Some rumours from Las Vegas Poker Blog

[Hold'me]

Las Vegas Poker Blog (http://www.lasvegasvegas.com/pokerblog/):

I chatted with Minh Ly in the Sports Book while I kept my eye on the Yankees score. He was upset with Mike Matusow. "He's not a gentleman," he repeated several times during our conversation. Supposedly, Matusow was talking tons of smack with Minh during the Main Event. On Monday night, Matusow arrived at the Bellagio to cash his $1M WSOP check. Minh was playing $4K/$8K at the time. Matusow wouldn't stop talking and said he'd play Minh for a $1 million heads-up freeze out. Minh took him up on his offer and left to secure the money. When Minh came back 20 minutes later with a sufficient bankroll, Matusow bailed on him. "He's afraid to play me," Minh added. Mike Matusow is good, but Minh Ly would out play him for sure. Minh plays in the "big game" with Doyle and Chip Reese. He's one of the last guys I'd want to play heads up, especially for $1M.

I found everyone's favorite Bellagio dealer Linda and she gave me a big hug. She told me she had to deal "the big game" which was located in Bobby's Room. Off to the side of the poker room is a glass room for Bobby Baldwin and his friends. At first, I only saw Sammy Farha playing Gus Hansen heads up. Gus was scruffy and looked like he hadn't showered or changed his clothes in days. The always dapper Sammy Farha had his trademark unlit cigarette hanging off of his bottom lip. Later on all the big boys showed up including Minh Ly, Chau Giang, Phil Ivey, and Bobby Baldwin. Linda told me they were playing $4K/$8K mixed games and she dealt Pot Limit Omaha with a $150K max bet per player. Anyone want to bankroll me in that game?

[GrannyMae]

Later on all the big boys showed up including Minh Ly, Chau Giang, Phil Ivey, and Bobby Baldwin


serious question:

i saw that room, but can bobby play there?

[MicroBob]

I saw the same room.

Gus looked roughly the same to me when I saw him a little over a week ago.
I wonder if his dedication to his tourney-game is the same as it was a year or two ago.
Just a general 'hunch' that doesn't have much basis in fact.

[Jordan Olsommer]

[ QUOTE ]

Just a general 'hunch' that doesn't have much basis in fact.


[/ QUOTE ]

Nuts to your hunches - his ungroomed state clearly indicates Extreme Debt. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Hold'me]

[ QUOTE ]
Later on all the big boys showed up including Minh Ly, Chau Giang, Phil Ivey, and Bobby Baldwin


serious question:

i saw that room, but can bobby play there?

[/ QUOTE ]
Well according to the The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King they would move the big game to one of the smaller local Vegas casinos to accomodate Bobby.

[illogical]

[ QUOTE ]
Minh took him up on his offer and left to secure the money. When Minh came back 20 minutes later with a sufficient bankroll, Matusow bailed on him. "He's afraid to play me," Minh added. Mike Matusow is good, but Minh Ly would out play him for sure.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, Mike Matusow has small cajones. It's official.

[GrannyMae]

i was asking because employees usually can't play. isn't BB the ceo?

[wall_st]

[ QUOTE ]
i was asking because employees usually can't play. isn't BB the ceo?

[/ QUOTE ]

In the book detailing the big game between the pros and beal they said that when baldwin wanted to play they would often take the game to another casino (can't remember which one), this was because of the reason you mentioned.

[judgesmails]

They play at Sam's Town on Boulder Highway when Bobby plays.

[csuf_gambler]

bobby baldwin as in the actor?

[SheridanCat]

[ QUOTE ]
i was asking because employees usually can't play. isn't BB the ceo?

[/ QUOTE ]

I chatted with a guy who claimed to work at Bellagio in an accounting capacity. He said he's allowed to play poker and make certain bets in the sports book. Things may be very different for the top dog.

Regards,

T

[skierdude1000]

If all the pros always play togehter like this, when do they make their money?

[Sykes]

[ QUOTE ]
If all the pros always play togehter like this, when do they make their money?

[/ QUOTE ]

from each other. what? you think these people are friends?

[JackWhite]

[ QUOTE ]
from each other. what? you think these people are friends?

[/ QUOTE ]

How can you win money if the same people are usually playing? They all win playing against each other?

[jackblack73]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
from each other. what? you think these people are friends?

[/ QUOTE ]

How can you win money if the same people are usually playing? They all win playing against each other?

[/ QUOTE ]
Who says they all win?

[GrandmaStabone]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
from each other. what? you think these people are friends?

[/ QUOTE ]

How can you win money if the same people are usually playing? They all win playing against each other?

[/ QUOTE ]
Who says they all win?

[/ QUOTE ]

nh

[-Skeme-]

Some people are worse than others. And sometimes they get a live one.

[Publos Nemesis]

[ QUOTE ]
Some people are worse than others. And sometimes they get a live one.

[/ QUOTE ]

And the losing players in the big game can beat the smaller games. After a bad run in the big game, they rebuild playing the smaller games that Todd Brunson cleans up at. It's like a food pyramid with the party poker fishes feeding the few lone sharks at the top as well as us in the middle.

[asb165]

[ QUOTE ]
bobby baldwin as in the actor?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not sure if you're kidding, but Bobby Baldwin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Baldwin) has 4 WSOP bracelets and runs a bunch of the MGM Mirage properties, including the Bellagio.

[transmitt]

they wait for an undercover cop to cash in for 8k and then collude to beat him, don't you watch Tilt?

[Daliman]

[ QUOTE ]
i was asking because employees usually can't play. isn't BB the ceo?

[/ QUOTE ]

There are no regulations against it, but BB usually doesn't play there to avoid the impression of favoritism or impropriety.

[RBT]

It was at the Golden Nugget last Friday night.

[astroglide]

according to 'table tango' bobby is playing there now

[FeliciaLee]

Unless something has changed in the past few days, Bellagio employees are most definitely allowed to play poker in their room.

Bobby just doesn't want to play there, from rumors I've heard.

Felicia /images/graemlins/smile.gif
www.felicialee.net (http://www.felicialee.net)

[burningyen]

I saw the Big Game playing in the high-roller room at the Aladdin. I recognized Baldwin, Greenstein, and Hansen.

[NLfool]

some time ago I saw some one I've never recognized at the big game. One of the regulars told me it was Celine Dions (sp) manager/husband/some big wig at a recording label. I'm sure he's got to be a pretty big fish that doesn't care if he drops a mill

[GrannyMae]

Celine Dions (sp) manager/husband

did he have grey hair?

iirc, he is either much older or looks much older than her. i may be wrong tho.

[burningyen]

He is much older, and his name's Rene Angelil.

[Sightless]

Didnt he finish 10th or 12th or so in that WSOP circtuit event... he can't be that bad

[wall_st]

[ QUOTE ]
Didnt he finish 10th or 12th or so in that WSOP circtuit event... he can't be that bad

[/ QUOTE ]

Last time I saw mention of him playing this game the table was full and there was a wait list. Not being that bad at this table is not going to take you very far.

Alledgedly this guy has a gambling problem and while he is rated on barry greensteins site I would imagine this falls under the category of being nice to the fish.

[Photoc]

[ QUOTE ]
Later on all the big boys showed up including Minh Ly, Chau Giang, Phil Ivey, and Bobby Baldwin


serious question:

i saw that room, but can bobby play there?

[/ QUOTE ]

I can personally confirm that Bobby cannot play at the Bellagio. This past week they held the "big game" at the Aladdin per Bobby's request so that he was able to partake in the game.

[Sponger15SB]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Later on all the big boys showed up including Minh Ly, Chau Giang, Phil Ivey, and Bobby Baldwin


serious question:

i saw that room, but can bobby play there?

[/ QUOTE ]

I can personally confirm that Bobby cannot play at the Bellagio. This past week they held the "big game" at the Aladdin per Bobby's request so that he was able to partake in the game.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I can *personally confirm* that you're wrong....

[ QUOTE ]
Which brings up another issue - new dealers. Bobby B. has been playing in - you guessed it - Bobby’s Room. None of the new dealers are allowed to deal through there so the experienced dealers are being shuffled into a line-up that routes us through that room. And of course if we deal through there, we are going to deal all of the higher limit games - that’s the line-up. Ouch! It looks like the good old days where everyone had to be able to deal all games to work at Bellagio are over. Dealing all high limit makes Linda a ‘Sad Jill’.

[/ QUOTE ]

http://table-tango.pokerworks.com/

[TylerD]

When I was at the Bellagio in February Gus Hansen came to my $4-8 game and started talking to a guy he knew in our game. After he left the table I mentioned to the guy that that game looked pretty tough (it was Gus, Johnny CHan, Jennifer H. and some guy I didn't recognise). He said that it was pretty tough at the moment because a few days earlier all the big pros had flocked to the game because Celine Dion's husband was in town and Celine had given him a million or two to lose.

[meow_meow]

Funny quote from BG's site regarding Bobby playing where he works:
[ QUOTE ]
Bobby doesn't play where he works because he thinks it looks unprofessional and he doesn't want any possible altercations with employees. One of the last times he played at the Mirage, he was sitting next to the dealer, when a security guard nudged him and told him to move so he could get the drop box. Bobby said, “Give me a second, buddy. I just have to figure out what to do with this hand. The security guard said, “Move, please.” Bobby said, “Do you realize I'm the president?” The guard replied, “I don't care if you're @#^*ing George Bush -- you need to move.” That was the guard's last day on the job.

[/ QUOTE ]

from
http://www.barrygreenstein.com/player.htm

[Sponger15SB]

Yeah thats great, fire a guy for doing a good job.

[meow_meow]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah thats great, fire a guy for doing a good job.

[/ QUOTE ]

He's doing a good job by harrassing high stakes players?

[drewjustdrew]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah thats great, fire a guy for doing a good job.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do you want some f---ing fries with that?

[Sponger15SB]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yeah thats great, fire a guy for doing a good job.

[/ QUOTE ]

He's doing a good job by harrassing high stakes players?

[/ QUOTE ]

Who gives a flying crap what stakes they are playing? You think it gives him the right to be an [censored] and tell him to wait a minute while he thinks a hand over? The guy first gave him a nudge to move, then said please, and then he made a pretty funny joke when he wouldn't move FOR THE THIRD FREAKIN TIME.

You really think the security guard is in the wrong for acting the way he did?

No, but the fact that he's the president of that casino gives him the right. Moron

[meow_meow]

I guess I'm just of the opinion that he should have waited for the action to finish before he tried to get to the drop box. It's always been done that way at the two bit casino I used to play at...

Also, I guess I have a different opinion of what a "pretty funny joke" is. To me, it's more like he verbally abused a customer.

[Sponger15SB]

[ QUOTE ]
No, but the fact that he's the president of that casino gives him the right. Moron

[/ QUOTE ]

Where does it stop then? Can the vice president be a dick to everyone else but Bobby? How about the dealers treat the chip runners like [censored] because they think they are better than them?

Sure it is his casino so he can do anything he wants, why doesn't he just fire everyone who looks at him wrong? Or fire the dealer for taking a drop while he is playing in the game?

etc....

[drewjustdrew]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
No, but the fact that he's the president of that casino gives him the right. Moron

[/ QUOTE ]

Where does it stop then? Can the vice president be a dick to everyone else but Bobby? How about the dealers treat the chip runners like [censored] because they think they are better than them?

Sure it is his casino so he can do anything he wants, why doesn't he just fire everyone who looks at him wrong? Or fire the dealer for taking a drop while he is playing in the game?

etc....

[/ QUOTE ]

Did you miss the point where Bobby was also a customer? The security guard had no idea who he was and did not have to believe that he was the President. If he chooses to curse at a customer, he risks his job if it is brought to management's attention. Unfortunately for him, they were one in the same.

[Sponger15SB]

[ QUOTE ]
Did you miss the point where Bobby was also a customer?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes and this is what pisses me off the most. He could have just let the guy do his job, but because he is the president he feels he can do whatever the [censored] he wants.

I guess I would make a shitty business owner because I would tell stupid [censored] customers to [censored] themselves. At one of the last places I worked I could tell the customers just how wrong they were when they acted up and said stupid things without merit, and my boss would back me up 100%

[Wake up CALL]

[ QUOTE ]
At one of the last places I worked I could tell the customers just how wrong they were when they acted up and said stupid things without merit, and my boss would back me up 100%


[/ QUOTE ]

I see, so you are now unemployed and that business went bankrupt. Not a successful business model if you aks me.

[NLfool]

[ QUOTE ]
Didnt he finish 10th or 12th or so in that WSOP circtuit event... he can't be that bad

[/ QUOTE ]

well lets consider it this way. I'm not a good tourney player but if 10k meant nothing to me or you and we entered a bunch of them we'd finish 10th once in a blue moon too.

That's why P. Phillips, Harrington and others who play a limited schedule with good results are much more impressive to me than guys like who place all the time but also play every tourney under the moon.

[Rasputin]

[ QUOTE ]

You really think the security guard is in the wrong for acting the way he did?

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you kidding? Of course he is in the wrong. You don't berate customers, period. Doesn't matter if they're playing in the big game or the 2/4 table, they're playing at high stakes for them, and it is up to the casino to provide the atmosphere the customers enjoy.

[shaniac]

Re: Rene Angellini...

Many competent-to-great players would be a fish in the Big Game.