The Oregon Trail

Gambling is everywhere you go. Anywhere I go anyway, even if it happens to be a surprise. Knew they were gambling on the west coast but the east coast border towns have socialized gambling. There are rules to follow made by City Hall but Hold-em is here as well as slot machines in bars. Had a few snow flurries Sunday, Have to find ways to keep warm! Anyone who would like to contact me please send to my new e-mail address at:
mohan.denise@yahoo.com. Hope to be blogging again as regularly as my machine will allow. Pictures coming soon. Happy late Halloween and now Turkey Day is near. so all you turkeys get ready...u know who you are:~)
previous deleted post for National Call registry was bogus. Sorry for passing it on:(

Poker Brats

Is it in the DNA? Is it in the youth of today? Is the computer a tool?

Poker brat Phil Hellmouth (Hellmuth) did not come from a poker family, Annie Duke did. Both had professors for dads. They are both intelligent human beings with support and encouragement from their families.

Doyle Brunsons kids both play poker now, although it wasn't something Doyle encouraged until later years.

We played poker with our children when they were very young about 4 or 5 times. We decided that it wasn't something that we wanted them to gravitate towards. It wasn't until our eldest daughter, Marisa, was home on break from The University of Tennessee that she asked us to show her some basic hold-em skills. She said that the students (boys) played a $10 tournament on the weekends and she would like to participate. We did, she did, and she split 1st and 2nd the first time out. I took her to a couple of Indian reservation casinos the next time she came home and she cashed in the first two that she played. She did better than I did with the chip and a chair theory. She didn't come from a college educated family but she was and received her degree in 4 years with the addition of breaking school records on the crew team. She doesn't play often and only plays tournaments.

My youngest daughter, Samantha, has taken the tournaments at Sycuan by storm. Graduating La Jolla High school with good grades and Player of the Year status, she continues to be just that. Community college is where she is preparing for her AA. She has cashed over 80% of the time and has qualified for every WPT event. She will be playing the tournament with several qualifiers under her belt. She has only been old enough to play outside of reservations for the past 6 months. The last time we played a tournament together she came in 5th and I got 4th.
She plays tournaments only as well, and well she does.

Another educated gentleman that I know who plays very well has a son on the tournament circuit. David is well known to the poker biggies and has been climbing the ladder to stardom.
Educated, married and ambitious are key factors in his success. I believe that being married keeps him grounded. He is young, good looking, totally focused and a real gentleman. You will be reading about him soon and then I will disclose his last name as I continue to praise him.

WOMEN ONLY men please don't enter

Posted on Tue, Sep. 15, 2009
She's calling it a bad deal in A.C.
By CHUCK DARROWPhiladelphia Daily News
darrowc@phillynews.com 215-313-3134
In poker lingo, they're known as "bad beats." And an upstate New York woman has taken a couple recently, in real life as well as at the table.
On Saturday, Nicole Rowe, 40, of West Windsor, N.Y., placed second in a poker tournament at the Borgata in Atlantic City.
Second place is usually nothing to sneeze at, but what really miffed Rowe was that she lost to a man in what was supposed to be a women-only event.

Poker Pro Magazine Hosting $30,000 Guaranteed Tournament

Any excuse to go back to New York will do. I loved The Atlantic City Boardwalk when I was there with Tommy in May. We went for a wedding so we got to go to a great wedding and see the best of New Jersey. The editor (and former poker dealer) Johnny "Quads" is hosting a tournament in Atlantic City at Trumps' Taj Mahal. I have total confidence that this is going to be a very well ran, star studded, big money tournament. If you book your tournament on PTseats.com you will be guaranteed a seat AND get your room rate for $85 which is a great deal at that hotel. Go on The Taj Mahal website and your cost is over $200 a day. Southwest flights are about $155 each way. We fly into Philly and take the NJ Transit right to The Taj. Well nearly, the train station is pretty close. Planes, trains & cabs but I'm gonna be there? Want to join me? Start making you plans and booking your flights. The sooner, the cheaper. If you haven't been to the east coast (or even if you have) this is the time to make it happen. You can go back in time to the rolling chairs on The Boardwalk. You will see history all around you.

The last $300 & $500 buy in tournaments that I played in was at the California State Poker Championship 2001 at The Commerce Club. The first one I busted out 24th and barely cashed & the next day was a disaster.

I am looking forward to being a part of The Poker Pro Magazines first annual tournament. I'm sure it will be a truly memorable time.

For those of you who are unaware; there is a site that lists your last big tournament win for the whole world to see. The Hendron Mob is a website that lists poker players (notable tournaments) standings. It not only list the U.S but every poker playing country in the entire world. Check yourself or a friend out to see if they really have bragging rights.

First Woman Poker Dealer Tells All

I worked for Johnny Moss in 1972 & dealt to Doyle and Chip Reese, Amarillo Slim, etc. The Poker Pro Magazine published the story I wrote in the February issue this year. Soon I will have my take on cheating in card rooms from the 1960's until now. As most recent as the Pai Gow John story. As far as I know it will be published in November. Please pass the word and subscribe to Poker Pro. If you read it once it will be your poker rag of choice. If you want a free copy look for it at the end of October at Viejas, Lucky Lady, Barona & Sycuan Card rooms.

Liar Liar Pants on Fire

It still really astounds me when I see players asking other players what they have. What kind of poker game is this? Why don't you go to the bar and play Liars Poker with your best dollar bill?
Do you really believe what another player tells you about his hand in the middle of a game? Is he supposed to tell you that you should call because he is bluffing? I have seen many players get upset because another player does not tell the truth about his hand. Oh well, people DO get upset in a poker game weather or not they are lied to. Players get openly upset when another player beats them because they got lucky, played better, or because it was the dealers fault. When you don't admit that you have been outsmarted or outplayed, it can always be the bad dealers fault. Excuses are for losers and most players are losers looking for something or someone to blame. This flash of anger does not improve your game, this is where the tilt factor comes in. My grandson has learned not to pout when he loses at a game and he is only 5. He has been taught to learn from his mistakes and not to keep making the same ones.
Why do players ask what someone threw away after it is gone? Do you really believe the other player? No, unless they give you the answer that you're looking for. This is not poker, this is a Parcheesi game with friends. Play poker and use your brain to figure out what others in the game are doing and why. Take off your headphones and put down your book. There are no shortcuts to poker and players are not in the habit of giving the other players edges. Not willingly anyway. Look for the mistakes and the emotional thrusts that your opponents go through and use these things to your advantage. If you want to beat the game you must rely on your own instincts and knowledge, not what someone verbalizes to you at will.
Your own family probably lies to you and you want to believe someone who is trying to win your money? Get real!

Racketeering in San Diego

I have been following the Tran Organization story because frankly, I like the guy. Many people do many things that we are not aware of in their personal lives. Much of the hype and newspaper information isn't exactly correct. I will just state the facts as clearly as I read them.

Pai Gow John went to court in San Diego, Monday for sentencing after pleading guilty to what they call the largest card cheating ring in history. I think it should be called the largest cheating ring to be identified. Do people really think that this Vietnamese man in his 40's is the scariest cheater in the world. The reason for his demise was that he involved too many others. Catch one and he will bring down the whole organization.
Unsealed court papers reveal the details of this ring which started in 2002. After San Diego Sheriffs Dept., started it's investigation it grew to several local, state, & federal agencies.

John was not sentenced Monday but ironically he will have to wait for the final table (sentencing) in November.

All Bets Are Off After OPP & FBI Break International Casino Cheating Ring - MajorWager Forums: "Truong admitted to targeting at least 16 casinos in the racketeering conspiracy, including:

1.) Cache Creek Indian Bingo and Casino in Brooks, Calif.;

2.) Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash.;

3.) Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi, Miss.;

4.) Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Conn.;

5.) Resorts East Chicago Hotel and Casino in East Chicago, Ind.;

6.) Isle of Capri Casino in Westlake, La.;

7.) Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica, Miss.;

8.) Horseshoe Casino and Hotel in Tunica, Miss.;

9.) Sycuan Resort and Casino in El Cajon, Calif.;

10.) Imperial Palace Casino in Biloxi, Miss.;

11.) Mohegan Sun Resort Casino in Uncasville, Conn.;

12.) Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Ind.;

13.) Argosy Casino in Baton Rouge, La.;

14.) Trump 29 Casino in Coachella, Calif.;

15.) Isle of Capri Casino in Bossier City, La.; and

16.) Horseshoe Casino in Bossier City, La.



In the plea agreement, Truong admitted that he and his co-conspirators
unlawfully obtained up to $7 million during card cheats"

Do Anything For Money?

Yesterday's front page of The Union Tribune shows a card cheating ring that originated in San Diego. I in fact worked with the ring leader, Pai Gow John. Not in the cheating ring but we dealt in the same club. I Googled his name and it came up with World Wide Cheating. He is now looking at a maximum of 20 years in prison for his venture. Many of the accomplices are looking at probation to 3 1/2 yrs. His operation was not built on extensive cheating devices that was once pointed out, instead it was just the old move of keeping a slug (a portion of the deck not shuffled) and the false shuffle which could be learned in about 5 minutes. The thing that got him busted however was arrogance and greed. Then there is always the factor of too many people involved and that will always get you busted. He had been watched by the FBI while being wire tapped and video taped. His bank accounts were carefully monitored and still he was buying expensive cars, Rolex watches and diamond encrusted pendants. Most of his crew was Vietnamese. In the old days I knew cheaters in Vegas before the Vietnamese even came to this country. The guys that I knew were very low keyed and were in and out without a notice. It seems that they must have thought that they invented it because they were all very arrogant or at least the ones I knew personally. This business is not full of drug dealers, cheaters, bookies and loan sharks BUT they can be found. Wherever there is money there are cheaters and hustlers they are just hard to read unless they drive up in a Mercedes wearing a Rolex and a pendant with 105 diamonds, throwing money around like there is no tomorrow. The last paragraph in the article was; "Card cheating has been around since the beginning of cards," he said (a casino security expert). "So can it happen again and be successful? Yes. Will they get caught? Absolutely."
Believe that? I don't, but what else can a security expert say???

In today's society we are so awe struck by t.v. personalities and anyone with money that the greed for notoriety and money continues to grow. A pimp, gangster or drug dealer is well respected in any casino IF he brings in a big bankroll and spreads it around. Be careful who you idolize. You cannot always judge a book by its cover unless of course it doesn't have a job and drives a fancy new car.

I have been warned by an admitted crew member that I couldn't use his name in anything I wrote or he would sue me. I do not mention anyone except for the CEO because if anyone else is that interested they can look it up themselves.

I ran into an interesting story on page7 or 8 of google looking to see if my blog was on board. I doubt that this story will even make the news since the arrest was made in Las Vegas. We don't want to give poker players a bad name. Just look and see who some of the people are that are revered. The poker listings of winners only show certain tournaments and don't show how much money anybody loses.

SPORTSbyBROOKS » Poker Pro Killed Parents To Cover Debt, Cops Say: "Ernest Scherer III was arrested in Las Vegas and charged yesterday with the murder of Ernest Scherer Jr. and Charlene Abendroth. The younger Scherer had mounting debts, including from his professional poker career, and police say he wanted to claim his inheritance. Instead, he’s being shipped back to Alameda County to stand trial. Talk about a bad beat.
Scherer III quit his job in the mortgage business in 2002 to play poker full-time, and according to one poker stats site, he has made $339,000 so far. But he had borrowed $616,000 from his parents to buy a house in Orange County, had $40,000 in credit card debt and had failed to pay property taxes and mortgage payments. So what’s a gambler to do other than go all in for one big score?"

Lots of these guys running around Vegas thinking that they are pros. Good thing they don't all have rich parents!

Wipeout: Episode 110 - Season Finale Episode Recap on TV.com

Wipeout: Episode 110 - Season Finale Episode Recap on TV.com: "Memorable Moment #18 – Sam Mohan – She's a female boxer and shown taking on the sucker punch wall and winning."

Poker Pro 2009

With names like The Master, The Dutchess, Jesus, The MAD Genius, The Mad Bomber, Vinnie the Vice... it's no wonder that you need to pick a number to hang out with or even talk to one of theses world renown celebs. I read where Annie Duke did not care for the handle "The Dutchess" and I do not mean to offend the lady whom I respect and admire BUT... Lighten up Annie baby, The Duchess is a beautiful aka. Just look how you clean up the list from above. I wonder what you do like to be called, my guess would be Annie, the best! Hats off to you for becoming the leader of the feminine gender and also a pioneer. It is not easy being first in anything and you showed the poker world some class. I must say that if I became a name in the poker world and acquired the respect of the people in our business, you could call me Mo the Shmo and I would consider it a compliment. After all it means that someone is reading and talking about you.

My husband and I have played and outlasted many famous names in our business. We have played tournaments in L.A. , Vegas, Reno, San Jose and other places and played with and outlasted many BTV, (before T.V.). Names like Kathy Leibert (listed as the most money winning female), T.J. Cloutier, Eskimo Clark, Jerry Buss, Barbara Enright, Minh Nguyen & Mike Caro come to mind from former tournaments. I have a story from all of them. The worst player from the list would have to be The Mad Genius, the poker teacher. The nicest to play with would have to be The Master, who was an immigrant from Viet Nam. I also have the best story about Minh the master. He is my favorite and I believe the most colorful player. You see someone like me or someone like you can beat any of these world famous player because they are just people and it is just a game.

You just need to be at the right place at the right time. If you were staked in 50 tournaments a year, don't you think you would win one or two. Who knows how many future stars are here at this moment just reading my blog. Good luck to you and may you play a session with no bad luck. See you on t.tv.