Regular readers may remember that Poker Unclogged brings you strange poker tales every Tuesday. Sometimes that can involve back-breaking treks into the wilderness, our only company a mouse with a strange third button. (It must have been designed by a frustrated woman to help her boyfriend locate the nub of the matter.)
However on other occasions, stories are available on tap and all we have to do is sit at the bar and become intoxicated on their mind altering substance.
As an example of the latter, consider these two tales, one about poker and the other about an alleged crime: – you have to work out which one is true.
There was a recent case of a man being conned out of $35,000. He was told by a Frenchman that if he left a mixture of real cash and blank bills to marinate in a magical liquid overnight, he would double the value of his cash. When he woke up next morning, (surprise, surprise) both the cash and the alleged con-artist had disappeared.
The victim could not even afford to buy some beef cutlets and utilise the remaining marinade. Maybe the cutlets would have become a cow which he could trade on the way to the market for some magical beans which his mother would then throw out of the window and then …….ok, ok, we digress
The next tale is about the WSOP.
A few years ago, Harrah’s, the hotel-casino chain acquired the rights to the largest set of poker tournaments in the world. The casino wasted no time pissing off the players: the tournament was moved from May to July. Vegas is a hell-hole in July: too hot, the decent shows stop and some of the hookers take vacations. It was clearly a move with the player’s best interests at hears and not a brilliant idea to fill Harrah’s empty rooms.
Not content to exposing players to heightened risk of skin-cancer, the chain has now decided that they are going to delay the final of the main event until November so they can ‘maximise coverage’. So, after the final table of 9 is formed, there will be a 4 month gap until play is resumed. Players will be able ‘to heighten their media profile’ and it will be good for ‘the popularity of the game’.
Read these two tales again.
On initial reading you might think that the first is unbelievable. How could someone think that dipping money into a jar of Chicken Tonight could result in a windfall?
However, look again at the second.
How can an organiser of a poker tournament think it’s a good idea to have a four month gap before playing the final table?
If you think about the tales together, you may think they are ultimately the same story: one individual/group telling another: ‘this will benefit you!’ whilst trousering more cash. The Frenchman makes an easy $35,000, Harrah’s sells much more TV coverage.
No matter that an innocent is now broke or that a great poker tournament could be subject to a scam, blackmail or even the death of one of the participants. As long as someone is maximising their take, why should they worry about the consequence?
BTW – sadly, both stories are true.
The Frenchman was caught and will go on trial.
Harrah’s are yet to be charged for any impropriety.
However on other occasions, stories are available on tap and all we have to do is sit at the bar and become intoxicated on their mind altering substance.
As an example of the latter, consider these two tales, one about poker and the other about an alleged crime: – you have to work out which one is true.
There was a recent case of a man being conned out of $35,000. He was told by a Frenchman that if he left a mixture of real cash and blank bills to marinate in a magical liquid overnight, he would double the value of his cash. When he woke up next morning, (surprise, surprise) both the cash and the alleged con-artist had disappeared.
The victim could not even afford to buy some beef cutlets and utilise the remaining marinade. Maybe the cutlets would have become a cow which he could trade on the way to the market for some magical beans which his mother would then throw out of the window and then …….ok, ok, we digress
The next tale is about the WSOP.
A few years ago, Harrah’s, the hotel-casino chain acquired the rights to the largest set of poker tournaments in the world. The casino wasted no time pissing off the players: the tournament was moved from May to July. Vegas is a hell-hole in July: too hot, the decent shows stop and some of the hookers take vacations. It was clearly a move with the player’s best interests at hears and not a brilliant idea to fill Harrah’s empty rooms.
Not content to exposing players to heightened risk of skin-cancer, the chain has now decided that they are going to delay the final of the main event until November so they can ‘maximise coverage’. So, after the final table of 9 is formed, there will be a 4 month gap until play is resumed. Players will be able ‘to heighten their media profile’ and it will be good for ‘the popularity of the game’.
Read these two tales again.
On initial reading you might think that the first is unbelievable. How could someone think that dipping money into a jar of Chicken Tonight could result in a windfall?
However, look again at the second.
How can an organiser of a poker tournament think it’s a good idea to have a four month gap before playing the final table?
If you think about the tales together, you may think they are ultimately the same story: one individual/group telling another: ‘this will benefit you!’ whilst trousering more cash. The Frenchman makes an easy $35,000, Harrah’s sells much more TV coverage.
No matter that an innocent is now broke or that a great poker tournament could be subject to a scam, blackmail or even the death of one of the participants. As long as someone is maximising their take, why should they worry about the consequence?
BTW – sadly, both stories are true.
The Frenchman was caught and will go on trial.
Harrah’s are yet to be charged for any impropriety.
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