Some iPad Apps, Beer Pong, and the $50,000 Players Championship

It was a busy week for me recently. First, I had to write a script for my father and myself for a 90-minute app for the iPad and iPhone, which should be out at about the time that you read this. I think the name we settled on was “Brunson Poker — No-Limit Hold’em,” but it might be “Super System Poker — No-Limit Hold’em.” Anyway, whatever the name, it’s gonna be good.

It will cover position, starting hands, physical tells, betting tells, reading players, bankroll management, trapping, stack sizes, and much more, including a few stories from my dad about the old days. This will be part of a series called “Get in the Game!” It will include the greatest players from every sport — Joe Montana, Pete Rose, Peyton Manning, to name a few. Several basketball greats are in negotiations now, including some from today and yesteryear. Check it out on your iPhone or iPad.

Then, we had to shoot video for the app. Then, I had the Brunson Beer Pong Challenge. I finished runner-up the first two years, and was looking forward to finally winning it. I never found the time to practice, though, as my partner, Brett (Gank) Jungblut, moved to San Diego, and we were never able to hook up before it started.

We won our first-round game easily, then got our second-game opponents down to one cup while we had two. I made it into that cup, but they were able to hit a rebuttal and stay alive. We got down to one cup each for three rounds before they hit ours. With that many chances to end it, I guess that we deserved to lose that one.

At least the team that beat us went on to win the whole thing. We won a last-longer bet against the defending champs, who went out in the first round, but I was still very disappointed. My dad and Zach Clark managed to outlast us one round, making it to the third, as did Hoyt Corkins.

I’d like a little time to rest up, but now it’s World Series of Poker time again. As I write this, the Series hasn’t started yet. The first event for me is gonna be the $50,000 Players Championship. I came close last year, and inasmuch as this is my best “game,” I like my chances. Next to the main event, this is probably the one event that I would like to win the most; there’s a special bracelet and trophy, prestige, and let’s not forget that prize pool that might hit $10 million!

This year’s tournament is going to be slightly different from last year’s. For one thing, it’s going to contain eight games instead of five. In addition to the normal H.O.R.S.E. rotation (hold’em, Omaha eight-or-better, razz, stud, and stud eight-or-better), no-limit hold’em, pot-limit Omaha, and deuce-to-seven triple draw will be in the mix. Also, the final table will be straight no-limit hold’em. The idea is to make it more TV-friendly, since most viewers are accustomed to watching no-limit hold’em and don’t understand all of the other games.

I have mixed feelings about the absence of mixed games at the final table. On one hand, I guess it’s going to be good for the TV ratings (it wasn’t even televised last year), and that means more players will enter the event. On the other, should that dictate the games that we play? Should the NBA change from basketball to football for the playoffs, since the Super Bowl gets higher ratings than any basketball game? Or, maybe hockey players should have to do the figure skating in the gold-medal round of the Olympics.

I think that next year, we should just switch it from H.O.R.S.E. to beer pong. That might get higher ratings yet! I want to see Dan Harrington chug eight beers in a row and talk trash to his opponents. And Scotty Nguyen would be sure to win it again — you know it, Baby!

Todd Brunson has been a professional poker player for more than 20 years. While primarily a cash-game player, he still has managed to win 18 major tournaments, for more than $3.5 million. He has won one bracelet and cashed 25 times at the World Series of Poker. You can play with Todd online at DoylesRoom.com or live at his tournament, The Todd Brunson Montana Poker Challenge, in Bigfork, Montana. Check his website, ToddBrunson.com, for details.