As I write this, I've been holed up at Foxwoods the last few days for the 2006
World Poker Finals. Foxwoods always has two things going for it: It attracts lots of players, and many of those players like to play fast and loose. Last year, Nick Schulman made a name for himself, winning more than $2.1 million for his first-place finish. The 609 players this year fell slightly short of last year's huge 783-player field but the event was still good for a $1.7 million first prize.
As we go to press, the final table is a few hours away from starting, but the final six have already made history. With Kathy Liebert and Mimi Tran still remaining, the 2006
World Poker Finals represents the first time in
World Poker Tour history that two female players will participate in a $10,000 buy-in open-event final table. There could well have been three female players at the final table, as FullTilt's Clonie Gowen made it down to the final field of 30. With female participation in most tournaments averaging about 5 percent, this is an impressive feat by a group of excellent players.
The
World Poker Finals wasn't the only reason I headed out to Foxwoods. The
World Poker Tour took a group of father and son poker players and held a special invitational tournament during the main event. The event, called
Fathers and Sons, was a single-table tourney awarding a $25,000 seat in the
WPT Championship.
The father and son duos who competed with Barry and me were Doyle and Todd Brunson, Barry Greenstein and son Joe Sebok, season three
WPT World Poker Open Champion Steve Stolzmann and John Stolzmann; season four
WPT World Poker Challenge Champion Romeo Simon and Michael Simon, and
WPT host Vince Van Patten and famous father, Dick Van Patten.
The format was pretty cool and will make for good TV when it airs on Father's Day (June 17) in 2007. Players could "tag" their father or son to discuss how a hand should be played - even in the middle of a hand. Sebok had a funny quote about the event, saying, "It's going to be like Mad Max and the Thunder Dome, with weapons hanging from the ceiling." While we weren't exactly wielding broadswords, it was lots of fun and I guarantee that it will be entertaining to watch.
If you are doing your poker Christmas shopping early, be sure to check out my dad's new book,
52 Tips for No-Limit Texas Hold'em Poker (138 pages, $14.95). It offers a collection of easy-to-read poker tips and advice, combined with thorough analysis of what it takes to become a winning no-limit hold'em player. You can pick up copies of the book at www.pokerstore.cardplayer.com.
In this issue, I am excited to be publishing the first in a series of articles by well-respected poker author Jim McManus. Jim's first book,
Positively Fifth Street, became an instant classic, and
Card Player is happy to be the exclusive home of Jim's newest project,
History of Poker. Jim is currently writing a book about the history of our great game, and
Card Player will bring you a piece in each issue.
Also in this issue, we salute Linda Johnson, "The First Lady of Poker." Linda is a pioneer of the game and a tireless promoter for expanding and improving poker. Thanks for your decades of dedication to the game, Linda.
