It never fails. You talk smack about a player, you make a bold prediction, you step out on a limb, and it comes back to haunt you. When last I checked in on the 2-7 final table, Lamar Wilkinson, the man whose game I completely discredited, was the chip leader. Oops. My bad. (But I will stick with my prediction; this man will not win this event.)
As packed with stars as the 2-7 final table is—Freddy Deeb, Erik Seidel, Andy Black, Chad Brown, and Shawn Sheikhan are sitting with Wilkinson—the actual table is just one of hundreds out on the floor, far far away from the fancy stage used by ESPN. Meanwhile, they are literally drinking champagne over at the celebrity event. A part of me still has the urge to poke fun of the Photo-Op Fest—I had old ladies shoving me out of the way so they could get a picture of Ben Affleck—but, once again, I just can’t. I actually love the Ante Up for Africa tournament and hope it happens every year, if not for the victims of the genocide going on in the Sudan then for some other worthy cause. And there are many. Too many.
I have always gotten a kick out of the single-minded degeneracy inherent to professional poker players. It’s fodder for a million entertaining stories. But I also find it really depressing at times. I would much rather read about Barry Greenstein giving his tournament winnings to charities that aid poor children than about Erick Lindgren pocketing $340,000 for winning a golf bet (though admittedly I still think his winning that bet was really cool, one of the greatest prop bet wins of all-time).
I have only hung out with Annie Duke once. We chatted for a bit and tested each other’s trivia knowledge. She knows a ton of arcane facts. I thought she was cool then. Now I think she’s one of the coolest people on the planet. Organizing one of these events can’t be easy. Calling countless p.r. people and personal assistants to make sure that some actor can make it to Vegas for a night is a full-time job, and she’s already got one of those. In fact, she’s got two—she’s also a mom. Why would she subject herself to this? Because it’s IMPORTANT. Poker is many things: cool, fun, entertaining. But in the grand scheme of things it’s not important. Annie Duke recognizes that, and she understands what is, and I give her all the credit in the world. On this day, more than any other I can remember, I am proud to be a poker player.
