Poker Camp Weekend

I just came back from the WSOP Academy HORSE poker camp.  Believe it or not, with a total of three lectures to give, I got laryngitis!  Luckily, the worst of it was on Saturday which happened to be the only day I wasn’t scheduled to lecture.  As usual, it was an awesome group of really dedicated poker enthusiasts who were eager to learn, to say the least.  I am always realy exhilarated by these camps.  I see how interested and thirsty people are for knowledge about this amazing game and watching the improvement in the campers’ play from Friday to Sunday is always really amazing to see.  To know that you can have that immediate and direct an impact on someone in just three short days is pretty damn cool.

My brother did this camp with me so I got to hang out with him all weekend.  In the three tournaments we played with the campers I came in 10th and he final table the first one, Howard final tabled the second on and we stopped the last final table at 4 players with me among the last four on the third day.  And they say poker is all luck! Ha!

Andy Bloch gave the stud high seminar and it was awesome!   I made sure to attend that one because I thought I could learn a thing or two from Andy and I was right.  He was really clear and gave me some new insights into the game.  Mark Seif gave the Razz lecture.  I didn’t get to that one since I was working out before I had about 5 hours of seminars to do myself on Sunday but I hear it was fantastic.  And Joe Navarro rocked the tells seminar, as usual.  He is always a special treat to listen to.

My dad and his wife, Simone, attended.  I figure in about 5 more camps my dad actually might become a good player!  lol…all the math in my family is passed down through my mother!  But my dad is a dedicated student of the game and that is what really matters in the end.

My friend, Michael Nadius, came as my guest (a birthday present to him) and Joe and I had a great time getting some to hang with him on his birthday weekend.  Saturday was his actual birthday and we took him to Guy Savoy and did the 10 course tasting menu.  They were nice enough to prepare a non dairy version just for me and the food was heavenly and completely guilt free! I don’t think I have ever eaten at a restaurant where the chef has any Michelen stars so a place where the chef has 3 was a new experience for all of us and well worth it. 

With all my travel recently I have been really good about keeping up with the workouts.  I worked out every morning on Caesar’s this weekend but, check this out, they charged $25 bucks each workout even if you were staying in the hotel!  I think that is mroe than the buffet!  Granted, it was a really nice workout facility but holy cow…I guess if you aren’t going to be gambling they want to get your money out of you somehow.  With that kind of fee I knew everyone in that gym with me were truly dedicated to fitness!

I just got back tonight (Monday) and am heading out tomorrow for a quick trip.  I’ll be back Thursday and am planning a big trek to the El Segundo Whole Foods.  Gary Garcia from FSN got me hooked on that one…it rocks the whole foods in my neighborhood.  There is just about anything you could ever want there.

Oh, so we have gone completely non-dairy in the house and I got a great cookbook called “Totally Dairy Free Cooking.”  Maud requested the non-dairy chicken parmesan from the cookbook and I made it the night I left for Vegas.  maud has become a real teenager lately and rarely spontaneously delivers me a compliment anymore (though I am quite familiar with her spontaneous complaints .  But after she tried the chicken parm she declared it the best thing she had ever eaten!  Yay!  I take that as a personal point of pride.  I guess the whole non-dairy thing is a success…helped by all the whole grain non-dairy cookies I have been making to rave reviews

Anyway, I need to rest for a long plane ride tomorrow.  The House Judiciary Committee hearing was postponed till the 14th so I will be heading out beginning of next week for that.  I am so completely looking forward to testifying on behalf of civil liberties!