I have passion, zeal and a commitment to the game that will never waver. I was amused to see people lining up at the WPT Grand Prix de Paris to question my passion for poker. I was gobsmacked. Have I still got the heart? Do I still have my mojo? Yeah baby – I may have been away being a basketball chief but I will be back and bigger than ever for the €3,000 + €300 WPT Malta on the 20th September. The fact that this event has gone re-entry delights me even more. Though I never have restraint i can attack the table with a new fearlessness – all credit to Matt Savage for popularising these forms of tournaments. All I can say is watch out everybody, I am going to be making a mega re-entry into the poker world.
I am dribbling, I am drooling about my trip to Malta, a beautiful island with gaming at his heart and soaked in late summer sun. It is not too hot or not too cold at this time of the year but temperatures are sure to rise between the 20th – 24th September as i am about to be reunited with my old friend Mr Phil Hellmuth. It will be the first time I have seen him since the Big Game series in Vegas where I royally crushed his soul and tore it into little pieces. I thought I had ripped him apart so hard that he would never play the game again but the brat is resilient and just keeps coming back for more punishment. What concerns me now is that he kept saying to the producers of the Big Game that ‘I never want to play with you again Tony’ but I REALLY, REALLY want to play with him. Will he pull out of the tournament just because I am there? If he does, that will be a disgrace. He thinks I am like a pesky fly that tilts him – in fact I am huge poisonous dragonfly with a big bite!
I am so excited about being re-united with Phil. I have always been a fan of what he does to popularize the game and his achievements at the WSOP but the fact that he know calls himself ‘the greatest’ rather than ‘trying to be the greatest’ shows how being the bridesmaid in loads of WSOP events this year have deluded him. I would love it if i am on his table in the tournament but if this doesn’t happen he will still know I am there. I have already made arrangements to set up a cash game in memory of Phil at Casino Portomaso. Me, him and whoever else wants a piece. Stakes are still to be decided. Come join us! Yes, and I am talking to all of you planning to come and all you players who I know live in Malta – Justin Bonomo? Marcel Luske? There is still 24 hours left to pre-register for WPT Malta.
Some of you may have noticed that I have recently taken on the role of the Head of Strategic Planning for the TonyBet yacht. Have I stopped getting my hands dirty to simply outsource everything? No, I just shout bring on the Russians GO EAST AND CONQUER and climb up the pole. STARBOARD! Anyway, the plan was to sail from Lithuania to Malta on board the yacht and park it outside the casino in Portomaso. I wanted to show Hellmuth who the captain is as the yacht pulled in. Lithuania to Malta is a problematic route it seems though – I am not worried about pirates (where has Max Pescatori gone anyway?) more congestion on the so called open seas. I have not given up on this, I have a cunning plan! Maybe I need to sack my navigator do away with satellite navigation and just sail with heart.
Many of you would have seen the warm welcome I gave Andrew Robl to the Big Game and I really want to make sure Phil feels loved at WPT Malta. Like many other pros I wonder if the island of Malta is big enough to cope with such a world famous megastar. I am searching for inspiration – ideas below of how I should welcome Hellmuth to the game please. If i use one of them you have the word of the G that you will be rewarded.
