The 2013 WSOP Main Event in Pictures....

The Doyle Brunson bust at the ESPN Main Stage.

With the ESPN coverage of the 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event, I thought this might be a good time to bring you my Main Event in photos.  If you happen to watch the coverage on ESPN this week, you will see one of my photos featured in the coverage.

I had the good fortune of working for BLUFF Magazine this summer.  While some of these photos were featured on the BLUFF WSOP Photo Blog, some have never before been seen.

I would also like to thank Sony, as all of these photos were taken with my Sony NEX 5N and NEX 5R.

Phil Hellmuth is one of those personalities in poker that you don't even need to see his face to notice his presence.  I took the above photo at the secondary feature table.  I was impressed that no matter what else was going on around the table, your eyes always came back to Hellmuth.

The shot to the left is of Rep Porter just after he doubled up at the ESPN feature table.

Nothing too special about it except that I love the look on his face after turning to look at his rail.

To me, I prefer shots like this to your standard poker photos.  They seem to have more personality and, more importantly, capture the moment better.

Some shots are just more fun than others.  For example, the picture above of Ronnie Bardah having some fun at his table with Melanie Weisner.

The story of defending Main Event Champion Greg Merson making a deep run was incredible to follow.  I was lucky enough to grab the above photo while Merson did his ESPN exit interview with Kara Scott.

Just moments later, while all the media had returned to the action, I followed Merson to the payout area.  I particularly like the shot below of Merson getting paid out by himself in shadow of other former Main Event Champions such as Doyle Brunson.

Speaking of Doyle Brunson, the poker legend was the focus of much attention at the 2013 Main Event.

The World Series of Poker commemorated Brunson with a bust in his image that sat at the Main Stage during the Main Event.

When ESPN placed him at the feature table, I was able to get a shot of him playing in the shadow of his bust.

Hopefully this is not Doyle's last Main Event, but if it is, I am glad I was able to get this picture.

Perhaps my favorite shot from the 2013 Main Event is the above photo of Jackie Glazier.  Glazier, the last woman standing in the Main Event, had just been eliminated from the ESPN feature table.  I was able to rush over in the stands to get this shot of her being comforted by her husband Jamie just after.

I love that Jackie and Jamie are completely oblivious to the fact that play continues behind them as they share their moment together.

The photo to the left was taken during a break in the action.

Carlos Mortensen had gone into the stands to chat with his friends Phil Hellmuth and Erick Lindgren and the trio posed for a picture.

I happen to be in the media perch just above them at the time and was able to capture the moment.

Shortly after, we reached the final ten players and it was a waiting game to see who would be eliminated on the November Nine bubble.

I took a seat in the stands to try and capture a unique angle when the moment came.  Unfortunately, Mortensen was knocked out in 10th place.

Just after the hand, chip leader J.C. Tran showed his respect to the former Main Event Champion.  It was disappointing for all to see Mortensen be eliminated.  He would have been a great story and there are few people who represent poker in a better way than Carlos Mortensen.

Right place, right time.  That is how I got the shot above of Carlos Mortensen mucking pocket kings on the river.  I was actually in the media perch on the far side of the ESPN feature table.  To be honest, I was just looking to get a standard portrait shot of Mortensen for the BLUFF website.

As he was mucking, I took the shot.  Weird feeling but I immediately knew I had the shot. It was only a matter of if it turned out and the cards were in focus.  A quick glance at my camera and I knew I had it.

Needless to say, the photo has made it's way around the poker world and will be featured on the ESPN coverage tomorrow night (October 1, 2013).

Finally, below is the full sequence of photos of the Mortensen muck.  Hope you all enjoyed my photos and be sure to watch ESPN tomorrow night!

The TDA and the Pros and Cons of the FCOTD Rule by Matt Waxman

Disclaimer: My apologies for less than stellar grammar. Hoping it doesn't cloud the lucidity of the viewpoint I'm trying to share.

The TDA and the Pros and Cons of the FCOTD Rule

This summer during the 2013 WSOP, the Tournament Director's Association met in Las Vegas to reconstruct the rules of which staff and players alike abide by throughout the duration of any given poker tournament. The occasional TDA Summit is a very necessary meeting for the good of poker. The group is comprised mainly of tournament directors and maybe even a few poker professionals. I'm am not positive, but I believe they don't even receive any personal financial benefits for the time they dedicate to bettering our game. For this I am very thankful, and if you play poker, you should also display some gratitude. Unfortunately, there was one significant rule change that has been causing quite the ruckus in the poker community. In case you don't already know, its being referred to as the FCOTD (First card off the deck) rule.

FCOTD: The hole cards are declared dead for any player not at their seat by the time the first card off the deck is pitched.

There are a few aspects of this FCOTD situation which do not sit easy. Although some have voiced their opinion about liking the rule change and even more are impartial to it completely, no one actually had a problem with the old rule -to be at your seat by the LAST card dealt-. There was also no real effort of the TDA to reach out to the more opinionated and outspoken poker professionals such as Daniel Negreanu and/or Matt Glantz who also have the game and player's best interest in mind, before they voted to change it. I would argue that either of these guys along with a few others would be better suited to design the rules of a poker tournament than the directors who are paid to enforce these rules.

The TDA has many plausible intentions for changing the rule. The most significant reason is to prevent cheating. If a player can walk behind someone who may be able to finish looking at their cards before the pitch is over, they'll have time to get back into their seat and play their hand knowing another players hole cards. Another positivity about the FCOTD rule is that a dealer can't slow down the deal to save a players hand that they are friendly with. These are two problems that would diminish with the FCOTD rule in action. 

In response to the aforementioned pros, I say that its a player's responsibility to protect their hand and have the awareness of people walking behind them. As for the dealer playing favorites, I would encourage any player who saw a dealer do this to inform a floor person. Warn the dealer about this behavior just like a dealer would warn a player for something like folding out of turn or prematurely exposing their cards. Why shouldn't a dealer's job constitute a certain amount of integrity, just like any other working professional? The floor is not going to be giving out dealer penalties, but actions like this should not be permitted and a rule should be designed to protect players from taking advantage of each other, not to ensure a dealer is doing their job proficiently - that is the responsibility of the venue/casino. 

More than anything, the debated rule change is simply an inconvenience to a player who is out of their seat often to socialize, make bets, exchange money, talk on the phone, go to the bathroom or even take a picture or sign an autograph if you are one of the famous faces in the poker world. Claiming that being deprived of these things is detrimental to poker would be an asinine statement. If anything, the rule may even help some of the easily distracted players to buckle down and focus even harder at the table, but that is irrelevant. 

The problem is that a very drastic change was made without sufficiently consulting any of the people you are trying to help! Does this one rule make me not want to ever play poker again? Obviously not. My problem resides within the principles of which the rule was derived. IF IT AIN'T BROKEN, DON'T FIX IT! Everyone that mattered (the players) was content with the former rule. Now that there is a new rule, there are a lot of unhappy customers. 

The Tournament Directors are a very valuable part of the poker community. They put forth an effort to regulate poker for the benefit of all players - professionals and amateurs. The majority of them being players themselves, should absolutely make up a part of a union which decides the integration of new rules for the betterment of poker, they just shouldn't comprise the ENTIRE group. What it all comes down to is that poker players are paying for a service., a service that pays the TDs and Casinos we play at very well. In any service industry, the customer is always right. The focus should be aimed at getting as many people into a poker tournament as possible and having them happy to be there. That is whats best for poker, and doing what is best for poker should be the number one priority. 

Games are slower because dealers are waiting for players to get back to their seat. People can walk behind others at their table and take advantage of them after catching a glimpse of their whole cards. Both of these problems reside within the mechanics of a poker tournament and not the structure that the rules provide. After these two concepts are excluded, I can't think of another reason why the new FCOTD rule should exist. Although I wish that we could poll every entrant at the next TDA approved tournament there feelings on the FCOTD, that is a long process and this is only one rule. Although it may provide some incite for this particular debacle, the root of the actual problem at hand goes unscathed. All things considered, the most viable solution is having more poker players involved in the decision-making process for which the rules we play by are determined.

Thanks for reading,

Matt Waxman

Matt Waxman holds a World Series of Poker bracelet, a World Poker Tour title and a WSOP Circuit ring.  

He has amassed more than $2.5 million in career earnings and is currently ranked 74th on the Global Poker Index.

Thanks to Matt for doing a guest post on WhoJedi.com. 

- WhoJedi

Star Wars meets Hollywood Boulevard at the EW Capetown Film Fest....

Darth Vader getting some camera time at the EW Capetown Film Fest.

Darth Vader at the 30th Anniversary screening of Return of the Jedi.

Jabba the Hut

The EW Capetown Film Fest at the Egytian Theatre.

The TCL Chinese Theater (formerly Mann's Chinese Theater)

Spiderman guards the movie star maps outside Madam Tussauds.

Star Line Tours, Ironman and the Hollywood sign, all in one shot....

The El Capitan Theatre

Goodnight from Hollywood....

Oh, and this happened too....

A Reason to Celebrate....

I'm tired….

I'm tired of looking at my Twitter feed and seeing another tragedy.  Tired of seeing acts of terrorism not only in the United States, but worldwide.  Tired of growing fearful of a world where I don't feel like my children are safe.  Tired of not having more things to make me smile.  Tired of not having enough things to celebrate.

May the 4th, I'm going to change that and I challenge you to do the same.

Obviously, I am a huge Star Wars fan.  Okay, huge might be an understatement, but that isn't the point here.  Star Wars fans around the world have created a day each year to celebrate all things Star Wars.  That day is May the 4th.

It started as a phrase, "May the 4th Be With You" but has grown into so much more.  You can read about the history of May the 4th on the official Star Wars website by clicking HERE.

Now, fans use the day to celebrate their fandom in their own ways.  Whether it be watching the movies, hanging out with fellow fans or just sporting your favorite Star Wars shirt, May the 4th is celebrated in many different ways.

I'm in the 4th row, 12th from the left....

You may know that I am a Star Wars fan.  You might not know that I have used my fandom to raise money for various charities and causes through that fandom.  

From doing fundraisers while waiting in line for the newest Star Wars films to come out to working with organizations like the 501st, I have tried to take my love of Star Wars and use it to help others.  Over the years, I have helped raise over $50,000 through various event.  This might not seem like much, and it isn't, but it's what I could do.

With the turbulent times we are facing in the world today, here is my challenge to all my friends, especially those who aren't Star Wars fans:  Use this day to do something significant for those you love and care for.  You don't need to be a Star Wars fan to make somebody's day.  You don't need to be a Star Wars fan to help out someone who you have never met.  You just have to be you.  Be a friend, a hero, a Jedi Knight, in anyway that you can.

Yes, that is me and a young fan....

That is what May the 4th means to me.  Doing what YOU can do, however small that act might be.

So if you are reading this, whether you are a Star Wars fan or not, take the time on May 4th to celebrate.  Celebrate the lives we are fortunate to live, the things we are able to enjoy, the people we are able to share that with.  

If you have the means to donate to the victims in Boston or West, Texas, please do so (You can donate to The One Fund Boston by clicking here).  If you don't have the money, donate your time at a shelter or somewhere that could use an extra hand.  Take the time to hug your kids and family.  Take the time to call that person that you haven't spoken with in too long to tell them that you miss them, that you are thinking about them, that you love them.

Don't wait until Christmas to tell your family you love them. Don't wait until Thanksgiving to be grateful for what you have. Don't wait until the 4th of July to celebrate our country.

Take this day, May the 4th, to celebrate life and everything good about it.  Find a reason to celebrate, a reason to embrace happiness and the good in people.  Fight the evil in the world, fight the Dark Side.

May the 4th be with you....

Top image and video courtesy of Lucasfilm

My Personal Twitter Code....

"Am I to understand that you lot will not be keeping to the code, then?" - Captain Jack Sparrow

I get asked a lot about how to best manage and maintain a Twitter account, so much that I actually do it for a living.  That being said, a few topics have arisen in my timeline that made want to address the issue of how to manage your personal Twitter account. But, I can’t do that.

Your personal Twitter account is just that, personal.  There is nobody (friends, co-workers, marketing and SEO “experts” or even me) that can properly tell you how to run your account.  It’s yours.  You have the ability to mold it to whatever you want it to be.  The best piece of advice I can give you:

There is no spoon….

Sure, I can make suggestions based on what you would like to accomplish. But in the end, you must do what you feel is best.

I use Twitter as my source for all things including news, weather, sports, entertainment and almost anything else.  Rarely do I even turn on the TV to find out information because I can get it first on Twitter.

It has become such a part of my day that if you gave me the choice of my iPhone or never being able to use Twitter again, I would snap toss my phone in the trash.  Luckily, I don’t have to make that choice and my Twitter machine (iPhone) remains at my side.  I have even strategically place the Twitter icon in the lower right of my phone for quickest and easiest access with my thumb.

  

There are a few simple rules that I use for my personal @WhoJedi Twitter account. Well, they are more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules (okay, no more Pirates references).

Posts

You may have noticed, but I don’t post a great deal.  This isn’t necessarily by choice, but more of the fact that to maintain upwards of 50 or more other accounts normally takes most of my time. 

I do, however, make a conscious effort to post information that my followers might find interesting, useful or amusing.  If it is none of those things, I feel there is no need to post it.

Retweets

This is a topic that actually made me write this blog.  I recently read a post by John Scalzi regarding his policy on RT’s.  It was great and I found that I subconsciously was doing the same thing.

Given the number of retweet requests I've gotten recently, it's a fine time to repost my RT policy: whatever.scalzi.com/2011/11/26/my-…
— John Scalzi (@scalzi) December 7, 2012

I rarely RT.  When I do, you know it is something that I find very important.  I do not and will not RT something just because somebody asks me to.  Nothing irks me more than a bunch of charity RT’s showing up in my timeline, only to find out that it is a fraud.

Do some research on your own.  If it is something that you feel is important to you, then put your own post up.

If you ask me to RT something, odds are I won’t. Nothing personal, I just don’t do that.

In the past eight months, I have RT'd a total of five posts.  FIVE!

If you post something I feel is something that would be of interest to my followers, I normally reword it in a way that shows why it means something to ME. Personally, I think that is the best way to go about it.

I like this policy and I think it works for me.

Who I Follow

I follow a lot of accounts.  Mainly because I pull all information I need from Twitter.  People often wonder how I can keep up with it, but it isn’t that hard.

Some of the people I follow are only for a short time, like for a specific event.  Then, they get the unfollow click.  Again, nothing personal, I just have to manage my account to some degree.

While I don’t RT many things, I follow a number of people who have the same interests as me who do.   

This allows me to do two things.

1. It lets me see posts or links that I know will be of interest to me.

2. Helps keep my Following list more manageable.

For example, my friend Bonnie Burton RT’s quite a bit, but I have found that I have interest in almost every one of her posts.  It’s almost like I am letting Bonnie, and others like her, search for me.

Thank you Bonnie.

My Followers

One thing I firmly believe in for my personal account is not skewing my Followers number.  My people follow me because they want to, not because I ran a contest to get followers or bought them.

If you want to do that, fine. It’s your account. But, your Twitter account is only effective, influential or meaningful if your followers actually read it.

Let me repeat that, your Twitter account is only effective, influential or meaningful if your followers actually read it.

Favorites

Okay, this is where I allow myself to geek out a bit.  I know I don’t use it in the proper manner, but that is my choice.

This is where I put posts where I have been mentioned or RT’d by somebody on Twitter.  It’s kind of like my personal Twitter trophy case.

I run all kinds of accounts on Twitter: actors, athletes, television shows, movies, businesses and events. They all require different levels of assistance and guidelines.

But, your personal account is just that, personal.  Do with it what you like.  Post what you want.

If people criticize you about it or complain, who cares? The problem is theirs, not yours.  You have the right, the ability and the creativity to do whatever you want.

Don’t forget that, no matter what anyone tweets to you….

Savvy?

It's What I Do....

I get asked a variety of questions repeatedly when I am on the road covering a poker tournament: “Can I get a copy of that picture?” “Can you get me Verified on Twitter?” “How did you get your nickname?” “Can you charge my phone?”

However, one gets asked considerably more than any other, “How did you get into poker tournament reporting?”

So, here it is….

After attending the U.S. Naval Academy and Purdue University, I worked in mortgages for about ten years.  Cubicles, dress codes, working on commission and the whole nine to five gig.  I then took a job with Monster.com in their Indianapolis office.  Great company and work environment but still a commission based job in an office.  I was also doing some online work for the poker industry that included starting up and managing the CardPlayer forums.  So, I wasn’t a total virgin to the poker industry.

At the same time, I had been dabbling in online poker, playing on Paradise and UB back in the day, eventually adding PokerStars and a few other sites.  Things were going well and I decided that it was time to give poker a shot (keep in mind this was years before it was “cool” to say that you were a professional poker player).

Things were going well and I had transitioned primarily to PokerStars.  It was going so well that I decided to try and satellite into the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.  At that time it was a World Poker Tour event and the dream was to play in one of those.

So, on October 7th, 2005, I entered the very first satellite they were running, a $30+$3 with Rebuys Qualifier with one seat guaranteed.  It only got 202 players, which meant only one $12,000 package would be given away.  Well, five hours later, the final leaderboard looked like this….

So, I won the first satellite they ran and was off to my first big live event.  As you can imagine, I was like a kid in a candy store when I arrived at Atlantis.  Funny thinking about it now because most of the people I was being a total fanboy over I am now good friends with.  I even went up to Daniel Negreanu while he was in line to check in so that I could introduce myself.

Day 1A starts and find myself sitting directly on the left of Isabelle Mercier.  Great, nice start.  I had been hoping for a table full of satellite qualifiers and got the exact opposite.  Nerves had kicked in and I didn’t really get involved in a pot for a while because I didn’t feel ready.  Finally, I settled in and started playing my game.

I slowly chipped up and was playing well.  Called a river bet for almost half my stack with ace-king high, knowing it was good, and it was.  Continued to build and was fortunate enough to double up one of the final hands of the day to end up with a top ten chip stack.

After Day 1A, it was a surreal feeling.  I knew B.J. Nemeth, Scott Huff and the CardPlayers guys from my work on the forums. B.J. had me in the player list with updates and Scott Huff even interviewed me at the end of play that day.  It was like I was an established player in the poker community when, in reality, I was just soaking up every minute of it.

Friends were following me at home and I even had a few people come up and introduce themselves to me.  It was incredible.  I had the good fortune of meeting Brad Willis for the first time as well.  Brad was in charge of the PokerStars Blog and even got a small piece up about me.  To this day, Brad is still one of the best in the business and I am fortunate to have since become his friend.

When Day 2 got underway, the final numbers were in: 724 total players with top 130 spots cashing and first taking home almost $1.4 million.

Wow….

I took my seat on Day 2 and one of the weirdest things happened, Isabelle was directly to my right AGAIN.  Today though, it was a good thing.  Isabelle and I had talked quite a bit so I was very comfortable with her at my table.  It made my draw seem not quite as bad.

A few hours in, our table broke and I took my seat at my new table.  I immediately recognized the reigning WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem as well as internet wiz kid Ozzy Sheikh.

However, the first big pot I played was against somebody else.  I knew I recognized him from somewhere but I couldn’t put my finger on it.  I picked up queens and took a really odd line with them on purpose.  It paid off as I was able to get him all-in and my hand held up to eliminate the good looking, quiet player.  Only later did I find out that his name was none other than Patrik Antonius….

Just moments later I picked up queens again and called the all-in of Hachem, who held pocket nines.  However, Hachem spiked a nine on the turn to double up.

Finally, I was moved to a new table with a maniac on my left, literally raising every hand.  He raised under the gun and I looked down at pocket kings as we approached the money bubble.  Long story short, we got it all-in and he woke up with aces.

So, that was it.... 

I finished about ten spots short of the money in a pot that would have given me a top ten chip stack on the bubble.

I look back at that hand a lot and think about what my life would be like now if I had won that pot.  The $10,700 min-cash would have been life changing for me, let alone if I would have went deeper.  But, I was very happy with my play and my experience.

Later, I would attend the PokerStars party and mingle with the poker elite.  Joe Hachem and I had a Kalik and talked about the day.  Joe would go on to cash in the event after I doubled him up and I am proud to say that we have become good friends since that day.

Brad Willis and B.J. Nemeth were both there and I had a great time really getting to know them for the first time.  We would even play a sit-and-go later where B.J. and I invented the “Poker Caddy” (this is where one person, who is more than likely drunk, makes decisions but their “Caddy” then handles their chips for them since they are in no shape to count them out).

Among those in our sit-and-go were Wil Wheaton, Gavin Smith, Isabelle Mercier and Paul Hannum (far left in the picture of B.J.'s aces).  Paul was the cameraman for the WPT and one of the nicest people in the business.   Paul tragically lost his life later that year while his wife was pregnant.

During the trip, B.J. and I had an interesting conversation.  He was leaving his duties as tournament reporter for CardPlayer and wondered if I would be interested in the position.

Um, yeah….

That was it.  I took over the role of tournament reporter at CardPlayer and the rest, as they say, is history.

Oddly enough, my career choice has left me little time to actually play much poker.  Every once in a great while I get to play some.  I won a small event in the Bahamas in 2008 and last year, I even won an event at the L.A. Poker Open.   I often think about where I would be if I would have just continued playing as opposed to working in the poker world.

I want to get back into playing more.  But, I do like to think that I have brought something to the poker community in my time here.  Whether it be updates, photos, interviews or assistance with Twitter, hopefully you guys have enjoyed what I have done and continue to do out on the road.

That is my story of how I got into this crazy business.  It is now my livelihood and career.

It’s what I do….

Poker Photography in a Different Light....

One of my favorite pictures I have ever taken, Tom Dwan cracking up just before the start of the One Drop.

Note: There are a lot of photos in this post, to see any larger, just click on the photo.

I don't claim to be the best photographer in the world. As a matter of fact, I am far from the best photographer in the poker world alone.  There are some amazing talents in our industry and I am proud to have the pleasure to not only have worked with most of them, but also learned from them.

In the poker industry, there are a limited amount of different shots you can get. Experimenting with different shots has become my new passion.  I know, personally, I don't need to see another picture of a guy sitting at a table with chips.  While there is always going to be a need for those shots in our industry, branching out for new, unique perspectives is what keeps our work fresh.

Phil Ivey

For a few years now, I have focused more on landscape shots as opposed to portraits.  Not only does this give us a new way to look at our favorite players, but tends to be more "blog" friendly.  The emotion on somebodies face can tell you more than a picture with their chips.

That is what we, as photographers, are supposed to be doing, right? Showing the feel of the moment, the vibe of the poker room, the tension in air, the emotion of winning or losing a big pot; these are the things that make a picture a photograph.  A moment of time forever captured for the fans to witness.

Sometimes those pictures are tough.  Like this photo I took this summer at the World Series of Poker just moments after Phil Collins was eliminated from the Main Event.  The pain of elimination still on his face while the ESPN cameras close in on him....

The best shots aren't set-up.  In the picture above, I just happen to be at the right place at the right time.  Crouched on the floor trying to stay out of ESPN camera lines when Phil just happened to walk in my direction after busting.  I hate that he is looking at me.  He saw me, he knew I was trying to capture the moment.  To his credit, he took his elimination well and never said a word to me.

To be honest, I almost didn't even post this picture during the summer because of the emotion in it.  But I did, because that is what we do.  Hopefully I will be able to get Phil on the other end of the spectrum soon.

Another example of capturing the emotion of the moment is this photo that I took of 2012 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Merson after he won the $10,000 No-Limit Six-Handed event for over $1,100,000.

Little did anyone know that this was just a precursor to what he would do in the Main Event.  Overcome with emotion, Merson sat quietly in tears after he was awarded his first bracelet.  

I have also tried to portray moments away from the table. Some of the most candid shots take place while players are up walking around between hands.

The two photos to the left are prime examples of this.

In the first one, I love this shot of Daniel Negreanu and Kevin Pollak talking in between hands at the WSOP Main Event Feature Table.  This dynamic is so much better than just showing them at the same table together.

The second one is a rare case when we can see the lighter side of Tom Dwan.  While the photo at the top of the post is my absolute favorite of Tom, this one is a close second.  Tom jumped up from the table after watching Mikhail Smirnov fold quad eights during the One Drop event.  

Fact is, you don't even need to have players in the shot to capture a moment.  The atmosphere of the room can sometimes be a character in itself.  

I sometimes find myself posting photographs that I personally like, not taking into account what the fans might want to see.

I don't know if it is the best way to go about doing poker photography, but I want to do something different.  I feel like if I am not trying to do new things, then I am not doing justice to those who I am fortunate enough to have follow my work.

Luckily, I essentially work for myself, which allows me the flexibility to make creative decisions with my photographs that I normally might not have.

The downside to that is I don't make a lot of money being an independent tournament reporter.  But, that is the sacrifice I have decided to make in order to do what I love.  I work my gigs, pay my bills and go home feeling very proud of the work I have done.

I know I'm not the best photographer in the business and I am constantly impressed with the quality of work that the more skilled of our craft consistently produce.  In the meantime, I will continue to try and bring some new, fresh perspectives from the poker room to you.

Hopefully, you enjoy checking them out as much as I enjoy taking them....