It is amazing how fast the first four months of 2010 have gone by. With my playing schedule, poker media responsibilities (such as “ESPN Inside Deal”), and new role as Foxwoods Resort Casino’s official spokesperson, the time just seems to have flown by. Of course, don’t forget spending quality time with my family. During last month, my two kids just turned seven and five, which meant two fun-filled parties. However, I know no one is crying for me and why should they? I am enjoying every minute of my life, as I am truly living a dream.
As we head into the month of May, my life will definitely not slow down, as I will focus on three events: Foxwoods’ MegaStack Challenge XVI, “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” celebrating its third anniversary, and the start of World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Foxwoods MegaStack Challenge XVI
For the past few years, Foxwoods Resort Casino has held its popular MegaStack Challenge tournaments, which are comprised of relatively low buy-in events with mega-chip starting stacks. These tournaments are an excellent opportunity for players to experience deep stack poker without having to pay $5,000 to $10,000, which most main events require.
Foxwoods schedules three tournaments with different price points and corresponding chip stacks. The festivities kick off on Tuesday, May 11th with a $340 buy-in event that has a starting stack size of 15,000 chips. Afterward, a $560 buy-in event with 20,000 starting chips begins on Thursday, May 13th, followed by the Main Event, which has a $1,650 buy-in and a starting stack of 40,000 chips. The final event of the series will start on Saturday, May 15th and end on Monday, May 17th.
The MegaStack Challenge XVI will be co-hosted by two WSOP Main Event November Niners. We have included one player from each of the past two years: Dennis Phillips (third place in 2008) and Kevin Schaffel (eighth place in 2009). These two poker celebrities will not only play in the tournaments, but also sign autographs and play in other events such as sit and gos during the week. It is an ideal chance to meet these WSOP final table players up close and personal.
All of the MegaStack Challenge XVI events will be blogged live at FoxwoodsLive.com, as are all of Foxwoods’ major tournaments. Visit Foxwoods.com/PokerPage.aspx for additional information such as structure sheets. If you are in the New England area, come by and join us. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up at the same table as Dennis or Kevin.
Third Anniversary of “The Bernard Lee Poker Show”
My radio show, “The Bernard Lee Poker Show,” will be celebrating its three-year anniversary this May. If you haven’t heard my show yet, visit RoundersRadio.com on Tuesday nights from 6:00pm to 7:00pm ET. If you are in the Massachusetts area, tune in on 1120AM (Boston), 970AM (Worcester), or 1390AM (Cape Cod). Of course, if you would like to hear past or present shows on your iPod, download them via podcast on iTunes.
To celebrate my anniversary, my special guests this month will include:
· David Williams (2004 WSOP Main Event runner-up and most recently the 2010 World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship winner)
· Annie Duke (2010 National Heads-Up Champion and fellow WSOP Academy instructor)
· Joe Hachem (2005 WSOP Main Event champion)
As a side note, I can’t believe that it has been five years since Hachem beat Steve Dannenmann for the 2005 WSOP Main Event bracelet. For me, it was very special to interview Hachem again not only because he captured the WSOP Main Event the year I had my deep run, but also since he was my second radio guest ever back in 2007 (“The Bernard Lee Poker Show” Trivia: Who was my first guest ever? Alex Jacobs, the 2006 United States Poker Championship winner).
I hope you will join me on “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” during this special month of celebration. Also, stay tuned this summer, as my guests will include 2010 WSOP bracelet winners and members of the November Nine.
2010 World Series of Poker
Finally, at the end of May, the 41st annual WSOP begins in Las Vegas. My schedule is to play upwards of 15 to 20 events this summer, culminating with the $10,000 Main Event. Although the majority of the events that I will play will be No Limit Hold’em, I am looking forward to playing some other types of events in 2010.
Previously, I have written that if you are serious (and I certainly am) about winning a WSOP bracelet, then you may be better off trying to master another game since the number of registrants is usually significantly lower than in No Limit Hold’em events. Following my own advice, I plan to play in Seven Card Stud and 2-7 Draw Lowball (No Limit) events during the summer. I have been diligently working on these games over the past several months to prepare for these bracelet events.
Here’s to another busy month. June will be just as crazy, as I will be playing at the WSOP in the preliminary events and reporting the news for “ESPN Inside Deal.” Additionally, I will also be performing interviews for “The Bernard Lee Poker Show” for you, the listeners, and writing news stories on ESPN.com and Poker News Daily.
However, as crazy as it will be, I wouldn’t have it another way. Every day, I am so grateful that I play poker for a living. I love this game!