Orel, because Andy called him down more, so Orel was not able to use aggression as effectively in this match.
Orel used a baseball as a card protector, and every time he won, he had the person he beat sign the ball. When Andy beat him, he gave Andy the ball. It has been signed by Orel, Ted Forrest, Allen Cunningham and Freddy Deeb.
We're now down to the finals: Chris Ferguson vs. Andy Bloch. I just had a photographer-geek chat with a couple of the photogs hanging out here, while I wait to interview the winner.
Today’s Workout (and the workout from two days ago)
Feb/24/08 10:45
I am in the Valley of Broken Dreams (Los Angeles) for
work, and staying at a friend’s house very close to
the beach. Two days ago, I found a stairway that
consists of five long flights of stairs. I decided to
run sprints on the stairs for my workout. I would
sprint to the top and jog back down, then immediately
turn around and sprint again. After the 7th sprint,
Pukie the Clown came to visit, and I got to enjoy the
salami from the night before, as well as the banana
from earlier that morning, all over again!
Today’s workout:
jog down to the beach (about a mile and a half), then run sprints on the hill all the way back. 45 minutes round trip. Felt great! I'll try to get out there tomorrow morning with a camera and post some pics tomorrow. Felt good to hear the ocean again.
Today’s workout:
jog down to the beach (about a mile and a half), then run sprints on the hill all the way back. 45 minutes round trip. Felt great! I'll try to get out there tomorrow morning with a camera and post some pics tomorrow. Felt good to hear the ocean again.