DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.”

This beautiful weather continues.  Every day is perfect with almost no wind.  I wonder if Al Gore’s warning about global warming is responsible for such unusual conditions.  Whatever the reason, if you live in the Las Vegas area, you should try to get out of the house and enjoy the great days.

I’ve been down to Bobby’s room at the Bellagio twice in the last week.  There is absolutely nothing going on, not even a game with lesser limits.  Looks like we are going to have to go to the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles to stir up some action.  Besides the tournaments, online playing, and the economy, high stakes poker really misses Chip Reese.  Chip would always be willing to start games along with Eli Elezra and myself.  If you start one, you will probably get players to play but for some strange reason I’ve never understood, poker players are reluctant to be the first to sit down at the table.

I’ve been a fan of the old TV series, “Dallas”.  I’ve got all 10 seasons on DVD and have started watching them again.  What a great cast!  Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing is absolutely terrific in his role as a powerful independent oil man.  It seems like I remember it was the longest running series in TV history.  Dallas was produced by Lorimar which was headed by Irwin Molasky and Merv Adelson.  Irwin is a local real estate developer and Merv was the producer of the recently closed, “Real Deal”, which featured the local poker pros.  The thing I notice most about the re-runs is that all the women are extremely good looking with lots of curves.  Not one “Twiggy” on the show and I like the healthy look a lot more.

On a sad note, the teenage girl with untreatable cancer, from El Paso, Texas, died this morning from pneumonia.  It seems a lot of really sick people die from that because their immune system weakens.  I really regret I never got to speak to Margaret because I was waiting for her to recover from pneumonia.  I will remember her for her courage and strength towards the end of her young life.  She didn’t want anyone to pity her and she accepted her fate admirably well.  R.I.P. Margaret Hussmann!

DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “There is never a wrong time to do the right thing.”

Just to be clear about my Doylisms, not all of them are original.  People come up to me and say, “I read that somewhere before.”  I read a lot when I have time and jot down sayings that make an impression on me.  There is a wide variety, all the way from Will Rogers to Winston Churchill.  Other Doylisms come from things I’ve heard in conversation and some are original ones that I create.  Anyways, they are lots of fun.

I’m in the middle of a minor domestic dispute with my wife.  Louise is an absolute jewel and needs to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for putting up with me for 47 years.  But sometimes, I’m reminded of an old Texas saying, “There are only two times in a man’s life when he doesn’t understand women.  Before marriage and after marriage.”

There is no high-limit poker right now.  Everybody has gone to the Bahamas for a tournament.  As I have repeatedly said, internet poker and tournaments have ruined live cash games.  I may go to Ireland for the Irish Open, but I’m not going to do much traveling.  Las Vegas and California have enough tournaments for me.  I really like the slowdown structure most of the big tournaments are going to.

If you read my last blog, Margaret Hussman, a 15 year old girl from El Paso who is diagnosed with untreatable cancer, is trying to do fun things for the duration of her life.  She went to New York, took a helicopter tour of the city, went to a musical on Broadway and bought tons of souvenirs.  Send Margaret some words of encouragement to anne@ddgoose.com Maybe, just maybe, the doctors will be wrong and Margaret will make it.

The University I went to in Texas has sent me a letter informing me that I’m to be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame there.  This came after years and years of my friends and teammates trying to get me inducted.  My name was brought up to the selection committee 10-15 times and was rejected.  Why?  Because I’m a Pro Poker Player and the University is a Baptist college who doesn’t approve of gambling.  I don’t mean to toot my own horn but my credentials as an athlete during my college years certainly qualify me.  I’m in a dilemma if I should accept.