Come Play With Me(and win a seat to WPT)!

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WSOP is over an now it's time again for another busy and fun August!

Around this time last year, I was introduced to the lovely folks of Cabot Creamery. The always wonderful team at Borgata had put them in touch with me regarding their annual charity poker event. Most people who know me personally know that I have a huge heart filled with warmth, love, and a huge desire to give back to nearly anyone who needs help(many times to a fault lol).

Scammer(subjective) Alert: BEWARE OF KIM SHANNON

 










This blog, the situation, and the things noted in this blog are all subjective and are a matter of how I perceive the situation(opinion). What is fact about this case will soon be discovered and determined in court. Until then, please read this warning message and form your own opinion. Thank you.

I could say that I'll try to keep this short. But that'd be really hard to do n I hate making false promises.

I'm writing this today because the community needs to be made aware of the scammery of Ms. KIM SHANNON, who currently is employed with PartyPoker as a poker media journalist.

Here's the low down:

In September 2012, while at the Borgata Open, I met Kim Shannon for what may have been the 2nd or 3rd time. She was doing some media coverage for the WPT event, and I ended up doing an interview with her. We quickly found that we bonded. When Kim and I went for drinks later, she told me about how her exboyfriend, Travis Williams, had robbed her of a tonnn of money and changed the locks on their apartment in Maryland, leaving her essentially homeless.

Euro-Trip Part 3- Spain To Praque...Closing Thoughts on a Mind-Blowing Trip

                                                                                                                               (Prague, Dec 2013)

What an intense and drastic change between western Europe and eastern Europe. Each place has it's own good and bad(except Amsterdam and Malaga, which were 100% perfect in every way). Prague felt a bit unwelcoming at first. Cab drivers were ripping us off, the smell of BO seemed to linger in about 40% of establishments I entered, and the Czech accent comes off very harsh lol. I constantly felt like I was being berated there even though I never was(ok, maybe not never, but rarely!).

Thankfully, a bunch of my friends were in town for the upcoming EPT Prague event, so I got to enjoy the city with my comfort-objects :) And ohhh the beauty we found...

Euro-Trip Part 2- Belgium to Spain

I thought I'd decided while in Namur to next visit France. But locals had advised me that Paris wasn't really any place for a girl all alone. Not only was the city mostly a hotspot due to its romantic nature(which obv means it should be enjoyed with someone else), but apparently also there is a lot of crime there, particularly petty theft.

When in the airport, I thought to myself, "well, whatever, danger-shmanger. I grew up in the hood. If I could make it out of Philly, I'm sure I can manage my way around Paris and 8yr old pickpockets." Despite my natural urge to laugh in the face of danger, I decided as advised, to consider Spain. The Euros from the card club in Belgium all told me that it was a better choice... safer, better to tour alone, and better(warmer) weather.

It's funny I should say better(warmer) weather. I've always preferred heat to the harsh winter cold. What had been so interesting about my European experience thus far, was that I was actually enjoyyyying the cold! I loved walking down the street with the cold flushing my face... it was refreshing beyond just physical sensation. Motorbiking home after every amazing day and night with a light sleet tickling my cheeks. It was like a "singing in the rain" experience for me. :D  /rant

Euro-Trip Part 1- Amsterdam to Belgium

  Armed with coffee and too much sleep(from 30 hours of flights), I took my first step ever on to European soil. Walking out of the airport was amazing. I couldn't believe that I allowed myself to make this my life. Like, how do I end up here?! Alone, dragging 130lbs in luggage(girl problems), I managed my way to the cab line. I couldn't really tell it was a cab line because they were all Mercedes'! I found this odd at first, but through my travels in Europe, I learned that nice taxis are quite common. I hop in, and take off towards the center of Amsterdam, where Bryn, Ana, and several of their friends lived. I arrive in a most magical place...

A Euro Trip Preface.... a Journey Into my Spiritual Life

Hey All!

I know it's been a little while, but I can't just skip to current. I must fill you in on what's been going on the past few months!!

As you last read, I took an amazing trip to South Africa, which led to a sporadic trip to Europe! So let's pick up there...
 
In order to explain what this trip truly meant to me, I have to dig into my past. As many of you know, the past few years have presented to me some of the more challenging situations of my life. I've had to chop off an arm or two... but I'm thankful to be alive.

After a lifetime of allowing myself to feel pain, I came to a point where I needed to find solace within. I was desperate for relief. I was probably 16 the first time I ever read, "The Tao of Pooh," which is a great starter book. Thankfully this book was put on my path, and Taoism found a way into my consciousness. It didn't light a fire under me then, but what I'd read left with me many little aphorisms to calm myself through the stresses of teenage-hood. I appreciated how spirituality seemed much less invasive than your garden variety of organized religions, and so for years, Taoism lingered in the background of my spiritual life.

My Amazing South African Experience

Sawubona from South Africa!!!

I've missed you guys :/

But on the bright side, I did get to enjoy an insane experience that I can now share with you!! Yay!

As some of you probably know, I was supposed to go on this trip last fall, but it fell through last minute. Before I start ranting about how incredible this experience has been, I'd like to take a second to thank Mr. Gary Lentin for showing me how generous and hospitable South African's truly are. He has helped to make this one of the most memorable poker trips that I've had to date. I look forward to coming back to this magical place for years to come!

My trip began with a sweet 17 hours of travel. I know this sounds treacherous.. but dudes, check out this sneak peak of how worth it it was...

An Amazing Birthday Adventure & One Year Blog Anniversary!

Hi guys n gals!!!

I've missed you so!

First off... it's my blog's 1 year anniversary! I must, from the bottom of my heart, thank all of my readers for taking interest in my blog, and for their loyalty and constant well wishes. You guys add an element to this whole poker get-up that really makes it a different and amazing experience for me. Most players don't get to experience what I'm fortunate enough to experience. I know just how lucky I am to have the support of so many incredible people out there behind me all the time to cheer me on. Thanks to your loyalty, your re-tweets/shares, and your constant shout-outs, we've managed to pull in an average of over 4,000 readers per month this year. I know we'll have triple that next year ;)

Love you all!!! Smooches!!!!!!! <3

So anyways... Borgata was meh. I mean, obv Borgata is awesome, but I didn't win heaps of money as I had so clearly mapped out in my head. I pulled in a few bucks with one final table. I came into it probably around 3rd in chips, but ran bad over the course of 5 face up hands to an eventual 9th place finish.

Chips And Cheddah!!

Hey friends!

For those who haven't caught up, I'm going to be playing this great charity event at The Borgata on August 18th. It's called, "Put a Bad Beat on Hunger."

This charity event is great because it's played locally and also helps those in need locally. People are still out there who have suffered great loss from Sandy. These folks could really use our help! The event is sponsored by the generous and delicious Cabot Creamery, who will be providing some tasty treats the day of the event! Who doesn't love a lil gourmet cheese?!

Not only will Cabot be hosting the event... they're also running a contest. It's simple, fun, and easy. Best of all, you get a chance to win things!!! What poker player doesn't wanna win things?! Some folks will receive a $75 gift basket from Cabot, and one lucky winner will receive a new I-Pad! And don't worry if you're not the most artistically inclined person out there.... all winners will be randomly selected from those who participated :D We only have a few people who have submitted so far, so get in there people! Too easy! gogogooo

Crazy Summer and Lots More Fun to Come!!!

Wow it's been a crazy few months!

I know that a lot of my fellow poker players loathe the idea of being stuck in an expensive desert all summer. This year I was craving not only some distance from the issues at home, but also I couldn't wait to play cards again!!!

In the months leading up to WSOP, I had a lot going on with my family. It was very stressful on me, and required that I take time away from playing so to help tend to the issues at home. The end of Bay101 Shooting Stars(March) marked the last time I'd played cards. It wasn't until WSOP that I was able to find a valid reason to leave home to go do work! I was thankful. I really do love working. I love playing. I love interacting with people. I missed so much of it in my time at home. My days were spent tending to my elderly grandmother in her residence, and handling other issues that seemed to arise each day. Thankfully, her in-home caretaker is amazing and was able to tend to her continued care while I went to Vegas to play. I was sooo ready and amped to play, see my friends again, mix and mingle!

The summer started off ok. I still had a lot of family issues haunting me across phone lines stretching the span of the country. I was still running deep in events, and was able to stay focused. Some days, I'd receive a frantic phone call from a relative back at home, and I still found myself able to play well. Even more importantly, I was able to keep up with thinking positively! Each day at the tables, regardless of what was on my plate elsewhere, I found myself at peace... even happy. I'd reflect upon my own moments of candid laughter with my tablemates... and it gave me a sense of internalized self-pride...to know that I was able to smile, thoroughly enjoy life experiences and the people around me... despite all the noise in my personal on-goings. You know those moments when you pat yourself on the back for handling a situation better than you may have in the past... well, I was thankful to have had an experience that challenged me to grow and I'm thankful that I found it in myself to be a better "me" than I may have ever been before.

Half Truths in the Media. Who Woulda Thunk It

So, for those who have not seen or witnessed the lashing I'm getting on twitter, here is an update.

Yesterday, while playing in a $1500 event at Rio, a PokerNews reporter took some extremely selectively worded notes on a hand that went down at my table. The exchange that was noted within the article that was thereby produced on the PokerNews website cast me in a very negative light, and honestly I think it is quite unfair and unethical reporting(to knowingly post partial information to paint an ugly picture of someone just so they can say they have an interesting story on a notable player in level 1 when little else of interest is happening).

I'm here to give the entire scope of the situation that had really occurred, as opposed to the partial story that most of you may have read online.

My opponent, who was in position, put in a bet on the river, which I called. I, without any intention of asking this gentleman to table his hand, tabled my own since I could tell by his body language that I had the winner.

From Flush Draws to Family Drama... Part 1- The Glitz

Hi guys n gals.

I know it's been a long time since I've last written. Let's catch up!

The new year has brought with it some amazing opportunities and also a bit of drama.
For the sake of weeding out rants of my personal life, I'll dedicate this blog to mostly the topic of poker and will cover some more personal topics in my next blog(coming soon!).

The goal after WSOP was to grind hard, which as you all probably know, I did for most of the fall season. The fall brought me a victory in Hammond, IN's WSOPC, good for my first WSOP jewelry... and it also brought me a deep run and another shot at 700k+ 1st prize money in the WPT Montreal Main Event.

Early into the new year, I played what is probably my favorite series ever, the Borgata Winter Open WPT. While it was a fun series, it didn't prove as fruitful as I would have liked. Thanks to WPT for making the trip a great one, as I got to do coverage for the live stream of the BWO WPT Main Event final table, alongside Tony Dunst and Jon Little.

I also got the amazing chance to take part, as a guest trainer, in Lee Childs' "Inside the Minds" training course held at the Borgata. This was a great experience for me. I found that I thoroughly enjoy teaching others. I hope to do more in this area as opportunities present themselves. The close of the BWO meant it was time to pack up the home I'd lived in all winter(in AC), and that it was again time to hit the road for my spring schedule. Sadly, along with the move, I had to deal with losing someone I thought was a friend.

Some Time Off the Grind, and New Opportunities A'Comin! **If you've ever wanted to train with me, READ THIS**

Hey everyone!

How you doing? Oh yea? That's great(or not great, depending on your response). Me? I'm amazing!

I finally took some time off for myself. This past year has been a majorrr grind. I've played a seemingly endless schedule, and have probably had more trips this year than I have total trips combined for all other years of my career. It was fun, exciting, profitable, and exhausting!

Now, after a year+ on the sicko grind, I've decided to treat myself to a trip. Right now, I'm en route to some great destinations by way of cruise ship. I stop at San Jaun,  St. Thomas, Sint Maarten, and the Dominican Republic. I have some amazing excursions planned....

...scuba'ing with sea turtles and in the beautiful reefs in St. Thomas...

Thanks For Before... but Now I Need You Guys Again!!! Help!

Aside from actual poker play, I've had some other pretty awesome stuff happen for my career this month. I did what I've heard is one of my best and most intimate interviews this month. For those who may be interested who missed it:

  
Click HERE to listen to The Chirp Herm Show Ft. Host Mark Dipthrong Herm and Guest Amanda 'TheRealMander' Musumeci.



I've recently come to find that I've been officially invited to be a Shooting Star in the Bay101 Shooting Star Pro Bounty Event. This event looks like a ton of fun each year. For me to be put into such an elite group that comprise this Shooting Star roster is a huge honor. A big thanks to Matt Savage of WPT and also all my friends and supporters that showed support to get me voted in! The event will be held in early March, 2013. Can't wait to tear it up in San Jose!!

Whewww! That Was a Jam-Packed November!!! Tales from the road...

Well, we're coming to the close of another month. It's been an insane one for sure. I'm tellin you... these weeks, months, and years grinding away at poker all seem to flyyy by.

A lot of cool stuff happened this month. I started off with my trip to Jacksonville, Florida to play the WPT Jacksonville Main Event. It seems like the deck and I were at war throughout this tourney. Despite the cards not going my way, I still really enjoyed sitting at one of the toughest tables I've had this year...

                                     Seat 1: Tony Dunst Seat 2: Me Seat 3: Matt Stout Seat 4: Jonathan Little Seat 5: Chad Batista Seat 7: Todd Terry Seat 8: Nick Grippo

Dusting off From Hurricane Sandy, and Back to Lookin for Trouble ;)

Welp, we made it through the hurricane. Thankfully our house made it without sustaining any damage, but many others weren't nearly as lucky. Here are a few pics that I found of our neighborhood getting slammed!

Hurricane Hitting our House!!!

  Well, as it turns out, the house I rented for the winter down in the Atlantic City area is smack in the middle of where this upcoming hurricane is supposed to hit.

We went out on an evening drive around the hood to check out what was going on as far as storm-prep around here. 

The Voice in My Head Leads to a Ring on My Finger!!! OMG WEEEEEE!

      Well, as you all may have read in my previous entry, I had a ton of drama this past month. I had a planned trip to WPT South Africa that got canceled at the absolute last minute, which led to my ending up at the Hammond WSOP Circuit Series. Read about all the drama in my previous post, "Didn't See Lions. But LOOK .. it's a RANTelope!!"

It was an insane experience deal with all that craziness with Mr Lentin of ShuffleUpPoker.com. After that roller coaster ride, and after some motivation from those closest to me... I decided to, last-minute, trek out to Hammond(right outside of Chicago) for the circuit series.

Didn't See Lions. But LOOK .. it's a RANTelope!!

 ***Guys n Gals... before you read the story below, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on this community that we love so much. Now, while "we" love the poker community, much of the world views poker as gambling, and most of the world doesn't agree with "gambling." We are a minority in a global sense. But hey, we love the game!

As lovers of the game, we must be aware of the image that the poker industry puts forth to the rest of the world. The world thinks that our community is over-ridden with ethical issues, bad financial management, and addiction/mental health problems. The story I am about to tell luckily will remain isolated from the mainstream(IE you won't be seeing a story on this blog on CNN ;)). It really is only for the eyes of those concerned... that being the poker community. 

I feel that the man mentioned in this blog is a threat to a major leg to the poker community... The WPT brand. If something bad were to be associated with the brand or something really shady went down... it would not only hurt WPT but the entire poker community. Luckily this issue I had with Gary Lentin is manageable and fixable before more damage is done. I'd feel awful if I never told people about this and heard down the line that more corruption was occurring. But if something bigger or worse were to occur as this man continues to work his way into the poker community... I honestly fear of what may happen. Gary Lentin has shown me his true colors.. and I feel unsafe like I may be inviting a burglar into my own home. After reading this blog, I hope you guys understand why I feel like I must protect my home... the poker community. 

Looking Forward to an African Safari Experience!!

  My itinerary for South Africa is starting to come together! I'm psyched for Cape Town, and the chance to play some WPT events while in the area... but the thing I'm looking forward to the most is the once in a lifetime opportunity to go on an African safari!