ESPN

Andrew Feldman

  (1:59 PM)

Hey everyone. Welcome to today's poker chat. Our guest today is ESPN.com's Gary Wise who is ready to answer everything and anything poker related. Send in the questions now, Gary will get to them shortly!

Gary Wise

  (2:02 PM)

Hey everyone! I'm sick as a dog, but that didn't stop me from watching 87 hours of 2-7 draw last night. Hit me!

Jeffrey Ledyard,CT

Hey guys. Do either one of you believe that with his sixth braclet earned, that Phil Ivey will one day have the most bracelets won? If not him than who will beat "The Poker Brat"?

Gary Wise

  (2:05 PM)

I think Ivey is capable of surpassing Phil Doyle and Johnny, but the real question is whether he'll maintain the will do do so. The only way he's able to mustre the will now is by putting massive bets down, and that may not be enough to incentivize things in the long run. think about this: If he was being truthful last night, he eaneed something like 32 times as much in bets as the tournament win. What's $96,000?

Mike Gainesville, FL

It's always seemed like Ivey puts little emphasis on tournament play. With money on the line he focused and came out a winner. If he made winning tournaments a priority is there anyone who could stop him?

Gary Wise

  (2:06 PM)

Sure. The poker gods

Gary Wise

  (2:06 PM)

The numbers don't lie and math will get anyone the majority of the time, but it sure seems likely he's be the best tournament player in the world if he focused his efforts that way

Tony G. (not that one) (Los Lunas, NM)

What have you heard about the other tourneys going on at the same time, the Venetian Deep Stack, Gold Nugget Series, Binion's Classic. Since not everyone can buy into 5 WSOP events, I would like to know how they are after I win (OK, bust out) of the $1,500 HORSE I event I am playing next weekend.

Gary Wise

  (2:08 PM)

They're doing pretty well, but i'll be curious to see how the numbers fare when the stimulus special stragglers finally leave town

Steve, D.C.

Do you think the tweaking of this years schedule has been successful? From the outside looking in it appears to being going very good, especially the 40K event and the stimulus event.

Gary Wise

  (2:11 PM)

I can't say enough about what a massive success the stimulus special was. They had to close registration 30 hours before the start of day 1B because they're reached capacity. They might have had a shot at the record if they had scheduled 1C. Meanwhile, the 40K, everyone seems to agree, was a great way to start the series with a bang. It really turned all eyes to the Rio and the news that they're considering a 41k next year seems to indicate that the brass really feel things went well

Gary Wise

  (2:11 PM)

So yes, i concurr, things are going very well

Joe (Green Bay) [via mobile]

Gary, like you, I also stayed up late last night to watch the 2-7 tourney. I thought both Ivey and Monnette played great, but what was up with Monnette berating the dealers? On a couple of occasions he got real testy with the dealer, at one point even asking for a new one.

Andrew Feldman

  (2:12 PM)

Side thought for a second...that was pretty slow to watch...anyone else feel the same way?

Gary Wise

  (2:15 PM)

Yeah, I noticed that too, not that I needed major powers of observation to do so. He got pissy with every one I saw and that had me actively cheering for Ivey even though a win would mean extra work for me. Some people choose to treat dealers like they're less-than-human. i choose to treat those people with a little less respect. I mean, come on. Do we really think these folks are influencing things one way or another?

Gary Wise

  (2:15 PM)

Thanks for pointing it out Joe. That behavior doesn't deserve to go unnoticed

Justin, Indy

The 2-7 was brutal...i can't imagine watching the 2-7 triple draw.

John (Ansonia CT)

Yea i agree it was pretty slow, but seeing ivey win a bracelet was worth it

Roger

Did Phil Ivey even bother up picking up the 96k from the cashier

Gary Wise

  (2:16 PM)

Haha, i don't think so. He made his way right over to the 10K mixed championship. It's probably just sitting around somewhere

Scott Diamond

What do you think of the accusations jeffrey Pollack showed favortism to Phil Hellmuth by allowing him to buy in to a sold out event

Gary Wise

  (2:17 PM)

This is the first I've heard of it. Anything else you can show us Scott?

Justin, Indy

On Ivey's pokerroad blog yesterday he stated that he wanted to win the 2-7 bracelet so he could make an even bigger prop bet for the remainder of the series. Any word on what that bet is?

Gary Wise

  (2:20 PM)

I haven't heard anything about a bigger bet yet, but rumors of $10 million were already floating around before yesterday's win. With so many events already down, he'll need better odds than the 2.7:1 he got at the start of the series

Scott Diamond CA.

Just from reading in a forum, Poster stated he had waited in line 3 hours and hellmuth walked in with Pollack and bought in and several others had been turned away as was he several minutes later.

Gary Wise

  (2:22 PM)

If it's true, I can see both sides of the argument. Phil is one of the straws that stirs the drink and its good for poker when he's around. At the same time, you want tournaments to stay democratic.

Mark (Valley Forge, PA)

Which older, or pre-2000, pro do you think would've stood to benefit the most by having been able to play more in the age of Internet poker?

Gary Wise

  (2:24 PM)

Gotta be Stu Ungar. His biggest problem as a cash game player was a massive attention deficit problem that would eventually see him spew his stack off. Online, I think he'd have just opened a few more tables and kept dominating. Interesting question though.

Brian G. (Tempe, AZ)

Like you and the others, I watched Ivey win last night online as well. (Man, I love the ESPN360 and Bluff Magazine live broadcasts, seeing everything unedited. More please!@ Thanks ESPN and Bluff!!). Anyway, I am playing in the $1500 Limit Event a week from today and saw that the average number of runners for those is about 800. I was just curious why you thought Limit events get around 1/3 of the NL event? I don't understand it. It seems to me that most of the young guys just want to play big pots, win or lose, and would rather just bust out quickly on A-A rather than have to actually play hand after hand. Thanks.

Gary Wise

  (2:27 PM)

Ahhh Brian, say to say, you're part of a dying breed. NL hold 'em has been such a force on TV that the entire world has made the switch over. I used to be a full-time limit guy myself, but I can't remember the last time I played. The long of the short of it is this: The fish saw NL on TV, they went to NL and the sharks followed

Mike Pinciaro, The Woodlands, Tx

Gotta disagree with your comments about Hellmuth getting special treatment to enter the $1K event (if the sory is true). This event was created so that guys like me, who can't afford to shell out $5K or $10K or would risk divorce to do do!!), have an event to participate in. WE should be given preference, not the high-rollers.

Andrew Feldman

  (2:28 PM)

Agree to disagree

Eric Sonstegard (Moorpark, CA)

How does it feel to guest host B.J. Nemeth's show "Wise Hand Poker"?

Gary Wise

  (2:29 PM)

I HOSTED THAT INTERVIEW!! IT WAS MY RECORDER!!!

Jon (Naperville, IL)

Do you think the world series will ever do an online bracelet event?

Andrew Feldman

  (2:29 PM)

Love the question. Mr. Wise?

Gary Wise

  (2:31 PM)

Wow, that's a tough question, but I could see it. Imagine this: UIGEA is repeales, regulation occurs and WSOP starts an online site. To drive sign ups, they announce the first ever online bracelet event. Sounds likea brilliant marketing strategy, yes?

Joe (Green Bay) [via mobile]

Out of sheer curiosity, whatever happened to Jackpot Jay Lovinger? Does he ever show up at any of the big events?

Andrew Feldman

  (2:31 PM)

LOL. No. Jay is still working for ESPN.com, but in no way playing poker professionally these days.

Ben (Portland, ME)

Do you think any of the 2008 November Nine who didn't enter the final table as a recognized pro has a chance of putting together a good career, like Michael Binger after the 2006 ME?

Gary Wise

  (2:33 PM)

Absolutely. I think Eastgate and Demidov are both monsters and there's little doubt in my mind that Craig Marquis will be around for the long haul. Being friends with Durrrr et al has its benefits

Jim (Philadelphia, PA)

Gary, did you ever think David Williams would someday chew on a diamond-studded toothpick while dueling him at a Magic: the Gathering Pro Tour?

Gary Wise

  (2:35 PM)

Awsome question. No, i didn't think I'd see David doing a lot of things, chewing on that thing among them. Maybe there are certain social circles where that plays off as "balla" (man, I'm old), but I have to admit that kind of hype is a little lost on me

Chuck Froehlich, Washington DC

Hi Gary... Good to "see" you... As somone who remembers you as a Magic player, it is amazing what Poker has done for that crowd of very talented kids... When is is all said and done, who do youthink will be the most successful Poker player from the ex-Magic crowd???

Gary Wise

  (2:37 PM)

Depends on your definition of success, doesn't it? I mean, DWilliams won 3.5 mil in '04, has a bracelet and hangs out with JayZ and Nelly. That's a pretty good definition.

Gary Wise

  (2:37 PM)

By the wya, there were 2 mtgers at the Ivey table last night. Raphael Zimmerman and Eric kesselman, who already has a bracelet. mtg represent yo (again, so old).

Gary Wise

  (2:37 PM)

Good to see you too chuck. Your kid is obviously up there also.

Len (Attleboro, MA)

Why do you think Vanessa Rousso tilts most poker forum folks so much, and please don't say jealousy since I don't see that being it at all.

Gary Wise

  (2:40 PM)

I think its mostly related to insecurity. The internet offers a really easy way to trash on people who are achieving good things. Vanessa has, in the past gotten more attention than her results may be due, and the internet kids don't like the entertainment quotient in poker celebrity. That said, she's had a hell of a year (and two cashes already at WSOP) and gets too much flack. So does anyone they feed on though...

Eli (Albany, NY)

Randowm question - why is it that sometimes the poker site adds I see are for the .net play for free sites, but other times I'll see ones for the .com sites. Are there rules governing this?

Gary Wise

  (2:43 PM)

.net is used to get people to the free mirror sites where they can find their way to the .coms, which offer money games. I'd be surprised if you were seeing TV ads or any ads in the US for .coms

Andrew Feldman

  (2:43 PM)

But on certain websites, .com ads are prevalent...not on ESPN.com though.

Mike Gone Fishin' (Ogallala, NE)

Guys -- I've been playing poker for some time and have watched ESPN's coverage of WSOP for years. I've often thought of coming to Vegas to play in an event, but having never been to Vegas, have no idea what kind of costs (outside of the buy-in) are involved. Taking flight, hotel and meals into consideration, how much money are we talking about for spending 2-3 days in Vegas during the WSOP?

Andrew Feldman

  (2:46 PM)

Mike, get yourself on a plane. It will never be cheaper than this year. You could probably find a flight for $300-$350 after taxes and with the decline of traffic to vegas in recent months, the hotels are practically begging people to come in order to get them gambling. A $450/night strip hotel stay isn't out of the question. Other than that, you'll want a big food bankroll because there's nowhere to eat like Vegas. You could probably pull it all off for a grand...probably less.

Jon (Naperville, IL)

Why do you think that the WSOP only has 1 heads-up event? It seems that a lot of people love headsup cash games and sngs I think they are counting out a large audience.

Gary Wise

  (2:50 PM)

Its an interesting question, since heads-up makes for some rivetting play, but I have to think it comes down to the logisical nightmare of reseating the entire field after every round, giving half the players a first round bye and profitability.

Gary Wise

  (2:51 PM)

Its definitely one of the tournaments I'd watch closest. I'd like to see more

Fred (Orange, CA)

I liked Jon's question about HU. What about a PLO heads-up tourney, since that's where a lot of the nosebleed action is online?

Gary Wise

  (2:53 PM)

PLO is a game that's obviously gained a lot of steam in the last couple of years. I don't know what kind of field they'd get if you made that one a $10K buy-in, but I could see it being a viable format in a year or two. I'd probably start with a $2500 buy-in PLO in 2010 and see how that goes

Pete (Rochester, NY)

What kind of impact would a second (or third) Ivey bracelet have on the nose-bleed games, both online and live? I can't imagine if he ups his bets and ends up taking ~6-10mil out of those games, that the action would continue to be as prevalent as it has been, especially online.

Gary Wise

  (2:56 PM)

I see what you're saying, but I don't think the effect would be drastic. His biggest bet was and would be with Eli Elezra, who has more than enough in his bankroll to cover without flinching. I think a lot of Phil's bets go down with guys who have a ton of money. They can take it

mez (ny)

If you win one of the live qualifiers going on to make the main event, are the token's transferrable? Basically, can u sell ur token?

Gary Wise

  (2:57 PM)

Yep. There are guys who have made some good coin in the last few years by qualifying repeatedly and selling their extras off for 99 cents on the dollar.

Tony (Chicago)

Obviously a "greatest player" argument can go on forever, but how amazing is Phil Ivey to have 6 bracelets in the events he has them in?If Ivey managed to finally win that elusive NLHE bracelet, wouldn't he have to be on the short-list of "Greatest MTT Players" when you're considering all games?

Gary Wise

  (3:00 PM)

I think he already is. He's the youngest ever to reach six, he has eight WPT final tables...there really aren't many who can match up to that. That said, the lack of a hold 'em bracelet is definitely a glaring hole on his resume. I'd like to see him win one before handing him the crown.

Gary Wise

  (3:01 PM)

You'll notice that Billy Baxter is a forgotten man. He has seven non-hold 'em bracelets

Gary Wise

  (3:03 PM)

Folks, thanks for the great (and tough!) questions and keep tuning into espn360 for those feeds.

Andrew Feldman

  (3:03 PM)

Thanks Gary and great job. We'll be back on Monday for another WSOP chat and we'll have some new bracelet winners to discuss. Have a great weekend everyone!