Reflecting Back on 2013 -- A Truly Amazing Year

The New Year is here, and to be honest I’m sad to see the clock expire on 2013. I can’t recall a better year for me both personally and professionally, and as 2014 approaches I thought it’d be a good time to reflect on the past twelve months. Here are the top five reasons 2013 will go down as one of the best years of my life.

5.) I Turned 30

Technically this happened in 2012 (I turned 31 a few weeks ago). That said, I spent the vast majority of 2013 as a 30 year old. I was actually in Prague, Czech Republic when the clock turned over on three decades, and while it didn’t seem like a big moment at the time, reflecting upon it has made me realize that I’m at an age where I can’t afford to screw around. There was plenty of time to do that in my 20s, and believe me I did; however, college is done and it’s time to build a career (I should worked at this much earlier).

I already feel like I’m behind, and that feeling combined with the realization that I’m now in my 30s has lit a fire under my ass. I don’t want to wonder where I’m going; I want to enjoy the journey on my way there. I want to harness my ambition to get things done and make positive steps to craft a fulfilling life. It shouldn’t have taken me so long, but now that I’m 30 (ok, 31 technically) I feel I’m headed in that direction.

4.) Coming Into My Own as a Poker Player

Myself and the legendary Bob Hooks.

I don’t play nearly as much poker as I used to, not ever close. There was a time I was grinding tournaments and cash games 60 hours a week, but now with a full-time job I’m lucky if I can squeeze in a sessions or two a week. Had you told me at the beginning of the year I’d have over $100k in tournament winnings, I’d have thought you were nuts (unless of course you were offering to stake me). Somehow I managed to end the year with $102,171 in tournament winnings. Toss in some small-untracked tournament scores and so-so cash game results, and it was a good year financially.

Granted, most of it came from a single score (which you’ll read about below), but I can’t complain. Of course I didn’t pocket all of that due to some staking and swaps, but now I’ve got a little nest egg to sit on. I attribute the success to strengthening my mental game and trying to develop a more positive attitude. Hopefully I'll be able to work on both of these in the New Year while working on the fundamentals. My game can always improve, and it took me awhile to realize that.

3.) The People and the Places

In 2013 I visited the Bahamas; Choctaw, Oklahoma; Australia; Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut; Council Bluffs, Iowa; New Orleans; Las Vegas; Idaho; Galway, Ireland; Miami, Florida; Barcelona, Spain; London, England; Macau, China; and Prague Czech, Republic. One of the reasons I love what I do so much is being able to travel, and while it’s often filled with long days, I enjoy every minute of it. Plus I earned enough miles to make Platinum on United, and in “Sky World” that’s a worthwhile accomplishment.

I also got to interview some pretty cool people in 2013. It started in January when I spoke to Last Comic Standing’s Gerry Dee at the PCA, but in April I did one of my favorite interviews ever – Brian Baumgartner (AKA Kevin Malone from NBC’s The Office). I’m a HUGE Office fan, so to have the chance to interview one of the funniest characters was a dream come true.

How did I do it? Well in Season 2 Kevin mentions that he won a bracelet at the 2002 WSOP. That one sentence was enough for me to connect it to poker and do a piece for PokerNews. A stretch sure, but well worth it. Actually, that makes it sound really simple. Tracking down his agent and convincing them to do it was pretty tough. Unfortunately I didn’t actually get to meet Brian, but I spoke to him for over 20 minutes on the phone while he was driving from L.A. to Vegas.

Now if it’s one thing I love more than The Office, it’s Survivor. I’ve been a diehard fan for over a decade, and every once in a while that world intersects with poker. Last year I had the chance to meet and interview Amanda Kimmel, and this year it was former winners “Boston” Rob Mariano and Ethan Zohn. I don’t play fan boy often, but I do when it comes to Survivor.

Finally, I’ll forever be grateful to have had the opportunity to sit and talk with Bob Hooks, a forgotten Texas road gambler who deserves his place in poker history. The stories he told were nothing short of incredible, and I listened attentively for hours as he talked about the game back in the day. I was humbled by the experience and was thankful to tell his story, which you can read by clicking here.

2.) The Trip of a Lifetime with My Father

My dad and I.

My dad has always wanted to go whitewater rafting, and now that he’s on the backend of his 60s, I said that if we were going to do it 2013 was going to be the year. Prior to the WSOP we made it happen by taking a trip to the Snake River in Idaho. We spent two days going down the river, and it was an incredible experience. It meant a lot to my pops, and I’ll forever cherish the time we had together on the water disconnected from the rest of the world. Moments like those are too few and far between.

Prior to the whitewater rafting trip, we spent a few days in Sun Valley, Idaho. It takes a few hours to drive to the middle of the state, but the beauty there is unrivaled. The reason for our journey was to visit Ketchum, which is where Ernest Hemingway (a literary hero of mine) spent the latter years of his life before ultimately committing suicide.

I immersed myself in all things Hemingway while there including visiting the hotel room where he finish For Whom the Bell Tolls, the house where he ended it all, and his final resting place.

1.) I Won a World Series of Poker Bracelet

I wasn’t even going to play Event #1 $500 Casino Employees, but when Caesars said we PokerNews reporters were eligible due to our contractor status with them, I decided to enter. We only stated with 3,000 in chips, and within 20 minutes I was down to 1,000. A fortunate hand gave me a double, and over the next two days I survived an 898-player field to win my first WSOP bracelet and $84,915 in prize money.

I can honestly say I’ve never been happier than I was in the early morning hours of May 31. Winning a bracelet is the goal/dream of every poker player (nearly 80,000 came to Vegas to compete for one), and I was fortunate enough to be one of 62 to walk away with gold. I’ve always thought I had the skills to win a bracelet, but I didn't think it'd come for years down the road when I had the financial security to play 10-20 events a year.

For me that bracelet wasn’t just a win, it was validation for the journey I’ve taken, who I’ve become, and what it is I do. I wish my family could have been there, but sharing that special moment with my friends and colleagues is something I’ll always hold near and dear to my heart. I’ve never had so much love and support, and truth be told I don’t think I couldn’t have done it without them. They helped me stay focused and hungry. I didn’t want to see the disappointment of my peers, and fortunately I didn’t have to.

Winning the bracelet also changed my outlook on the game (it’s hard to get angry and tilted when you’ve won gold), and it even led to me playing in my first WSOP Main Event, which was something that had been on my bucket list for a long time. Hopefully neither that bracelet nor Main Event will be my last.

What’s Next…

I’ll remember 2013 fondly, and I can only hope the years to come treat me just as kind. For 2014, I’d like to see a number of things come to fruition. Here are a few or my goals without explanation:

• Reclaim my health


• Write a comic book


• Write a book


• Visit either Africa or Antarctica (the only two continents I haven’t been to)


• Continue to succeed in poker, which will include the following: playing my first World Poker Tour event; profiting in cash games; and establishing an online poker account.

Anyway, I've got to go. Bye.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ChadAHolloway for more poker articles, stories and musings from the tournament trail.

Join Me for the Blue Shark Brigade vs. The World

On Sunday, December 8 at 4 p.m. EST, Blue Shark Optics will be hosting their inaugural “Blue Shark Brigade vs. The World” Online Charity Event. While free to enter and play, the tournament, which will be played on Hog Wild Poker, is designed to raise awareness and contributions for seven different charities:

• Weston Keeton


• International Testicular Cancer Foundation


• Boomer Esiason Foundation Fighting Cystic Fibrosis


• Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund


• Lupus Foundation of America


• Feel Your Boobies Foundation


• Henry’s Place

Signing up is easy and only takes a few minutes (I literally just signed up as “DISCO_CHAD”). Of course supporting a good cause should be reward enough, but you’ll be glad to hear that you can win some great prizes and play with some notable players. Don’t believe me? Well not only will I be playing, but Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Hoyt Corkins and Jonathan Little are all slated to play. If you’re fortunate enough to make the final table, you can look forward to some great prizes. Here’s a look at some of the companies to donate prizes:

• PPC Poker Tour


• Ante Up Magazine


• On Tilt Radio


• Benton Blount


• Go Deep Gear


• High Roller Clothing


• Lucky Leahy’s Custom Poker Tables

The tournament, which will be covered live on On Tilt Radio, will also feature a bounty on Greg “FossilMan” Raymer, who is putting an autographed genuine fossil on his head!

Again, this is absolutely free (it’s open to players in the United States and across the world). Just sign up and join the fun. However, while there is no obligation to contribute to these charities, I hope that the holiday spirit will grab you and you’’ donate a few dollars to help them with their efforts. Blue Shark Optics will not accept any contributions, and all contributions are to be made directly to the charity organizations participating.

I’ll see you on the virtual felt on December 8!

For more information, check out the Blue Shark Optics website.

Oh, and in case you've never seen my Blue Shark Optics video, check it out:

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ChadAHolloway for more poker articles, stories and musings from the tournament trail.

Checking Macau Off the Poker Bucket List

I have a bucket list of places I’d like to visit for poker, and up until a couple weeks ago, Macau was at the top of the list. Working in the poker industry I’ve heard dozens of stories regarding the island gaming capital located a short 50-minute ferry ride from Hong Kong. They said it was the most rapidly expanding gaming market. They said Macau casinos dwarfed their Vegas counterparts. They said Macau was the home of the world’s highest poker cash games. They were right.

I had the opportunity to cross Macau off my bucket list when I was assigned to cover the 2013 Asia Championship of Poker for PokerNews. Since we were contracted to work – Tim Duckworth, Sarah Grant, Alex Wilson, Heath Chick and myself -- we weren’t allowed to play on property, and that was just fine by me as I was more focused on taking in a new culture in between trips. After all, this was my first trip to Asia.

The journey there was long (16 hours alone from Chicago to Hong Kong), but I’ve become so accustomed to flying that I was able to weather it with ease (I watched plenty of movies including The Way, Way Back, which was fantastic). Once I landed I had to grab a ferry, which was actually a turbo jet. Imagine a giant jet ski that held 100 people or so. Those things can fly. Fortunately they have a terminal right there at the airport, so getting to the island and catching a cab to the Hard Rock Hotel at the City of Dreams went as smooth as can be (that wouldn’t be the case on the return journey).

The City of Dreams is a complex of casinos that include the Hard Rock and the Crown Casino. Just across the street from both is the Venetian, which is identical to the one in Las Vegas except about three times the size. Seriously, the thing is massive and by far the biggest casino I’ve even seen. Speaking of Macau casinos, the first thing that struck me was that the casino floor practically contained more table games than slot machines. Chinese players certainly love their baccarat.

The week was mainly comprised of live reporting the HKD$100,000 Main Event and HKD$250,000 High Roller, but I don’t want to bore you with poker details. Instead, I want to document some of my memorable experiences and observations. Here they are in no particular order:

The Red Market

• Wilson and I woke up early one day and took a cab in the non-tourist part of Macau. More specifically, we went to the Red Market. The place was wild. Imagine a flea market that sells animal products, fruits and vegetables. We first walked into what I guess could be called the seafood section, because there you could buy fish spread out on ice, crabs in boxes, and bags of frogs – and all of those animals were alive. Upstairs was the meat section, and it wasn’t for the faint of heart. Raw innards and limbs hung from hooks, and it was akin to being in a slaughter house; in fact, there were cages of live chickens they’d slaughter for paying customers.


• There was a pig face on one table, and when I mentioned it to Wilson, the woman at that stall overheard, picked up the pig’s face, and began waving it at us. It felt like something out of a horror movie.


• Sarah dressed up for Halloween, which isn’t really a thing over there. Casino security didn’t take too kindly to her getup and she was promptly kicked out of the casino. Leave it to Sarah.


• Duckworth, Chick and I played pool at the Hard Rock Café. I managed to beat Ducky without even sinking a ball (he scratched the eight) and followed that up by beating Chick. Nothing too great, I just wanted it on record.
  
  
  

  Sarah Grant all dolled up for Halloween.



• The PokerStars Party at the event was crazy fun, and they scheduled it so everyone (media included) could attend. Now I’m a big whiskey fan, and they happened to have Johnnie Walker Black at the open bar. This brand in China seemed strange to me, but I wasn’t about to question it. Ironically, I read a great article a couple days later that explained Johnnie Walker and its foreign policy. Anyway, I got good and drunk and was about to accompany tournament director Danny McDonagh (who has the ability to party all night and walk in the next day – oftentimes with little or no sleep – like nothing happened the night before) and his posse to some club. Fortunately I managed to restrain myself and passed out instead. Probably a good idea as I’ve been told it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish between a real woman and what they call “lady boys.”


• I paid a special visit to the Poker King Club at the StarWorld Casino, which is home to the legendary high-stakes cash games. The poker room wasn’t overly impressive and the games weren’t going, but it was still cool to be on such sacred ground. I even bought the Poker King Club’s trademark red jumper, so I look forward to sporting that in the future.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about my return journey. I had to be up at 6 a.m. to catch the ferry back from Macau to the Hong Kong airport. I arrived at the ferry terminal early, but apparently not early enough. The line was huge, and after waiting for about 45 minutes, I was two people from the counter when they announced that the 7:30 a.m. ferry was closed. Since the next ferry didn’t leave until 9:30 and my flight left at 11:00, I had to call an audible.

I hopped a different ferry into Hong Kong city, and then had to grab a cab from there to the airport. I wasn’t sure how far it was nor how much it’d cost, but I was hoping it be under HKD$150 because that was all the cash I had on me. If not, I planned to use my credit card. Well, it ended up being quite the trek and the fare was HKD$300—and the cab didn’t take credit cards! The driver was patient yet clearly annoyed. I told him I’d go into the airport and hit an ATM. He had no choice but to wait with my bags as I scurried about the airport. Of course the ATM wouldn’t work, so I had to negotiate with one of the money exchange companies. Easier said then done with the language barrier and all. Eventually I got it sorted out, the cabbie got paid, and I made my flight. It was just a little more stressful than I expected.

Macau was more work than play, but I still had a great time.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ChadAHolloway for more poker articles, stories and musings from the tournament trail.

Stalking Ben Affleck & Justin Timberlake at the Runner Runner Premiere

Sarah Grant and myself on the red carpet.

I am a cinephile, so to have the chance to attend the world premiere of Runner Runner, the new film starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck, was a surreal experience. I’ve written an extensive piece on the adventure for PokerNews, but I wanted to supplement that with a fun little story on how I followed my instincts and almost got into an exclusive meet and greet with the stars.

As you can imagine, I was giddy with anticipation on the day of the premiere. I decided to head over to Plant Hollywood a few hours early to scope things out. For those who’ve never been there, Planet Hollywood is a hotel and casino in the heart of the Miracle Mile Shops. To put it another way, it’s a casino surrounded by a shopping mall.

I was set to meet PokerNews hostess Sarah Grant and cameraman Adam Brown at 5:30 PST, which was the call time for the press. Despite being a full two hours before the scheduled premiere, Planet Hollywood had transformed from housing a hundred our so Wednesday afternoon slot players to swelling with hundreds of fans lining the red carpet hoping to catch a glimpse of a star or starlet.

The red carpet actually began on the casino floor, ran through the gaming pit, and incorporated the aforementioned escalators into the path. After meeting the team, we utilized a secret elevator that helped us avoid the throng of enthusiasts while delivering us to the end of the red carpet, which was atop the mezzanine.

After setting up on the red carpet, we still had plenty of time to kill. As we’d soon find out, things rarely start on time at a movie premiere. While Sarah and Adam had to remain on the red carpet, I wasn’t so constrained.

Workers setting up the red carpet.

“Maybe I’ll go to the Diamond Lounge,” I thought to myself after seeing the exclusive club was on the upper level across the way. You see, every World Series of Poker bracelet winner is also awarded a Diamond Card for a year, which provides numerous perks.

As I was debating whether or not to leave the merriment, a thought crept into my mind—not only are we waiting for this thing to start, but the famous folks were too. That meant they had to be waiting somewhere, and what better place to keep them than in an elite lounge? It seemed like a long shot, but I didn’t really have anything better to do in that moment. It was off to the Diamond Lounge.

After presenting my card and gaining access I was pleased to see that my suspicions were true. In the back of the lounge there was a doorway roped off an guarded by two hulking security guards in black suits. Beyond was Runner Runner promotional material and it was apparent something was going down.

Sure enough, a quick check with my waiter revealed that an private meet and greet with the film’s stars was taking place. My Diamond Card had gotten me that far, but I doubted it would get me where I wanted to be; however, I did have my media credentials for the premiere draped around my neck. My plan was simple – walk as confidently as I could toward the security guards and see if they’d notice my media badge and open the ropes.

I down the rest of my drink, tipped the waiter (who told me my plan probably wouldn’t work), and began walking down the short hall. Within seconds it became apparent my attempt was futile. I was only about halfway to my destination when one of the guards stepped forward and asked, “Can I help you sir?”

I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but in fact it had. “I’m just looking for the…” I began to say before noticing the restrooms were to my direct left. “I was just looking for the bathroom,” I said before ducking in to reevaluate. I may have been stonewalled, but I hadn’t gone that far only to give up. I decided there must be another way in.

Sarah doing what she does best.

I washed my hands, exited the restrooms and went back the way I came. I left the Diamond Lounge and began to search the grounds. Sure enough, there was a roped off area with a much more friendly-looking older lady holding a clipboard. I think myself a charming guy, and I liked my odds a lot better with this tender woman than the statuesque security guards.

“What’s going on back there?” I innocently asked even though I already knew the answer. The sweet old lady then told me about the meet and greet. “I’m a member of the media,” I said while flashing my credentials. “Does this get me in?

“Unfortunately it does not,” she replied, “you need to have a bracelet.” Obviously she didn’t know about my WSOP gold bracelet. I’d been denied twice, but I was determined to gain access. I began to wander the area scoping out people’s wrists to determine what color bracelet I would need. I also kept an eye on the floor to see if any had been discarded. I was getting desperate, and I wonder how far I would have gone had the red carpet not begun.

The roar of the crowd and announcements over the P.A. let me know that I needed to get back, so I abandoned my futile quest. I never did get into that room, but it wasn’t from lack of trying.

Even though I failed in my mission, I was pacified by the fact that I would soon be rubbing elbows with Affleck, Timberlake and company on the red carpet. I hurriedly made my way back to our spot, but to read about that you’ll have to check out my feature on PokerNews.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ChadAHolloway for more poker articles, stories and musings from the tournament trail.

Semanisin Wins Ho-Chunk Nekoosa’s Pulse Pounding Tournament

On Saturday, September 28, Ho-Chunk Gaming Nekoosa hosted the 3rd Annual Pulse Pounding Poker Tournament, a tournament held in memory of former table games employee Kevin Abbott. I was very excited to take part in this tournament as an invited celebrity bounty, meaning whoever knocked me out would receive $200. The tournament attracted 40 runners, which created a prize pool of $12,500 and raised $1,800 for the Foundation of Saint Joseph's Hospital to the Cardiac, Cancer and Diabetes Funs.

“The Pulse Pounding Tournament event started in 2011," Nekoosa's poker room manager Adam Estes explained. "The previous year, we had a co-worker and friend named Kevin Abbott pass away. He loved poker, dealing and talking to people. We wanted to create an event to honor his memory and raise money to donate to help others in need at the same time. We chose the Foundation at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield as our charity because Kevin had spent time there the past couple years before he passed."

Aside from myself, local radio personalities Kim Carr, Bryan Scott and the entertaining "Panama Jack" served as bounties. Also in attendance was Nikolas Stone, who you might recall as the runner-up in the 2012 World Series of Poker National Championship.

The championship bracelet.

For a small casino in central Wisconsin, Ho-Chunk Nekoosa sure knows how to throw a top-notch poker tournament. The chips and tables were akin to those you’d find on the European Poker Tour, and the structure of the tournament was among the best I’ve ever played. On top of it all, the staff was surprisingly accommodating. They provided players with a full spread of food and drink, and also went out of their way to create a special bracelet for the winner. I have a WSOP bracelet, but believe me when I say the Pulse Pounding silver bracelet looked nice and was something I wanted around my other wrist.

“I give all of the credit to my staff. They are a great group of employees,” Estes said. “They are very knowledgeable in the poker area and spend a great deal of time listening to what the guests would like to see. We always try to cater our tournaments to what our guests want to see. My staff puts forth the extra effort to make sure things run smoothly and attend to the players needs. We talk often about what we could do differently to make tournaments or poker better.”

Unfortunately, things didn’t work out for me and I was sent to the rail in 33rd place or so. I neither played well nor ran well. It’s a bad combination, but I had fun nonetheless, even when I had to ship my bounty chip over to a young local player named Will. He played well and I was surprised that he didn’t cash in the tournament (well aside from my $200 bounty of course).

Here’s a look at those players that did cash in the 3rd Annual Pulse Punding Poker Tournament:

The winner of the event, Miroslav Semanisin.

3rd Annual Pulse Pounding Final Table

Place	Player	Winnings
1st	Miroslav Semanisin	$3,500*
2nd	Kevin Koscal	$3,000*
3rd	Troy Miller	$3,000*
4th	David Nelson	$1,250
5th	Ben Rock	$1,000
6th	Robin Weideman	$750

*Denotes three-handed deal.

Ho-Chunk Nekoosa’s next big tournament will be held in December. You can learn more on that event, and view other photos from the Pulse Punding tournament, by liking Ho-Chunk Nekoosa's page on Facebook.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ChadAHolloway for more poker articles, stories and musings from the tournament trail.

Why I've Had It with Phil Ivey in Fantasy Poker

Back in May I told you about the 8th Annual ESPN Fantasy Poker League, which included a mix of ten players and media members including Daniel Negreanu, Matt Glantz, Andrew Feldman and myself, just to name a few. This year’s winner was none other than Kevin “KevMath” Mathers, who amassed 622 points due in no small part to adding Matthew Ashton the day before the $50,000 Poker Players’ Championship—which he went on to win.

Here’s a look at the results:

2013 ESPN Fantasy Poker League Results

Kevin "KevMath" Mathers

Place	Player	Score	Top Scorer
1st	Kevin “KevMath” Mathers	622	David “Bakes” Baker w/ 235 points
2nd	Daniel Negreanu	564	Dan Kelly w/ 160 points
3rd	Josh Brikis	476	John Hennigan w/ 113 points
3rd	Jason Somerville	476	Daniel Alaei w/ 138 points
4th	Eric Baldwin	462	Marco Johnson w/ 163 points*
5th	Andrew Feldman	309	Chris Klodnicki w/152 points
6th	Matt Glantz	297	Rep Porter; points unknown
7th	Lance Bradley	216	Scott Clements w/ 92 points
8th	Steve “Chops” Preiss	214	Mike Wattel w/ 78 points
9th	Chad Holloway	182	Should’ve drafted himself

*Only team with 3 bracelet winners – Erick Lindgren, Mike Matusow and Marco Johnson.

Last place this year? Yours truly, and I blame one man for that — Phil “Mother F***ing” Ivey. I’m about to sound off on my thoughts on this year’s league, but to give the rant some sort of coherence I’ll break it down into five points.

1. To Hell with Phil Ivey

Back in 2010, I won the 5th Annual ESPN Fantasy Poker League thanks in no small part to having Phil Hellmuth, Michael Mizrachi and Jason Somerville on my team. It was the first year I had played, and since I fancied myself a fantasy poker expert of sorts (I used to write a lot about it), the win was confirmation that I knew was I was talking about, or so I thought.

In 2011 only one man picked in front of me, and that was the inexperience Dwyte Pilgrim, who inexplicably selected Eric Baldwin with the first overall pick. The laughs were aplenty and I felt blessed to have Ivey fall to me at No. 2. I was already confident in my title defense, but what does Ivey do then? Boycotts the damn World Series of Poker. Sure, I could have dropped him and picked up someone else, but by the time his absence was confirmed it was too late. Ivey screwed me and I was angry. I ended up finishing 7th out of 11 players and had a bitter taste in my mouth

Fast-forward one year to the 2012 draft. I once again had the second pick, and while Ivey was selected first overall, I had made up my mind that I wouldn’t have taken him had he fallen given he’d done to me the year before. What did he go on to do? He made five final tables and earn 245 points, more than any other player selected. Ivey was a beast, and I couldn’t help but forgive him and give him another shot when he fell to me at No. 2 this year.

I was licking my chops at the points Ivey was sure to earn me, especially after his bracelet win at the WSOP-APAC. While I was excited to see him play nearly every event, my stomach turned each time he made an early exit. He played well over 50 events and do you know how many cashes he had? One. A single cash in Event #18 $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em for $15,544—FML.

Ivey’s great, there’s no denying it, but I’m cursed when it comes to that guy on my fantasy team. Ivey gets my blood boiling, but there is one fact that calms me down. Of Ivey’s nine bracelets – none of which are in no-limit hold’em – the largest field he defeated was 478 (2010 WSOP Event #37 $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.), while I topped a field of 898 in Event #1 $500 Casino Employees in my bracelet win. There’s really no significance to that, but somehow it still makes me feel better.

2. Where’s JC?

JC Tran

Up until last year, a fairly well known player has been able to make the final table, but none of them entered as the chip leader. That changed with this year when two-time bracelet winner and World Poker Tour champ JC Tran made the November Nine with the biggest stack. Given his bracelet wins, which came in 2008 (Event #44 $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em w/Rebuys for $631,170) and 2009 (Event #30 $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha for $235,685), it’s shocking that Tran wasn’t selected in our draft.

In fact, Tran wasn’t selected last year either. The last time he was drafted was back in 2011 when Dennis Phillips took him with the fourth-to-last pick (Phillips had selected him 16th overall way back in 2010). It seems Phillips, who won the league in 2011, was onto something with Tran. Unfortunately when Phillips left, Tran did the same on our poker radar. Rest assured that mistake won’t be made in the future.

3. Good Pass on Merson

Greg Merson

While the entire league dropped the ball with Tran, they were spot on with the collective pass on Greg Merson. It’s not often a two-time bracelet winner from the year before – not to mention the defending Main Event champ – goes undrafted, but it seemed everyone knew Merson wasn’t going to bracelet hunt. He’s made no secret that he much prefers to play high-stakes cash games, which was evidenced by all the time he spent in Macau. Cash game players are detrimental to a fantasy team, and as tempting as Merson was prior to the WSOP, everyone managed to resist.

I’m not sure how many event Merson played (maybe one or two), but I do know he only had one cash – 167th in the Main Event for $42,990. A nice run after winning the year before, but meaningless as far as fantasy poker was concern.

4. Wrong Old Schoolers

My strategy at the draft this year was to select consistent players who have established themselves over the course of time. I ended up with a couple of old school players in Erik Seidel and John Juanda. I had the right idea, but unfortunately I chose the wrong players. Neither Seidel nor Juanda had a good summer, but plenty of old school players did including Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Erick Lindgren, Daniel Alaei and John Hennigan, with the former three all winning gold.

I’m happy with my strategy, just disappointed in my selections.

5. Andy, Andy, Andy

Andy Frankenberger

I’ve talked extensively about my fantasy kinship with Andy Frankenberger. He was my sleeper pick in 2011 after finishing as the WPT Player of the Year and he promptly won a bracelet. The next year he won his second bracelet by defeating Ivey in heads-up play. While I’ll no longer have a place for Ivey on my fantasy team (provided I don’t change my mind), I will always have one for Frankenberger.

That said, this year was a bit disappointing (especially to him personally) as he managed just three cashes (none better than 61st) for $16,880. Frankenberger’s career started out as hot as any I’ve ever seen, so it’s only rational that variance would slap him in the face at some point. That may be happening now, and while I know he’s a bit discouraged, I’ve no doubt he’ll bounce back. If no one else takes him next year, Frankenberger will once again be on my roster.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ChadAHolloway for more poker articles, stories and musings from the tournament trail.

Charity Poker for a Great Cause: Nekoosa's Pulse Pounding Tournament

One of the unexpected benefits of winning a World Series of Poker bracelet this past summer is the influx of invitations to charity events. I've actually had two extended my way, and while I have to miss the All In for Wishes in upstate New York in October (I'm going to work the European Poker Tour London), I was able to accept a spot as a "celebrity" bounty at Ho-Chunk Nekoosa's 3rd Annual Pulse Punding Poker Tournament on September 28 and 29.

The tournament is held in memory of Kevin Abbott, a man I did not know personally but have heard nothing but great things. Kevin was a former table games employee at Ho-Chunk Gaming Nekoosa, which is a small casino located in central Wisconsin. I'm very excited to take part in this tournament not only to play for a great cause, but because it's right in my backyard. Poker in Wisconsin is as strong as in any other state, and there are some great players that both started here (i.e. Phil Hellmuth, Trevor Pope, Phil Galfond, etc.) and still play here.

The Pulse Pounding Tournament event started in 2011," Nekoosa's poker room manager Adam Estes told me. "The previous year, we had a co-worker and friend named Kevin Abbott pass away. He loved poker, dealing and talking to people. We wanted to create an event to honor his memory and raise money to donate to help others in need at the same time. We chose the Foundation at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield as our charity because Kevin had spent time there the past couple years before he passed."

The proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Foundation of Saint Joseph's Hospital to the Cardiac, Cancer and Diabetes Funs, and I am honored to be one of their celebrity players. As such, there will be a $200 bounty on my head, which ought to make things interesting. I plan on having a good time, conversing with the other players and hopefully win some money. In the instance that I do, all of it will be donated to the charity. I don't expect every player to donate their winnings, but I do encourage them to donate a portion to the charity to help make the event a success.

"Our main goal is to fill as many of the 150 seats as possible," Estes explained. "That would allow us to raise the most money we can for the charity. A high turnout would also be a reward for my staff to see that their hard work over the past couple years has paid off. Players will not be disappointed with the experience. Hopefully word will spread that these tournaments are something that players don’t want to miss. It will give HCG-Nekoosa a good reputation and be a place more players would visit often."

The Pulse Pounding Poker Tournament will start on September 28 at 11:15 a.m. and conclude on September 29, 2013. If anyone is interested in more information, please feel to reach out to me on either Facebook or Twitter. I also recommend you like Ho-Chunk Nekoosa's page on Facebook for updates and pictures from the event.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ChadAHolloway for more poker articles, stories and musings from the tournament trail.

The Miami Dolphins and the SHRPO $10 Million Guarantee

I love Miami. Well to be honest, I love the Miami Dolphins. They’ve been my favorite team since I was a kid despite only being to their home city just one, that is until I decided to cave in to the hype, jump on the bandwagon and book a ticket for the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open $10 Million Guarantee (SHRPO). It seemed the entire poker world was heading down to South Florida, and since I didn’t have to work, I thought it’d be a good chance to go down, hang with my friends and even play a little bit.

The plan was to try my hand at a couple of $575 satellites and hope to qualify for the $5,000 buy-in Main Event. I arrived on Thursday, August 22 just in time to catch the 2 p.m. satellite, and after dropping my bags off at the bell desk, I promptly registered. This particular satellite was held in the main poker room, which was across the property from SHRPO, so I began to make the long trek across the casino floor. A minute later I passed a well-known poker pro and something remarkable happened—I “qualified” for the Main Event!

To respect his privacy, I’ll keep the name of this pro confidential, but suffice it to say I’ve known him for a few years and we’ve always gotten along splendidly. Our paths hadn’t crossed in awhile, so we exchanged pleasantries before he asked if I was there to work. I informed him that I was there to play a bit and was going to attempt to qualify for the Main Event.

“You want me to put you in?” he asked nonchalantly while simultaneously leaving me flabbergasted. That’s a lot of money and I was honored he had enough faith in my to offer—I guess winning a bracelet has certain benefits. Anyway, I said let’s wait and see how I do in the satellite, which I promptly busted, and then took him up on his gracious offer. I was in the game.

I played Day 1b of the Main Event and I was excited to go despite having only one bullet to fire (you can read more about that in my recent piece on learn.pokernews.com). Aside from this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event, the SHRPO was the largest buy-in tournament I’d played, and given the smaller field size, I knew I’d get the chance to play with some fairly big names.

The biggest ended up being David “Doc” Sands, who I was pleased to learn doesn’t take as long to act as his reputation suggests. Sands and I didn’t get involved in any big pots against one another, and he eventually busted (he re-entered several times and ended up making a deep run). On the other hand, I had trouble getting anything going. We started with 30,000 and I did nothing but dwindle early on. I dropped to 8,000, worked it up to 40,000 and then ended up busting to Sam Soverel in the penultimate level of the night. Soverel was the bane of my tournament beating me over and over again (every time I had a good hand he had one a little bit better). It was frustrating but fitting that he was the one to finish me off.

I was extremely disappointed to bust, but alas that is poker. The toughest part is breaking the news to your backer, though he appeared to take it well. Whether or not he was being sincere I don’t know, but either way I was sure to let him know how much the opportunity meant to me. Even though I didn’t do much, I still got to play in one of the year’s biggest tournaments alongside the game’s best. Truly a great experience.

My bust-out disappointment disappeared on Saturday when I had the opportunity to attend the Miami Dolphins game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Granted, it was a meaningless preseason game, but I was still ecstatic to check out the Fins’ stadium, something I hadn’t done in the better part of a decade and only once at that. What’s more, my friend Garry Gates, who is a VIP host of sorts for PokerStars, won a contest on Twitter that gave us seats in a suite and a tour of the stadium.

Along with PokerNews Editor in Chief Donnie Peters and World Series of Poker bracelet winner Allen Bari, the four of us arrived at Sun Life Stadium to do a little pregaming. Beers, rum and a football got us off to a good start, and it only got better as free food was part of our reward experience. The best part for me was getting the chance to go down on the field during pregame workouts. What an experience to be on the ground looking up at the stadium—a surreal perspective.

Needless to say, I’m pumped for the upcoming season. Have a look at some of the pictures I snapped at the game.

The boys and I meet Dan Marino!

I was very excited to be at the Dolphins home turf!

A view from the field.

A view from the suite.

Ice cream break!

Miami was great and the SHRPO was a great tournament. I expect I will be down there again in the near future. In the meantime, I am off to Barcelona for the start of the European Poker Tour Season 10.

Before I sign off, a very special thanks to Mickey Doft for letting me crash in his room all week. I understand as well as anyone that it’s a big sacrifice to open up your room after working 14 hours a day, and I greatly appreciate his kindness.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ChadAHolloway for more poker articles, stories and musings from the tournament trail.

My Trip to Ireland and Upcoming Poker Plans

After detoxing at home for a few weeks from the 2013 World Series of Poker, I had to jet off to my next assignment—the Full Tilt Poker Galway Festival in Ireland. This was my first time to that country and the first time I’d traveled to a foreign country without another PokerNews colleague from the States (though there are plenty of Irish and UK team members here… I guess I’m the one with the accent). Ireland has always been toward the top of my list of places to visit, and it feels amazing to be writing from the Harbor Hotel in Galway, which is on the west coast of the country.

The flight over here was amazing considering I had a whole row in Economy Plus to myself. First time I’ve ever been able to laydown on a flight and it felt good. Three movies (Broken City, Side Effects and Mud) made the time fly. After landing, I had a one-hour car ride through the countryside. I’ve never seen so many horses, sheep and stone walls in my life. Seriously, where do they get all those stones? I also appreciate how they build into the countryside as opposed to the U.S. strategy of bulldozing everything and building on the ruins.

The FTP Galway Festival venue is pretty sick. Imagine two giant beer tents next to each other—one for the poker action and the other a great big lounge. It’s a nice change from the usual casino floors and convention centers. I actually had some time to play, which is a rare occurrence when I travel. The first night I jumped into Event #41 €110 Triathlon NLHE. Unfortunately I couldn’t get anything going and was one of the first people out. Still, it’s cool to be able to say that I’ve played in Ireland.

Fast forward through five days of non-stop work and you’ll get to the FTP UKIPT Galway Party, which turned out to be an unexpected treat packed into 90 minutes. After working a full day, I decided to drop off my stuff and “make an appearance” at the party. I always drink spirits, but the open bar didn’t include that, so “when in Rome”… I ordered a pint of Guinness. By my second round, I had talked my photographer friend Danny Maxwell, who is an Irishman, into taking pictures of me with Viktor “Isildur1” Blom and Gus Hansen.

Blom was first. I had heard the Swede enjoyed his liquor, and apparently that was true because when I nonchalantly asked him for a picture he noticed my full pint and promptly challenged me to a drinking contest. He had just received a full vodka and Red Bull, you see, and despite his attempts for me to give him a head start—his may have been a little fuller but mine was a thicker brew was my argument—we decided to see who could finish there’s first. I’ll just say that I’m born and raised in Wisconsin, and if it’s one thing we know how to do it is drink. I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Blom challenges me and mixes his drink. He wanted a head start because he had a little more. I argued mine was a thicker brew. He asked to trade drinks. I said I would. He then backed out and stuck with his vodka Red Bull.

Cheers!

Drinking contest with VIktor "Isildur1" Blom in Ireland.

Bottoms up!

Kicked his ass. Not even close. I'm from Wisconsin, bitch!

Not long after I managed to get a picture with Hansen (who had denied me an interview earlier in the day). I’m afraid my story concerning that wasn’t nearly as interesting; in fact, it wasn’t interesting at all. Despite that, here is the pic:

Gus Hansen and I.

On the 22nd of this month, I will be headed to South Florida for the $10-million guarantee at the Seminole Hard Rock. I’m actually going to this event not to live report, but to play. I don’t know if I’ll play the $5,000 buy-in Main Event yet as that price is a little steep for me, but I will be playing a couple of $500 satellites. Other than that I will play some smaller buy-in events, do so pieces for PokerNews from the hyped event and spend some time with my South Florida friends (Mickey Doft, Garry Gates, Jason Mercier, Sam Cohen, Tristan Wade, etc.). I’m also hoping a trip to the watch the Miami Dolphins in preseason action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is in order.

I’ll be sure to do a post about that adventure as well as one for Barcelona, which I’ll be headed to straight from Miami to cover the European Poker Tour for the second year in a row. If you’d have told me a few years ago I’d be going to Barcelona twice in one year, well I’d have thought you crazy.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ChadAHolloway for more poker articles, stories and musings from the tournament trail.

My Top 5 Moments from the 2013 World Series of Poker

Although I write for PokerNews on a daily basis, this is the first of what I hope to be many blog posts on the site. My intention is to use this blog to document my poker experiences and any interesting offbeat stories (ones that might not make the sight) that I encounter on my travels as a PokerNews Reporter.

For my inaugural post I thought it’d be cathartic to offer my top five moments, both professionally and personally, from the 2013 World Series of Poker, which for me was literally a life-changing experience. Here are my top five favorite moments from the 2013 WSOP:

5.) Seeing All of My Poker Friends

My good friend Paul Oresteen once described the WSOP as going to summer camp. While I never went to camp as a kid, I imagine he’s right. Every summer for six weeks poker players, media and fans flock to the innards of the Rio All-Suite Hotel’s Convention Center. It’s there inside rooms called “Amazon,” “Brasilia” and “Pavilion” that we spend at least 12 hours a day. You get to know some people pretty well over that period of time, and while familiarity no doubt breeds contempt, you learn to love one another—especially the other media folk as they’re the only ones who can truly understand what it’s like to work the WSOP.

There are far too many people to name that I enjoyed seeing, but suffice it to say I got to interact with friends and colleagues from all across the globe. Many of them were on hand to share in my bracelet victory (more on that below), while those who weren’t showed their support from afar. For that I will always be grateful.

A few special shout outs—thanks to my boss, Donnie Peters, for occasionally letting me use his car. Thanks to Matt Sexton and Matt Whitefield for taking me out to dinner every once in awhile and allowing me to get out of the Rio. Thanks to Tim Duckworth and Ben Ludlow for the bottle of whiskey, a small gesture that inspire great appreciation. And to everyone else, thanks for another great summer and I look forward to seeing you next year or on the circuit in between.

4.) Visits from Back-Home Friends

You lose track of time when you’re in Vegas, even if you’re here only for a weekend. Imagine being here for six weeks. In the past four years I cannot differentiate a single day in June, that’s the truth. I’m not afforded the luxury of being able to go back home for a breather halfway through (nor would I want to), but I am fortunate to host some friends every summer (it’s not hard to talk Midwest folks into coming to Vegas when they have a free place to stay).

Adam Brown, Sarah Grant, Heath Herring and Carsen Nachreiner at Hash House-A-Go Go.

This year I had two friends—Carsen Nachreiner and Conroy Greendeer—visit me at separate times. The former, who has been one of my best friends since childhood, came up from San Diego for a few days. We didn’t have much time to spend together, but we made the most of what we did. Some of the highlights from that visit include drinking the aforementioned bottle of whiskey, going to see World War Z (I liked it a lot), partying at the Poker Listings House, going to see Penn & Teller, eating at Gordon Ramsay’s BurGR and spending a night downtown where I introduce Carsen to my friend Heath “Crazy Horse” Herring. Carsen is a huge MMA fan and it was kind of funny seeing him a bit star struck as we walked about Fremont and ate at Hash House-A-Go Go. Special thanks to Sarah Grant for making that possible.

Conroy came about a week later, which is a shame considering Carsen, him and I always have a good time when we get together. I actually had less time to spend with Conroy, though we did squeeze in a breakfast buffet and some drinks. In the meantime he spent his leave from the military trying to strike it big on the slots. He flew home with an empty wallet but surprisingly high spirits.

3.) Playing the Main Event

Ever since Robert Varkonyi won the Main Event in 2002—that’s right, I got in right before the poker boom—I’ve always dreamed of playing in the WSOP Main Event. I could have plopped down the $10,000 buy-in any of the past few years, but that would have been horrible bankroll management on my part. My patience finally paid off this year when I had the chance to check it off my bucket list.

Thanks to winning a bracelet (again, more on that below), I had a lot of people offer to buy pieces of me when I expressed interest in playing the Main. I’ll respect their privacy and not single them out, but I do want to say thank you to each and everyone, no matter the share you bought. Your kindness allowed me to accomplish a dream of mine that I’ll remember forever.

With that said, I wish I could have done a little fucking better! Within 40 minutes on Day 1a I was down to 11,000 from the 30,000 starting stack after trying to bluff my fellow Wisconsinite and friend Eddie Blumenthal (it was still a good call Eddie), but I managed to bring it back up and finished the night with 36,600. Unfortunately Day 2a didn’t go well. My stack only went down until I was sitting with 18,000. I had recently been moved to the same table as Hollywood actor Kevin Pollak and tough pro Jesse Yaginuma. I ended up busting to the latter after he opened for 1,300 at 300/600 and I three-bet to 3,000 with pocket nines. Action folded back to Yaginuma and he paused briefly before moving all in. I suppose I could have folded here but nines were the best hand I’d seen all day and my read said he had , or perhaps a smaller pocket pair. I called off and was wrong as he held pocket queens. They held up and that was the end of that.

Still a great experience and the structure of the tournament is second to none. I’m not sure when I’ll get the chance to play it again, but I know I’ll be back at some point.

2.) Poker Writers Roundtable

One day about three-quarters through the WSOP my friend and mentor Nolan Dalla, famed poker historian and author of One of a Kind, invited me to dinner at a seafood restaurant at the Rio to join him and some other noted poker personalities for their annual get together. Other guests include Anthony Holden, author of poker classics Big Deal and Bigger Deal; Michael Craig, author of The Professor, The Banker and the Suicide King; Poker Hall of Famer Eric Drache; and long-time poker pro Thor Hansen.

All of the aforementioned books were hugely inspiring to me, and meeting the men behind them all at one time was overwhelming. I’ve never felt so honored and intimidated by the company in which I found myself. Thankfully all of them made me feel welcome and is if I was one of their own.

The dinner lasted more than two hours and during that time some great stories were told. Everything said was off the record, and while I won’t get into too many details, I’m sure they won’t mind me revealing a few of the topics discussed. They included Craig’s plans for a new poker book (I’m very excited about this); the events of Black Friday and what some of the villains have been up to since; a lot on Larry Flynt including his venture in the casino business and his famed Seven Card Stud game; and Hansen’s love of the ponies and his cancer situation (which seems to be better than originally expected).

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting each and every one of these poker titans. A heartfelt thanks to Nolan for inviting me to the private affair. It was personally gratifying and a professional highlight.

1.) Winning a World Series of Poker Bracelet

I’ve always dreamed that I would win a gold bracelet, but I thought that if it were ever to happen that it’d be many years down the road when I could afford to play 25 events a summer. Never did I imagine that it would happen right at the start of the 2013 WSOP in Event #1 $500 Casino Employees. Granted, that’s the “low-hanging fruit” on the WSOP schedule and isn’t an open event, but truth be told I don’t really care as I have a gold bracelet, something I had only dared dream of before.

It’s hard to describe what winning a bracelet feels like. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love the history of the game and the bracelet means a lot to me. To evidence this point, let me quickly tell you about what happened when we I was heads up for the bracelet. Against WSOP rules, my opponent and I discussed the possibility of a chop on a break. During the negotiations he said something along the lines of, “We can split the money and then flip for the bracelet or whatever.”

Right then and there I knew I didn’t want to chop. Obviously the money meant more to him than the bracelet, and the opposite was true of me. I’m sure I could have negotiated a chop where I was awarded the bracelet, but I didn’t want to win it that way. In my opinion it would have cheapened the win and lessened the value of the bracelet. Sure, maybe no one would ever know, but I would. I knew if I was going to win and have it mean something it had to be pure. For me that meant declining any chop and playing it out the way it was meant to be. Win or lose I could live with the decision whereas I wasn’t sure I could with a chop. While those details were unknown to most, I still got a cool nickname out of the ordeal courtesy of Jason Mercier—“No-Chop Chad.”

Fortunately I was able to win the bracelet, which you can read about in the PokerNews Live Blog and the event recap. I wish my family and friends from back home could have been there for that very special moment, but I am grateful that my poker friends and family were there. Their support from the rail, birdcall and all, helped me stay focused through both the ups and downs. I’ve no doubt had they not been there I would have derailed at some point.

Winning a WSOP bracelet is among the highlights of my life. Poker is my life, and by winning the game’s most prestigious award validates what I’ve been doing for so long. It’s not going to change who I am or what I do—I’ll still be writing the best articles I can for PokerNews—but now instead of dreaming about winning a bracelets I’ll be dreaming about capturing No. 2.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ChadAHolloway for more poker articles, stories and musings from the tournament trail.