Atlantic City, NJ - There's a classic rock song made famous by Janis Joplin where the lyrics go, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." What the lyric means is, there's a certain sense of emotional contentment that comes with being on a free roll, whether the situation is life or poker. Once you've committed yourself to the notion you can't lose, in fact - you have won.

In the early 1970's Mike often played five-card draw in Gardena, CA, then known as "the poker capital of the world." You see, Gardena was where the pros gathered to play against newbie's and intermediate players who liked to challenge them.

Gardena style. During those days Mike discovered that a considerable number of poker players had adopted the bullying technique as a way to intimidate other players in the hopes of enlarging their own chip stacks.

Greg "Grumpy" Heslip's 10-8 topped Shawn Delargy's 6-4 in the final hand and the San Diego quality engineer pocketed the $8,000 first prize at the $25,000 Annie Duke Free Roll Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament Saturday, January 30 at Pala Casino Spa & Resort, located outside of San Diego, CA.

Heslip beat 66 players, including Duke, for his first tournament victory. Duke, a top poker professional, hosted Pala's first major tournament in its new 15-table poker room that was part of the casino's $100 million renovation.

After spending almost $80 per person to enter the theme park, the patriarch of the family dragged his wife and kids from ride to ride in a blistering pace. The kids were cranky, tired, and hungry. His frustrated wife suggested that they find a comfortable spot to sit for an hour or so to take a break. Although he knew it sounded like a good idea, he urged everyone to forge onward in an attempt to "get our money's worth."

Atlantic City, NJ - There's a classic rock song made famous by Janis Joplin where the lyrics go, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." What the lyric means is, there's a certain sense of emotional contentment that comes with being on a free roll, whether the situation is life or poker. Once you've committed yourself to the notion you can't lose, in fact - you have won.

In the early 1970's Mike often played five-card draw in Gardena, CA, then known as "the poker capital of the world." You see, Gardena was where the pros gathered to play against newbie's and intermediate players who liked to challenge them.

Gardena style. During those days Mike discovered that a considerable number of poker players had adopted the bullying technique as a way to intimidate other players in the hopes of enlarging their own chip stacks.

Greg "Grumpy" Heslip's 10-8 topped Shawn Delargy's 6-4 in the final hand and the San Diego quality engineer pocketed the $8,000 first prize at the $25,000 Annie Duke Free Roll Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament Saturday, January 30 at Pala Casino Spa & Resort, located outside of San Diego, CA.

Heslip beat 66 players, including Duke, for his first tournament victory. Duke, a top poker professional, hosted Pala's first major tournament in its new 15-table poker room that was part of the casino's $100 million renovation.

After spending almost $80 per person to enter the theme park, the patriarch of the family dragged his wife and kids from ride to ride in a blistering pace. The kids were cranky, tired, and hungry. His frustrated wife suggested that they find a comfortable spot to sit for an hour or so to take a break. Although he knew it sounded like a good idea, he urged everyone to forge onward in an attempt to "get our money's worth."

Commerce Casino's LA Poker Classic just keeps rolling on. Poker Player Newspaper's previous issue included results from Events 1 - 8. This time we have results from events 9 - 23, and guess what? We're not done yet. Not by a long shot. A total of 51 events comprise this tournament, which began January 20 and concludes its six-week run on March 4.

Upcoming events include a $10,000 buy-in heads-up championship on February 23, a $10,000 buy-in no-limit event that begins February 26, and a three-day, $25,100 buy-in high rollers tournament two days later.

Commerce Casino's LA Poker Classic just keeps rolling on. Poker Player Newspaper's previous issue included results from Events 1 - 8. This time we have results from events 9 - 23, and guess what? We're not done yet. Not by a long shot. A total of 51 events comprise this tournament, which began January 20 and concludes its six-week run on March 4.

Upcoming events include a $10,000 buy-in heads-up championship on February 23, a $10,000 buy-in no-limit event that begins February 26, and a three-day, $25,100 buy-in high rollers tournament two days later.