Party Poker Blog

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves that we are underlings.
Shakespeare

How about an old-fashioned, rambling, Guinness-fueled post?

I've updated the now out-of-control poker blogroll on the right. The one downside to the exponential popularity of poker blogs is that I drink far too much Guinness while digging through them, wondering what the hell I should write about.

My humble apologies for the following drunken post.
Pure drivel.

Actually, it pains me to stay away from the poker tables tonight because I'm killing the limit ring games at Party Poker. If you are playing anywhere else, you need to cut back on the huffing. I'm amazed at the terrible players - how long can the insanity continue? But this current rush isn't really about the terrible players (although I am continually getting paid off - some guys do NOT know how to fold) - it's more about the deck hitting me in the face.

Anyway, nobody cares about The Grind. But I'm still gonna give you a mini-update on what I've been doing, for the sake of posterity. My first week off work was so disorienting that I chose not to play. Instead, I worked on a freelance project and started re-reading Ray Zee's seminal poker book, High-Low-Split-Poker. So this week I've been fooling around with the 5.10 Stud8 tables on Party. Great stuff, if you can handle the wild swings.

I'm not the only one that loves Party Poker. Here's a great link for all my faithful readers. It really did my heart good to read David Ross's update on his last six months of Playing Online Poker for a Living on Party Poker. He really should write a damn book. Enjoy:
Playing online for a living - Year 2, the first 6 months

For the record, if you are new here and haven't read David's weekly poker posts, you are truly in for a treat. And fortunately, one of my old readers got David's permission to post them all in his poker site. Go to School of Hard Knocks and scroll down till you see David's posts on the left. 46 weeks of tasty online poker goodness.

Another reader, a neophyte poker blogger messaged me the other evening, asking if he should reap the fruits of Izmet's advice in limit play. Oh the humanity - that would be a resounding YES. If any of you are new or hell, even if you're experienced poker players, take a jaunt through both Abdul and Izmet's essays. Print them out and read them a few times, letting it slowly seep into your brain.

Per Izmet:
Preflop: tight, tight, tight. Postflop: pound, pound, pound. Yes, your variance will increase, but overall, you will win more and lose less if you maintain focus and pre-flop discipline. This strategy works best when you have a tight table image.

The new CardPlayer just hit the web and has a superb interview with Phil Ivey.
Must read:

The Art of Winning — A Conversation With Phil Ivey

I guess I should post some snarky stuff. Let's share this Annie Duke diatribe for the hell of it.

---------

Subject: Annie Duke is no angel, that's for sure (long)
Author: Jordan Meisner

The past few days, I've been browsing through some archived WSOP coverage
(journals, reports, video, audio, etc) and after looking at a lot of
stuff, I'm really shocked at how Annie Duke came across as a total bitch,
and there's really no other way of saying it. I don't know if other
people already knew about the deal with her in the WSOP (I didn't follow
it extremely closely day to day, I would mostly just look at the chip
counts), but it was pretty pathetic.

The first thing I read about her was from Dave Scharf's WSOP journal (guy
who got pretty far in the tournament, was crippled in an all-in hand
against Dan Harrington where he was almost a 2-1 favorite). After Dave
doubled Annie up after making an all-in bluff against her on the turn
after she had flopped top two pair, Annie didn't win with grace, as she
apparently stood up, walked over to the ESPN cameras and boasted how she
had "taken Dave to school". Of course, they would never show anything
like this because they portray Annie to be a complete angel, whereas they
target and feast on other players like Josh Arieh. Then at the next
break, she was reportedly again putting down Dave's play right in front of
him while she was talking with Gus Hansen.

So what does Dave do? He came right back and murdered her in a pot where
she left 2/3 of her chips on the table when she folded to his all-in bet.
Dave showed his bottom pair and flush draw to Annie, and you know she
couldn't have liked it.

So after this Annie was down to 25k of the 75k she started the hand with.
In a three-way pot she played shortly after this, the 456 flop was checked
around and a 5 hit the turn, whereupon she bluffed all-in with KQ. One
player folded, and another made an absolutely brilliant call on her with
AQ after a long dwell-up. I mean, he was staring at a 25k-ish bet into a
15k pot with one to come and AQ high and he called her. If I was Annie
Duke, I'd just have to shake my head and admit I got outplayed.

But did Annie Duke do that? Of course not. After losing her entire
tournament in essentially two pots to players who completely ravaged her
with their superior play, she did an interview with the Gutshot Collective
(www.gutshot.co.uk), where she said something along the lines of, "There
were some real inexperienced players this year. I bluffed all in with KQ
on a ragged board and some guy called me with AQ. Obviously, no
experienced player would make this call. I mean, everyone was telling me,
'That was such a great bluff, I can't believe he called you!'" (this quote
is from memory, because the video file is currently down on the website).

Now, this was a completely stupid thing to say, and it stands in stark
contrast with what appears in Phil Hellmuth's article entitled "2004 WSOP
Eliminations" where Annie Duke is quoted as saying, "... kudos to him for
making a tough call." Clearly, she was just trying to cover for her
inappropriate behavior which was recorded in Scharf's journal and on the
Gutshot Collective site.

What's most amazing about this whole thing is how Annie's actions mirror
those of a player she constantly needles, Phil Hellmuth. Phil is of
course known for berating players when they make what he views as "stupid"
plays, but they are often cases of others simply outplaying him. What
Annie did to Scharf and whoever made the call on her with AQ is the exact
same thing. She was clearly feeling pretty down about getting so badly
outplayed, so she took out her frustration by insulting other players.
How childish is that?

Speaking of which, watching the interaction between the players at the
WSOP TOC reveals even more about this whole mess. Throughout the whole
event, Annie Duke was constantly taking her shots at Phil. For example,
when Phil asked the table if he was being too slow due to Doyle Brunson's
comments about Phil "posing for the camera", Annie Duke responded, "What,
do you mean mentally slow?"

I really get a kick out of Annie Duke's critique of Phil's play, because
quite honestly, she is the far inferior player. Howard Lederer and Annie
Duke were insulting Phil incessantly, and they can get away with it
because ESPN is in love with them for whatever reason. But the fact of
the matter is, Phil Hellmuth has 9 Hold'Em bracelets, including a main
event win. How many Hold'Em bracelets do Annie Duke and Howard Lederer
have combined? ZERO. This brings up the question of why those two were
even invited to participate in the TOC, but that's a whole other issue
altogether.

Another interesting situation showing Annie's bitter side is her poker
relationship with Daniel Negreanu. When watching FOX Sport's coverage of
Championship Poker at the Plaza when Daniel and Annie were sitting at the
same table, it was pretty obvious that Daniel was just destroying her
(along with all of the other players). That particular tournament had an
unprecedentally slow blind structure and special short-handed tables
halfway through the tournament to the finish, an environment in which
Daniel Negreanu will tear through the field with a vengeance. He is
undeniably the best tournament player in the world right now (and from
what I've heard, the best side-game player as well), but don't tell that
to Annie Duke. She was her usual incessantly chatty self at the table,
but didn't seem to be taking too kindl to Daniel at all. In fact, at the
TOC, she even made a remark when Daniel showed down his 57s against her KK
in an AIPF situation when she was short-stacked that "Daniel gets lucky
with those hands more than anyone else". Not too long after that, Daniel
came out with a CardPlayer article detailing a hand in which he absolutely
destroyed Annie Duke with... you guessed it, 75s high on the flop. Hmm...

Overall, it just seems to me like Annie Duke is a self-conscious player
who wants to believe she's a better player than she really is. She seems
to believe that she's the best female tournament player in the world
(actually, in the WSOP broadcast, she blatantly says that), evidenced by
her refusal to play in the Ladies' Limit Hold'Em event this year. She
then of course got all the coverage in the world when she won her first
bracelet, but Annie, I've got news for you, you're still behind Nani
Dollinson, Jennifer Harman, Barbara Enright, and Susie Isaacs in that
department.

Also, Annie Duke is not a "stone babe" (ultimatebet.com), she's ugly.

The End.

-----------

Mitigating factor: she DID win the TOC and tilt Phil.


You gonna eat that?

I suppose now I should repost the open letter from her brother, Howard Lederer, to Daniel N.

But moving on, a story I forgot to blog about when I read it on Pokerati last week, and then was followed up on RGP. I certainly hope nobody is surprised by this revelation.

Here's the original post and several responses in the threads:

----------

Hellmuth-Doesn't play under his "Official" UB Name
Author: Stinch

I always wondered if the Poker Pros really Play on Ultimate Bet. It turns
out at least one doesn't. I was watching Phil Hellmuth play on UB when I
remembered I was planning on going to go see him at the Barns and Noble in
Dallas tonight.

At 7:30pm CT I called Barnes and Noble, and to my surprise, he was there,
speaking! The very moment he was playing a hand on Ultimate Bet.

I exposed the situation to the others in the Online card room, I even gave
out the Phone number to Barns and Noble. Many players called and
confirmed: IT WAS NOT Phil Hellmuth Playing under his UB screen name.

I play at UB and I am a big fan of the site. But having someone pretend
to be a pro is a SCAM. People play against the pros for the thrill. Some
even play looser than usual. Just to "beat the pro." That is why I am so
troubled by all this.

There is no proof UB is aware Phil does not play under his name. But I
have the proof, on at least this nite, he does not.

I am a seasoned TV Journalist who knows how to nail down a story. And I
know a Con when I see one. Those playing against the so called "Phil
Hellmuth" on UB Sat Night at 7:30 were duped.

The question remains: How many other times have we been duped?


-----------


Hello Stinch,

I realize others may gripe that you have posted this already however I am
grateful that you did so as I do not have the opportunity to scroll
through historical posts with the zeal of others. I found your
information to be very interesting and to be candid I am not surprised.
UB has at bare minimum a moral and ethical obligation to respond to this
assertion. The UB "stars", I use this term loosely, are a potential draw
to the storefront and a willful or inadvertent misrepresentation of their
attendance is a disgrace.

Please let us know if you are to find out anything further.

--------

Opening the door for Gary Carson to slam Phil:

-----------

Phil got caught in fraudlulent behavior.

I suspect he has an ownership interest in UB, but he's afraid to admit it becuase he's afraid of arrest.

But, generally, it all looks to me like his ethical values are severely lacking.

I have some bonus bucks on UB and will probably play there now and then until I
work them off.

But, other than that, UB just seems to pile on new evidence every day that the managment and ownership of the site just can't be trusted.
So Phil defrauded them -- he gets paid to play and then subcontracts that to
someone else.

And, they don't really care?

I'm sorry, but I'd beleive them if they fired him. But, for them to just say,
"Please don't defraud us again", just doesn't impress me.

Employee fraud in an online poker site is serious fucking business. They seem
to only care that it's bad PR.

---------

and from poker industry consultant, Michael O'Malley:


Decide for yourself. But if you think every site that has a named player or
pro has that specific person playing every time, you gotta be drunk. It's a
great sales tactic or marketing strategy, and the new TV found players love it
and really have no clue it's not the pro's they think it is, but it works
getting the newbies at their sites to play.

-------------

UB emailed Stinch back and offered some shit explanation. You can read Phil's excuse here at Pokerati when Dan interviewed him.

God, it's fun to hate Phil. I need to write a screed on this.

FilmGeek emailed me this legit posting on Craig's List that went up on Wednesday, by some guy in Philadelphia:

"Straight male seeks Bush supporter for fair, physical fight. I would like to fight a Bush supporter to vent my anger. If you are one, have a fiery streak, please contact me so we can meet and physically fight. I would like to beat the shit out of you."

New column on Poker Pages on a topic I've ranted about several times.
Confessions of a River Rat Part IV

----------

Let's face it you will never become a great poker player unless you know how to be a winner. That's all good and true, but I think you will never be a good poker player unless you know how to be a good loser. The reality of it all is that there will be times when you will go home broke from the casino, sit in your dark living room drinking whiskey and listening to Sarah McLachlan. You can't be a great poker player unless you learn how to deal with your emotions and control your self-pity.

---------

I doubt anyone local is actually reading this deep into a post, but if so, here's a detailed 2+2r's review of the newly opened Grand Victoria poker room in Rising Sun, Indiana. It's about an hour away.
Grand Victoria poker room review

Hrm, I initially thought this was a joke but it's not.
From the BUY A FUCKING POKER BOOK OR TWO section of this blog, came this press release:

WPT ENTERPRISES, INC. SET TO LAUNCH WPT BOOT CAMP™

---------

WPT ENTERPRISES, INC. SET TO LAUNCH WPT BOOT CAMP™
Attendees to Learn the Secrets of Tournament Poker from WPT Experts

West Hollywood, CA (November 10, 2004) -- WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:
WPTE), the entertainment company that transformed poker into a riveting
spectator sport, has once again broken new ground with the announcement of
WPT Boot Camp™. This new initiative can put those who dream of playing in
a WORLD POKER TOUR™ tournament on the fast track to a WPT Final Table.

WPT Boot Camp will be offered in cities throughout the United States and
will feature an integrated curriculum that includes live lecture, archived
footage, and game play. Students will receive tutoring on all aspects of
competitive tournament Texas Hold 'Em poker, from some of the greatest
minds on the WORLD POKER TOUR.

The multi-day boot camps will utilize courseware exclusive to WPT. The
experience will be hands on, filled with tips and tools for amateur
players to better understand the tells, reads, and strategies integral to
improving their own game.

The WPT Boot Camp schedule will be released shortly; those wishing to be
notified of the national schedule and read the complete press release, go
to, WPT Boot Camp

---------

This was actually an interesting poker conference write-up. It could just be the Guinness, however.

-------

Subject: WPPC Report Sent: Nov 8 2004 6:33 PM
Author: Rob Perelman (rob@vrob.com) Post Options: Hide

View: Normal | Header | Full Thread

Options: Print | Email

This past weekend I went to Las Vegas to attend the 4th Annual World Poker
Players Conference. As a standard disclaimer, I plan to discuss my entire
weekend, so feel free to scroll down if you only wish to read about the
conference.

I left San Diego on Thursday afternoon with a plan to stop at Pechanga to
play some poker while traffic to Vegas died. Ended up getting trapped
there as the $3-$6 table I was at was very loose, and I walked out over
$200 up. Unfortunately, I left after 10pm and didn't get to my hotel at
state line until 2am or so due to construction on the I-15. Checked into
my room and walked by the poker "room" -- I think there was one table
going, and they looked miserable. I was tired and passed, but played a
Wheel Of Fortune slot on the way to my room. Won $50, paid for my room
for the night, so that was that.

Woke up the next morning to head to Vegas and check into my room at
Binion's. Did that, and then walked around downtown to find some food. I
think I ran into Penn or Teller, but I couldn't remember which was which,
so I skipped asking the guy if he was Penn or Teller. 8:1 pot odds say it
was him.

Played a little 2-4 at Binion's waiting for a 4-8 table. Broke about even
on both tables, but I had to cut my sessions short to go logon to
PartyPoker from my room and play the PPM tourny. Didn't catch any cards
in that tourny and busted out about 1000'th out of 1800+ players. Nothing
too exciting about that except I had to disconnect from my room and run
down the street to Krispy Kreme because my table was complaining about my
lag time due to dialup. That probably cost me the tournament, lol.

Then I headed down to the strip to play at my favorite room, the Mirage.
Got a $3-$6 table and played for about 4 hours and made over $200. That's
about right for a Mirage $3-$6 table. By now I can't remember too many
hands, but it was loose loose loose. Pulled myself away from the table
finally at 1:30am as I had to get up early the next morning for the
conference.

---> OK, so here's where I talk about the conference. I got there about a
half hour early to get a good seat and get some grub. The continental
breakfast was very nice, so I had some fruit and coffee while waiting for
the seminars to start. Met Linda Johnson who was very, very nice. I'd
vote her "Nicest Person In The Poker World" if given the option. The
conference started and here are my notes on each:

1. Lee Jones - "How To Beat the NL Sit and Go's." Very good speech, and I
can't wait to try out some of his tips.

2. Daniel Negreanu - "Final-table Play." Another very good speech. I
love the guy and was most excited to hear him speak, and he didn't
disappoint. Very funny, and some more great tips I can't wait to try out.
And now I need to go make a shirt with Daniel's face on it with the
phrase below it, "Bring Back The Limp."

3. Mike Caro - "Winning Poker Concepts." Caro really is a genius, and it
showed. I wish there was more math here, as you can tell Caro wanted to
go into it, but it would have been a bit high level for the audience. I
talked to Caro on the break and told him I'd love to go to an all day
seminar with just him speaking, and he said it's in the works. Cool.

4. Mark Gregorich - "How I've Survived as a Professional..." I've seen
Gregorich on TV and didn't realize his background. Nice guy, and course
since he's on TV, he had better presentation skills than most. Nothing
learned in this seminar, but fun to listen to.

5. Barry Tanenbaum - "Maximize Your Poker Profits." Probably my least
favorite seminar as I have 0 notes from it. I'm sure it was good, but if
I can't remember anything about it, I must not have learned all that much
from it.

6. Linda Johnson & Mark Tenner - "Common Errors Made by Omaha/8 Players."
I am not an Omaha/8 player, so I almost ditched this seminar to go get in
an hour of poker at the Bellagio. But I stayed and heard a few things,
and if I ever become an Omaha/8 player, I now know what some common
mistakes are and can avoid them. Linda also told a classic joke that made
it worth the whole session.

7. Mike Sexton - "Sexton's Secret To Success." Very misleading conference
title as it was a lot of general tournament strategy. Learned a couple
things, but it was great to hear Mike's enthusiasm for WPT and the
upcoming PPT. Took my picture with Mike after the conference for whatever
that's worth.

8. Q&A Panel w/Doyle Brunson, Roy Cooke, George Epstein, & Jennifer
Harman. I left the room for half of this one -- while the panel was
great, almost every question was directed to Doyle (predictable), and they
were some of the dumbest questions I've ever heard. I guess I'm a little
further down the poker road than some of the attendees, but I smiled with
Doyle as someone asked a question like: "If I'm in late position with TJs
and three people limp in a pot, should I raise?" Yes, he was serious and
wanted an answer. To summarize Doyle's response, "There is no magic
formula. It depends." Duh.

After the conference, I hopped up to the front for the inevitable Doyle
meet & greet. Sure enough, everyone brought their Super/System to get
signed, as did I. I came up with a clever line for Doyle to write: "I'm a
10, you're a 2." He seemed to get a kick out of it and the picture we
took, where he flashed ten fingers and I flashed two (a peace sign,
actually). Funny on so many levels if you ask me. Doyle's a good guy to
take all the poker fame in stride.

Actually went over to talk to Jennifer Harman as her line was quite short
compared to Doyle's. I mentioned to her that I appreciated a comment she
made in the Q&A where she talked about moving up through the levels of
limit hold'em. She basically told me when she felt she mastered $3-$6,
she'd start taking stabs at the higher limits until she felt comfortable,
and then she'd move to let's say $6-$12 and start taking stabs at the next
higher limits. This was just what I wanted to hear, as I've been beating
every $3-$6 game I've played. I'm pleased to say I sat in two $6-$12
games at the Mirage over the rest of the weekend and turned a profit in
both.

So that's about it for the conference. Bought the Caro "Tells" DVD for
$40, so that was a good deal as well. Overall, I don't feel like I
learned all that much, but hey, it was an excuse to come to Vegas and meet
a couple poker celebs.

Anyway, there was one hand at the $6-$12 table that night that I just want
to pat myself on the back for. I had been playing at a table and this
nice guy across from me was chatting with me all night. We get into a
hand where I have A2o in the small blind, he was in the big blind, and
only one person limped into the pot. I completed the bet, BB checked, and
the flop came 228. I bet right out as there were two clubs on board, and
I figured BB could call with an 8. Sure enough, he called and the other
player folded. The turn came a blank, and I fired again. BB called.
Yup, definitely a 8, or maybe an overpair where he figures I'm betting an
8 and he wants to raise me on the river. Let's see the river...

Oh no, it's an 8. I now have bottom full house, and my plan failed. He
just made top full house... I check. Sure enough, he bets. Shit, I can't
believe he hit his 2 outer. I'm about to muck my cards, but I want to
make sure I am beat and he's not bluffing. I look up at him to see his
demeanor. He looks back and me and trys to lament me... "I had you the
whole way." Wait a second, if he had an 8, how can say know he had me the
whole way? If he has an overpair even, how can he say that. Unless he
had pocket 8's, he's saying he has a 2. I call. Sure enough, he flips
over K2. Uh uh little buddy, I had YOU the whole way. Glad you spoke up,
or I would have mucked my hand. Good read on my part, pat on the back.

Boy did he play this hand wrong. He said after the hand that he was sure
I didn't have a 2. Well if I didn't have a 2, what the hell did he think
I was betting? Either an overpair or the 8. An overpair he can beat on
the river, but if I had been betting an 8 and checked it on the river, he
should never have bet, as I would have been check raising him. Terrible
play, and I'm glad it all worked out. Walked out $96 up.

Played $6-$12 again on Sunday for about 4 hours while traffic cleared and
the rain poured and didn't do as well. I was up for awhile, but the table
was a lot tougher (predictably so on a Sunday evening than a Saturday
night). I was down about $70 and was about to leave when I got 89d under
the gun. I was about to muck it and walk but I decided to play since it
was going to be my last hand either way. Terrible position, I know. Flop
came Q99, I bet out and got two callers. Once again, they're calling with
the queen. PLEASE don't let the queen fall like the 8 fell before!! Turn
is... wow, a 9. OK, I have quads, the nuts. I can't check as that's too
predictable, so I bet out again. Both players call again. River's a
blank, I bet, they both call. I win a decent size pot and end up $22 up
for the session. Whew.

So that's about it. Five hours of driving home in on and off rain and a
good night's sleep and it's back to the normal life. Hope someone made it
this far and enjoyed some or all of my post...

----------

One quick rambling poker thought: Sometimes I struggle with the grinding aspect of limit poker from a diminishing returns perspective. It takes so much damn time (Mike Caro: the more you play, the more you win!) that I often feel my time is better spent focusing on SNG's (single table tourneys, for the uninitiated) and/or some big payout multi-table tournaments. My bankroll is more than sufficient to bang away at these and I've enjoyed success in the past - what's stopping me?

Perhaps it's a case of laziness. Beating the low/mid limits at Party Poker is literally shooting fish in a barrel. My game has likely suffered without the challenges you face in higher limits, or just moving up, in general. Stasis = death in poker.

Poker is very rewarding as a hobby. Compared to golf, (have you ever paid the greens fees in Las Vegas?) it's a grand slam. I feel very fortunate that my hobby brings money in, rather than costing me. How many people can say that? God Bless Party Poker.

But it's not easy. And what to do with your precious bankroll is likely the most important decision a poker player (even a poker-hobbyist) will ever make.

But hitting the big payoff is every poker players dream. The reality of grinding is quite a different scenario. Why not take a shot at a life-altering payday? But then again, what's life altering? i've already quit my freaking job, for God's sakes.

I think it's time for a strange, random picture.



Damn, I'm flying out to Vegas in about 72 hours. Not simply for poker, mind you. I'm going to a Little Person marketing conference and also reconnecting with some friends. Oughta be a hoot.

Hell, I'm drunk and tired.
Pure drivel. My humble apologies.

I leave you with an Open Letter to Daniel Negreanu from Howard Lederer.

-----------

Daniel,

I would first like to say that, in the past, I have always rooted for you.
I thought you had the kind of engaging personality and charisma that the
game of poker needs. Sadly, however, you have allowed your desperate need
for public recognition, both for you and your close friends, to turn you
into a mean and vindictive person. You try your best to keep this from you
adoring fans, but tourney regulars know better.

My motivations for making this post are many, and I think I should detail
them now. As most RGPers know, your post from a couple of days ago was
about my sister Annie Duke. You claim you wanted to keep her name out of
it. This is a complete lie. First, you knew I would figure out who the
post was about. You also knew that a lot of other high limit players would
be able to figure it out. You thought it would be cute to continue your
smear campaign against my sister just under the radar. Then in one of your
follow up posts to my "Grow up" thread, you wrote, "The same person that
will tell a player NOT to educate the other players, then five minutes later
ask the player she told not to say anything a poker question?" The use of
the female pronoun seems intentional. I can only conclude that you really
did want to publicly embarrass her. But this post is only a culmination of
a summer full of public attacks on my sister, a campaign that has hurt her
deeply. My sister has been inclined to not fight back. But I can not sit
idly by any longer.

You have also made it clear that you are willing to damage your own
reputation to bring Annie down. I will get into your reasons for this
later. I know that if I can diminish you in any way in the eyes of the
public, you will feel personally diminished. Sad but true.

For me, violence is not an option, so the only thing I can do to make you
pay something for the pain you have caused my sister is to make the public
aware of your true nature. I spoke to you privately about this issue, but
the smear campaign has only intensified. Also, though I admit that I was
extremely steamed when I made my post two days ago, the last couple of days
have only brought me down to a simmer. I need to make this post to feel
better. I don't like feeling angry all the time.

Your reasons for going after my sister's reputation as a poker player are
obvious to anyone who knows you and many others who don't. First, you
simply feel that the only female poker player who deserves any media
attention is Jennifer Harman. Second, you just don't like my sister. There
is something about her personality that rubs you the wrong way. I can't
blame you for this and would never hold that against you. We all have those
people we just can't get along with.

Your obsession with the public's perception of Jennifer's place among the
top women players combined with your general dislike of Annie has caused you
to lose all objectivity where she is concerned. If we only look for the bad
in people, whether it be their conduct or their play, there will always be
something to find. Nobody is perfect. But this obsession is causing great
harm to Annie, and it needs to stop.

I could almost stomach the attacks on her play if that was all you had been
doing. But you have gotten really nasty and personal. You have been heard
at tournaments, where Annie is not present, referring to her as "Annie
Puke." You have also complained that she doesn't have any nice clothes and
she looks disgusting. I am sure your wardrobe would be just amazing after
going through four pregnancies in six years. This is grade school stuff on
your part, but it still hurts. When I ask your friends about why you have
gone berserk on this Annie thing, they just shake their heads and can't
really explain it. I would be surprised if any of your friends think this
has been a good thing for you to do.

I would not have had to make this post if you had been even a little
contrite in response to my post of two days ago. But, instead you showed
your true colors. Your first response to me, at 5:42 P.M., went like this:

"I just thought the post was funny. I didn't name any names did I? All
that stuff REALLY happened. If anything, it's a good advertisement for the
Bellagio game."

We now know this wasn't the real reason for your post. You didn't want your
adoring public to think that your post might have been mean spirited. But
you couldn't stand it and 16 minutes later you posted:

"One more thing 'the self proclaimed 'expert' deserves all the criticism the
expert gets. The expert, is the same person that routinely takes part in
all of the stupid conversation that goes on in those games. All of the,
'how bad does he play' talk. The expert deserves to hear some of that same
criticism. If the expert were a gentle, nice person who wasn't so rude and
obnoxious at the table, I never would have posted any of this stuff. The
expert, is the same person that will look at your hole cards when out of a
hand, but won't let you look at theirs. The same person that will tell a
player NOT to educate the other players, then five minutes later ask the
player she told not to say anything a poker question? The expert is a stuck
up bully, that deserves everything the expert dishes out, ten fold."

It was nice of you to call yourself on your own lie so quickly.

I have also noticed a pattern where outrageous behavior is OK if it is you
who does it. While drunk in a medium stakes poker game, you tried to snatch
a player's toupee off his head. You then told him that he should get it
washed. You now fondly recall this incident as funny, funny perhaps to you.
Your repeated comments calling Henry Nowakowski an idiot during your final
table WSOP web cast where uncalled for and colored by personal issues.
These are just two events, but they show that personal attacks aren't just
reserved for my sister. You seem to be able to justify any action toward
someone if you personally dislike that person. I find this part of your
personality quite distasteful.

I also find it amusing to see how creative you have gotten at trying to call
attention to your poker skills. You couldn't just come out and say, "Look
at me! I have won 7 tournaments this year in only 13 final tables." So you
did the next best thing. You wrote an analysis of the other top players,
with special attention to their finishing skills, hoping that your adoring
fans might look up your finishing record and drool. That these capsules

about your colleagues might upset some of them was of little consequence.
You'll do anything to further the Daniel legend.

I am not trying to change you with this post, as I will never again have
anything to do with you. I will, from now on, ignore you entire existence,
unless, of course I am trying to bust you at the poker table. You have
crossed the line, and I don't really care if you ever come back.

Howard Lederer

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Sad Link of the Day. From Cincinnati:
Dan Bucci Has Left the Channel
On the next ABC Afterschool Special: Boy goes on IRC, boy eats shrooms, boy strips naked, stabs himself, and is killed attacking police.