May
19
by Jake
Poker professional Phil “The Unabomber” Laak is looking to set a new world record for the most hours of poker played in a single sitting.
Taking place at the luxurious Bellagio Poker Room in Las Vegas, starting on June 2, Laak will be looking to break the world record of 78 straight hours of playing poker which was set by Paul Zimbler in the fall of 2009.
Laak will be using the record-breaking attempt to raise money for charity. Camp Sunshine, an organization that provides respite, support, joy and hope to children with life-threatening illnesses and their immediate families through various stages of a child's illness, will be the beneficiary.
Phil Laak is an internationally recognized poker pro, known for his iconic look at the poker table where he wears sunglasses and a hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head. He is also a regular on televised poker shows like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker. His animated personality, banter at the tables and interest in participating in sometimes bizarre propositional bets have also contributed to his renown.
"I have played many enduro sessions of poker, but never anything of this magnitude,” stated Laak. “I know this will test my limits but I love a good challenge and am excited to be trying to beat this record in Vegas’ top poker room."
The AAA Five Diamond award-winning Bellagio will play host to the record-breaking challenge as well as the World Poker Tour’s Bellagio Cup in late June.
Doug Dalton, Director of Poker Operations at Bellagio, said, "We are always thrilled to be a part of history and we believe Phil can break the world record. He is a great customer and friend of ours and the Bellagio Poker Room staff wishes him the best in his efforts."
Follow Phil Laak before, during and after his poker endurance challenge on Twitter at http://twitter.com/realphillaak.
For a sneak peak of what you can expect will happen to the Unabomber, see the Youtube video of Paul Zimbler after playing more than 78 hours of poker last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkgACB7RFi8
May
15
by Phil
It seems like I have seen quite of few movies lately and never got around to ranking them....
Here we go... (and if I have given my thoughts earlier... well... I only hope that my ranking and thoughts are similar to what I wrote before.)
A Single Man: Ford put crazy effort into making sure that every scene was super stylistic and slick. Each scene was made paying mad attention to all sorts
of details. He created a very stylized bit of a movie. The movie itself was cool too. Abouut a man in love, his lover dies, he is bummed, and right as he is
on the brink of taking his life, he finds reason to live (another man) and then tragically has a heart attack and dies anyway. It is all played out over the span of
one day. (my grade. 80)
Armored: This was about the most painful movie I have seen in a long while. Wow. And not just regular pain, but really high level head splitting pain. How the hell can a guy like Laurence Fishburne be in the coolest movie ever (Matrix) and the most painful waste of time movie (nearly) ever will be a mystery to me. (But oddly he will most likely never know how bad the movie was - why? Well, think about it. Who does Laurence know that will tell him he just made one of the worst movies ever? Nobody.) Whatever. Pointless movie. My grade. 35. Yes. (That is on the 1 -100 scale.) By the way... (It might be a 10 all thru a 59, not sure really... when they are this bad it is hard to tell.)
Avatar: This flick was amazing. I should see it again. (my grade. 93)
The Blind Side: Wasn't planning on seeing this one (because it looks lame) but then I found out that one of my favorite author's (Michael Lewis - The Big Short, Liar's Poker) wrote the book that the movie was based on. So now I will see it. But I expect it is going to be lame. At least the previews made gave me that impression. So we will see on that.
The Book of Eli: Doomsday, dark times in the future. This was supposed to be a lame movie, and well, in a way it was. But I still liked it. I love Gary Oldman, and I thought Mila Kunis was cool enough in this flick. I have a soft spot for unrealistic fight scenes in the dark and gloomy future, and this movie had a lot of that. (my grade. 75)
Edge of Darkness: Wow. Just goes to show you that kings can fall. I mean, lets face it, Mad Max with Mel Gibson back in the day was the nuts (95 for its time), and now he got involved in this pile of dribble. Very painful. Slow, and pointless. (my grade. 65)
Gentlemen Broncos: What a whack fun wierd off beat flick this was. Super off beat, surreal comedy about a young sci-fi writer, whose story is stolen and turned into a best seller. Nothing like a regular movie AT ALL. But I like it. (my grade. 78.)
Jennifer's Body: I think I gave a grade on this one already, but it would be a sin if I only thought I did, but missed it. This was a fun flick about a high school girl possessed by a hungry demon (her hunger is satisfied by eating her dates and so forth throughout the movie.) It was way better than most movies like this in this genre. (my grade. 82)
Percy Jackson & The Lightninig Thief: (I was on a plane, what can I say?). I am always down for kid's flicks. I am expert at reverting to my 14 yr old brain. I have managed to see many kids movies this way. And grade them as if I was that same 14. But no matter how I tried I just couldn't find anything good about this flick. It was more or less a waste of time. (my grade. (from the 14 yr old perspective) 68 or so.)
What else.. what am I forgetting...
oh yeah...
Iron Man 2: I liked it. Obv. I actually liked this one more than Iron Man 2. (I think that I was in the minority here.) (my grade. 80)
Kick-Ass: Everyone loved this movie for some reason. There were some great parts, and decent bits here and there, but it didn't hit me like it hit everyone else. (my grade. 78)
Youth in Revolt: This was an absolute must see movie. Michael Cera is a genius and he has made cinema gold. Teenage love story. Brilliant. (my grade. 93)
Hot Tub Time Machine: Please see this movie. Wow. Pure gold. (my grade. 90)
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And now I want to end on this note. My prediction for the coolest movie since Matrix. (And please let me be right here.)
INCEPTION!! (Hit's the theaters on July 16th)
Oh my oh my. The trailers look about as cool as it gets. (The new DiCaprio flick)
That is it for now.
Phil.
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May
10
by Chad Holloway
Even by poker movie standards, Deal is a bad beat.
I just got done watching the poker movie “Deal” which stars Burt Reynolds and Shannon Elizabeth. I’ve seen some crappy poker movies in my time, but that one might just take the cake. It was cool to see cameos by some of poker’s biggest names though, like Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, and Jennifer Tilly. Although I may have wasted my time with that flick, I did get to see Iron Man 2 and I was not disappointed. I’m kind of a comic book geek anyway, but I highly recommend it.
I’m getting really excited about the World Series of Poker. I will be leaving Wisconsin on May 22 and heading to Vegas. I plan on arriving a few days early to get some good playing time in before working my ass off for Poker News. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity but know I will be working my ass off. The WSOP can be a major grind not only for players, but for reporters as well. I think the average day for a reporter is about 14 hours. Regardless, I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing this summer and actually getting paid.
Sunglasses seem to be a hot topic of discussion in the poker forums. Specifically, Daniel Negreanu has suggested that sunglasses should be banned from the poker table because they make it easier to spot marked cards, poker is a human game, and it’s better for TV. In fact, the “Big Game” which will air on Fox (Laak will be playing) has banned sunglasses for their format. I must admit that I often wear sunglasses while playing and don’t think that they should be banned from poker. I don’t mind if an occasional tournament or format bans them, but such a regulation shouldn’t be universally applied (especially at the WSOP). I wear sunglasses at the table for two main reasons. First, I don’t always pay attention to what’s going on at the table (sometimes I’m daydreaming or reading a book) and I don’t want my opponents to know if I’m slacking or looking at the action. Second, I don’t want my opponents to know what I’m looking at when I’m playing. For example, if I am trying to get a read on someone I might concentrate on watching their eyes or their hands. If my opponent knows, they will be better equipped to fix their tells. On top of this all, I like the fact that wearing sunglasses gives me options. I don’t always wear them, so sometimes when I put them down players assume I’m bluffing and pay me off. Personally, I feel a sunglasses ban would deeply cut my poker profits. Either way, it should be interesting to see how the debate pans out.
I’m currently trying to find some good Fantasy Poker opportunities, so I’ll try to post some options in my next blog. So if you like Fantasy Poker or want to give it a try, check back and I’ll do my best to let you know what’s out there.
May
5
by Phil
My life in a nutshell for the last bit.
London. Poker. Won. (and my girl did too.)(more than me in fact!) Viffer killed nearly everyone (so happy to have emerged as one of the top 5 winners.
(It was for a televised poker thing for Euroland.)
Volcanic ash disrupts travel plans back to Vegas. No more Belly 25k for me.
Waited a bit more in London then went to Monte Carlo. Played. Got my ass handed to me.
Monte Carlo Highlights.
Lots of steps for sick workouts.
Sat next to Viktor Blom for high roller turny. (mini brag)
Had lots of quality time with Neil Channing, John Duthie, and even a little with my ol' buddy Haralabob Voulgaris.
Watched a bit of the Gran Prix stuff (pre-lims).
Got quality time with Sander Lyloff, and saw a bit of Gus too. Some back gammon stuff happened. And except for getting my ass handed to me I enjoyed.
The shrimp pasta thing at the hotel was AMAZING.
Monte Carlo Low-lights
Shower in room was spastic and pathetic.
Internet at the Hotel was third world at best.
All the poker residents got hustled on the breakfast thing. Supposed to be added. It was. But it was not the regular breakfast place (good) in
the hotel. Instead we were all treated like animals and had to eat gruel in the basement. THIS IS NOT A LIE. It was sick how awful the whole thing was.
I hate getting hustled. And on this one, we all got the 'Hustle Royal'.
Lost a lot of money. (Total trip in Euroland was for sure nasty.)
Random Sightings.
On plane ride home, Jermaine Jackson (music) and Michael Madsen (movies) were both on the same flight. (Madsen was in Euroland for the Gumball rally thing.)(Jennifer has
done some flicks with him so they chatted. I was asleep and never got to say hello. Which I would have for sure done. He was so mega sick in Reservoir Dogs.)
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In LA now.
Off to Vegas in 40 mins.
Playing in a thing called the "Doubles Poker Championship."
32 players. 50k. (1.6 mil total, and they are adding 400k to prize money.)
I love the added prize money thing. Not so convinced that doubles poker is a good idea.
Seems like it goes against the very fabric of poker. We will see.
My team matches (random draw) are going to be with
Andy Bloch
Mike the Mouth
Phil Ivey
David Chiu
I am most happy about the pair up with the Mouth. I love this guy. He is always makes me happy.
He is always in story telling mode. And he has fun stories. I also love how in his mind all poker players
(winning or not) suck. Except maybe two or three. I can't remember. Anyway. Looking forward to being
entertained.
And the most interesting pairing for me will be Ivey. He is of course Ivey, and a legend and all that stuff, but aside from
that I really have never hung out with him. So it will be like in 3rd grade when you get paired up with the mega popular
super hero kid on a team assignment. I will be the wing man here (obv) and I think it will be interesting.
Other than HSP and one or two tournies we have not really played together. For this event, instead
of being adversaries at the table, we will be allies. Should be interesting. Hoping to learn something along the way too.
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On the 8th I will be playing in the "Big Game" - which is a 200 400 televised game with antes - 6 handed. Cool.
And if I don't get my ass cracking I am going to miss my flight.
Later
Phil Laak
Degen for Life
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