Michael Craig's Journal

Please check out some of the following, at your leisure:

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I want to cover several important topics over the next several days (or couple of weeks, until I’m back on the circuit). I probably won’t, however, be posting multiple times per day like I was during the Series. That’s not to say I won’t, but between reacquainting myself with my family, the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS), and the September 1 manuscript deadline, it is unlikely.   

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I’m back home in Scottsdale and I’m taking a break from the poker circuit … for one week, at least. I’ve been gone for 30 of the last 35 days AND my 25th wedding anniversary is Thursday. Plus I’m putting in some serious time writing the Full Tilt book the next 19 days. But don’t fear if you’re the sort of person who gets scared when I stop writing. I’ve got a lot of interesting ideas to execute in my Journal in the immediate future.

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The World Series of Poker ended for me at 2:21 AM. Allen Cunningham went all-in with T-T. Jamie Gold called him with K-J and, like he has all day, hit his card with a king on the flop.

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It’s 1:40 AM and they just went on break. I watched for a little while from the “upstairs level” of the Amazon Room. They have chairs and couches set up above the bleachers. It’s a terrible vantage point but it is, in effect, the VIP section. I saw Med Judah there. Hoyt Corkins. Mike Matusow, John Juanda, Phil Hellmuth, Gavin Smith. Some of those guys were playing Chinese poker. A waiter brought by drinks. Someone bet Mike Matusow $5000 that the tournament would be over by 6 AM.

Then Mike said he had to leave for a couple hours to attend a girl’s birthday party.

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Rhett Butler re-raised all-in a pot in which Allen Cunningham raised and Jamie Gold called. He didn’t have enough chips to scare them both out of the pot and they both, predictably, called.

He had 4-4. He got eliminated after Jamie Gold made a pair of kings.

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Gary Thompson, a man I very much like and respect, told me the disparity in chips between the buy-in and the chips on the table is the result of the race-offs. “Remember, we’ve had six race offs.”

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I’ve been watching and listening to the final table and getting updates from CardPlayer.com. Their chip counts are particularly helpful. But every time I add up the chips of the remaining players, it comes out to a number in excess of 90 million.

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Richard Lee had a wonderful run and had played a very canny game of poker. Scott Lazar, at last year’s Main Event had done the same thing. I don’t know Richard and haven’t spoken to him, but I talked with Scott at length last year.

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Sweating the Start of the First Event 

I’m wandering around as alternate #142, waiting to get a seat. A small stage has been built at the center of the room. Fifteen minutes into the event, Nicole Khoury and Nolan Dalla are pacing. Harrah’s executives are pacing. Why are they all pouring sweat when it’s 64 degrees in the room?

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