Why the Blogfather is like Public Radio.

I need a new account at another poker site like I need a hole in the head, so I wasn’t happy to find that Iggy had set the new WPBT WSOP Satellite Tournament at a site I had never even heard of, “Noble Poker.”

I’ve been content with playing at Poker Stars and Ultimate Bet. My one attempt outside of those sites at Party Poker caused me to lose my stake within the space of a month; various poker blogger claims that Party was one big fish fry notwithstanding. Of course, the fact that I was trying to beat Party’s progressive tourneys probably had something to do with it. Or, who knows? Maybe I was one of the fish in the Party Poker Ocean. If so, I was happy to go back to the seas where I knew I could make a couple of bucks on a regular basis.

So, my first instinct was to take another pass on this tourney. But I started thinking about an exchange of emails I had with Iggy a month or so back where I thanked him for arranging/flogging the WPBT tournaments and hoped that he was getting some piece of the action from Party or Poker Stars for his efforts. And he replied he wasn’t seeing a dime from them.

“Guinness & Poker” can be an irritating blog to visit, with those flashing banners, unrelenting shilling for bonus codes this and Poker Tracker that, wholesale quoting of stuff, and Iggy’s refusal to follow anything like the normal protocols of blogging such as separate, short, headlined posts that could be easily located again rather than the scrolling screeds he puts up.

But having said all that, I’ll note that I visit G&P on a near-daily basis. It’s a pretty good barometer of the state of poker, and especially the state of on-line poker, plus it saves me the trouble of reading RGP, which has as bad a noise-to-signal ratio as rec.music.dylan.

Iggy’s links to other poker blogs have led me to some excellent writing, at least one of which – Maudie’s – ended up on my permanent reading list. Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, at least two people are going to the WSOP who wouldn't have been if not for Iggy's initial idea and tireless flogging. And Iggy, when he wants to, can come up with some excellent funny, original material, such as his trip to Aruba post and his wonderful post on the infamous “Fast Eddie.” You can find both by searching his site if you're interested.

All reasons, as I said, why I read G&P almost every day. So, I was driving up to Maine yesterday, listening to NPR, which was in one of its cyclic fund-raising campaigns, and the announcers were doing the whole “you pay for your newspaper, you pay for your Starbucks coffee, why do you think you should get a free ride from us?” guilt-trip gig. Answer, of course, is the same as why dogs like to orally clean their genitals, but that’s neither here nor there. They’re right, and every now and then I do make a donation because I use their services regularly, it’s near-impossible to listen to commercial radio, I’d miss them if they were gone, and they should make a buck from me.

They should make a buck from me. As should Iggy, for all he does for the poker blogger community. So, I’m using the little sign-up link that will let Iggy get some street cred and a few bonus dollars at Noble, and may he spend them in good health.

In the Big Scheme of Things, fhb is a very small fish in the poker blogger ocean, but if you’re a poker blogger/reader and you’re dithering about whether you want to go to the hassle of opening another account at yet another site and have somehow stumbled on this, think about what I’ve said.

See you on Wednesday. And thank you, Iggy.

WPBT WSOP Satellite Tournament
Noble Poker
Wednesday, May 11th, 9PM EST
$30 +3
No-Limit
Password: dahammer