Since the World Series of Poker (WSOP) this summer, my life has been a complete whirlwind. After I witnessed the entire five-hour Main Event final table bubble (which went well into the wee hours of July 18th), we taped the ESPN Inside Deal WSOP wrap-up show at about 8:00am with no sleep. Fortunately, right after we wrapped filming of the show, I was able to take a nap until my flight and headed straight back to Boston.
Once I landed in the Bay State, I took about a month off from poker. This breather allowed me to reacquaint myself with my wife and kids. Immediately, I got back into the role of Mr. Mom, taking them to and from summer camp, going to playgrounds and parks, and, in general, having fun with my kids. It was a blast.
However, the month seemed to fly by and poker came calling once again. In mid-August, I helped promote Foxwoods Resort Casino’s summer MegaStack series. For this, I was able to secure three poker superstars as hosts: Chris Moneymaker (2003 WSOP Main Event Champion), Darvin Moon (second place in 2009), and Jonathan Duhamel (2010 November Nine chip leader).
In fact, since Dennis Phillips attended the May MegaStack, Foxwoods has had all three November Nine chip leaders as hosts of these events along with another WSOP final table chip leader, Chris Moneymaker. Overall, the August MegaStack was a huge success, setting records for all three events. In total, there were over 2,200 registrants and more than $1.1 million in prize money.
Shortly thereafter, I was off to the WSOP Circuit Event in Council Bluffs, Iowa. After a couple of preliminary events, I prepared to play in the Main Event. Strangely, I feel very comfortable in Council Bluffs. This time, I proceeded to make my third Main Event final table in Council Bluffs in the past three years, making it almost my second poker home outside of Foxwoods. Unfortunately, I came up a little short of the ultimate prize, finishing in 10th place among 251 players.
After a couple of weeks at home with the family, I headed down to Borgata in Atlantic City with my co-host Andy Kaplan for the Eastern Poker Tour television show (a New England-based pub tour that has been shown on Comcast Sports Net for the past three years). Although I played a solid Day 1 and 2, I was agonizingly eliminated in about 140th place when my A-Q was bested by a set of 10s (with a flop of As-10s-4s). With 100 players making the money, my demise did not sit well with me. Fortunately, Kaplan carried the torch for both of us, finishing a very respectable 33rd place out of 1,042 registrants. Nice job buddy!
Right after my elimination from the Borgata Main Event, I headed back home to pack for my first trip over “The Pond” to play in the WSOP Europe Main Event. Having seen the event on television and having spoken with several players about it, I was very excited to play in this prestigious, yet tough, field of players. Unfortunately, I never really got on track during Day 1 and was eliminated. In back-to-back events, I was eliminated when my two high cards (this time A-K) ran into a set (this time 2s); now, the board was K-4-2. Nevertheless, my wife joined me the day after I was knocked out of the WSOP Europe Main Event. Soothing the pain of my elimination, my wife and I toured around London – our first trip without the kids in over five years.
Although I was very busy playing numerous events during the past few months, I never relinquished my hosting duties for my weekly radio show (which can be heard on RoundersRadio.com and via iTunes) or ESPN’s Inside Deal (which can be seen at ESPN.com/InsideDeal). During both programs, I have been interviewing members of the 2010 November Nine.
For my radio show, I introduced a contest consisting of a prize pool of $1,000 in which nine lucky listeners are linked up with a member of the 2010 November Nine. If a listener’s corresponding player wins the 2010 WSOP Main Event, he or she will win $500 in cash and prizes just for listening. Remember, it’s not too late to become one of the Bernard Lee Poker Nine. Just listen to my radio show every Tuesday night from 6:00pm to 7:00pm ET.
Now, one of the events that I look forward to the entire year has begun. The Foxwoods World Poker Finals started on Monday, October 11th with a $600 No Limit Hold’em event and culminates with the $10,000 six-day Main Event that begins on October 28th. This tournament was one of the charter members of the World Poker Tour nine years ago. Overall, the World Poker Finals, which is rich in history, is still affordable to the masses, as 22 of the 27 events (over 80%) have buy-ins ranging from $300 to $600. So, come and try your poker skill at the World Poker Finals.
In the end, some people have dubbed me the “Busiest man in poker.” Whether I am or not is irrelevant. What I can honestly say is that I am truly living a dream and absolutely love what I do. The only major drawback is that I am away from the family so much. However, in a couple of months, I’m taking everyone to the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure at the Atlantis. This event is one of my favorite stops of the year and the only one in which I bring my entire family.
However, there is still a lot of poker left in 2010. Good luck to everyone at the tables.
Bernard Lee is the official spokesperson of Foxwoods Resort Casino. Lee is the co-host of ESPN Inside Deal, a columnist for the ESPN.com, a Sunday columnist for the Boston Herald, and author of “The Final Table, Volume I” and “Volume II.” Visit BernardLeePoker.com. Listen to “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” presented by Foxwoods Resort Casino every Tuesday from 6:00pm to 7:00pm on 1120 AM in Boston or RoundersRadio.com. For questions or comments, e-mail him at BernardLeePoker@hotmail.com.