Several friends have been asking me about my entry to the World Series of Poker, and I have realized that not everyone is the poker freak that I am, so I thought I would post the answers to some of the questions I have received.

Will you be on TV? When?

Sort of. ESPN will be covering the Main Event. It will be aired in a few months. Of course there are expected to be 8000 people playing, so the only way I'll get air time is if I am playing at the same table as some famous pro, or if I last a while. I prefer option 2. While I look forward to meeting all the pro's, I don't want to face em early in the tournament. ESPN will air the edited version of it all in a few months, but the final table will be broadcast live on PayPerView on August 10.

You won a seat. Do you still have to bring money to play with, or do they give you money to play with?

This is a tournament. For the $10,000 entry fee I get 10,000 chips that have no cash value. I keep playing until I have run out of chips, or won them all. The prize money is then given out based on how long I last.

How much can you win?

I think the top 10% get paid. Here is the payout structure from 2005. First place got $7,500,000 and that was with 5600 players. This year they are expecting at about 8000, so, it could be as much as 10 Million. And, of course, it could be no money at all. But either way, I'm gonna have a great week in vegas.

How did you win your seat?

I played in an online tournament on Pokerstars.com. This was what they call a double shootout, which means that there were 81 people playing at 9 tables. Each table played like a single table tournament, down to 1 player. Then, the remaining 9 played another single table tournament down to 1. That was me. Entry fee was $160. Prize package was $12,000.

So you play online?

Yes

For real money?

Yes

Aren't you worried about that?

No. I play on well known/reputable sites, and I only play with money I have set aside for poker. Not my savings, nor my mortgage payments.

Do you play live too?

Yes. I play at a few of the clubs in Manhattan, and occasionally make my way to a casino.

Are you any good?

I think that I am better than average. Most poker players lose money. A small percentage wins. I am pretty much break even, which puts me ahead of the curve. And I am still learning. I tend to do better at cash games live. Online I try to stick to tournaments.

Did you say clubs in Manhattan? Is that legal?

The New York District Attorney has been quoted in the papers after one such club was raided as saying that they were just there for the people running the clubs, and that the players were not doing anything wrong and therefore had nothing to worry about. I have been at a few of these clubs during such a raids and it was fine. The police took all the money, but left the players alone. I hated losing my money to the police, but I could just as easily have lost it playing and this is a better story. I think we should take a lesson from LA, where they recognize Poker as a game of skill and make it legal.

What to you place your chances at?

50-50. Either I win, or I don't.