Chats with Tats (My WSOP Interview with Tatiana Pasalic)

Read MoreOne of the privileges of working at the World Series of Poker every year is getting the opportunity to meet lots of interesting people, many who work in media.

Read MoreOne of the privileges of working at the World Series of Poker every year is getting the opportunity to meet lots of interesting people, many who work in media.

I promised readers a passionate video montage, taking the opposite side of the current censorship debate about whether or not politics has any place at the poker table.
I say “yes.”
Israeli poker writer Robbie Straznski says “no.”
READ HIS PERSUASIVE VIEWPOINT HERE
Here’s the raw footage of my 38-minute reply to PokerStars’ misguided decision to ban all political expression in their tournaments. In this clip, my response is unrehearsed and often comes across as disjointed. Rambling. Less than stellar. Certainly not my best video. I would have junked it if I didn’t promise delivery. Borrowing an album title from Van Morrison, here’s my “Inarticulate Speech of the Heart.”
But I did agree to post one final summation of my viewpoint in front of the camera, and so here it is.
Run time — approximately 38 minutes. Apologies for butchering Robbie’s name in the opening segment. I also get interrupted a few times by overhead aircraft noise and my 13-year-old tabby, Alex, who makes a reluctant appearance on camera.
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Tatjana Pasalic and I have done quite a few interviews together. I’m a big fan of her work, which is regularly posted at CalvinAyre.com.
Below this most recent interview, at the 2014 WSOP, see Part 1 of “How the West Was Won,” which is a nice overview of WSOP history.
READ: More background on the history of the WSOP
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Read MoreI suspect that my intense interest in, and passion for, things like American politics, world history, international affairs, and my deep sense of civic responsibility stems largely from the important lessons I learned while still young.

Read MoreThanks to Remko Rinkema at Poker News for this nice feature and tribute to 90-year-old Henry Orenstein, who participated in today’s $10,000 buy-in Seven-Card Stud Championship. This marks his first appearance at the World Series of Poker in several years.
I was interviewed by Remko and was asked about Mr. Orenstein. It was a great honor to speak about him, albeit briefly.