Another in my occasional series of poker stories… Several years ago, I was playing in a cash game at the Rio in Las Vegas during the World Series of Poker and when I got up to stretch my legs, I saw Craig (not his real name), a former Main Event champion, walk into the room. […]
Another in my series of occasional poker stories… Charlie (not his real name) was a former World Series Of Poker Main Event champion who had a reputation for drinking a little too much, which led him to playing very loosely. So it wasn’t a surprise when he walked into the poker room with a rack […]
Another in my occasional series of poker stories… I can’t count the number of times I’ve sat at a poker table and said, “Now I have seen everything.” Each time, I’ve been wrong. There’s always something even odder waiting to appear. The guy at my table last week is a perfect example. I was in […]
Michael Beschloss recalls the history of poker-playing presidents, including FDR, Harding, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Truman: Harry Truman was the president most publicly identified with poker, which seemed natural for a product of the Kansas City political machine led by the back-room Democratic boss Tom Pendergast. Truman preferred what was described as a “frantic” high-low poker, […]
Another in my occasional series of poker stories. Any Texas hold’em player can tell you about the adrenaline rush you get when you look down at your hole cards and see two beautiful aces. Most of the time, you want to get as much money into the pot as possible against a single opponent, because you’re […]
Another in my occasional series of poker stories. The Bellagio poker room is still one of the best places to play in Las Vegas. I just spent the weekend there, and was happy to see that they’ve opened it up a little and removed a few tables, so it’s not as cramped as it used […]