First, I celebrated my 39th birthday with family and friends. My two wonderful kids helped me blow out the candles (and there are a lot of them now) on my cake.
Second, my radio show, “The Bernard Lee Poker Show,” is celebrating its second anniversary on the air. The show airs on RoundersRadio.com and 1510 AM in the Boston area on Tuesday nights from 7:00pm to 8:00pm ET and is repeated throughout the week. It is also available via podcast. Debuting in May of 2007, this radio show incorporates interviews with poker guests including well-known players and prominent industry personnel. In addition to current poker news and related information, the show utilizes calls and e-mails from listeners to discuss poker topics and tips.
Previous guests have included 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate, 2005 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe Hachem, 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker, 1989 WSOP Main Event Champion Phil Hellmuth, four-time bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu, World Poker Tour (WPT) commentator Mike Sexton, ESPN poker commentator Norman Chad, Linda Johnson (“The First Lady of Poker”), 2008 WPT Player of the Year (POY) John Phan, Season VI WPT Player of the Year Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little, and all of the members of the 2008 November Nine.
Thank you to all of the show’s loyal listeners, who have made the past two years possible. For those of you who have not heard the show, I hope you tune in this month for some fantastic interviews. The following guests helped celebrate “The Bernard Lee Poker Show’s” second year anniversary:
· May 5 – Greg Raymer, 2004 WSOP Main Event champion
· May 12 – Gavin Griffin, the first and only winner of poker’s Triple Crown (WSOP bracelet, European Poker Tour (EPT) Main Event, and WPT Main Event titles)
· May 19 – Mike Sexton, Poker Ambassador, WPT commentator, and WSOP bracelet winner
· May 26 – Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP Commissioner
Finally, in the world of poker, it’s time to celebrate because the 40th annual WSOP commences this week. This year, thousands of players will complete in the 56 preliminary events and, of course, the 2009 WSOP Main Event. Each player hopes to celebrate capturing one of these 57 coveted WSOP bracelets. Starting on May 28th, the first major event of this year’s WSOP will be the $40,000 No Limit Hold’em event. Created to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the WSOP, this tournament will bring out the best players in the world and should be incredible to watch on ESPN later in the summer.
On Friday, June 26th, the fourth annual $50,000 HORSE event will be played, with the winner awarded not only a bracelet, but also the Chip Reese Trophy honoring the late poker great and winner of the inaugural event. Once again, the annual Ante Up for Africa charity tournament will be held on Thursday, July 2nd, hosted by actor Don Cheadle and poker professional Annie Duke. Finally, the WSOP Main Event kicks off with Day 1A on July 3rd (there will be four Day 1’s and two Day 2’s this year) and runs through July 15th. Then, on November 7th, the 2009 November Nine members return to Las Vegas to play for the most prestigious title in all of poker, the 2009 WSOP Main Event bracelet.
Additionally, 2009 is the fifth anniversary of Greg “Fossilman” Raymer’s famous victory over David Williams. A year after Chris Moneymaker’s historic victory over Sam Farha that changed the poker landscape forever, Raymer created his own piece of poker history. During his championship run, Raymer made famous his fossil card protectors and holographic glasses. When his pocket eights (8s-8d) outlasted Williams’ Ah-4s, Fossilman’s legend was cemented forever. The following year, Raymer followed up his 2004 WSOP Main Event Championship with a phenomenal run in the 2005 WSOP Main Event to finish in 25th place out of 5,619 participants.
This month, I will be returning to Las Vegas to play in about ten WSOP preliminary events. As my initial departure date approaches, I am extremely excited to return to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. Going to the WSOP never gets old. I am looking forward to seeing familiar faces and hearing the symphony of poker chips resonating throughout the Amazon Room. After the preliminary events and teaching a WSOP Academy at Caesars, I will return home to rest up and spend some quality time with the family before flying back out to play in the WSOP Main Event.
To prepare for this year’s WSOP, I decided to rest before the multiple grueling days in the Amazon Room. Besides playing online (I recently won my seat to the WSOP Main Event online), I have not played in a live tournament since April. I have primarily focused on preparing myself mentally and physically. You always have to be alert since one mistake in No Limit Hold’em can send you packing in a hurry. Therefore, sleep has become my number one priority. I will try to get at least seven hours per night leading up to my departure, but having two young kids does not always make this possible. Additionally, I am trying to exercise at least every other day since the physical activity helps clear my mind.
Overall, for this year’s WSOP, I hope that the poker gods will protect me against horrible bad beats and allow my signature sendoff for every radio show to come true: “May you always go in with the best hand… And may you never get unlucky.”
If you go to the WSOP and see me, please say hi. I hope to see you at the tables, especially a final one. Good luck to everyone playing in this year’s 2009 WSOP.