"Hobby, have you forgotten the tournament at Commerce tonight?"

"Not a problem, Joe. We'll be back in plenty of time. Just sit back and relax while we put Lazybuns through a little sea trial. I'll even fix you a margarita," Hobby said.

That sold me. "How long will this excursion last?" I asked.

"Couple hours. We'll head up to the Channel Island at about three-quarter speed and then open her up on the way back."

Hobby's mechanic, Mike, who was aboard, had done some work on the big diesel that powers the yacht. Hobby wanted to test its performance.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, Mike Kassinger moved at the age of five with his family to Middletown, New Jersey, where he grew up. For most of his childhood he attended Catholic schools, graduating from Mater Dei High School in 1973. He completed his education with two years at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, then worked for two years as a Manager at Burger King before he decided it was time for a change.

San Francisco The City Built by Gamblers By Byron Liggett The first citizens of the Bay Area were Native Americans. A peaceful people, they were especially social. They liked to party, enjoyed athletic competition and loved to gamble.

The Spanish established a presidio (military post) on the peninsula in 1776. Otherwise, the first dwelling erected in Yerba Buena ("good herb") was built by the harbor master in 1835. It consisted of four redwood posts covered by an old ship sail. Ten years later, the community had only grown to a dozen wood buildings and fifty residents.

If you have an adventurous spirit, you can look for profitable opportunities in no-limit hold'em by taking cheap flops with speculative holdings and hitting the sort of (granted, infrequent) monster flops that create big action and let you take some unsuspecting slackjaw off his stack. Make no mistake, these junk calls can be hazardous to your health, but if you're in the right kind of game, one with lots of callers and few raisers, they can be profitably played.

David Apostolico has written a flurry of poker books over the last year or so. Because of his new-found stature in the poker world, Apostolico was invited to participate in the Professional Poker Tour, a series of no-limit hold'em tournaments filled with some of the best and best-known poker players in the world. This is an excellent chance for a journeyman poker player to observe and learn from some of the best.

"Lessons from the Pro Poker Tour" is a collection of lessons he learned while observing and playing in no-limit hold'em tournaments with some of the biggest names in poker.

Danny Robison's an every day regular in the stud game at LA's Commerce Club Casino. He'll occasionally take a break from the Commerce to join Hustler publisher Larry Flynt's big poker game where the limits can get up to fourand eight-thousand. And on Wednesday night at the Commerce, the 61-yearold Robison never misses the Bible study group that is a must with this self-described born-again Christian, who says he has given up drugs and booze, but not poker.

My local poker room was jammed on a Friday afternoon in summer. Under the gun at a full $4-8 Hold'Em table, Fred peeked and saw [Qh]-[Qc]. He raised, making it $8 to go. Five players folded; the Cutoff and the Button called; the Small Blind folded; the Big Blind called.

The dealer flopped [Kh]-[7c]-[2s]. Fred led the betting with $4, figuring that if anyone had a Set, Two Pairs, or Kings, then she would raise and he would fold. None raised; two called; the Big Blind folded.

Your bankroll is precious. One way to preserve it is to understand how the casino makes money from spreading poker games.

Poker is unlike casino games where you're gambling against the house. In poker, the casino has no financial interest in who wins the pots. Management and owners aren't gambling against you. It's you against the other players.

Before I attempt to answer some of Henry's questions let me talk a about the e-mails I receive. I appreciate all your support and all your e-mails. I truly enjoy answering the ones that ask questions or pose a simulation. Not all of them are answered in print for obvious reasons. I do have a request.

When you pose a question or describe a situation involving your hand, please supply all or at least enough information for me to set up a simulation.

At minimum I need the following:

1. The rank and suite of all your cards. Not just the two winning or losing cards or cards of interest.

In a room of stars, Michael Jordan proved he still shines the brightest. Poker icons and NBA legends packed Canterbury Park on Friday night September 8 for the Inaugural Trent Tucker Celebrity Poker Tournament benefiting the Trent Tucker Youth Program, but in the end Michael Jordan ended up with all the chips.

"I just came to have a good time and help the Trent Tucker Non-Profit Organization," said Jordan. "This was for fun, and I just played my cards. I didn't care if I won or lost," added Jordan, who donated back the first place prize money to the Trent Tucker Non- Profit Organization.