DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “Don’t be afraid of pressure. Remember pressure is what turns a lump of coal into a diamond.”

After two days of being back from China, I’m having the worst jet lag of my life.  All I want to do is sleep, but the trip was worth it.

After visiting Hong Kong, Todd and I took a helicopter to Macau.  It was a breathtaking view as we went over the big buildings of Hong Kong and hundreds, maybe thousands, of small islands.  I must have walked more than a mile to get to the heliport and my bad leg was throbbing on the ride.  Jack Binion stayed in Hong Kong on business, but came over the next day to join us. 

After reaching Macau, we went to the Galaxy Hotel and met with our hosts, Tom Hall and Chris Parker.  Our accommodations were great and the book signings and interviews went well.  George Barahona from DoylesRoom  was there and had everything ready.  The APT tournament was a little disappointing because of the number of entries.  Matt Savage was the tournament director and did his usual terrific job.  There were lots of familiar faces including Huck Seed, J.C. Tran, Liz Lieu, John Chan and several more.  I guess the flight over affected me also, because I felt really bad and went out early the 1st day.  I played pitifully and was embarrassed but just didn’t have the energy and discipline it takes to play tournament poker.

After Jack Binion got there, we visited some of the other casinos.  They are much bigger than our Las Vegas ones and there are customers on every table, sometimes standing in line betting on seated player’s hands.  We went to the Venetian, Sands, Wynn and several others.  It seemed as though Sheldon Adelson owns most of the real estate in Macau and he is making megabucks over there.  We went to dinner at the Wynn with my friend from the Philippines, Tim Shirrer and some of his business associates.  The food was great as you would expect from a Steve Wynn hotel and casino.  Again, I had to walk a long ways because the casinos are so huge, you can’t believe them.  Maybe this trip will make me go get this leg fixed.

I was supposed to play in a big cash game but because I felt so bad, Jack and I decided we would leave Todd to play and we would come on home.  So we left and took a turbojet back to the Hong Kong airport.  Our flight was delayed for an hour before takeoff.  That meant we couldn’t make our connection to Vegas from San Francisco.  No problem when you are traveling with a billionaire like Jack Binion, you will have a private G4 waiting at another airport.  Nice way to travel!

Todd is still in Hong Kong because he was late for his flight.  I felt bad about leaving him over there, but he had plenty of friends to hang out with.  I’m not sure how he did in the cash game, but I think he won.  I’m grateful for him being there because he helped promote DoylesRoom online poker tournaments in the interviews.

Everybody thinks Obama is going to bury McCain in the debates.  They should watch the Saddleback forum where each candidate is asked the same question separately.  McCain won hands down and answered each question in a positive manner while Obama beat around the bush a couple of times.

David Benyamine – “You’ve got to be the worst caddy in the world.”
Caddy – “No sir, that would be too much of a coincidence.” 

-DB

DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “The mighty oak was once a little nut that stood its ground.”

I got back to Vegas late last night and am feeling pretty good after ten hours of sleep.  I had felt like a truck just ran over me after sixteen hours of flying time going to Macau and fourteen hours coming back.  This old body needs lots of rest to get back into playing shape.  I’m afraid this cancels my plans of going to the WSOP Europe.  I may think of myself as young, but I’m not.

You have to understand that for the past 55 years, all I have done is look for a poker game or a new golf course.  I’ve forgotten most of what I learned in school, particularly about what happens in the Far East.  I taught a course as a graduate student in a University in Texas.  I’ve always had an interest in money, so it was appropriate the name of the course was “Money and Banking”.  After that, I was after enough money to live on at the poker table.

When I got off the plane in Hong Kong, I was absolutely amazed.  I’m not sure what I expected; perhaps to see the streets full of rickshaws, and coolies in the rice fields.  Maybe to look out on the waters surrounding Hong Kong and see Steve McQueen on a gunboat like in the movie, “The Sand Pebbles”.  Instead, I saw a modern city that puts most of ours to shame.  There are tall buildings, some of them 100 stories tall as far as you can see in both directions.  They are beautifully designed and look brand new, which some are.  Most all the residents live in apartment buildings which are anywhere there is any vacant land.

I’m sure I learned in school that Hong Kong is an island off the coast of mainland China.  I’m sure I used to know the British had a 100-year lease on Hong Kong that expired in 1997.  But I had forgotten it and felt like a red-necked tourist because I asked so many questions.  Speaking of rednecks….I saw where all the Wal-Marts in Alabama sold all the ammunition they had.  When a local farmer was asked why, he replied, “Russia has invaded Georgia, but they sure as hell had better stay out of Alabama.” 

I’ll write more tomorrow, but right now I’m going to bed.  I got more people coming up laughing about Daniel and the golf jokes, so here is another.
Daniel N. – “Do you think it’s a sin to play on Sunday?”
Caddy – “The way you play, it’s a sin on any day.”

-DB

DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “The One thing you can give and still keep is…your word.”

Looks like everything is winding down now in the poker world.  The WSOP is over for now and the Bellagio WPT is over.  Most of the cash game players are leaving town and so I am finally going to get to Montana for a much needed rest.  I guess I will drive for two days where I can take my dogs; plus loading the Escalade down with stuff I’m going to need.  I’ve hired a house sitter to take care of things while I am gone.

Congratulations to the WPT winners.  I was pulling for David Benyamine to win but his second place finish along with Ralph Perry’s fourth place upholds ‘The Big Game’s’ honor.  I saw when David lost a couple of tough hands in the heads-up.  I’m sure Mike Watson is a worthy champion even though I haven’t played with him that I can remember.

I see where the WPT has been signed on by Fox Sports Network.  That is probably a good move for them even though I have some personal problems with the Network.  They went back on their word on an issue a few years back.  I didn’t understand it at the time and still don’t.  Their excuse was ‘business is business’.  Most folks don’t put the same value on keeping their word as I do.  I might not play in any more WPT tournaments but that would probably be stupid on my part.  I remember the old saying, “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.”

If you haven’t played online poker at DoylesRoom you haven’t lived.  We have a rabbit cam that flashes what the next card would have been after you or your opponent folds; just another way to torture yourself and second guess what you should have done.  Just go to options and check ‘show rabbit cam cards’ and you will see how much fun it is to see what would have happened.  Just another improvement on what I believe is the best poker software in the poker sites.

I’m pretty sure we are going to have another golf tournament on ESPN in early October.  High Stakes Entertainment secured a golf course near Orlando, Florida for the event.  That is a good choice because the players can bring their families for a nice vacation.  There are many theme parks, including Disney World, nearby.  There has to be at least a Two Million Dollar prize pool so it will be interesting to say the least.

My autobiography has been put on hold for another year.  My publisher didn’t think the book was ready yet.  It wasn’t my decision but I feel badly for my co-author, Mike Cochran, who has put a lot of time and effort into getting the book written.  Mike is an old friend from way back in college but there is really nothing I can do about it.  Actually it will be easier on me to wait because my plate is full for the next few months and I couldn’t promote the book like they want me to.

I’ve been watching the Maverick Marathon I tivoed during the WSOP.   The Starz Network had a 24 hour showing from the Western Channel on DSS.  They had a lot of poker players giving their remembrances of the series starring James Garner and Jack Kelley.  They had more shots of me than anyone else because I was the only one old enough to remember when Maverick first came on in 1957.  Scotty Nguyen, Hoyt Corkins, Mike Caro, Vanessa Russo, and T. J. Cloutier all had spots on the promos.  What I don’t understand is not one person has ever mentioned seeing it on T.V.  So many folks come up and say, “I watch you on T.V. all the time.”  Could it be that I am the only cowboy left? 

DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “The secret of success is to start from scratch and keep on scratching.”

SOLD OUT? I was getting ready to play in the $10,000 heads-up tournament when I got a call the event had 256 players and was sold out. Unbelievable! To think they would limit the number of players in a WSOP tournament. I am aware of the structure but they should change it, make another bracket, have alternatives, or something!

As I was having my morning swim, I couldn’t help but notice what a nice day it is. There isn’t a single cloud in the blue sky and all my flowers were blooming and beautiful. As I reflected on my life I wondered how many days like this I had missed by sitting around a poker table day after day. Was it worth it? It’s a two-edged sword and I don’t have the answer.

Way to go, Daniel! Mr. Negreanu won the limit Holdem tournament and put me in the lead for my big bet of Daniel, Lee Watkinson, and Lee Markholt to win more bracelets than Phil Ivey and Allen Cunningham. I won’t be making any more bets like this because I don’t like to root against friends. When I went to bed last night, Ivey was leading in the $3000 HORSE event. I also bet Phil 3-1 odds for $100,000 he wouldn’t win a bracelet so I have no choice but to pull against him. It was nice to wake up and see he was out of the tournament. It was nice also to see two DoylesRoom players, Todd Brunson, and Hoyt Corkins, in the final 16 players!

I went to the airport to pick up two cousins I hadn’t seen in forty years. Ira and Vernice Hale were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary and came to Las Vegas for their first time. We had a short but nice visit before bed time and it’s amazing how the years can roll away and it is just like we were together yesterday. Vernice’s dad, my uncle Bill, recently passed at the age of 99. I come from a long line of folks who flirt with 100 years before they die.

I’m in a much better mood then I was when I wrote my last blog. I’m ready to play some good poker now. That shows the best bridge between hope and despair is often a good night’s sleep!

-DB

DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “The future that we expect and plan for, begins today.”

I tried one more tournament today. The $5,000 Mixed Hold’Em seemed to be a good spot and I was well rested after my day off. It was also a 5 p.m. start, which isn’t too bad, but I was knocked out the second hour. Oh well, Daniel Negreanu was at my table and he went out before I did. At least I’ll get to bed early and be ready to play the next tournament I choose. Also, I got to sit next to Isabelle Mercier, which was nice. She is such a great gal. My next event will probably be Wednesday when the mixed games start at 5 p.m. This should be one of my strongest tournaments, so I’m going to rest up for it.

I had a lengthy interview with ESPN before I started today. It was a little different than most interviews because they asked unusual questions. They asked me if I could be any poker player for a day, who would I be and why. I answered Patrik Antonius because, if I looked like him, I could get all the girls in town. Then they asked, if I could play with any three poker players, dead or fictional, who would it be. I replied, “Doc Holliday, Maverick, and my old pal Chip Reese”. I sure would like to see Jack Strauss and Sailor Roberts, also.

Harrah’s has a VIP room that charges $2,750 for the entire tournament and $1,000 goes to charity. Quite a jump from the $1,000 they charged last year, but I think it is well worth it. There’s been a lot of complaining about the food because the food was fabulous last year and only sandwiches have been put out this year. It’s a great place to relax though, and they are bringing in a pool table and putting green.

Todd was the first person in Team Brunson to cash in an event. He came in the top 300 in the $1,500 NHL. There were 4,000 entries in that one, so maybe that will get us going. Shannon Elizabeth isn’t back yet, but I expect her tomorrow.

I was driving my scooter back to my car when a lady came screaming up to me and literally knocked me out of the scooter onto the floor. She was from Idaho and said she watches every poker show and I was her favorite player.
That’s nice, but please be more gentle! – DB

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