You're invited to join us for dinner

[Al Schoonmaker]

The Wednesday Poker Discussion Group (WPDG) will take one or more tables at the buffet after The Mirage seminar, and you're invited to join us for dinner and at our regular meetings. Our table will be in the same area as those of the other seminar attendees.

The WPDG started as a few low limit players meeting for breakfast and casual conversation. After several years it has evolved into a much larger and more serious group. We are recreational players, props, and professionals playing from low limits to $80-$160, both live and online, with quite a few writers. We also get distinguished visitors from all over the U. S., Canada, and even England.

We meet almost every Wednesday afternoon for casual socializing, serious discussions about poker strategy, and quite varied presentations. Howard Burroughs usually emails a report on each meeting, and many people -- including ones who did not attend -- comment on his reports. These comments add to the discussions' variety and value.

We've had presentations and Q&A from (in alphabetical order): Jim Brier, Roy Cooke, Nolan Dalla, Russ Hamilton, Linda Johnson, Rich Korbin, Lou Krieger & Art Reber, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Tanenbaum, Mark Tenner, and several others. These presentations have covered NL and limit HE, stud/8, Omaha 8, tournament news and rules, selecting the best game, poker as a business, life on the tournament trail, plus many other subjects.

Nearly every meeting includes a few thorough critiques of individual hands. People bring in hands they've played and get a searching analysis of what they did right or wrong. It can be embarrassing, but it is always informative. Where else can you get thorough criticism from several serious players'?

Regulars include Jim Brier, Howard & Cassie Burroughs, Nolan Dalla, Steve & Susan Evans, Jan Fisher, Linda Johnson, Ben Orenstein, "Poker Babe", Rich & Jill Reed, Earl Stallmann, Bill Scalfaro, Al Schoonmaker, Barry Tanenbaum, Ken & Wiebke Watkins, Tony Wuehle, and others who attend less regularly. In addition to the presenters we've had visits from Mason Malmuth, Puggy Pearson, Tommy Angelo, Bob Morgan, Tom and Mike Sexton, Frank (Lumpy) Banks, Doug Dalton, Rick ("Da Voice") Charles, Doc Earle, and several others.

Jan Fisher has written two columns about us; Matt Lessinger (one of our founders) wrote one, and we've been mentioned in articles by Tommy Angelo, Nolan Dalla, and a couple of others.

For many of us these meetings are one of the high points of the week. We hope you'll join us. You'll be most welcome.

If you plan to attend, please email pokerbabe1@yahoo.com. Hope to see you there.

Regards,

Al