2001 World Poker Finals

In this issue, a few writers rave about Foxwoods. All I can say is, "I told you so." The attendance was larger than ever, and everybody loved the slow tournament structure. Before the $5,000 no-limit hold'em championship started, Mike Laing told me he didn't think his game would work, because people weren't going to be forced to play fast. However, that was not the case, as Laing finished second to 1998 World Champion Scotty Nguyen. Anyone who was there or who happened to listen to the final-table broadcast on www.cardplayer.com would appreciate how great it was to get two colorful guys playing heads up in a major championship. At one point, both players requested that they be able to hold the microphones and do the color commentating themselves. Before they took over on the mikes, the broadcast was being done beautifully by play-by-play expert Rick "DaVoice" Charles. Working as commentators with Rick were T.J. Cloutier, "Miami" John Cernuto, Scott Byron, and Barry Shulman – and even I threw in an occasional one-liner.

After I busted out early on the first day of the tournament, I decided to leave Foxwoods to go to Boom. Boom is not a cardroom. It is one of Connecticut's best restaurants, where the big hitters go for an elegant meal. Erik Seidel has told me about Boom for years. What he didn't tell me is that Ruah, his wife/boss, is the owner's sister. Erik told us that it was only 22 minutes away from the casino, but it took us 40. I guess you do not need to go to Rhode Island on the way. Anyway, the food was some of the best I have ever had, and Jean Gest (the owner, and Ruah's sister) would love to see all poker players who are hungry and polite stop by. It has my recommendation, and I love food!

In this issue, you will notice some new faces. First, there's Linda Johnson. Linda will be writing a regular column, "Now, Let's Play Poker!" Of course, we are thrilled that she is back. Other new additions are Dan Kimberg, the author of Serious Poker, who will write a regular column on strategy, Adam Schoenfeld, who will write a semiregular column about being a first-year tournament professional, and Melissa Hayden, who will be doing a photography page from time to time. We welcome all of them to the Card Player family, and know that you will enjoy their contributions.