Calistri's Corner

Chad Millman’s book, The Odds: One Season, Three Gamblers and the Death of Their Las Vegas, chronicles the 1999-2000 NCAA basketball season as seen through three sports betting perspectives; the Stardust line settors, the ”pro,” and the “newbie.”  In one poignant scene, the pro (and poker player) Alan Boston meets with his older sports betting buddies at his favorite restaurant; Hugo’s Cellar.   (more…)

When you cover a poker tournament, you are pretty much a captive of the venue.  If you’re stuck at an aging Atlantic City casino in the dead of winter or a casino plopped down in the middle of nowhere, you’re just going to have to suck it up.  But this week I was captive at the Bellagio in the springtime.  And it just don’t get much better than that. (more…)

“Now you swear and kick and beg us that you’re not a gamblin’ man; then you find yourself in Vegas with a handle in your hand…You go back Jack, do it again.”  Yup, just like the Steely Dan song says, I’m back in Vegas, doin’ it again. (more…)

I’ve heard it said that poker was going to be the “new Nascar;” expanding its mainstream appeal and, logically, its mainstream advertising base. And to some extent, maybe that has been true.  Had poker been able to achieve a normal arc (not impeded by the UIGEA), it probably would have traversed a Nascar-like path. (more…)

World Series of Poker. World Series of Poker. World…Whoops.  Like in the movie Beetlejuice, the third time’s gonna cost ya. No. You won’t be pestered by a bio exercising Michael Keaton. But you will invoke the wrath of Harrah’s. (more…)

No. I’m not making disparaging remarks about Annie Duke, the object of Joe Reitman’s affection. And even though I just wrote about Reitman going to the dogs on my Aimlessly Blog, I am not blog stalking Joe. It’s just that lately, he keeps “popping up.” (more…)

I was faltering badly on my New Year’s resolution to play more blogger tournaments. Lucky for me, along came the Battle of the Blogger Tournaments to lure me back to the virtual felt. I missed the first tournament, but I managed to log into Full Tilt just in time last night to catch the Mookie. While I hardly won the war - or the battle - or a dime for that matter, I did just manage to sneak past the points bubble. I’m trying not to hold a grudge against pokerenthusiast, who cracked my jacks (hate ‘em) with his Q-8o - although I see he confessed his suckout crime.  (more…)

With the first of April falling on a Sunday (the slowest of all web days), there was a dearth of poker blog foolishness this year. But I was happy to see that F-Train set up his readers nicely. And yes, I bought it hook, line and sinker; having it dawn on me just short of setting up my TiVo.  My own foolish attempt was taken seriously by a few, but both Change and Gracie saw through my UIGEA “news” story in relatively short order. (more…)