NewJane: Congratulations on your excellent finish at the Live Tour event! Tell us about the event that qualified you for the Live Tour Final tourney next year.

Bhat: Finished third in the Big One Five Winter Final and had the deck hit me hard to win the playoff table.

NewJane: Tell us some interesting facts about your life, such as place of employment, family matters, hobbies, or educational background.

Bhat: I am presently on medical leave from the railroad due to a fall on the ice in Feb. of 2005. Had to have a disc removed from my neck. I'm probably headed for occupational disability and the end of my working days. I've been married for 25 years to my wonderful wife and we have two boys, one 21 & the other 23, and one girl who is 18. I went to college on the G.I. bill and taught Jr. High math and science for 3 years before getting tired of the vow of poverty that all teachers must take. The railroad was the next step for me and has been a good career for the past 27 years. I really enjoy spending time with my family and poker is my only hobby!

NewJane: Give us a little glimpse into your poker background. How long have you played? Do you prefer online play or live? Where is your favorite place to play live? Do you like tournaments or ring games? What is your game of choice?

Bhat: My Dad taught me to play 5 stud and 5 card draw when I was 8 years old. That was in the olden days, before T.V. People had to create their own entertainment. I was raised on a cattle ranch in South Dakota. Card games of all kinds helped to fill our time on the long winter nights. I do not play ring games. I'm able to lose enough in the tourneys. NLHE is my game of choice My favorite place to play is the old shop right here in Gillette or Las Vegas. Quite a contrast.

NewJane: How long have you been a member of PSO?

Bhat: Won a free month via Poker Pages in April of 2002. Been a annual member ever since.

NewJane: What do you think was your greatest strength in the tourney? Your biggest weakness?

Bhat: Greatest strength, I'm able to read players, (sometimes).. My mind tends to wander. Staying focused may be my big weakness. This being the last chance to qualify for the Live Tour Final helped keep my head in the game.

NewJane: Do you remember any key hands you want to tell us about? Positive or Negative outcomes...

Bhat: In the early going at the playoff table I was showing the 2nd best hand and getting raised out of pots pre-flop. Finally I picked up A K in the small blind. Everybody folded to me and I thought, "good cards and no one stays to play". I made a small raise and got raised by Huffster in the big blind. It was time to take a stand so all my chips went in the pot. Huffster called and showed J-J. I flopped an A and became the chips leader. From that point on the deck ran over me.

NewJane: What are some of the differences you notice in online play as opposed to live play?

Bhat: You can't look people in the face online but I feel you can pick up online tells. The ability to take notes can offset the advantage one gets from visual tells in live tourneys. I really enjoy both equally.

NewJane: If you could have dinner with any current poker tourney pro, who would it be and what would be the question you would ask first?

Bhat: It would have to be the Doyle. I would ask him what the good old days were really like. Hopefully he would talk for hours. I doubt anyone could listen to Doyle for any length of time without learning a great deal about the game.

NewJane: What poker books have helped your game?

Bhat: After I had been playing tournaments for several years I mentioned to a friend of mine that my game didn't seem to be getting better. He suggested that we buy some poker books. This was about 1996. I had never dreamed that the pros would write how- to books about poker. Some of my favorites are Tournament Poker by McEvoy, No-Limit & Pot-Limit by McEvoy & Cloutier, Super System, & anything by Sklansky.

NewJane: What new poker games are you interested in learning?

Bhat: Trying to learn Omaha Hi-Low split but it's way beyond me.

NewJane: Here is your chance to address anything I neglected to ask that you are dying to share.

Bhat: Like the old cowboys say, "I'm to lazy to work and to nervous to steal", so I play poker. I make a bunch of mistakes but I do know what I like. My family and I are happy and healthy. (The greatest gift}. Life is great. PSO is great. We have a great convention coming up. (a fella named Debonair says, "it is the best time you will ever have with your clothes on".) I highly recommend that everyone at PSO try really hard to get to Las Vegas in July. I look forward to seeing all the old faces and meeting lots of new PSOers.