Calistri's Corner

At the 2007 WSOP, Mike Matusow told me that he thought he was playing some of the best poker of his life.  He predicted that 2007 was going to be one of his best tournament years.  During the series he made it deep in three events with 11th, 15th, and 16th place money finishes.  While it was a stellar performance, it was the first year since 1999 that Mike didn’t make a WSOP final table.  The end of his streak only fueled his hunger for more final tables.  (more…)

It was in Tunica in January 2006 where Gavin Smith informed me that Bill Edler wanted to be called “The Stunning One.”  I believe it was World Championship Wresting combatant, Disco Inferno, who was responsible for coining, what seemed like, the unlikely moniker for the mild mannered and humble Edler.  But Edler has lived up to his name.  He’s been stunning. (more…)

I don’t know how many times I’ve actually been to Vegas in my life, but I think I’d be safe taking the over at fifteen.  And at some point (I’m guessing around the 2006 WSOP), I stopped being a tourist; Vegas stopped being their town and became my town.  I still don’t think I could ever live here, but I have to admit that I feel at home here.  (more…)

As more and more women were taking to the felt, I was beginning to worry that our gender edge was in jeapordy.  But as I read a recent post on 2+2, I was able to rest easy again.  Damn.  Thank goodness a lot of guys still view a woman’s ability to play poker with a johnson filter over their lens.  (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…)

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…)

I’ve been woefully behind on my blog reading and have been trying to play catch up lately. So put me in the slow group for not posting my official good-bye to Card Squad. I was sorry to see the old girl go down as I have been a reader going back to their pplayer days. (more…)

I’ve covered a number of tournaments in my life, but none of them working side-by-side with the PokerNews team. What a difference good, talented, fun loving, company makes. All the other media teams looked like they were draggin’ their asses, but Pauly, Change100, the Poker Shrink, and I are rockin’.  Busting my California card room cherry with this crew was a good call. (more…)

As we strolled the university hallway last week, my professor told me that his family was going to spend a few months in China, leaving him behind to teach in Austin. He said, “I think I may need to develop a vice.” I immediately responded, “I’m the right woman for the job.”
(more…)