WSOP Main Event Fever and Full Tilt Poker Tips From the Pros

In case you've been in Outer Mongolia, the 2006 WSOP Main Event tosses the cards in the air and shuffles up and deals at Noon today in Vegas at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino. The "first" day of play is scheduled to run four days with 2000 entries laying down $10K each for a chance at the anticipated first prize of $10 million (based on 8000 total entries). And if the winner happens to be an online qualifier from Full Tilt Poker, then that man/woman/undetermined genderperson will win a bonus of another cool $1 million.

I don't think even Mike Matasow could blow through that money without some serious help. Now don't get me wrong, I happen to be a big fan of Mike and really respect the guy; he's been really up and he's been really down and everyone who knows him loves him. I get his email musings and can tell you he wears his heart on his sleeve and is the first to admit when he has a Mike Matasow meltdown. Also his brother, Scott, has been very generous in answering my questions regarding poker etiquette such as tipping the dealer at the WSOP, etc.

Poker trivia - Mike's first really big poker payday was when he staked (1/3 of the entry fee) Scotty Nguyen in the 1998 WSOP Main Event and collected $333,000 of Scotty's first prize money.

Speaking of cold...each first day of play will end when the 2000 daily entries have been whittled down to 800...now that's a s**tload of all-ins.

If you aren't getting the Full Tilt Poker "Tips From the Pros" newsletter, then you're missing out on a great learning tool. The most recent is "Managing the Short Stack" by Mark Vos who won a 2006 WSOP bracelet in a $2K NL event. He says that most of that event he played from a short stack position and he tells how he managed his way into winning.

My Freeroll NL at Absolute just started...first hand 23 os in the big blind and I stole the pot at the river - go figure...playing with "lilafish" from Ottawa who keeps telling everybody to "gfy" and "Sitter2" from Leiden who calls everyone "B**tard" and then when he sucks out says "nanana" - always really classy folks at Absolute...

My 2007 WSOP Main Event Pokerlogical clock is ticking - only 365 days to go...before my cards are in the air...