Doe's Poker Dossier

Tue, 21 Jun 2005 13:41:59 -0500

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I think it was psychological. But ever since I knew the Full Tilt Hospitality suite was going to be closed today, I was hungry. It's not like I was ever a total hospitality suite ho', but it was always comforting to know I could sneak into the suite for a piece of cheese or fruit during the day if I needed a little break and snack. And of course it was a great place to bump into the pros and snag an interview.

So today, my stomach growled every time I saw someone eat and every time someone mentioned food. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to make it until the leftover concession food found its way into the media room, which happens anywhere from 9:30pm to 11:00pm.

And I wasn't having the best luck snagging interviews today, either. Even when the pros agree to an interview, their grueling tournament schedules don't allow much down time. And while I guess I could settle for the quick "So how's it feel to win the bracelet?" after a win or "how's it feel today" during one of their rare ten breaks, I prefer an interview that shows a little more of the person behind the player, which generally takes more than a 2 minute camera shot.

So I was beginning to think it was going to be a slow hungry day, when I bumped into Big Sissy. Big Sissy is the former, but hardly the latter and has both a brilliant a game and wit. He's from the Northwest and we had come to know each other playing online. I finally got to meet him and his unbelievably fun and charming wife at the World Poker Open earlier this year. When he said, "Do you have time for dinner? I’m buying" I nearly cried.

We had a great dinner that featured wine, oysters, and Flintstone sized shrimp. But as good as dinner was, the company was the nuts. Everything seemed right in the world. BS was anxious to read Barry Greenstein's book, which I have almost finished. And of course as we talked about the book, Barry himself was on dinner break from the tournament where he would eventually win his second WSOP bracelet.

As he went off to pursue satellites, I went to check on the action. And just a few minutes after I got back, Cyndy Violette hunted me down for an interview. I have been dying to interview Cyndy since I got here and she had been more than agreeable. But she's been moneying in the no limit fields, which means many days and many hours of play. I have really enjoyed watching her no limit play this series. She is always in the moment, always focused, and ever smiling. And while she performs on the felt, she really credits much of her performance to what she does before she sits down to a table. She is "preparation girl" and spends more than a couple of hours a day getting ready to play her best game.

I also got a promised interview with Barry Greenstein, although today was obviously not going to be the day. After scoring his bracelet, he went back to play the $5000 PLH tournament in progress. Even blinding off during his final table appearance in the PLO, he still managed to make into day two (played tomorrow) of the PLH in fairly good chip position. Un-friggin'-believable.

And I overheard some interesting stuff at Barry's PLH table…something I will track down as another possible interview. So hopefully I will be a busy bee in the next couple of days.

I also want to devote an entry to the story about Charlie and how the poker community rallied to make that last few days of this dying young man's life better. But it is a story that demands and deserves time…

So with a full stomach and a full agenda, I'm looking forward to tomorrow….that and the reopening of the Full Tilt suite.