Aussie Trip - 2007/01/12 - Celebrities everywhere...
Let the shameless name dropping commence.
I have breakfast with Steve and Kenna James in the Observatory right at the top of Crown Towers with a spectacular view over Melbourne.
We sit down at a table for four and whilst I am munching on my muesli, Kenna says he can see Daniel sitting on his own - should he invite him over to join us? I don't think much of it - until a small Canadian wearing a Full Tilt hat brings over his bacon and eggs. It is, of course, Mr Negreanu.
He seems like a nice guy and we discuss the merits of the PokerPro machines that have just been installed. These are essentially poker tables without dealers but with touch screens instead. Daniel thinks they are the devil's work but Kenna thinks they may bring players into live poker who otherwise might not play. I think the jury is out on this one.
Daniel has to rush off to play in the $100,000 buy-in tournament. There are rumours about his financial position but it would appear to be just a matter of misreading the buy-in amount - he though it was $10,000. Hmm...not sure about that one.
...and the celebrities keep coming - Roger Federer pitches up and then Chris Ferguson - who looks a bit odd without his hat.
But where is Shannon? Instead Joe Hachem's brother waltzes in and we eavesdrop on his conversation - apparently he has been posing with her for photos at the local Aussie Rules football team Carlton. According to Steve they are complete relegation fodder - but of course Shannon does not understand this.
Steve thinks he can play the horse card - his "farm" actually owns a large proportion of the most expensive stallions in Australia. Surely that would impress a girl more than a trip to the equivalent of Vicarage Road?
We put Kenna on the case - surely he can get us an in?
I mention that, of course I am related to English royalty. So that is all sorted, dinner with Shannon tonight and when it is accidentally revealed that Steve has a wife and small child, yours truly will smooth his way in....
...it isn't going to happen, is it?
and now one for the ladies...
I take a seat at a single table satellite and 2 to my right is some bloke called Mark. As soon as he sits down people start asking him about his leg. Seems a bit odd that a poker player would have a significant leg injury. Did he bang his knee on the table when all-in in a big tournament? Perhaps he dropped a rack of chips on his toe? Anyway a young blonde - the so called "poker princess" (according to the label on her ample left breast) comes over to take a picture of him with her phone. Surprisingly she is not interested in taking my picture. After he starts giving us too much information about inverted cartillage or some such on his knee I finally twig that is in fact Mark Philippoussis. So girls at last you have an incentive to join up with Full Tilt Poker who are sponsoring him in the main event. I will concede that he is a handsome chap, but is perhaps a little bit David Hasselhof...
I am not even going to bother with a report of the satellites I played today - not even close to getting anywhere. Looks like I am going to have to pay the full $10,000.
I have breakfast with Steve and Kenna James in the Observatory right at the top of Crown Towers with a spectacular view over Melbourne.
We sit down at a table for four and whilst I am munching on my muesli, Kenna says he can see Daniel sitting on his own - should he invite him over to join us? I don't think much of it - until a small Canadian wearing a Full Tilt hat brings over his bacon and eggs. It is, of course, Mr Negreanu.
He seems like a nice guy and we discuss the merits of the PokerPro machines that have just been installed. These are essentially poker tables without dealers but with touch screens instead. Daniel thinks they are the devil's work but Kenna thinks they may bring players into live poker who otherwise might not play. I think the jury is out on this one.
Daniel has to rush off to play in the $100,000 buy-in tournament. There are rumours about his financial position but it would appear to be just a matter of misreading the buy-in amount - he though it was $10,000. Hmm...not sure about that one.
...and the celebrities keep coming - Roger Federer pitches up and then Chris Ferguson - who looks a bit odd without his hat.
But where is Shannon? Instead Joe Hachem's brother waltzes in and we eavesdrop on his conversation - apparently he has been posing with her for photos at the local Aussie Rules football team Carlton. According to Steve they are complete relegation fodder - but of course Shannon does not understand this.
Steve thinks he can play the horse card - his "farm" actually owns a large proportion of the most expensive stallions in Australia. Surely that would impress a girl more than a trip to the equivalent of Vicarage Road?
We put Kenna on the case - surely he can get us an in?
I mention that, of course I am related to English royalty. So that is all sorted, dinner with Shannon tonight and when it is accidentally revealed that Steve has a wife and small child, yours truly will smooth his way in....
...it isn't going to happen, is it?
and now one for the ladies...
I take a seat at a single table satellite and 2 to my right is some bloke called Mark. As soon as he sits down people start asking him about his leg. Seems a bit odd that a poker player would have a significant leg injury. Did he bang his knee on the table when all-in in a big tournament? Perhaps he dropped a rack of chips on his toe? Anyway a young blonde - the so called "poker princess" (according to the label on her ample left breast) comes over to take a picture of him with her phone. Surprisingly she is not interested in taking my picture. After he starts giving us too much information about inverted cartillage or some such on his knee I finally twig that is in fact Mark Philippoussis. So girls at last you have an incentive to join up with Full Tilt Poker who are sponsoring him in the main event. I will concede that he is a handsome chap, but is perhaps a little bit David Hasselhof...
I am not even going to bother with a report of the satellites I played today - not even close to getting anywhere. Looks like I am going to have to pay the full $10,000.
posted by charlie at 6:48 PM
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