PokerWorks

A look at poker blogging and its history.

It all started the 11th of December in 2004.  Pauly (methinks) is the one that put it together, summoning a few friends to join him and his brother Derek in Las Vegas for the weekend, and the show started at Sam's Town in an upstairs room set up just for the bloggers.  Dick Gatewood was the cardroom manager (possibly still is), and notables that addressed our small gathering before the tournament were: Marcel Luske, Kirill Gerasimov, Evelyn Ng, Ron Rose, Tom McEvoy, and Charlie Shoten.  My record of that event is here. 

It was my first touch with other people that did what I did, wrote a blog about poker...and they were fun, fresh, crazy with the fearless Vegas attitude, and they've become my life long friends.

The following year, 2005, we met again in December, only more people joined this time and it turned into a big event.  The tournament was held at the Imperial Palace. I helped bring in a few speakers for the event and that part is available here. And the report of the tournament and speakers is here and here.

Someone set up a summer event the following year at Caesars Palace, it was during the WSOP with even more new bloggers coming into the WPBT fold.  We had name brand guest speakers again and the tournament was quite an event, read the report here and here and here.  And this is a tale end report of that summer event.

We had our usual Winter WPBT event that year in December of 2006, more fun, more uproarious behavior and crazy poker playing bloggers. The reports of this event are here and here and here and the finale.  That tournament was held at Caesars Palace and this post holds the bloggers in 'nightshot.'

The WPBT meet and poker tournament was held again in the summer of 2007.  I missed it.  I was on my way to Missoula, Montana to watch my granddaughter Jasmine graduate from high school.  With a field of bloggers in the event, there have to be many reports of it, I just don't have one. 

Our winter tournament was held at the Venetian again.  They were extremely harsh - again - about pictures - the tournament post.

The winter WPBT was held at the Venetian on December 13th, 2008.  The room management had hissy fits about pictures being taken in the room, as usual.  We didn't want pictures of players, we wanted pictures of bloggers.  We did manage pictures. This post carries the gathering and mixed games at the MGM on Friday night before the tournament.  Sweet Pablo and Gracie were getting married before the poker tournament and we joined them in the ceremony before the tournament.  The tournament post.

The gathering compares to a family reunion, bloggers come in from all over to do the Vegas thing in the company of old friends and new ones coming into the blogging fold.  Golfing, drinking, casino games, drinking, strip joints, drinking, poker games, drinking, rock bands, drinking, buffets and dinners, and more drinking make up the 72 hours or so that everyone spends together.

The tournaments are held on Saturdays, if bloggers are in town early and want to meet at the Geisha Bar at the Imperial Palace for lots of drinking camaraderie, Pauly is always there to host.   Friday nights are usually spent at the MGM playing no fold'em mixed games, and Saturdays are tournament day where the coveted Hammer Trophy is awarded to the winner - along with some cash.  Those that survive until Sunday usually meet for an afternoon of football and more of the 'hair of the dog that bit them' as they exchange farewells until next year. 

If you are a poker blogger, see you in Vegas, if you aren't, it's never to late to start!