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Legends of Poker: Howard "Tahoe" Andrew

I played a lot of poker while going to high school in Walnut Creek, California, and I played a little basketball with Paul Johnson, who at 6 feet-nine inches tall was a bit taller than his little brother, Randy. Paul went to the University of California at Santa Barbara on scholarship. Randy went to the University of Southern California on scholarship. I went to California State College at Stanislaus on a bus.

Randy has since made his hometown proud by becoming the most dominant left-handed pitcher of his generation. I had hoped to make my hometown proud by becoming its most dominant poker player, but that plan got derailed when Howard "Tahoe" Andrew moved to Walnut Creek.

In 1976, as the country celebrated the Bicentennial (and I shot baskets), Howard was winning his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet in the "businessman's" $1000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament. He enjoyed the win so much that he repeated the feat the very next day, taking down first place in the $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em tournament.

Howard was in his early forties at the time, and had first honed his poker-playing skills at Lake Tahoe where he lived for ten years. He says he started playing poker at the age of 21, taking an interest in the game when he noticed how poorly some players played. Lake Tahoe was still a "summer" vacation spot in the 1950's, but there was poker available at places like Tallac House, the Stateline Country Club, and the Tahoe Plaza.

After obtaining his Bachelor of Science Degree in math from San Francisco State University (about the time Bill Russell was leading the Dons to the NCAA Championship), Howard turned to the business world. Later he married, had four daughters, and now has eight grandchildren.

In 1983, the two major poker tournaments were the WSOP and Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker. The Stardust Hotel and Casino had a good size poker room at the time and started their own poker tournament, which they dubbed the Stairway to the Stars for the Triple Crown of Poker. "Akron" John Francis won an event, "Oklahoma" Johnny Hale placed in one, and "Tucson" Don Holt took third in the final (eventually won by Ken Smith - What'ta player!), but Howard "Tahoe" Andrew easily won the "war of the city nicknames." In fact, he played so well that the turn of two cards kept him from winning two events, and he had to settle for second-place in both the $1000 limit, and $1000 no-limit hold'em tournaments. I took eleventh and 27th in two events, and took solace in the fact that I knocked David Sklansky out of one tournament, and Seymour Liebowitz out of another.

Howard was a gentleman at the table, although he kept trying to run over me with all-in bets. He admits that his strategy in many tournaments is to just keep bluffing at the conservative (read: weaker) players. I also tried to take to heart what Stu Ungar told me when I lamented the fact that he did indeed have the nut flush on a hand I got all-in on. I said I thought he had come into the pot with a pocket pair, not an ace-x hand, and Stu game me some great advice when he said, "Don't believe everything you think."

"Tahoe" was reaching fifty years old at that tournament, and today I'm trying to convince myself that I can have as fine a run of poker as he continues to have after the age of forty.

In 1984, Howard finished 8th in the WSOP Championship event, then placed 18th and 33rd in the 1987 and 1992 $10,000 events. When he was away from poker and his job, Howard spent much of his leisure time playing tennis and chess.

Since 2000, Howard has been busy playing tournaments all over the west coast, and in 2003 he made the final table of the WSOP Senior's $1000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament.

In 2004, as he reached his seventieth birthday, "Tahoe" cashed again in the $10,000 WSOP Championship, and at this year's WSOP (2005) he finished 34th from a field of 1500 players in a $1000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament.

It's nice to know that for players like Doyle Brunson, Berry Johnston, and Howard "Tahoe" Andrew, poker is still sweet, at seventy. I'm happy to know that, because I've been playing serious poker for 25-years now, and at the rate I'm going, I'll probably need the next 25 to make a name for myself.

I may also need a cool nickname. I was considering Al "Puggy Pearson" Moe, but then I remembered that he's still going strong too, and he's 76. Well, feel free to suggest one at: almoe@angelfirepress.com

Lakes Entertainment To Sell Off WPT?

As we entered into the Thanksgiving holiday Lakes Entertainment, who owns approximately two-thirds of World Poker Tour Enterprise stock, issued one of those good news/bad news type statements on its financial dealings. Normally, it is a business' practice to announce great news at the start of a trading day on the New York Stock Exchange, while attempting to shroud potential bad news at the end of activity for the day. While the announcement carried some good news for stockholders, it also opened up some more issues as to the future that Lakes may have with WPTE.

In the statement, Lakes Entertainment was able to announce the settlement of a previous issue with SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) authorities by releasing their previously delayed quarterly statements and stating that their upcoming quarterly reports would come on time. This speaks well for the company overall in removing the specter of the governmental regulatory agency from over its head. It doesn't bode well in the investment world when the SEC is questioning your earning and reporting capabilities!

Where the questions come into play is in other forward looking statements that Lakes Entertainment made regarding their immediate future. Lakes indicated that they were in need of financial capital, $10 million by the end of 2005 and an additional $10 million by March 1st, 2006. While they have been looking into several options for generating this capital, they are also pursuing the possibility of selling off part of or their entire ownership of their investment in World Poker Tour Enterprise, the company responsible for the production of the World Poker Tour and various other commodities under that umbrella.

What isn't clear is the path that Lakes will take in the drive to accumulate this capital that is necessary. While the path exists to generate the monies through bonds or some other sort of bridge financing, the quicker option is to divest of some of or all of their piece of the action with WPTE. It is also unclear what effect this would have on the operations of WPTE as well.

While things look good for WPTE on the whole, with their continued success of the World Poker Tour, their merchandising and the potential of their online poker room, the possibility of having different ownership (in the event that Lakes sells off) might be a hazard that the company could be facing. Of course, this could potentially be a good thing, as this would open the door to that takeover possibility that sprung up during the summer that another group could take over ownership of WPTE and expand the business to even greater success.

What will happen remains to be seen, of course. WPTE is a valuable commodity to Lakes Entertainment and, as always in the corporate world, companies have to be in tremendously dire straits to sell off all or part of their livelihood and business.. We'll have to keep an eye on the immediate future as Lakes Entertainment decides on their next move.

Xmas Hold?em Charity

It’s that time of year again; candy canes, colored lights, holiday music, Christmas trees, and … poker chips? While holding Texas Hold'em Poker Tournaments for charity has become an all year, anytime, anywhere kind of activity, Christmas time is a great time to think of your fellow man, and the Tri-Town Lodge # 30 of the Fraternal Order of Police are going to do just that, and play some poker to boot. At the ironically named Outlaw BBQ restaurant on Route 1 in Foxboro, Ma, generous card players will meet to do a bit of gambling for the kids. At $65 for a buy in, all proceeds will be donated the Greater Attleboro Area Council for Children's annual Christmas is for Children. "We hope to be able to raise over $3,000 for Christmas is for Kids campaign," Sgt. Larry Crosman said. "This is a great program that has been helping families in the Attleboro area for many years. The FOP likes the fact that they area not just handing out presents, but also trying to help the families by providing them with programs and classes that can help change their lives permanently." Tickets are available at the Outlaw BBQ on Route 1 in Foxboro, Ma. or by calling (508) 222-3182

Caribbean Poker Tournament Not All Fun And Sun

Ask ten young, hopeful poker players why they want to turn pro, and you will likely get ten different answers, The one common thread that might run through them, however, would be one that is based on an incorrect assumption. Most people think that high-rolling, globe trotting poker tournament pros live a life of glamour and excitement, but the truth is they hardly ever get to sample the exotic ports of call they travel to. They are to busy working. Scots player Tony Chessa is one such player, who adds to the equation a condition called SAD, or seasonal affective disorder. This disorder brings on bouts of depression, weight gain, and lethargy that is brought on by not enough sunlight during the year. Along with his cloths, Chessa has to stuff a sun lamp in his suitcase, even when traveling to the sunny Caribbean. He plans to check with tournament directors to see if he can use his lightbox at the table; if not, he will use it in his hotel room between matches.

Ivey Snags $1 Million At Monte Carlo

Phil Ivey just covered his Christmas shopping expenses. Starting with a massive chip lead, this stoic poker champion set his sights on the first place prize and didn’t blink once. The Monte Carlo Millions has a new winner in Ivey, who won $1 million. The chip staning at the start of the final table was, from lowest to highest, John Juanda ($160,000), Kenna James ($310,000), Bengt Sonnert ($582,000), Marc Goodwin ($681,000), Paul Jackson ($809,000), Richard Herbert, ($908,000), and with more than double his closest rival, Phil Ivey with $2.3 million in chips. The final order, along with prize money, is as follows: second, Paul Jackson $600,000; third, Marc Goodwin, $300,000; fourth, Bengt Sonnert, $250,000; fifth, Richard Herbert, $175,000; and seventh, Kenna James, $53,000. Related Links John Juanda Kenna James Phil Ivey

Colorado Poker Laws Up For Interpretation

As reported by the Colorado Springs Gazette: "The Colorado attorney general says poker games played in bars and restaurants statewide are illegal, but 4th Judicial District Attorney John Newsome, like other district attorneys, doesn't plan a massive crackdown on poker nights. "State gaming authorities allow Newsome that latitude. They say enforcement of Colorado's gambling laws is subject to broad interpretation — a matter for individual district attorneys to decide.” Colorado State gambling law says that for a poker game to be legal, there must be a bona fide social relationship among the players. Because recent sting operations involved undercover cops who did not know every person at the table, they were found to be violating the law, resulting in arrests. Just last week one such case ended when charges against players were dropped, and against restaurant owners charges were suspended for a year pending good behavior.

More Swedish Online Poker Info

State-owned Svenska Spel will be running the online poker market in Sweden, thanks to decisions made recently by the Swedish government. It is reported by the Scandinavian press that the reasoning behind this move, as opposed to allowing a private organization to run the show, is that Svenska Spel will be easier to use to enact state mandates and otherwise keep control of the poker market in government hands. The two year trial has a number of caveats, such as minimum age of 18 to participate, and Swedes must indicate up front how much money they are willing to lose. New details have surfaced, including the dollar amount for the limit, the equivalent of $10,000 USD. Also advertising will be limited to the Internet and newspapers. Svenska Spel feels confident they will be able to corner a third of the $124 million dollar market within one year.

World Poker Tour Makes Calculated Bet

State-owned Svenska Spel will be running the online poker market in Sweden, thanks to decisions made recently by the Swedish government. It is reported by the Scandinavian press that the reasoning behind this move, as opposed to allowing a private organization to run the show, is that Svenska Spel will be easier to use to enact state mandates and otherwise keep control of the poker market in government hands. The two year trial has a number of caveats, such as minimum age of 18 to participate, and Swedes must indicate up front how much money they are willing to lose. New details have surfaced, including the dollar amount for the limit, the equivalent of $10,000 USD. Also advertising will be limited to the Internet and newspapers. Svenska Spel feels confident they will be able to corner a third of the $124 million dollar market within one year. The World Poker Tour is credited with igniting the fire of poker that is currently raging across the globe, mostly in the form of online poker rooms where fortunes are won and lost every day. Until recently, the WPT has stayed away from online poker, other than its website that simply reported on and advertised the Tour itself, along with the TV show. Now that they have started their own online poker room they are taking a swim in murky legal waters, but at the same time trying to minimize their risks as much as possible. By restricting their Internet clientele to non-US residents, the WPT hopes to avoid any legal trouble. Gambling and legal experts say this alone may not keep them out of hot water, as any gambling online other than horse racing is considered illegal in the US. Blocking US residents knocks about 80% of all online poker players out of the picture, so the WPT is taking a risk not only legally by financially as well. Related Links: WPT

Empire Poker Knew Of Possible Damage

Closely watched by investors and poker enthusiast alike, the battle between online poker rooms Empire Online and Party Poker rages on, with new information coming out that could hurt Empire Online’s case. Party moved to separate the poker system used by its own players from that used by players at its partner companies like Empire. When the change went into effect, it moved all of Party’s players to a new and improved platform with better features, while keeping Empire players on an inferior platform. Empire is talking about legal action against Party Poker, since their shares have dropped since the change. It turns out that Empire Online received a written warning that its relationship with Party Gaming might be changed in a negative way. Empire chose not to tell investors about it in the prospectus for a float earlier this year. Related Links: Empire Poker

Poker A Class Act On FSN

All dressed up for the holidays, the FullTiltPoker.net Invitational Live from Monaco showcased the classy side of poker with the total absence of T-Shirts, sports jerseys, sponsor logos and the rest of the bag of mixed nuts that often show up for open events, such as the WSOP. With a spectacular setting serving as the backdrop for some exciting poker, Fox Sports Network broadcasted the event from the exclusive high rollers' room of the Casino de Monte Carlo, called the Salon Prive. Barry Tompkins and "The Professor of Poker" Howard Lederer, gave the blow-by-blow color commentary as the pros played during the four hour event. Mike Matusow, Phil Hellmuth, Chris Ferguson, David Ulliot, Gus Hansen, John Juanda and Phil Ivey were all in attendance, vying for the $600,000 prize. In the end it was Ivey who took down the top prize, adding to the million he won earlier in the week at the Monte Carlo Millions, giving him a $1.6 million week, not bad by any measure. Related Links: Mike Matusow Phil Hellmuth Chris Ferguson David Ulliot Gus Hansen John Juanda Phil Ivey Howard Lederer