San Jose

Before heading across the pond, I went to Bay 101 in San Jose, California, for the Shooting Star tournaement, one of my favorites. The casino is top-notch, and has the most dedicated poker fans on the planet. Not only that, but I was hosting a charity tournament in San Jose for the Leo Brian Foundation.

The Leo Brian Foundation is a charity that operates a camp for children and the families of children stricken with cancer. Cancer in a child is very stressful, so a camp where the children and their families can go to relax is a great idea. You can learn more about the charity and make a donation on the web at www.LeoBrianFoundation.com. I was glad to head up to San Jose a few days early to host the event and help out the charity.

Anyway, after we get off the casino's brand-new private jet (see why I love this place?), there's a driver there to take us straight to the event. I'm a little confused that we're not holding it at the casino, but I guess Matt Savage (our tournament director) doesn't have enough juice to get us in there. It's actually being held in the back of a converted warehouse! The first thing I think as they lead me to the back of the warehouse is that there never was a charity tournament planned at all. This was just an elaborate setup for a hit!

As I walk through the back door, I brace myself for the bullet to the back of my head, but fortunately I see a bunch of poker tables and a nice spread of food. Phew! I look for my next logical destination, the bar, and am pleased to see that it looks big and well-stocked. (Thank God, as I had Hoyt Corkins and Layne Flack in tow). To my horror, I was told that they were not able to get a temporary liquor license, to which I replied that I would be at the event only temporarily.

Matt Savage's beautiful but navigationally challenged wife, Mary Ann, was unable to locate a liquor store, but before the d.t.'s kicked in full force, a loyal fan was off to our rescue -- to a Costco, where he procured a giant bottle of Belvedere.

After an autograph session with the pros who came, we kicked off the tournament. It was smooth sailing and I quickly amassed a huge chip stack, as I often do at these things. Then, I took two monster beats and was out. The second one didn't really matter. We got all in, and I had aces up and he backdoored a flush. Like many in these events, he didn't really know how to play and was there just for fun, which was how I'd accumulated all of my chips in the first place. Live by the sword, die by the sword, right?

But the first beat, I must relate in detail, for it provides me the opportunity to make fun of a fellow pro, which I enjoy doing immensely in some of my columns. A few people limp, as does Allen Kessler from the button with Q-8 offsuit. (Nice hand there, Chain Saw!) I have Q-10 in the big blind. The flop is Q-J-9 rainbow.

I fire right out the size of the pot, which isn't that small, as the blinds are up there by now. The first limper raises, Allen moves all in, and we both call. When the hands get turned up, the other guy has K-J. Allen is drawing stone-cold dead to two running eights! True, a 9 or a running pair would get him a chop, but that's pretty bad. A 10 came, giving me two pair but the guy with K-J a straight for the win.

I'm not sure that I really wanted to win a four-hour poker lesson from myself, anyway. I hear I'm overrated. Anyway, a good time was had by all. Kathy Liebert and Layne Flack wound up doing some deal at the end with the prizes. I'm sure they didn't want that lesson from me, either. I heard they tried to sell it on eBay, but it never reached the 25-cent reserve.