Interesting Happenings at the Wildhorse Fall Roundup

I just spent an interesting two weeks at the Wildhorse Casino poker tournament in Pendleton, Oregon. I took some crushing bad beats (don't we all), and had only one money finish – on my birthday, no less. Tournament Director Roland Waters – assisted by Billie Robbins and Laurie, the wonderful photographer – surprised me with a bagful of goodies and caused me to blush when Susie Isaacs and Marsha Waggoner came over and kissed me on each cheek. Naturally, the few friends of mine who know the exact year of my birth were told by me to please say nothing. Once you are eligible for Social Security, you don't always want to advertise the fact. Oh well, at least they didn't ask me for my exact age (63).



It was great seeing many of my old friends again – some of whom are even older than I am. Barbara Enright was there with Max Shapiro, the poker world's foremost humorist. I think Barbara has been right about Max for all of these years. He's terrible, even at his so-called best game, Omaha eight-or-better. That, in fact, was the event in which I cashed on my birthday. It was fun having Max at my table and watching him destroy his stack and bust out, only to be replaced by his sweetie, Barbara, who had a ton of chips. Instead of trying to bully us, she shifted gears beautifully and played very solid poker. She made the final table and earned a nice money finish. I am sure that Max will have to listen to Barbara's opinions of his performance for a long time to come.



More old friends, like host Vince Burgio, were there. He is playing better than ever and had some money finishes. Chuck Thompson, a host at Bay 101, also was there, along with Howard "Tahoe" Andrew. Tahoe is one of the few people I know who has actually mellowed with age. Now that he is really a senior citizen – 10 years older than I am – he has become a fine fellow, indeed. I say that, of course, only because he picks up an occasional dinner check. Bob Thompson, the famed tournament director, was there, too, along with Johnny and Carol Hale. We were all bounty players. A player who was sorely missed was Ralph Morton. Ralph passed away about six weeks prior to the tournament. Last year, he made the final table in the Omaha eight-or-better event with a single chip – and went on to win it. Ralph was inducted into the Seniors Hall of Fame posthumously at this tournament. Roland Waters also was honored, becoming the second tournament director to be inducted; Bob Thompson was the first.



I could not help but laugh at some of the things I overheard during this tournament. A new fine-dining restaurant recently opened at the Wildhorse. I was having dinner there one night with my friend Bill Mullins. I had some food comps, but they were good for $20 per person, and the dinner would come to more than that. Bill, a thrifty sort of guy, asked our waiter Matt if we could use more than one comp each. Matt, a rather husky guy, peered down at Bill and said, "That is not allowed; the only thing free in life is bad advice." I busted out laughing and got permission to quote him if I didn't use his last name.



Another funny thing happened in the stud eight-or-better event. I was at the same table as Susie Isaacs, and she was busy and not paying attention. The game stopped momentarily because the dealer asked for her ante, which she had forgotten to put up. She looked up and said in a loud voice, "Players like me annoy me," and the entire table cracked up.



Dee Steil also had a good one. She said, "Barbara Enright plays like a bulldozer without headlights." Now, Barbara has actually tightened up some, but a few years ago, that would have been right on target. Barbara was the first woman inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, at the 2007 World Series of Poker, so I guess she has played pretty well at times.



The final joke I heard was provided by Mike Manica, who said, "What would you have with a basement full of poker players? A whine cellar." OK, if you've heard that one before, so what? It is still funny … and true.



I know this is not like my usual columns, and I hope that my attempt at some humor brought a few chuckles, or at least a smile. Poker is not all about just playing hands and statistics. There is a human element, and things can get funny at times. That is better, in my book, than people fighting at the table and arguing over minor things – or, heaven forbid, telling bad-beat stories. On a final note, I hope Max Shapiro is not too threatened by my attempts at humor. You're still number one in my book, Max – but not at the poker table. ♠



Tom McEvoy is a representative of PokerStars.com. He can be found playing under his own name on PokerStars, and is happy to chat when he can.