Moonlighting

That is the word for it. Shamus in the shadows. Playing it straight by day, living out a second, secret self at night.

Was on the World Series of Online Poker Event No. 11 yesterday, the $320 pot-limit Omaha/8 event. Goofy game. And not so simple to report, either. Big, split pots are frequent (and anticlimactic to report). And the big, scooped pots -- often report-worthy -- are usually not a little bit arduous to recount and explain.

One big difference between reporting online tourneys and live ones is the sheer amount of information one gets online. (Not to mention the speed with which that bombardment occurs.) Spaceman did a good job detailing this phenomenon -- and other relevant factors affecting the pursuit of one’s goal here -- in a post from earlier this week. Kind of makes it seem disingenuous to summarize a hand when you have every single detail at yr disposal there in a hand history.

Hell, on PokerStars you can even reanimate the sucker again and again, if you’d like. You could turn a single hand into a regular little novella, if you wanted. Was joking with one of my colleagues early on how nice it would have been at the WSOP had we been able just to click a replayer and get the players to do it again.

Best part of the evening was eavesdropping on the incessant chat over at Barry Greenstein’s table. A constant stream of questions for the Bear, from both railbirds and tablemates. And from what I could tell, Greenstein answered every one, no matter how silly or personal. One even asked how old he was when he’d lost his virginity. “Still holding out,” responded Greenstein cheekily.

Back on tonight (and for the next several days, too). Maybe when it’s all over a couple of weeks from now I’ll have more to say. No time right now, though. Big pot brewing over on Table 106.