The World Series of Poker and World Series of Backgammon

Finally, Vacation Time!

I know that it might sound weird to those of you following the lives of poker professionals that there is a need to go on vacation, but I assure you that after a long World Series of Poker, I don't mind staying away from the live tables for just a little while. And just as most people can't resist the temptation to check their e-mail every now and then, I also will frequent my Facebook profile and Full Tilt Poker in between soccer practice, tennis matches, and White Russians.

World Series of Poker

I believe I was able to finish the World Series of Poker in style. The main event just fits my style of play perfectly, and this year's structure was nothing less than outstanding. Although I was happy to make it far into the fifth day of the tournament, I wasn't too thrilled about my exit in 160th place. I came into day 5 with more than 1.3 million in chips, and looking back at the overly insane play by a lot of my opponents, I would have loved to have made it to the final table.

I already have posted a blog about my most crucial hand on CardPlayer.com, but since then I have actually revised my opinion a little bit, especially considering what happened during days 5 and 6. Basically, I should have picked a better spot and waited a little longer before I decided to battle it out against one of the bigger stacks. I was feeling in control against both the tight players and the true maniacs, and there was still a lot of room to play poker, instead of just gambling to double up. It has become very clear to me that hyperaggression is a very popular playing style among many of the young players. Just check out some of the moves we saw during the last couple of days of the Series and compare them to the main event of 2004; it is almost two different worlds.

Anyway, everything is always a lot clearer in hindsight, and I learned a lot from this year's Series, getting closer to the secret of "optimal" deep-stack poker. And, there is always next year …

Unfortunately for poker, we have a final table with no familiar faces. But, I guess that is the most likely scenario in a 6,800-player tournament.

From One World Series to the Next

I left Las Vegas shortly after my exit from the main event to go directly to Monaco and onward to Cannes, the venue for the final tournament of the World Series of Backgammon (WSOB). I have signed to be a commentator for the WSOB, and it looks like the dice game is going through a period of reinvigoration. More than 150 players decided to play in the main event of the Series, generating a first prize of more than €50,000 (including an entry in a special €10,000 super final).

I was literally on a roll, and after a couple of close wins, I found myself in the finals of the tournament. When the smoke cleared, I had to add another second-place finish to this year's scoreboard, but I proved to myself and everybody else that my backgammon game is still very much up there with the very best. For more details, check out www.worldseriesofbackgammon.com.

What's Next?

As I pointed out in the beginning of this column, my plan is to disappear from the radar screen for a while. I plan on camping out on the clay courts, on beating the little black ball on the indoor squash courts, and on offering my services as a substitute for a soccer team.

In the meantime, my book will be released in French and in German. I will be back in Cannes at the beginning of September to play in the Partouche Poker Tour main event (for details, check out http://www.partouchepokertour.fr/site/fr/Tournaments/Cannes/), and surely we will arrange a book signing for the French audience.
A bientôt.