It was no surprise when WCP asked “a woman” to write on their site but it was quite the shocker when they chose “a woman” who hadn’t undressed for money. Nonetheless, it was a quick affirmative as I knew I would have full access to their private jet and yacht. We debated… In the Cage with a Cougar, Five Minutes with a Cougar, The Cougar’s Roar and settled on The Cougar Corner.
They call me the Cougar for at least two of the following reasons:
1. It’s an inside joke. 2. I married a man 392 days my junior. 3. It makes the 1/3 of WCP married to a Cougar feel better. 4. Cougar halts at the border of offensiveness and my husband scares them. 5. I attended Cougar classes here.
However, last night between their beer bongs, SEXT* messages (to their current and first wives) and casino streaking, they couldn’t decide what exactly qualified one as a Cougar. Did she hunt or just prefer younger men? Should Cougars be at least 40 years-old with relations averaging a ten year age difference? Did a Cougar need to be a fan of the Chippendale dancers?
In Cougar summary, it doesn’t matter because they’ve branded me with the nickname and now, since several people addressed me as Cougar yesterday at the 2008 WSOP, I guess it’s “Time to Say Goodbye” to nickname numero uno…the Black Widow.
The 2008 World Series of Poker unofficially got underway last night as Bluff Magazine, one of the hottest cougars around Jennifer Tilly, and Phil Laak hosted its official kick-off party at Tao Nightclub.
So naturally it made for a fine first webisode of The TOKE in kicking off our2008 WSOP coverage. And since it was a WSOP party and since it was at Tao, it also brought back fresh reminders of just two years ago when one of the most legendary bedlam ensuing moments happened in Las Vegas history.
As reported by multiple sources (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and so on), poker pro Phil Laak was seen playing 10/20 NL at Bellagio the other day.
Developing . . .
Photo above of Phil Laak not playing 10/20 at Bellagio.
A month after Zak Penn’s The Grand stormed the box office by banking just enough to buy-in to the WPT Championship, the poker movie Deal, which stars waxy-looking golden ager Burt Reynolds and features Dancing with the Stars’ Shannon Elizabeth (at right) playing a Las Vegas hooker, hits movie screens tonight in select cities, and already critics are rushing to give it praise.
Just sample some of these rave reviews:
“Deal has to take the title of the worst film ever about the game and that includes the how-to videos with Joan Rivers impersonators you see in your Vegas hotel room.” – Erik Childress, efilmcritic.com
“One of the most cliche-ridden and generally misguided films of not just the year, but the decade so far.” – Brian Tallerico, Deadbolt.com
“Director/co-writer Gil Cates Jr. gives us a by-the-numbers execution of a by-the-numbers story, which would barely be movie-of-the-week material but for Reynolds’s ’star power.’” – LA City Beat
“A poker movie that has the dubious honor of being even worse than Lucky You.” – Gary Thompson (but not the Gary Thompson?), Philadelphia Daily News
In related news our highly acclaimed screenplay titled Sitting on the Can While Writing This Post just got greenlit. It’s set to be filmed this morning, after our third cup of coffee kicks in. Drop us an email if you want to be an extra.
Below is a video of RawVegas.tv’s Denise Pernula prettying up the red carpet at the Deal’s premiere last night at the Palms in Las Vegas. Maybe it’s us but it’s like director Gil Cates Jr. and his producers know they made a piece of crap film. Like they were baked out of their minds when they shot it and now are trying to stop themselves from laughing as they try to talk serious about it. Also in the video, card-tossing couple Jennifer Tilly and Phil Laak talk about their non-plans ahead of the 2008 WSOP, and in news sure to delight ex-WCP reader Carl, Dancing With the Stars’ lovebirds Shannon Elizabeth and Ricky SchroderDerek Hough say they are getting married in Las Vegas. Burt Reynolds unfortunately couldn’t get out of the Madame Tussaud museum he lives in to walk the red carpet.
This is the first of our new series of poker blog round-ups at Wicked Chops Poker in which we send people to other blogs to get their poker news fix. Yep, we’re all about link love here at Wicked Chops Poker. Link love and laziness.
:: Shocking! Men “The Master” Nguyen accused of cheating in LA, this time by none other than Justin Bonomo (Click here)
:: Phil Laak allowed to start WPT Invitational on Day 2, David Singer nits, Shaniac picks (Click here)
:: Gutshot WSOP reporter Barron Vangor Toth, a favorite of ours, sadly dies at age 34, Pokerati Dan obits (Click here)
:: David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth are dumb and dumber, grumps Gary Carson (Click here and here)
:: Phil Ivey channels his inner Yang after big win, bestows Red Bull+Poker (Click here)
:: Las diferentes dimensiones del póquer, escribe David Williams, tacos Poquer-Red (Click here)
The girl in the photo, that’s Grace Park. See more of her here.
So we made it to the Commerce today after a night of relatively moderate bedlam that kicked off at the Library Alehouse in Santa Monica and somehow ended up with us at a Laurel Canyon mansion this morning with a group of Venice Beach trust fund hippies who graffiti’d are SUV rental with Obama stickers.
We’ll save that story however for our forthcoming 4-part series entitled "How We Spent the Friday Night Before the WPT LA Poker Classic."
For now, the word from the Commerce is that the action got underway almost 35 7 plus hours ago and we’re finally getting around to writing something and we don’t have much to say besides that pretty much every poker player you know this side of the Atlantic is here including Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Jamie Gold, John Phan, Carlos Mortensen, Are You Really Reading this List?, Paul Wasicka, Vannessa "Went to Duke" Rousso, Grover Cleveland, Layne Flack, Phil Laak, Josh Arieh, Rhahaeid Skaoodo, David Plastik, Barry Greenstein, Dan Harrington, Erick Lindgren, Mother Teresa, Eric Mizrachi, Scott Clements, Haralabos Voulgaris, Still Reading This?, David Williams, Freddy Deeb, We Wonder What We Should Eat for Dinner, Gavin Smith, David Singer, Lee Watkinson, Perhaps We’ll Go to Panchos Tonight, Tom Schneider, Mark Seif, This Is Getting Tiring, Chau Giang, Tim Phan and Erick Seidel.
In total, 665 players started today, down considerably from last year’s 791, and the total prize pool is $6,374,400, with first place set to take home $1,596,100. In 2007, Eric Hershler walked away with $2,429,970.
Bill Maendele: @wickedchops Madsen Greenstein Doyle Ivey Annette E-Dog Daniel Raymer Moneymaker, Eric Baldwin, Dario M, Jason M, hellmuth, Brock Jeff L.
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It was no surprise when WCP asked “a woman” to write on their site but it was quite the shocker when they chose “a woman” who hadn’t undressed for money. Nonetheless, it was a quick affirmative as I knew I would have full access to their private jet and yacht. We debated… In the Cage with a Cougar, Five Minutes with a Cougar, The Cougar’s Roar and settled on The Cougar Corner. 
A month after Zak Penn’s The Grand stormed the box office by banking just enough to buy-in to the WPT Championship, the poker movie Deal, which stars waxy-looking golden ager Burt Reynolds and features Dancing with the Stars’ Shannon Elizabeth (at right) playing a Las Vegas 
:: Shocking! Men “The Master” Nguyen accused of cheating in LA, this time by none other than Justin Bonomo (
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