By The Grinder
The year of the snake passed us all by bringing us mixed emotions, and as we welcome the year of the horse, I am going to make New Year’s Day an excuse for some resolutions, and just like the past 10 resolutions, I am going to try to stick to it until the next one. Actually, I just have one. 2014 is going to the year for a “Poker Cold Turkey” for me. I have certain things I have to focus on, and I cannot devote any time to this wonderful game. I am still going to write my insights, thoughts, observations and past experiences about poker, but without playing a hand, and I think it’s a calculated and wise decision for the long run. Changes are meant to be embraced. Luckily, poker has no retirement age, and everyone has to pay their dues. There will be times when I win myself all the poker glory I dreamt of, but that is not 2014. Jim ‘Chief Dealer’ Paris has his own resolution. In fact, I could very well say that Jim’s resolution is my own previous resolution that’s finally becoming reality! Jim’s close friends know he is a real life ‘William Miller’ from the movie ‘Almost Famous’—a guy who may not have seen it ALL, but definitely has seen a lot, during the glory days of 60s and 70s Rock ‘N Roll. I always hoped and encouraged Jim to write his experiences in the form of a book or memoire, and he is finally doing it. I wish him all the best and I hope that he manages to churn out the best of memories in his book.
Well, that’s all from me in 2013. Remember. People at the table will always try to goad you and get you on tilt—you can never make friends at the poker table, and no single person speaks the truth at the table. Stick to your game and follow the ‘Tight is Right’ strategy, especially in the USA where Pokerstars is still banned. As Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson would say—“2014, Just Bring It!”
Cheers!
Phil Ivey was charged with fraud last year at Crockford’s casino where he won close to $13 million playing Punto Banco – a variant of Baccarat. Now, Ivey does win millions, and like Tom Dwan, he is used to million dollar swings. In other words, he is prone to losing millions of dollars in a single session during bad runs, and winning the same amount or more on good days. But $13 million is not a small amount, even for this poker legend. The casino claimed that Ivey demanded too many deck changes, and the dealer realized that most of the decks of 
