The Nine Lives of Herbert “The Cat” Noble

Read MoreHerbert Noble somehow managed to defy the odds and survived. He withstood no less than eight assassination attempts on his life. But Number 9 was the end. Here’s the story of “the Cat.”

Read MoreHerbert Noble somehow managed to defy the odds and survived. He withstood no less than eight assassination attempts on his life. But Number 9 was the end. Here’s the story of “the Cat.”

1990 world champion Mansour Matloubi, watched closely by the poker press corps
Read MoreIf winning a major poker tournament represents the game’s greatest glory, reporting on such events can sometimes be its worst drudgery.
In this column, I look back at poker writing and tournament reporting over the years and gives thanks to those who blazed the trail to the present day.

Doyle Bunson (sitting) with the late George Fisher (standing), at the 2000 World Series of Poker
Read More“You don’t know what pressure is until you play for five bucks with only $2 in your pocket.”
— Lee Trevino (Golfer)

The winter of WSOP discontent, in 2004 just before the re-opening.
Read MoreThe 2004 World Series of Poker almost didn’t happen.
In fact, it was a miracle the event took place at all. A few months after Chris Moneymaker’s victory ignited the poker boom, the casino was boarded up, padlocked by federal marshals, and later sold to Harrah’s Entertainment. The shuttered building sat dark and vacant during the entire winter of 2004. Yet somehow, by April 23rd the casino was re-opened for business again was ready to host the 35th annual WSOP. This is the story of how that remarkable poker series came to be, against the odds.
Read MoreThe name Jackie Gaughan might not be as well-known as other Las Vegas icons. In a town built by Binion, Hughes, Kerkorian, Wynn, and others, he was one of the support beams behind all the flashy neon.