The WSOP Diaries: Week 2 - (Not So) Pretty Vegas

Living in Las Vegas is like meeting a girl at a nightclub. Through all the flashing lights, loud music and the crush of the crowd, you see a hot young thing batting her eyelids at you across the room. Your heart flutters. You can feel your face flush red-hot. You’re not sure if it’s from the haze of cigarette smoke or the beer goggles that you’re now wearing after downing a gallon of vodka, but to you, she’s the most wonderful person you’ve ever met. It’s love at first sight.

As you dance the night away together, bumping and grinding and sweating, the chemistry builds. She’s giving away all the signs. You know that you want to take this girl home and ravage her in every way possible – and she knows that you know and she’s down for anything. It’s like neither of you want to be out each other’s lives from this moment.

But after you wake up in the morning and rub your eyes to take a real look at her in the sunlight. The bile rises in your throat from her scent. You study her body intensely. It’s pocked, flabby and pale, covered in bruises and scars. Her make-up is peeling from her body heat. It’s intense, but right now, the last thing you want to do is be next to her.

Too late – as you begin to slowly creep out of bed, she stirs, sits up and greets you with a smile, only this time you can see the stains in her teeth. She begins to talk about the night you’ve had together and you can’t believe the shit that’s pouring from this girl’s mouth. “I know you have feelings for me, and yes, I have them too – I want us to be together forever.”

You smile politely. You answer her questions with a series of uh-huh’s and mmmm’s, but secretly, you want to get the fuck out of there as quickly as you possibly can.

Las Vegas is a seedy, dangerous place by day. As you walk down the street, you'll find yourself surrounded by dusty, ragged, downtrodden zombie bums that wander aimlessly up and down Flamingo, usually hanging around the bus stop outside of the Westin. You can tell by how much they’ve pickled in the Nevada sun as to the length of time that they’ve spent on the streets.

Still, they don’t beg. Instead, they just sleep in the shade or sip from the pint-sized beer cans in brown paper bags. They know that nobody’s going to give them money. This is Sin City. Out here, you’ve got to fend for yourself. If you don’t develop a steel spine, Las Vegas will chew you up and spit you out.

Oh, and God help you if you’re homeless and out on the street on weekends. There must be some sort of code, because on Friday and Saturday nights, they’re nowhere to be found. After all, they have to make room for all the tourists.

Instead, they’re replaced by hoardes of Hispanic immigrants that stand on every street corner of Las Vegas Boulevard, wearing cheap fluoro t-shirts blaring the slogan, “MEET HOT SEXY GIRLS TONIGHT!” All day and all night, they’ll flick pamphlets at you – you’ll constantly hear the fap-fap-fap of the cardboard slapping against their hands, trying to dish off discount vouchers to strip clubs and escorts.

All you need to do is just keep your head down and keep walking – besides, if you are looking for a quick fix, there are red-and-yellow boxes on the sidewalk that have all the pornographic catalogues you need. Not an actual newspaper stand or postbox in sight.

So one would think that upon arriving to work before the start of another day at the World Series of Poker, you’d be okay. It’s air-conditioned, spacious and besides, you’re in the midst of poker Mecca. The biggest poker event on the calendar. Surely, this would cheer you up. Right?

Wrong.

It’s not that you don’t want to be here – after all, it’s everyone’s dream to come to the WSOP, no matter if you’re a player, dealer or a member of the press. Like any job, you have your good and bad days, plus you’re always meeting lots of new people and running into plenty of other friends from back home.

It’s not that at all – it’s the incessant clacking and riffling and splashing of poker chips, across all 400+ tables in both the Pavillion and Amazon Rooms. Add to that the super-high ceilings and it makes the sound echo like crickets chirping. Not even the years of working in casinos and card clubs can help you to shut out the sound.

It drives you insane. You feel your blood boil. You have to get rid of the noise, it’s burning into your brain and it’s making your ears ache. As soon as the tournament director announces time for the break, you run outside for a smoke and escape to the silence.

And you don’t even realise that until you’ve looked up from lighting your cigarette, it’s now late at night and the glittering lights of the casinos on The Strip are lit up once again. You see the bellowing fountains of the Bellagio. The Roman empire that is Caesar’s Palace. The bella vista of the Venetian. The untold bounties that lay within Treasure Island and the piercing tower of the Stratosphere and all the places in between, making the black sky burn from the neon.

And it’s at that very moment, as you look out at that view, that you find yourself falling in love with her all over again.

The WSOP Diaries: Week 1 - Losing My Vegas V-Plates

For the last few days, I’ve been trying to put my thoughts into words for this blog in an attempt to tell you about my first week here in Las Vegas. It’s been a struggle, to say the least.

In fact, one could say that coming here for the first time is a lot like losing your virginity: awkward, painful and humiliating – and at times you often question yourself as to why you’ve even put yourself here.

Every day, my head is aching from the million-and-one thoughts running through my brain. My body feels like it’s about to float away and my skin constantly tingles. My palms are sweaty from nerves, my lips are chapped from the heat and my mouth is always dry from the air conditioning in our apartment. I always feel like I’m dehydrated, even after gulping down gallons of bottled water.

I’ve put it down to a mixture of jet lag, alcohol, writer’s block and homesickness – especially homesickness. Seeing my fiancé burst into tears on the morning of my departure from Tullamarine Airport was heart-breaking, as we’ve never been apart for this long.

She understands that this has been the ultimate dream since I started working in this industry seven years ago and although I am indeed living that dream now, the last thought in my head every night as I’m about to go to sleep is that I’ll be waking up the next morning, back in my bed at home, next to her once again.

Even as I’m sitting out on the balcony having a smoke, I have to close my eyes tightly, open them and take another look at the view. From left to right I see the Flamingo, the Imperial Palace, Harrah’s, the Wynn and the Stratosphere casinos. The desert haze causes the buildings to fade slightly, making the buildings appear as if they were in a painted backdrop on a movie set. It just doesn’t seem real.

Incredible: the view from our balcony at dusk

Yet, here I am, alone, smack-bang in the middle of the Nevada Desert, living in God’s playground. And tomorrow, I launch myself head-first into the madness that is the World Series of Poker (WSOP). That’s not to say that I haven’t had my fair share of adventure in Sin City already.

Even the flight from Melbourne on Saturday morning was an experience in itself. Upon arriving at the airport at 3am, I was expecting to see the terminal buzzing with life. Instead, it was as empty and lifeless as a graveyard and my stomach churned as I waited in the departure lounge. Without all the hustle and bustle and the organised chaos around me, it just didn’t feel right. As soon as the announcement came over the PA, I rushed to the front of the queue to board the plane as quickly as possible to rid myself of that deafening silence.

Mind you, after more than 20 hours crammed in cattle class, I wanted nothing more to do with flying and was relieved to finally arrive at The Meridian, my home for the next two months. We’re located a couple of miles south of the Rio, on the corner of Koval and Flamingo – which is right near where Tupac was shot. I’ve also been told that 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth puts his parents up here every year.

Home sweet home, indeed: the main pool and clubhouse at The Meridian

The Meridian looks more like a resort, with two swimming pools (both with outdoor spas and gas BBQs and cabanas poolside), a fully-equipped gym, clubhouse, concierge (who is never around when I need them) and squash and racquetball courts. Luckily I had done my research on this place and packed my racquet – who knows, perhaps I could be Las Vegas’ first-ever squash-playing hustler in history?

But on that first day, peeling myself out of the clothes I had been wearing for the last God-knows-how-many-hours, I discovered to my horror that the showers didn’t work. At least, that’s what I thought for a couple of days, during which time I was using the swimming pool as a bath – until Harley (AKA ‘Canadoft’, who is also reporting at the WSOP for the first time this year) pointed out that you had to twist and pull out the tap simultaneously to turn it on.

I’m almost certain I could taste those sweet tears of joy (or was that caked-on sweat?) through the water during that first shower.

My flatmate this year is Chris, AKA ‘Homer’. He’s a British poker blogger extraordinaire and we’ve worked together before at the Aussie Millions a couple of years ago. From memory, this is his third trip to the WSOP and admittedly, I’ve been annoying him with questions about everything, but he’s helped me through a lot over the last few days and we get along just fine.

And during the course of the next few days, there was plenty more that I learned about this town, which I strongly recommend that you should take note of, in case you’re planning to come over here next year:

Firstly – always tip. Tip taxi drivers, tip waiters and waitresses and tip dealers. It’s expected that you do so, even if the service is crappy. Fortunately, I haven’t had a bad experience – yet – and have had no inclination to refuse to tip. Just be prepared to cop a mouthful if you don’t.

You can’t hail a taxi off the street in Las Vegas. Instead, you either have to book one over the phone or walk to the nearest casino taxi rank and get one from there, so make sure you always have cash on hand for fares.

Speaking of walking, be prepared to walk a long way and walk often. Everything about this city (and America in general) is big. Even a trip to the corner store takes about 15 minutes and to walk to a department store can take more than half an hour. Now I understand why so many people use those electric scooters.

It’s really easy to get lost. Even with directions from Google Maps, I somehow managed to walk for over an hour all the way down the wrong street in order to get to Target the other day, before giving up and catching a cab there from the MGM Grand. It doesn’t help that Americans drive on the wrong side of the road, so that messes with your head even more.

At least shopping here in the US is really cheap. I don’t know of any other place in the world where you can get a slab of bottled water for $3.49, or pick up a weeks’ worth of microwave dinners for a little over $2 each. Even purchasing a prepaid cell phone is a breeze. I only paid $141 for a $60-a-month unlimited talk, text and internet plan (and that included the handset). The salesman even activated the phone at the store, set it up and showed me how to use it – now that is customer service!

But whatever you do, don’t attempt to push your shopping trolley out of the car park. As I was walking up to the street from Target, phone in one hand (on hold to the cab company in order to make a booking) and pushing the trolley with the other, I didn’t realise that there was a security mechanism that causes the wheels of the trolley to lock up after it reaches a certain distance from the store.

I heaved, pulled, pushed, sweated and flailed about helplessly in the middle of the car park for over five minutes, trying to get back to the main entrance before an empty cab passed by. Out of sheer desperation, I hailed the driver – and fortunately for me, he did stop!

He even helped me load the groceries into the cab and then into the trolley when I got back to the Meridian so I could take them up the elevator to our apartment. I’m just glad that there are still some Good Samaritans out there in this world and I couldn’t thank him enough – the least I could do was pay him double the fare.

Finally, I have learned that the media’s hangout of choice is the Gold Coast Casino. It’s not the most glamorous place in the world (to put it lightly) and the entire place reeks of carpet freshener mixed with stale booze and cigarettes, but it’s got a certain charm to it that you can’t resist and you’re always in good company. It’s also got a 70-lane bowling alley (which costs only $1 per game after midnight) and $10 Pai Gow Poker, which is probably the most fun you can ever have grinding away $100 over several hours, all so you can drown yourself in free cocktails.

All this in one week – and the scary part is that I haven’t even officially started working yet. As the legendary Dr. Pauly said to me on the first night, “Get used to it. We’re going to be doing this every fucking night for the next seven weeks.”

It’s going to be a long two months for this Vegas virgin.

Oh, No He Didn't!

Just before 7.30pm, I received this particularly interesting email from one Michele Clayborne. It seems that after Phil Ivey came out swinging against his former sponsor (you can read the press release here), Tiltware have returned fire, releasing this official statement:

“Contrary to his sanctimonious public statements, Phil Ivey’s meritless lawsuit is about helping just one player – himself. In an effort to further enrich himself at the expense of others, Mr. Ivey appears to have timed his lawsuit to thwart pending deals with several parties that would put money back in players’ pockets."

"In fact, Mr. Ivey has been invited -- and has declined -- to take actions that could assist the company in these efforts, including paying back a large sum of money he owes the site. Tiltware doubts Mr. Ivey’s frivolous and self-serving lawsuit will ever get to court. But if it does, the company looks forward to presenting facts demonstrating that Mr. Ivey is putting his own narrow financial interests ahead of the players he professes to help.”


And with reports coming out of yesterday's opening day of the WSOP of a verbal stoush between James Bord and John Juanda during the $25,000 Heads-Up No Limit Hold'em Championship, there's no doubt that there are going to be some serious fireworks during the next two months. Stay tuned!

Yes, this shit did indeed just got real.

"You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry ..."

The 2011 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is only 12 hours old, but already there's been some huge news to have come out of Sin City, with Phil Ivey having announced that he is not playing in this year's series and will be suing Full Tilt Poker.

Yes, you read that right. Phil Ivey is NOT playing in this year's WSOP.

I can't even begin to tell you how much of a big deal this is. This is the Tiger Woods of Poker we're talking about. The eight-time WSOP bracelet winner, WPT champion and without a doubt the most popular player on the face of the planet and poster child for what was formerly one of the largest online poker sites in the world.

Now, with all the fallout from Black Friday, it seems that Phil Ivey has had enough of Full Tilt delaying the process of refunding its money to its players. And when Phil Ivey speaks, the world listens.

Here's the official statement from his website:

For many years, I have been proud to call myself a poker player. This great sport has taken me to places I only imagined going and I have been blessed with much success. It is therefore with deep regret that I believe I am compelled to release the following statement.

I am deeply disappointed and embarrassed that Full Tilt players have not been paid money they are owed. I am equally embarrassed that as a result many players cannot compete in tournaments and have suffered economic harm. I am not playing in the World Series of Poker as I do not believe it is fair that I compete when others cannot. I am doing everything I can to seek a solution to the problem as quickly as possible.

My name and reputation have been dragged through the mud, through the inactivity and indecision of others and on behalf of all poker players I refuse to remain silent any longer. I have electronically filed a lawsuit against Tiltware related to the unsettled player accounts. As I am sure the public can imagine, this was not an easy decision for me.

I whole heartedly refuse to accept non-action as to repayment of players funds and I am angered that people who have supported me throughout my career have been treated so poorly.

I sincerely hope this statement will ignite those capable of resolving the problems into immediate action and would like to clarify that until a solution is reached that cements the security of all players, both US and International, I will, as I have for the last six weeks, dedicate the entirety of my time and efforts to finding a solution for those who have been wronged by the painfully slow process of repayment.

The fallout was instantaneous – the Two Plus Two forums are being inundated and the World Series of Pai Gow at the Gold Coast has been put on hold as the bloggers belt out their two cents' worth. I myself was planning to put up my very first post on my Vegas experiences thus far, but clearly, this is not the time.

Mind you, Ivey had apparently been out of action from the tables in Bobby’s Room for some time now and naturally was amongst the millions of Americans shut out from online poker once the DOJ came in and crashed the party.



Let's be clear about one thing - when Ivey comes out and says something about this, you know you can take it as gospel. When it comes to poker (or gambling in general), Ivey means business - and like anybody, he will do as much as he can to protect himself and his interests. It's by no means an arrogant move - if you've been following him over the years, you know that Ivey is not quick to get out and sign autographs for fans or pay lip service to the media (both poker and mainstream).

As a result, Ivey has built a reputation of being a puzzle wrapped in a riddle wrapped in an enigma. The world knows it and they love it. All they want, all they need, is to see Phil Ivey play poker. They know that all Ivey wants to do is play poker. That's the way it was for him before the Moneymaker effect, and he has worked hard to keep it that way ever since.

So for him to say that he's not playing is a big deal. Because like everyone else, he wants to secure the future of the game for its players. He wants to ensure that Full Tilt, a company that he has been a big part of since its inception in 2004, pays its dues. And rest assured, if Phil Ivey is leading the charge against Full Tilt, thousands - and we're talking hundreds of thousands, if not millions - of people will stand beside him.

And they know that once everything finally gets sorted out (which for all we know could take years), he'll will be back at the WSOP next year. So don't be angry or upset - rejoice, because if there was ever a time that the poker world needed someone to speak out, it's right now - and we couldn't have found a better voice than Phil Ivey.

30-Day Song Challenge (Day 3)

It's time for another 30-Day Song Challenge blog and given that most of my friends of Facebook have already completed their lists, I better get a wriggle on!

Song #3 - A song that makes me happy
One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces - Ben Folds Five (from the album Whatever and Ever Amen, released by 550 Music, 1997)


When I first heard this song in Year 7, it made me smile. Not just because of the awesome piano-rock that is Ben Folds Five (which also happens to be one of our biggest influences for our band), but because I could relate to the lyrics and th underlying message of the song. I went through so much crap in my first four years of high school, but like Ben Folds, I knew that some day, I'd be able to rise above the bullshit.

This song inspired me and now, more than 10 years later, I'm exactly where I want to be. Every time this song comes up on my iPod, it still cheers me up and I can't help but dance to it and sing along - even if it's in the middle of a train station and I look and sound like a weirdo!

Please watch the video, listen and enjoy!

Lyrics

September '75, I was 47 inches high,
My mom said by Christmas I would have ...
A badass mother G.I. Joe, for your little minds to blow,
I still got beat up after class.

Yeah, now I'm big and important,
One angry dwarf and 200 solemn faces of you.
If you really want to see me,
Check the papers and the TV,
Look who's tellin' who what to do.
Kiss my ass,
Goodbye!

Don't give me that bullshit,
You know who I am!
I'm your nightmare, little man.
Vic you stole my lunch money, made me cry.
Jane, remember second grade?
Said you couldn't stand my face!
Rather than kiss me,
You said you'd rather die ...

Now I'm big and important,
One angry dwarf and 200 solemn faces of you.
If you really want to see me,
Check the papers and the TV,
Look who's tellin' who what to do.
Kiss my ass,
Goodbye!

You'll be sorry one day,
Yes, you will, yes, you will.
You shouldn't push me around,
'Cause I will, yes I will.
You will be sorry when I'm big,
Yes, you will, yes you will,
You will be sorry!

Now I'm big and important,
One angry dwarf and 200 solemn faces of you.
If you really want to see me,
Check the papers and the TV,
Now ... look who's tellin' who what to do!
Kiss my ass!

Kiss my ass, kiss my ass, kiss my ass goodbye now!

Kiss my ass, kiss my ass, kiss my ass goodbye now!

September '75 I was 47 inches high ...

September '75, September '75 ...

AHHHHHH!!

The Big Dance

I know it's been a long time since my last post here on LandoNation, but there's been a lot going on with school lately, most of which I'm trying to catch up on this weekend before I head overseas.

It's been a while since I've left Australia (the last trip was to Cebu, The Philippines in 2009), but this year, if I'm only going to be taking one trip, it would be this one.

The rumours are true - in exactly two weeks' time, I will be heading to the "big dance" that is the 42nd Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Rio All-Suite Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA!

It's my first time to the WSOP (and indeed, America) - and also the first time that I'll be celebrating my birthday outside of Australia! I don't think I've been this excited about an overseas trip in a long time, but at the same time, I'm preparing myself for what will be the hardest job in my career as a poker journalist.

58 events across almost three months in the midst of the Nevada Desert, at the height of summer, where the average temperature is above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Sure, we'll be inside the casino all day, but that's where the other extreme comes into play - from what I've been told, you'll need to rug up in winter clothes if you sit in the wrong spot. Industrial-strength air-conditioning FTW!

Also, the experienced campaigners have told me to expect an average day of about 14 hours - and I know one of my colleagues was stuck covering a final table for almost 24 hours! Of course, this is to be expected - after all, this is the WSOP. The one time of the year where anyone and everyone migrates to the hallowed felt for their shot at stardom. There's no other event like it - where else are you going to see the Average Joe and the Big Name Pro shoulder-to-shoulder, each with an equal chance of winning millions of dollars and the coveted gold bracelet?

I can't even begin to tell you just how big this event is, so I'll let this video do it for you.

I promise you, citizens of LandoNation, that I will endeavour to update you on all the goings-ons while I am in Las Vegas - assuming that I don't either collapse from exhaustion (or be hospitalised for alcohol poisoning when June 25 comes around).

In the meantime, I'm trying to make sure that I have all my assessment tasks up-to-date for uni before I leave, so I probably won't be able to post again until before I leave (and/or after I arrive). As for the videos, I'll try and get at least one up on the YouTube channel before I go, but with all that's happened (and still happening), I'm just taking it one day at a time.

I'll leave those random thoughts for another day. Right now, it's back to work!

For My Son

With so much bad news coming out of the poker world this year, I wanted to try and cheer you all up by sharing with you a very special piece of writing that I came across last year on an online poker forum. What makes it so special is that my father Peter wrote it - and I didn't discover he had done so until one of my friends told me about it. Needless to say, I was delighted!

Every time I feel that I'm under pressure, or if I feel miserable, I open up this file and read through it and it instantly cheers me up. I know that all of my family are proud of my achievements within the poker industry, but perhaps none more so than my Dad. So, without further ado, I'd like to present to you ... "For My Son".

My father and I at the 2010 Aussie Millions Player Party

My poker journey started like most players my age (47) when my parents and I played cards together, a common pursuit for my generation. We played games like 500, Euchre, Cribbage, Poker, 21, Acey-Deucey, etc. on a regular basis.

My father especially liked card games, he was very skilled and very passionate; a great 500player who could count cards and knew how and what to play to achieve maximum points.

Dad was a taxi driver and a gambler of sorts. He liked the gallops, blackjack and played poker (five card draw) at night with the other cabbies. I don't know if he had ever heard the term "rounder", but my father has long since passed. Pity - I lament that he is not here to play Texas Hold'em with his grandson and me, I am sure he would have loved the game as we do.

That brings me to my eldest son. At about 19 or 20 he announced that he a was taking a job at Crown Casino as a croupier, then later (after I left Crown) he announced that he was becoming a pub poker Tournament Director. A what? At this stage I knew very little about the game, apart from a bloke called Joe Hachem who had recently won a major poker game in the USA (that game being the 2005 World Series of Poker, of course).

At about the same time Casino Royale came out Landon announced that he was writing articles for Bluff Magazine and my interest to try this "new" game was raised again.

I saw it advertised around the local pubs and clubs in the Goulburn Valley (Shepparton) area and had seen it on TV, but due to work commitments never got the chance to play.

Finally in about April 2008, I got the opportunity play my first APL game and by year's end I had won the venue (very surprised) without ever winning a tournament and earned the nickname "Mr. Consistency".

January 2009 started with my first APL tournament win at a hotel in Wangaratta, followed up with a win in the monthly regional final.

During the weekend of the 2009 Aussie Millions, I played my first APL State Final and was picked out, along with twenty other lucky APL players, to play heads-up against Patrik Antonius.

I had never heard Landon so excited when I called and told him who I was playing and he was even more excited when I called him again and said that I had beaten him! Later that same evening, Landon invited me to be his guest at the Aussie Millions after party … very cool.

From that point on I decided that this was something more than just a casual pastime and like most players I looked for more games to play. Home games, online, Crown Casino etc.

In May 2009 I played my first real tournament at Crown Casino; my son asked me to be his partner in the teams event during the Melbourne Championships, we finished 15th & cashed for $500; certainly not a king's ransom, but it paid for our buy-in and petrol. Not too shabby!

In August I played in the APL Wild Turkey Grand Slam, finishing 56th and cashing for $1500, despite being card dead & cold-decked late on the second day… but that's poker!

My goal now is to win a position on the APL Team that will compete at the 2010 (or 2011) WSOP … fingers crossed!

Over the past months I have emailed and met some of Australia's best players. What an extraordinary bunch of people! Despite being a "fish" I have been welcomed and treated with respect; when I have asked questions to help my game, I have received a wonderful response ... many thanks to you all.

I hope to play larger tournaments and sit across the felt from you; time and money being the only obstacles. Hopefully I'll be able to win a satellite into the Aussie Millions or similar.

Everyone has a story of how and why they started playing; there is hardly a poker player in the game that has not seen Rounders or played with mates at a home game, complete with a BBQ or pizza, copious amounts of alcohol, bad beats and laughter.

We all want to play in the big tournaments, but there is nothing that beats playing with friends ... and nothing better than playing cards with your son.

More on Black Friday

Finally, I can actually blog something! Phew!

I have been absolutely flat out reading through as much information as I can about the "Black Friday" issue, trying to answer questions from friends and family members and being inundated with phone calls, text messages and emails.

Given the magnitude of the situation, and also the fact that it's still so fresh in everyone's minds (it's just over a week since the DOJ laid the smackdown on the "Big Three"), even I can't tell what's going to happen in the future. Will online poker eventually be legalised in the USA? How much will the sites suffer because of this? How will this affect everyone in the poker industry in the short and long term? Will I still be in a job after all this? Could a similar thing happen in Australia?



Honestly, I couldn't tell you. Purely because I feel that I am not qualified to do so (despite having been in the poker industry for so long). There is a lot of information out there that you should read first and then you should make up your own mind about it. Below are some links to some of my choice articles and blog posts that I've read about the issue:

PokerNews: http://www.pokernews.com/news/2011/04/online-poker-big-three-indicted-10218.htm

Press release from the US Attorney's Office (Department of Justice): http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/April11/scheinbergetalindictmentpr.pdf

Change100: http://potcommitted.blogspot.com/2011/04/end-of-poker-world-as-we-know-it.html

The Curious Capitalist - Time Magazine Online: http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2011/04/19/keeping-us-safe-from-poker/

Bill Rini: http://www.billrini.com/2011/04/16/fallout-full-tilt-pokerstars-pullout/

Five Thirty-Eight - NY Times: http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/after-black-friday-american-poker-faces-cloudy-future/

Infinite Edge: http://www.infiniteedgegaming.com/random-thoughts/about-time/

Relentless Defence: http://www.relentlessdefense.com/our-team/kevin-j-mahoney/commentary-on-high-profile-cases/u-s-attorney-s-office-on-tilt/

Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/21/us-usa-antigua-poker-idUSTRE73K6Z020110421?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&ca=rssvzw

The Australian - although not strictly speaking related to the US issue, it does ask the question as to whether something like this could happen in this country: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/local-banks-handling-us-online-poker-bets/story-e6frg6nf-1226042446419

Hopefully after this Easter break, I'll be able to settle down a bit and get back into more regular blog posts and videos on YouTube again. It's been a crazy couple of months, that's for true. In the meantime, I'm working on another post for tonight - that will be up very soon!

BREAKING NEWS: Poker's "Big Three" Sites Indicted by FBI

I know that I said that I wouldn't be blogging about poker on this site, but considering the circumstances, I'm sure you'll understand that I'm making an exception in this case.

For you see, the poker world has woken up this morning to the news that the FBI have indicted the founders of PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker on a plethora of charges, including money laundering, bank fraud and illegal gambling. All the latest updates can be found here:

http://www.pokernews.com/news/2011/04/online-poker-big-three-indicted-10218.htm

Now, I'm no expert on gaming legislation, but I have been involved in the industry for almost a decade. From what I've read this morning, I can make the following observations:

• It seems that only the domain names of the information websites (PokerStars.com, FullTiltPoker.com, etc.) have been seized by the FBI and NOT the clients (i.e. the poker software). If you try to log onto these sites, you'll be greeted with a big WARNING banner. The .net and .org sites have not been affected.
  
  
• At this stage, there have been a few reports coming out on various forums that players in the US are unable to withdraw funds from the accounts, nor can they obtain software updates from the client.
  
  
• This does not affect players in Australia (at least, from what we've seen so far).
  
  

So what does this mean in the long run? In my opinion, I think we're about to see the "Prohibition era" of online poker in the US. However, like the ultra-conservative quest to rid the country of alcohol, it won't work. Eventually, I think this will lead to proper liberalisation and regulation of the industry. For now though, we're going to see a very big change in the poker market - and it couldn't have come at a worse time, given that we're less than two months away from the start of the World Series of Poker.

What you can expect to see when you try to log onto the Big Three's domain names. THIS IS NOT A HOAX (April Fool's Day was over two weeks ago).

I'm definitely going to look more into this next week, but for now, I strongly suggest keeping up-to-date via the link above for all the latest developments. But what I will say is this - given the stance taken by the Australian government in relation to online gaming (i.e. they are keen to take up similar legislation based on the US), now is the time for everyone in the poker industry to set aside their differences and come together to fight for their right to exist.

It's time for us as an industry to work together and come up with a solution that will greatly benefit everyone and give us as individuals the right to safely and securely engage in online poker, just as the UK, France and Italy have done.

***

On a brighter note, I'm about to head out to the Royal Derby Hotel in Fitzroy this afternoon for the 2011 Victorian Deaf Poker Championship. At this stage, it looks like we've got about 40-50 players lined up for the event, which is great news! Deaf Poker Australia is going from strength to strength, with plenty of big live events, Deaf Club games and home games popping up all around Australia.

The online poker games are also very popular, with an average of 40 players taking part every Sunday night in our regular DPA Online Series games. The Australian Deaf Poker Championship is also shaping up to be a huge event - the Deaf community are thrilled that this event will be held in Adelaide Casino and we're now expecting to make that magical 100-player mark, or at least break the record for the most players in a Deaf poker event in Australian history.

So if you're in the Fitzroy area tonight, drop in and check out the action! The $45 Main Event kicks off at 7.30pm (registration 5.30pm - open to all Deaf/HI/HOH players), with $10 satellites to the Australian Deaf Poker Championship running on demand.

I'm confident that tonight's tournament will be a smash hit and I wish everyone the very best of luck, but I apologise in advance for my Auslan skills - I've only completed the Level One course, so I'm still learning - please forgive me if I stuff up!

Long Time Between Drinks

It's been almost a month since my last post and I apologise for the delay. It's been a hectic couple of months and I must admit, it's been very difficult to cope sometimes, but now it's high time I got back into regular blogging and video stuff.

There's been a particularly exciting development today, but I can't share too much just yet. All I can say is that it's HUGE. In the meantime, I have been busy at school and have handed in the first couple of assessment pieces. I'm going to share one of those pieces with you now. It's my first Journalism piece entitled: "You'll Find a Way."

This is a personal narrative piece I wrote about my experiences growing up in primary school. They have been marked, but I don't know what my mark is yet, on account that I was sick last week and class was cancelled tonight. I'll let you know ASAP. In the meantime, please enjoy.

YOU'LL FIND A WAY

When I was little, I loved to read and write. In Grade Prep, I was always picked out to read fairytales aloud to the rest of the class. By Grade Three, I was reading novels. I'd constantly write stories, plays, poems and even articles for the school newspaper. I was a smart kid, and naturally, this set me up as a target for bullies.

I was beaten, had my lunch money stolen and had my pencils and books ruined, but while the bruises and cuts healed and all my worldly possessions were replaced, it was the verbal abuse that hurt the most. The funny thing was that the worst of it wasn't from my fellow students – it was from my teacher.

Her name was Mrs. Lawless. Lawless by name, lawless by nature. From day one, for reasons unknown but to her, and possibly Satan, she just had it in for me. If I so much as sneezed, she'd start screaming at me, forcing me run out of the classroom in tears.

I'd run and hide either at the back of the oval, or inside the tunnels in the playground, wishing that I could just disappear. But the principal would always find me, take me into the staff room and give me a glass of milk and Tim Tams to cheer me up. Sure, why not bribe the kid with food, that'll solve his problems.

Tim Tams: cures what ails ya!

Try as they might, my parents couldn't do anything either. They'd meet with the principal and tell him what had happened, but Mrs. Lawless would sit there, barely batting an eyelid as she put on the innocent act, refuting everything that my parents said. “Without actual evidence ,” the principal said, “There's nothing that I can do.” On and on like this it went – and then one day, Mrs. Lawless truly crushed my soul.

The Royal Children's Hospital was holding a writing contest, where the winning stories would be published in a book. I had stayed up late every night for a week writing my story about a boy named Matt, who got to ride in a racecar around the Calder Park Thunderdome. Matt was real – I'd met him through my uncle, who was his foster carer. Matt had cerebral palsy and I wrote the story from his point of view.

I poured my heart and soul into it, making it the very best I could. Everyone that I read it to almost burst into tears, including my uncle, who was very much a blokey bloke. I knew that I'd done Matt, and the story, justice. I went to school the next day, bursting with happiness. I just knew I had a great chance to win.

All that disappeared when I stared into Mrs. Lawless' cold, dead eyes. She snatched the papers from me, glanced at them threw them back into my face as she said: “This is shit.”

That was the moment where I lost all hope in becoming a writer. All the pain and suffering from this bitch set the tone for the rest of my school life, which was a living hell.

I fell into depression (and even further into the wrong crowd); wagged school, smoked pot, snuck into nightclubs underage, rebelled against my parents, ran away from home; did terrible things that were completely out of character and never even graduated Year 12.

Yet, I discovered that no matter what life throws at you, no matter how despondent you may become, if you work hard enough and battle through those tough times, you can always find a way to turn everything around – and for me, that was the day I got my first full-time job as a croupier at Crown Casino six years ago.

Since then, I've worked in the poker industry as a dealer, tournament director and now, journalist. I've travelled all around Australia and South-East Asia to the region's finest casinos, interviewing and writing about the world's most prominent poker players at all the hallmark events. I'm also the editor of a magazine and I'm about to have a book published.

At the recommendation of my employer, he said I should go back to school. “Get the credentials behind you,” he said, “It will give you the skills you need to become a better writer.”

And that's why I'm studying at RMIT. Through my new career, I've rediscovered my passion for writing. I'm not worried about Mrs. Lawless any more. I've moved on. I'm exactly where I want to be, on my own terms – and it feels good.

However, if I do see her one day, I'll be sure to give her the finger and let her know exactly how I feel, proving to her that try as she might, she could not break me. You might call that immature; I call it closure.

30-Day Song Challenge (Day 2)

It's time for the second post of my 30-Day Song Challenge! This category was a tough one, because if I had my way, I would actually put two songs up instead of one … but, rules are rules. So, here it is:

Song #2 – My least favourite song
Khe Sanh – Cold Chisel (from the album Cold Chisel, released by WEA Records, 1978)

For the record, the other candidate for this category is Kenny Rogers' The Gambler, but this one just edges it out for one reason – the pure boganity (if there is such a word) that is behind this song.

It's always played later on in the evening at every country pub I've been to – after the bogues and boguettes, all dressed in various hi-vis tradie gear, Blundstones, trackie dacks, moccasins and more recently, Ed Hardy shirts (can you tell I'm a fan of Things Bogans Like?) have smashed the last of the maxxtreme-sized Woodstock cans and finished their third pack of Winnie Blues, one of them will stagger over to the video jukebox, drop all their spare change into the slot and put this song on over and over again, singing loudly to this “unofficial Aussie anthem, you carnts!”

It's usually around about that time where I finish my drink and leave. I cannot STAND this song. As soon as that opening piano riff comes on, I'm out of there. If it starts playing on the radio, I instantly change the station. The problem is, my two favourite radio stations are Triple M and Gold 104.3 – and both play this song CONSTANTLY.

However, just as I was copying the embed code for this video, I read a particularly insightful YouTube commenter's thoughts on this song:

“The irony of Khe Sanh is lost on bogans of course,” says dirtygore. “Even the very pinnacle of boganhood, the Australian cricket team, celebrate a win with a rousing rendition of a song about a man who can no longer stand to be in Australia.”

A quick look at the Wikipedia page about this song reveals that the lyrics are about an Aussie Vietnam veteran who is drifting aimlessly after returning home: “womanising, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction to speed and Novocaine, getting work on oil rigs and flying helicopters” before heading “to Hong Kong for casual sex.”

And it also mentions that “during the Australian cricket team's tour of the Caribbean, the players accorded "Khe Sanh" the status of an unofficial team song and sang it frequently.”

I would have necked myself, personally. Oh well. Haters gonna hate, I suppose.

Lyrics

I left my heart to the sappers round Khe Sanh
And my soul was sold with my cigarettes to the blackmarket man
I've had the Vietnam cold turkey
From the ocean to the Silver City
And it's only other vets could understand

About the long forgotten dockside guarantees
How there were no V-day heroes in 1973
How we sailed into Sydney Harbour
Saw an old friend but couldn't kiss her
She was lined, and I was home to the lucky land

And she was like so many more from that time on
Their lives were all so empty, till they found their chosen one
And their legs were often open
But their minds were always closed
And their hearts were held in fast suburban chains
And the legal pads were yellow, hours long, paypacket lean
And the telex writers clattered where the gunships once had been
But the car parks made me jumpy
And I never stopped the dreams
Or the growing need for speed and novacaine

So I worked across the country end to end
Tried to find a place to settle down, where my mixed up life could mend
Held a job on an oil-rig
Flying choppers when I could
But the nightlife nearly drove me round the bend

And I've travelled round the world from year to year
And each one found me aimless, one more year the more for wear
And I've been back to South East Asia
But the answer sure ain't there
But I'm drifting north, to check things out again

You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
Only seven flying hours, and I'll be landing in Hong Kong
There ain't nothing like the kisses
From a jaded Chinese princess
I'm gonna hit some Hong Kong mattress all night long

Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
Yeah the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
And it's really got me worried
I'm goin' nowhere and I'm in a hurry
And the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone

LandoNation's Five Card Draw (Episode 5)

Well, it's that time of the week once again where I talk all things poker on my YouTube channel in the latest edition of Five Card Draw! Huzzah!


I apologise for not getting the captions up yet, but it's been a really busy week this week, so I'll try and get them up later on. As you will probably tell by this video, this was based off just a few notes and not the whole script (but it seemed to work a lot better, presentation wise).

Once things settle down, I'll be able to get back to doing more posts. In the meantime, if you want to check out the links to today's stories, just head over to my YouTube channel and get them there.

30-Day Song Challenge (Day 1)

I thought that since I haven't been doing all that much on the blog at the moment in terms of original written material, I'd try using somebody else's idea. I cannot say stealing because it has been making the rounds on teh interwebs, courtesy of the original blogger at Words and Beats, who created this idea.

I am, of course, talking about the 30-Day Music Challenge.

I love my music. I play drums, guitar, sing (constantly, and I insist on being the first to perform at every karaoke night) and I used to be in a band - well, we're technically still together, but on hiatus and have been for the past three years since our bass player disappeared to the UK.

But I digress. I have decided to take up this challenge! I figure it's only going to take me a couple of minutes a day to choose a song for each day (relating to each subject) and blog about it. So, without further ado, I present to you: LandoNation's 30-Day Song Challenge!

Song #1 - My favourite song
Resonate - Cog (from the album The New Normal, released by Dif'rnt Music, 2005)


I first came across Cog about four years ago when my bandmates and I were listening to their album, "The New Normal" before we went to see them live in concert at the Forum (from memory, they were co-headlining with the band formerly known as Shihad, then Pacifier and now Shihad again).

Admittedly, I only knew a couple of Shihad songs and nothing about Cog, but from what my mate Ray told me, they were basically an Aussie version of Tool with their big, bold, atmospheric sounds of progressive rock.

And let me tell you, upon seeing these guys live, I fell in love. In a totally hetero-bromance type way. If you've ever been to the Forum before for a live gig, you'll know that the AV setup is massive for such a small venue. In fact, in order to properly take in any gig there, you need to be sitting at the back, otherwise you'll be planted nose-first into the speakers, hearing nothing but amplified fart sounds (and your ears ringing loudly the next day).

I have to warn you, in advance, that despite my eclectic taste in music, you probably will see a lot of Cog during this 30-Day Challenge, and in particular, a lot of their music from "The New Normal". Then again, this is truly the most under-rated band in the country and I implore you to buy this album.

Oh, and just in case you thought that song sounded kind of familiar, you would be correct - they did use this song in some of those clips they showed at the end of Sports Tonight.

Lyrics

It's elevating us,
Bowing and shaping us.
It's elevating us,
It's resonating.

Caught in headlights I'm all right,
Coming over to your side.

It's elevating us,
Bowing and shaping us.
It's elevating us,
It's resonating.

No more blindfolds, open eyes.
(Shaking the frequency)
Stand by soldiers, run by night.
(Shaping the frequency)

It's elevating us,
Bowing and shaping us.
It's elevating us,
It's resonating.
It's resonating.

Caught in headlights, I won't do it.
Caught in headlights, I won't lose it.
I wont do it, I won't lose it.

Breath shaking the frequency,
Breath shaping the frequency.

It's elevating us,
Bowing and shaping us.
It's elevating us,
It's resonating.
Resonating!

LandoNation's Five Card Draw (Episode 4)

Okay, okay, okay. I know I'm late putting this up on the blog, but I'm still trying to catch up with everything after tonight's Auslan class. Still, you'll see that I'm starting to get the hang of it in today's video!

Links to today's stories:

Deaf Poker Australia event updates: http://tinyurl.com/69yzghh

ANZPT Perth schedule: http://tinyurl.com/4bwoagj

Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series 6 schedule: http://tinyurl.com/4e9bynm

Amanda De Cesare loses her locks for charity (Leukaemia Foundation website): http://www.leukaemia.org.au/web/index.php

Phil Hellmuth hints at becoming new WSOP commentator: http://tinyurl.com/46yrhfe

***BONUS LINK***

"The Micros" YouTube Channel (it is most awesome): http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMicrosPoker

With tomorrow night's 18th birthday party looming, as well as another afternoon of classes at uni, it's time for me to hit the sack. One of these days, I'll be able to finally get back up regularly updating this blog, but right now, things are all crazy up in here, so time for me to catch some Z's. I'm gettin' outta here - word to your mother.

He Works Hard for the Money ...

I know it's been a few days since my last update (on anything), but the workload is starting to pick up even further! I'm currently involved with pre-production for the upcoming issue of Shuffle Magazine, plus a couple of assessment pieces for my uni course and Auslan classes.

The work with Deaf Poker Australia has also been coming in thick and fast, as not only do we have the online games and the Australian Deaf Poker Championships to worry about, but we've also got the NSW and Victorian State Deaf Poker Championships coming up in the next couple of months.

Garfield was never this busy on a Monday.

On top of all that, the fiance and I have been busy helping her mum set up for Friday night's festivities, as my (future) sister-in-law's son is having his 18th birthday at our house! Should be fun - well, maybe not so much for the neighbours, as we've acquired a rather powerful speaker system for the night.

I will be back tomorrow though with Episode 4 of "Five Card Draw", so stay tuned for that, but for now, it's back to the grind!

Let's Play Some Cards!

It's Thursday and you know what that means ... it's time for some more of my YouTube ramblings with "LandoNation's Five Card Draw"!

It was a particularly interesting week in the poker world, so I highly recommend you watch this week's episode. Also, please like, comment, subscribe and share. Only because I said please.



LINK DUMP!

EPT Grand Final moves to Madrid: http://tinyurl.com/6fkczfe

Peter Eastgate comes out of retirement: http://tinyurl.com/62up22y

Sorel Mizzi under fire (AGAIN) on 2+2: http://tinyurl.com/6edynuy

Jackie Glazier is Australia's first female FTP Red Pro: http://tinyurl.com/624dl8e

FTOPS Main Event results: http://tinyurl.com/6hmnvyw

Another Video Update

Finally, after two days away from the computer, I've been able to get another YouTube video up today. You don't have to watch this one if you don't want to, but it would be awful nice of you if you did.


I'll be back tomorrow with the next edition of "Five Card Draw". Hopefully that won't be done in 2.7 billion takes like today's video!

Note to self: must go through my video folder and delete all the evidence that I am human. :P

Back to School!

I can't believe it - for the first time in eight years, I'm going back to school!

As you read this, I'm already heading back down into the city to RMIT for my first course as part of my Certificate IV in Professional Writing and Editing. I can't believe how quickly it all came about, but I gotta tell you, I'm so excited!

"That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college!"

I only just found out this afternoon after having spent my morning with Mum in the city, chaperoning her around town (she had some errands to run today and always calls on me to help her find places as she lives in the country). After having enjoyed a Korean BBQ lunch, the course advisor called me and said that they were offering me a placement!

I was originally scheduled to go in on Friday, but luckily, I was able to head up to the offices straight away and enroll in my courses. And it just so happens that one of those courses start tonight at 5.30pm!

So enough gas-bagging from me, I have to get my skates on or otherwise I'm going to be late! I'll let you know how it all goes - wish me luck!

Who Wants Chowder?

Despite numerous attempts to shoot and upload a video, not only has YouTube decided to crack the shits at me, but it now appears that my body has as well, as I'm feeling nauseous and aching all over. And having reviewed the footage, I gotta tell you, I look and sound like crap, so it's safe to say that there will be no video today.

I feel bad, but thankfully, not this bad.

I've even had a nap in an attempt to get the energy up, but to no avail. Time to take some Panadol and go back to bed. Hopefully I'll feel better in the morning. See you tomorrow!

Wait No More, Here's Your New Five Card Draw!

Here it is! The new edition of LandoNation's Five Card Draw - HOORAY! It's a bit rough, I know, but I was trying to record it in time before leaving for tonight's AUSLAN class. If you haven't done so by now, then you must do the following: view, like, comment, subscribe and share. In that order. You'll be glad that you did!


Since it's Friday tomorrow, that means there'll be no video. There will definitely be a blog post though - I was emailed tonight in regards to my RMIT application and I have been short-listed for my writing course! Wooooooooo!

So hopefully, I'll have some more good news for you tomorrow. Wish me luck!

LOL YouTube-aments!

Just a quick update - I've already finished recording today's episode of "Five Card Draw", but due to uploader issues I haven't been able to post it up on YouTube just yet.

And since it's now 5pm (one hour before I start my first AUSLAN class tonight), I have to wait until I get home before I can try again. Hopefully, it'll be up by around 9-9.30pm tonight. Apologies for the delay!

All Work & No Play Makes Lando a Sad Panda ...

Okay, so I've only just realised that it's 10 minutes until midnight and I haven't written a blog post yet. Crap - here I am telling you guys that I'm going to be putting up a blog post every day and now I almost forgot ... well, it hasn't been every day, I must admit. I mean, I've been posting every working day, but not on the weekends (I need my "me" time, okay?)

Anyway ... I guess as you can probably see from just the opening paragraph of this blog alone, things have been rather hectic in my part of the world. Sure, it's been great that I've created all this new work for myself, what with this written blog as well as my YouTube channel (please don't forget to view, like, comment, subscribe and share), but there's also all the paid work that's been coming in.

And as much as I love doing all the blog posts and videos, if there's money to be made, then that's the priority. Harsh as it sounds, you would do the same thing, would you not?

Add to that the possibility of going back to school (FYI, still waiting to hear back from RMIT), as well as starting AUSLAN classes tomorrow night, the upcoming Shuffle Magazine project and all the planning for the Deaf Poker Australia events and you have yourself a very busy, and very tired, Lando.

Well, if it'll help take the stress away, I'll try anything once!

It also means that I'm getting to bed rather late and feeling quite down because I know that while I'm typing away here in the office, my fiance Shannyn is waiting up for me, watching TV. And through all of this, I haven't even found that much time to scratch myself, let alone begin exercising as part of my weight wager with her. And because of all these long days and late nights, I haven't been sleeping all that well either.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that while all these new and exciting things are happening, they are taking their toll. Still, it's not a dire situation, by any stretch. You could say that this is a more of a rant post to motivate myself to keep on track. I'm certainly better organised and better prepared for things than I was back in high school - hell, I even managed to keep a diary for a full year last year without losing it or forgetting to write stuff down in it!

So, here's what I'm gonna do. From Monday until Thursday, I'm going to post a YouTube video. Mondays will be a "show-and-tell" video about what I've been up to over the last week, then on Tuesdays, I'll do a wrap-up of the news headlines - current affairs, politics, sport, weather - but important stuff. Stuff that I would like to talk about.

Then on Wednesdays, I want you, the world, to tell me what I should talk about. It could be anything (within reason and within the boundaries of good taste). A funny YouTube video, a wacky news story, entertainment news (because normally I wouldn't bring myself to talk about that tripe), hot chicks, whatever. If you've got questions about me, my videos, my life, whatever ... ask me.

Finally, I'll wrap up Thursdays with "Five Card Draw". I'll admit - it's definitely the strongest "segment" that I do on YouTube, but you gotta play to your strengths. Besides, it's not like I want to get out of poker - on the contrary, it's something that I'm still very passionate about and it's an industry that I'll keep working in for as long as people want me to.

As I've said before, these blogs are about me broadening my horizons and keeping myself in touch with the rest of the world, but at the same time, I want to share my world with you. As gooey and sentimental as it sounds, it's true. And despite the fact that there's little to no production value in my videos (I have no skills in video editing whatsoever), I hope that at the very least, you've liked what you've seen so far.

And with that, I'm off to bed - another big day tomorrow with a lunch meeting, followed by my first AUSLAN class in the evening. Hopefully, I'll have heard back from the uni about my application too. Fingers crossed!

Edit: as I mentioned earlier in this post, I'll be posting YouTube videos from Monday until Thursday, thus Friday will be my day off (except for a written blog post). I'll also squeeze in other blog posts when I can and as for the weekends ... well, like I said, I have to have my "me" time!

So, Can We Have Your Liver Then?

Finally, after what seemed like a billion takes, I managed to get a video blog up today on YouTube. Today, I take a look at some Aussie news headlines, including all the comebacks in Aussie swimming, all the shit that's happened in Aussie politics and a new development in getting more people to register as organ donors.

You know the drill: view, like, comment, subscribe and share!


As I'm working all day in the city tomorrow, there won't be a YouTube video, but I'll do my best to get a written post up (it's been a while).

My One True Love ...

I've got another busy day ahead, so there'll be no written blog post tonight but I did manage to squeeze in another YouTube video and it's dedicated to my one true love (and my fiance too). Please enjoy, like and subscribe - and there's even more reason to show me the love, as from today, all my videos will be in a glorious high definition widescreen presentation!


I wish you all a very happy Valentine's Day and I'll see you all back here tomorrow!

LandoNation ... in WIDESCREEN!

It's been a damn good 24 hours, if I do say so myself. Despite losing $100 in brutal fashion at Paul's ring game last night (it's still quite painful to talk about and I promised myself I wouldn't share any poker stories on this blog, particularly bad beat stories, which are just a waste of time), I had a great time with the fiance and our friends. However, today was particularly special, thanks to my good friend Dylan.

A few weeks ago, he mentioned that he was looking to upgrade his flat-screen TV. I was the first to jump in and offer to buy his old one (which is still in great nick, I might add) and we agreed to do the deal. I picked it up from his place and after hanging out with him all day, I drove home (stopping in to pick up my fiance from work, of course) before rearranging the TVs.

This means that Dylan's old 42" Samsung is now in our room and our 36" Samsung is now in the office. Well, my office/man-cave. And the beauty about these flat-screen technological marvels is that they are also more than capable of acting as a computer monitor. I can now say that LandoNation is on TV in high-definition widescreen!

It's certainly going to make multi-tabling online poker a lot easier and if there's a glaring mistake in any of my work, I'll be able to pick it up much more quickly, that's for sure! Now all I need to do is actually upgrade a few more things (in particular, my keyboard, my webcam and my home PC - at the moment the laptop is hooked up as the "hard drive" to this TV) and this home office/man-cave will be totally "balla" (baller?) as the cool kids say these days.

"We gotta move these refrigerators ... we gotta move these colour TVs ..."

As much as some people (including my fiance) may think it's a little ridiculous, but still, even she admits it's going to be awesome watching Blu-Ray movies on 42" of pure visual awesomeness. Although I'm a little envious about Dylan's upgrade - 55", if you don't mind!

Anyhoo ... I know that I've been really slack in terms of the content I've put up on the blog this week, but with all that's been going on, it's kept me really busy. Not to mention this humid weather (seriously, to the person that's still doing the rain dance, please stop) is not helping either me or my fiance get a good night's rest.

And given I have another dealing gig tomorrow afternoon and Sunday fully booked with the better half (we're celebrating our Valentine's Day then as we'll both be working on the next day), I'll be back on Monday, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed once again. Until then, have a good weekend!

LandoNation's Five Card Draw (Episode 1)

Give that this is my fifth YouTube video post, it's only fitting that this is the debut episode of "Five Card Draw", which is my take on the top five headlines in and around the poker world.

Now, I know that I said that I would refrain from talking about poker on this written blog, but as you'll see in this video, I'm playing to my strengths in terms of knowledge and experience in this industry - and because this is an embedded video from my YouTube channel, it doesn't really count as a written blog post!

Also, it's good to see what it is I need to do in order to improve my video presenting skills overall (no matter what the subject) and with the addition of Closed Captions for my deaf and hearing impaired followers, I can actually write a proper script for each video now, making it easier to complete them in one take. Check out the video below:


Don't forget to subscribe to my channel and leave a comment or video response if you wish. I probably won't have time to do another blog post here tonight, as I've got to start catching up on some work and run another couple of errands before heading out to my friend's place for a home game. Hopefully I'll get around to it tomorrow.

"How Excitement!"

... as my grandmother would say! Indeed, it's been a very exciting day for me. I couldn't really sum it up in words, so I posted another YouTube video. Enjoy!



Not sure if I'll put up a written blog tonight - I was burning the midnight oil with last-minute touches on my course application. I'll see how I feel after dinner. Don't wait up!

Edit: from this point onwards, all my videos will contain closed captions for all my deaf and hard-of-hearing friends! Please bear with me though, I'm still working out all the kinks so the captions in this video are a bit out-of-whack.

Now We Play the Weight-ing Game!

It's been a long time coming, but finally, I'm able to share with the world the details about my wager that I have against my fiance.

Some might remember me mentioning this in my first blog post - basically, my fiance and I are in a "race" to lose 20kgs (just over 44lbs) and quit smoking by July the 1st. The loser has to buy our new bed. Why are we doing this? Well, apart from the prospect of a comfortable night's sleep (our current bed is almost seven years old), we're also looking to get back into shape.

I must admit, I have let myself go over the years, but I wouldn't call myself horribly overweight - just really unhealthy compared to what I was a long time ago.

When I was younger, I was really fit (although I was quite skinny and since I had inherited my grandfather's amazing metabolism, I wasn't able to bulk up). I did a lot of cross-country running back in the day and enjoyed riding my bike around my hometown with my best mate.

I also played squash for 13 years. When I was old enough to pick up a racquet, I began to learn how to play from my grandfather, who at the time was the President of the Victorian Squash Federation and co-owned the squash courts in Sunbury (which sadly no longer exist). I won many trophies over the years and played Division 1 pennant on Saturday mornings, plus I had the privilege of being one of the representatives for squash at the launch of Melbourne's 2006 Commonwealth Games bid.

However, my biggest sporting accomplishments were in Australian Rules football - not in playing, but in officiating. It all started when I had my first-ever Aussie Rules experience at the MCG. My father and I went to a Carlton vs Footscray (now Western Bulldogs) game and while the game itself was very exciting, I remember asking my dad about what those men in white were doing.

"They're the umpires," he told me. "They're kind of like policemen that control the game." I thought to myself there and then, "That's something I want to do when I grow up!"

This cartoon pretty much sums up my primary school days!

I first started officiating games at primary school. During our lunch break, I'd run out to where all the fifth and sixth-grade kids were playing footy. Every time they'd pick their teams, I'd sit out. "It's okay," I'd say. "I'll umpire." I remember that I had the ability to imitate an umpire's whistle using my throat (that is, until and spent my weekends at home practicing how to bounce the ball.

Needless to say, this made me a target for a few of the "popular" kids and I was bullied, but some of my primary school mates were also appreciative of what I did. The greatest present I ever got was on my 12th birthday - it was a footy-themed party and everyone came dressed in their favourite club's colours.

My club was Carlton, but I was quick to change into my white shirt and shorts after one of my friends bought me a pair of white sweatbands and a genuine Acme Thunderer ring-grip brass whistle (the same one that the AFL umpires use today). That afternoon's backyard footy game with my friends was the best ever!

I did play footy for a couple of years as well - let's face it, you can't officiate a game without having played it first. My first two years were with the Macedon Junior Football Club and the team just sucked. We lost every game and probably kicked only four or five goals for the whole season, so I switched to the Gisborne Rookies. We had a great run and I kicked about 20 goals throughout the season, but sadly, we lost the preliminary final against Melton.

Heart-breaking stuff, but what was worse was that as everyone else was growing up and out, I was still the small, skinny kid. So, I stopped playing footy and kept running and playing squash. It wasn't until 1999 (just after I turned 16), that my mother finally let me start umpiring footy for real with the Riddell District Football League Umpires' Association (or Riddell Umpires as they are now known).

It was a promising start to what could have been a great career - I graduated from U/10s to the U/16s in my first year, started umpiring senior football in my second and also was in the core group of umpires that were also sent on duties to the Ballarat Football League and the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). I also got to umpire AFL Little League half-time games at the MCG and Colonial (now Etihad) Stadium, plus many VFL Junior State representative games and the AFL International Cup.

My primary discipline was in the field, but I also performed boundary umpire duties during junior finals. Then after all the drama of 2003 (and subsequently my employment at the casino in 2004), I had to give it up. That's when my health began to deteriorate.

It didn't help that I picked up a strange skin condition off the tables which forced me to quit (after having used up all my sick leave with hospital visits), but the whole 24/7 rotating roster lifestyle, as well as trying to cram in a full meal on a 20-minute break didn't help either, nor did the after-work drinks at 4.30 in the morning (after night shift).

Sure, I could have done more exercise in the staff gym and on my days off, but I thought I was invincible - after all, I was only 19-turning-20 when I worked there - and night shift made any daytime activity impossible (except for sleep). When I left, I felt awful (both physically and emotionally), but thankfully I was able to pick up a steady job at a bank and find work with a casino entertainment business (which in 2005 was still a new concept).

Still, they were tough times and I was very depressed and it wasn't until later that year I found out I suffered from bipolar disorder (more on that another time). The medication helped, but unfortunately, the side affects also included weight gain. Add that to all the damage done from working in the gaming industry and you've got yourself a Lando that at one stage weighed 115kgs (253lbs)!

So now, since things have improved significantly in my life, it's time to focus on getting myself healthy again. I used one of those electronic height and weight scales at a shopping centre in the city yesterday and the results showed that I am 177cm (5' 9.5") tall and weigh 99.3kgs (219lbs), thus making my goal weight 79kgs (174lbs).

Granted, we should have started this race last week, but as I mentioned in my first post, I had some troubles with my left foot, which forced me on crutches for the most part of my Aussie Millions assignment. My fiance then had a tooth fall out due to a botched filling by her dentist, so that had to be repaired (which by her account was a rather painful experience).

No more excuses - it's time to get back in shape. Running, cycling, swimming, even Wii Fit - whatever it takes. Come July 1, 2011, you're going to see a whole new Lando! "We can rebuild him ... we have the technology!"