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www.gx-world.com
JULY 2010USA $5.00
GX
JULY
2010
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The RevivaL of a LegendMacGregor’s return to the links
PRefLoP STRaTegYBeat out everyone at the table
nBa dRafT daY anaLYSiSWhat grade did your team get?
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POKER BETTING LIFESTYLE
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First Up06 Editorial
10 News
Sports Betting14 The Sports Month in ReviewSee Some of the Moments you Might Have Missed
30 Golf: The Return To St. Andrews Are Brits Ready for Open Success?
36 A Legend RevivedThe Return of Golf’s Most Storied Name.
40 NBA Draft: The ResultsAre InHow Did Each Team Do?
46 The Fantasy FixPlayers You Need To Target
Poker22 Bracelet Watch
The World Series of Poker Part 1
GX JULY 2010
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Golf: British Open
What You Missed This Month
Rookies That Will Thrive
CoverFeature
50 Sun, Sea and...PokerThe Perfect Poker SummerVacation
58 How To Spot A PokerFaceThe Tells They Never Taught InPoker School
62 Interview With The Master What You Might Not Know About Doyle Brunson
Poker Strategy66 Oma-haha
An Introduction to Pot Limit Omaha
70 Pre-Flop StrategiesTips To Beat The Best
Lifestyle74 Game Review:
NCAA Football ‘11
78 Driving in the Fast LaneThe Porsche 918 Spyder
80 Brooklyn’s Finest Eight Upcoming Indie Bands
82 Madness & Musings
CONTENTS GX
5
74
22
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World Series of Poker
Sun, Sea and...Poker
NCAA Football ‘11
06
EditorDerek Gould
Creative DirectorIsabel Ferrer
DesignerBen Stone
ContributorsBrian KellyBassy Saffari
Diane M. GrassiWally Downes
Commercial Director USMichael Raounas
Commercial Directors EuropeNatalie Kenneally
Nathan [email protected]
Business DevelopmentAlex Soro
Marketing ManagerLucy Richardson
Online MarketingAlbert Vellvé
Web EditorElisa Lafuente
Web DeveloperJohn Davison
Carlos [email protected]
ISSN 2043-0388
Runners & Writers
Before deciding to pack my bags and travel tounfamiliar lands, I asked myself a farrago ofquestions. Is this the right move? Am I the rightman for this job? Do I have the skills to stay true tothis magazine while trying to take it to new heights?Obviously, the answer was “yes” to all. Since I’dmade up my mind, the only thing left wasto...well...leave. The journey to London was longand gruelling and that’s not an exaggeration by any
means. From eight hour flights over oceans and emerald fields to luggingbags and battling crowds flocking to Wimbledon for a spot on the train, ittook a lot to get here, but here I am.
“Where do we go from here?” Now, that’s the only question that remains. Ifyou must know, the words sports, gaming and poker are terms encoded inmy DNA. I eat, breathe and sleep each of the three. When the opportunitycame my way to take the helm of a publication that’s built on those threewords, it was difficult to turn down. It’s been a tough five days, but now thatI’m here, heading the ship, I’ve opened up the sails on every mast hoping toembark on a journey that’s navigated through calm waters offering amazingadventures to undiscovered lands.
Honestly, I don’t know where we’re headed. I’d be lying if I said I did.Wherever we go, I promise this: no matter how rough the open seas, thismagazine will stay true to the three words on which it was founded and justso happens to be the lifeblood of my being. Sports, gaming and poker willcontinue flood the pages of this publication for as long as I’m around. And ifall goes according to plan, it’s going to be a while.
Derek Gould, Editor
GX INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS
GERMANY SPAIN UK CHINA
www.facebook.com/gxmagazine
Find us onGX EDITORIAL
It was clear to all in the know that LaceyJones wouldn’t be a free agent for longafter her split with long term partner
Absolute Poker. On leaving the AbsolutePoker brand after a number of years withthe sponsor, it was no surprise that Joneswas in popular demand, with both Full Tilt
and PokerStars expressing an interest insigning her up to join their ranks of pokerprofessionals. However, after theannouncement that Jones would play forFull Tilt in their upcoming Doubles PokerChampionship, it became clear it would onlybe a matter of when and not if she wouldjoin theFull Tilt revolution.The model and television presenter isperhaps more known on the poker circuitfor her hostessing skills, and so her strongpoker game is often overlooked. However,Jones has cashed at both a WSOP Women’sEvent and a WPT Championship Event atthe Borgata back in 2007, proving that shehas the brains to back up the beauty as alegitimate poker player. The move mayindicate a change in advertisement directionfor Full Tilt Poker, who have previously onlyassociated themselves with the top pokerprofessionals. By aligning themselves withone of the more colourful personalities ofthe game, Full Tilt plan to use Jones’magnetism and charisma and not just herpoker abilities to attract players to theirbrand; a marketing ploy that already seemsdestined for success.
LAAK SETS NEW POKER ENDURANCE WORLD RECORD
GX First UP
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FULL TILT POKER SNAP UP LACEY JONES9
Raising money for charity usuallyinvolves going above and beyondthe norm in aid of a good cause, but
very few have committed to that sentimentlike Phil Laak. Laak decided to raise moneyfor charity by doing what he knows best,playing poker, for as long as possible in a live$10/$20 NL Hold’em cash game held at theBellagio poker room, Las Vegas. He alsoembarked on the mammoth endurance featwith the intention of breaking the GuinnessWorld Record for most consecutive hoursspent playing poker – previously set by PaulZimbler at the WSOPE last year - as well asraising money for the Camp SunshineCharity. Armed only with a speciallyconstructed diet to keep blood sugar levelsconstant, and without the aid of a singlecaffeine product, Laak easily tore throughthe old record of 72 hours to reach his targetof 80 hours of continuous poker, with only afive minute break per hour allowed.However, not content with the achievement,he continued to play for a further 35 hoursuntil his body finally forced him to retire after115 hours of table action. Laak managed toremain incredibly alert and focusedthroughout the game, and after the event
had finished, complained that only physicalailments were preventing him from carryingon further. When Laak eventually decided tocash in his chips, the new record forendurance poker stood at only five hoursshort of five days. He finished the game$6,766 up. A proportion of Phil’s winning isset to go to his chosen charity, as is themoney raised throughout the event fromprop bets and the donations of friends andsponsors. Girlfriend and fellow pokerprofessional, Jennifer Tilly, stood by Laak’sside throughout the event.
9
Online poker player Boku87 hasfinally completed themammoth goal of turning $5
into $100,000 purely through playingonline poker. The epic challenge, whichbegan in July last year, took Boku87just over ten months to complete, wellwithin the time frame of one year thatwas originally set for the task. Thechallenge, completed exclusively onPokerStars.com, was originallyconceived after Boku87 won over$40,000 on a prop bet that he couldnot turn $100 into $10,000 withinfifteen days. Playing over 500 sit n’go’s per day, Boku87 completed thechallenge in fourteen. But after thesuccess of the original bet Boku87decided he could go much bigger, andso the $5 to $100,000 challenge wasborn. Starting on $0.10 sit n’ go’s and$0.02 - $0.04 fixed limit cash games,roll management was almost asdifficult as the poker itself, and soBoku87’s stack accumulation beganslowly. But as the months wore onand the victories racked up it soonbecame clear the goal would bereached, and with Boku87 racing to thefinish line the challenge was completedback in May , almost two monthsahead of schedule. The challenge wasalso completed almost exclusively byplaying tournaments and sit n’ go’s,with only $1000 of winnings beingacquired through cash games. In a signof unparalleled dedication, it has beenestimated that Boku87 played in over45,000 tournaments to reach the$100,000 target. Boku87 has claimedcontinually throughout the challengethat his motivation had nothing to dowith the money, it was simply anexercise to prove to poker playersacross the world that it was possible toaccumulate large rolls starting withvery small amounts. If only it was thateasy for everyone.
BOKU87 COMPLETESEPIC CHALLENGE -TURN $5 INTO $100,000
9
In sadder news, poker player Paul“Smalls” Kitsos has died after sufferinga heart attack whilst travelling to the
World Series of Poker in Las Vegas lastmonth. Kitsos boarded a plane from his hometown New York, heading for San Francisco onroute to Las Vegas for the Series, butsuffered a fatal heart attack only 20 minutesafter the flight’s take off. He waspronounced dead by a doctor on board theflight 30 minutes later as the plane returnedto JFK. The 55-year-old clothing companyowner was a regular on the poker circuit and,although not a household name, had madeseveral high profile cashes in his pokercareer. A lover of the game, Kitsos had won$387,764 on the World Poker Tour over thepast five years. He notably finished 320th inthe 2008 WSOP to win $103,500, andscooped his biggest cash when he finished
5th at the 2009 Borgota Summer Open.Known for his larger than life character, Kitsoswill be greatly missed by the pokercommunity for the energy and enthusiasmwhich he brought to the game. He is survivedby his wife Stella and son Nicholas.
GX First UP
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Diplomats in Washington would havebeen mightily relieved when ClintDempsey’s 25-yard-strike made its
way through Robert Green’s fingers in theUSA’s opening game at the World Cup lastmonth after staking a transatlantic wager onthe outcome of the match.A bet was apparently taken between USAmbassador Louis Susman and UKAmbassador Sir. Nigel Sheinwald shortlybefore the 1-1 draw, after being brokered bythe Ambassadors’ aides. The loser was set tobuy the opposing Ambassador a swankymeal. Aides to Louis Susman said the USAmbassador would “understand if you [theBrits] decline, given the outcome of the lastsuch encounter,” referring of course to the
USA’s shock 1-0 win over England at the 1950World Cup in Brazil. In a tongue in cheekresponse, Sir. Nigel Sheinwald claimed hewas looking forward to having his winningsteak similar to the USA’s 1950win,“somewhat rare”. President Barrack Obama and Prime MinisterDavid Cameron meanwhile, made a bet oftheir own with the loser having to buy thewinner a pint of lager on their next state visit.A White House official said of the bet: “ThePresident noted that the historical record ofprevious World Cup matches betweenEngland and the United States favors thelatter.” As it was, Clint Dempsey’s equalizerleft all parties involved with their bettingreputations in tact.
POKER PLAYER DIES ON WAY TO WSOP9
NO STRAIN ON SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP9
T he six-day debate inMassachusetts rages on asstate officials continue to
struggle to reach an agreement for thebill which would allow the Bay State toopen three casinos. The casinos, whichwould create thousands of jobs withinMassachusetts, have been subject todebate for years. However, funding,smoking and the three casinos’ abilityto serve free alcohol have been thethree hot topics that Democrats andRepublicans can’t seem to find asuitable middle ground. Currently, three senators are headingthe “great debate”, but only oneopposes the idea entirely. Though thatone senator in opposition of the casinobill has created a bit of a hurdle,according to multiple sources, a deal issure to get done soon. The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, who’lltake ownership of the casinos, said thatits bid to build in Fall River wasbolstered by a federal decisionannounced in late June. If the tribecan’t reach an agreement with FallRiver under federal law, the MashpeeWampanoag officials have stated thatthey are willing to comply withMassachusetts state regulations.Though it may seem like a goal far outof reach, casinos, gambling and 24-hourfun will be instilled in Massachusetts,like it or not.
BIDS BLOCKED BYSENATE ON CASINO BILL
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First UP GX
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There’s more than one way that 36South African models can get youinto a lot of trouble, as former ITV
football pundit Robbie Earle found out lastmonth. It was discovered that Earle, whowas in South Africa with the ITV coverageteam for the World Cup, had been passingon tickets meant specifically for family andfriends to an unnamed third party withoutthe consent of FIFA or ITV themselves. Unfortunately for Earle, the ticketseventually found their way to the modelswho arrived at the Soccer City Stadium inJohannesburg for the World Cup Group Egame between Holland and Denmarkwearing tight fitting orange dresses givenaway as a promotional aid by a DutchBrewery. Their actions then proceeded toattract so much attention that they wereejected from the stadium, and when theirtickets were tracked to their source, allevidence led back to Earle. It has been claimed the stunt was pulled inan ambush marketing ploy by beer company,
Bavaria, but the brewery has so far laughedaway all notions that they had anything to dowith the scandal. Although Earle purchasedthe tickets himself, there has been noevidence that he made any money from the
transaction and claims he had alreadyinformed ITV as to who his tickets would begoing to. Luckily for the fans though, wewere able to sit back, relax and enjoy thegame. Even if the Dutch beauties weren’t.
ROBBIE EARLE SACKED THANKS TO DUTCH BEAUTIES9
8 Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (C) is double-
teamed by Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo (L) and
Paul Pierce during the second half of Game 7
6 Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson
celebrates as team members hold up the Larry
O'Brien championship trophy after defeating the
Boston Celtics in Game 7
SPORTS BETTING GX
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6 Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest (R)
defends against Boston Celtics guard Ray
Allen in the first quarter during Game 7
7 Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant celebrates a basket against the Boston Celtics
during the second half in Game 7
6 Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol (R) of Spain
celebrates in front of Boston Celtics' Paul
Pierce (2nd L), Glen Davis and Rasheed
Wallace (L) during the fourth quarter in Game 7
had said last year, and it’ll presumably stilllook nice and shiny on James’ wristregardless.
.EVENT #10.Lucky Number 7 Brandon Adams fell at the final hurdle in theWorld Championship Seven Card Stud eventwhen he lost out to Men ‘The Master’Nguyen. This was Nguyen’s 7th WSOPbracelet in all, and it took the Master tosecond position on the all-time cashes list atthe WSOP; this being his 67th in all. TheMaster admits he’s a superstitious man andbelieves this fate and superstition may havebeen the reason why he had up until thispoint, won no bracelets since the WSOPmoved to the Rio in 2005. Retford meanwhile,won $243,958 for his second place.
.EVENT #11.Kiwi Gobbles Up Durrrr Simon Watt became the first NewZealander to ever win a WSOP braceletwhen he fended off Tom Dwan at theheads-up stage of this $1,500 buy-in NoLimit Hold’em event. Watt took home$614,248 for winning the 2,563-man event,while Dwan left the tournament areawithout speaking to the media.
.EVENT #12.Where’s Phil Ivey? Twelve events down and still no braceletfor Phil Ivey with the Full Tilt man finishingin 53rd for a little over $3,000, the
equivalent buy-in of about one shot ofgolf in a match with the star. This LimitHold’em event was won by fellowAmerican Matthew Matros, who won$189,870, securing his first ever WSOPbracelet.
.EVENT #13.Gee Whizz More than three thousand runnerscompeted in this $1,000 No-Limit Hold’emevent and it was Steven Gee fromSacramento who won the bracelet. Geesaid for anyone to be a great player, “youhave to love the game, you have to lovewhat you do.” Well that’s just how Geefeels since the 54-year-old has been playingpoker for over 30 years and was rewardedhere with his first ever bracelet.
.EVENT #14.Lowdown on the Lowball Californian poker pro, Yan Chen, won the2-7 Draw Lowball $1,500 buy-in eventwhich attracted 250 players. This was anew event at the WSOP, and wasunsurprisingly taken down by a lowballspecialist. This was Chen’s first braceletand also left him $92,817 the richer – minushis buy-in of course.
GX POKER
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Men Nguyen shows himself to be The Master as he wins his 7th WSOP bracelet after fending off Brandon Adams in the World Championship Seven Card Stud.
Simon Watt becomes the first ever NewZealander to win a bracelet.
SPORTS BETTING GX
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Radio City Music Hall. June 24th. 2010. For the NBA, it´ s a chance to introduce its youngeststars with the brightest futures to the world. For the teams, it´s a chance to get a fresh startand change all of the wrong-doings from seasons past. BY DEREK GOULD
In the NBA’s seemingly endless history,players have come and gone, someforever remembered and eternallyenshrined while others have taken
terrible falls from grace and easily forgotten.Yet, each summer, on the night of the NBADraft, David Stern and his association gets tore-stock a fresh crop of young stars on therise. It’s never a one hundred percentguarantee that each team’s selection willmake it. In fact, most never get a chance liveup to their true potential in a league that’splayed by some of the most physically-giftedathletes in the world. Still, every Juneowners, coaches, GM’s and fans alike loiter inangst powered by the notion that “one playercan change anything.” It’s a belief that isfundamentally ingrained in their brains, forbetter or for worse. But June 24th is a nightwhere clearly something monumental canhappen; a night where a franchise can gofrom worst-to-first by selecting just oneplayer. It’s a night where amazing canhappen. Here’s a look at the 2010 NBA Draft.
1Washington Wizards: John WallPG-6’4” 195 Kentucky
Though this draft was crammed with talent,John Wall was the obvious choice forWashington. The Wizards went through acomplete disaster of a season with thesuspension of Gilbert Areas along with theloss of Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. Bydrafting John Wall, the Kentucky phenom willsend a much-needed surge of electricity to ateam that has lost all power. Wall, who mightbe a bit ahead of himself bragging that he willbe a top-3 point guard by the end of hisrookie campaign, is fully capable as his full
court speed and passing abilities are some ofthe best in the business. He’s guy thatWashington can rebuild around. Wall justneeds be sure his mouth doesn’t writechecks his body can’t cash. Grade: A
2Philadelphia 76ers: Evan TurnerSG-6’7”205 Ohio State
If John Wall had an equal, it might be EvanTurner. Though anticipation never quite hit76er fans as news leaked prior to the draftthat Philadelphia had already made theirdecision on Turner, basketball in Philly isfinally headed in the right direction with theselection of the OSU star. The national playerof the year in college basketball has thedesire, intensity and big-play ability to be anoffensive force in the NBA. Turner can drive
the lane and take the ball to hoop efficiently.Once he develops his long-rang shot, he’ll beone of the best in the NBA. Grade: A+
3New Jersey Nets: Derrick FavorsPF-6’9” 220 Georgia Tech
Personally, the Nets would have been bettertaking the NBA-ready DeMarcus Cousins, butNew Jersey selected Derrick Favors instead.It was a back and forth debate, howeverFavors did display great power and controlscoring efficiently at the post and reboundingwell off of the glass. The Nets will now havetwo dominant big-men that can bring a lot ofstrength and talent in the front court. Whoknows, if the mad Russian plays his cardsright and pulls in LeBron, the sky´ s the limitfor N.J. Grade: A
DRAFT DAYANALYSIS
GX SPORTS BETTING
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Oklahoma City to get the center, and thoughAldrich’s shooting abilities aren’t what he wasselected 11th overall for, he will be able tomatch-up with every center in the NBA,pound for pound. Grade: B+
12Memphis Grizzlies: XavierHenry SG-6’6”220 Kansas
Henry was a solid and smart pick at #12 forMemphis. The freshman out of Kansas bringsout-of-this-world shooting as a guard that hasthe talent to hit a three from anywhere on thecourt. Though his time in college was brief,the pick in hindsight almost looks genius nowthat Rudy Gay has accepted Memphis’ offer,Henry can be used sparingly and learn fromone of the best in the NBA. If Xavier Henrycan get past his one flaw of not being able tocreate his own shot, this kid will be acomplete stud in the not so distant future.And If Memphis can surround him with theright protection to free up some space, Henrywill have no trouble making the transitionfrom college to pro. Grade: B
13Toronto Raptors: Ed Davis PF-6’10”225 North Carolina
Like so many other power forwards in thegame today, Ed Davis will have to develophis mid-range shooting to compliment hisball handling skills and ability to finish at therim. Though Davis is young, his naturalstrength and skills can’t be over looked. Heaveraged 13 points per game as well asnine rebounds per game to go along withthat. Though Toronto is a sinking ship,especially with Chris Bosh on the outs andHedo Turkoglu unhappy, the Raptors willstrongly appreciate Davis’ natural talents onthe court. Grade: B-
14Houston Rockets: PatrickPatterson PF-6’9”250
KentuckyThe big boy from Kentucky brings a lot tothe for Houston, who selected Pattersonas the final pick of the lottery. Though therewere many comparisons betweenPatterson and Gordon Hayward, most critics
agree that the former Wildcat will be able touse his size, defensive presence at the postand his mid range shooting skills as a greatway to keep opposing teams’ defenses ontheir heals. And while Patterson will mostlikely never be a complete star in the NBA,his contributions off of the bench will not gounrecognized. Grade: B-
15Milwaukee Bucks: LarrySanders PF-6’9”210 VCU
Sanders was selected by the Bucks to helpback up Andrew Bogut, who can neverseem to stay healthy. Larry Sanders canoffer Milwaukee strong offensive play that,although may not be 100% polished, canpose a serious threat down in the post. TheVCU star also thrives defensively as he canrebound well and block some of the biggestmen in the game. Though it will take sometime for Sanders to develop into a premierpower forward in the NBA, he is on a teamthat isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.Grade: C+
SPORTS BETTING GX
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THE FANTASY FIX
THREE ROOKIE RB’SGUARANTEED TO HELPYOUR TEAM THIS FALLYes, it’s only July and no, it’s never too early to start preparing for your fantasyfootball team in 2010. Brian Kelly breaks down the top-three rookie running backsthat could have a major impact on your team come September. Words BRIAN KELLY
If you’ve been playing fantasyfootball for the last few years, the
following names should soundfairly familiar to your ears: Matt
Forte, Kevin Smith, JonathanStewart, Knowshon Moreno,
Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson,Tim Hightower and Steve Slaton.
Why have these names become sofamiliar? Obviously, the
aforementioned are some of thetop starts in the league, but moreimportantly they’re players whocarried many fantasy owners to
glory during their rookiecampaigns. With the current
trend of first-year running backsbecoming the starters of their
team, chances are your fantasyseason will rest upon grabbing
the right rookie during your draft.Here are three running backs thatare guaranteed to boost your team
in its pursuit of fantasy fame.
RYAN MATTHEWS San DiegoChargers
Ask the average college football fanwho Ryan Matthews is and most won’tbe able to tell you, but for those of uswho do know him, know that he scored19 touchdowns on 276 rush attemptslast year. Do the math on that and you’llrealize that he scored a touchdownevery 14 times he touched the ball. Addthe 1,808 yards and 6.6 yards per carryand you have the makings of anabsolute stud NFL running back. Nowconsider this, only 5 other NCAArunning backs with more than 1,000yards had a higher YPC average thanMatthews last season.
While Matthews’ detractors will likelymention that he benefitted from playingweaker competition at Fresno State,keep in mind that Matthews totaled659 yards and 7 touchdowns againstWisconsin, Boise State, Cincinnati,and Illinois in 2009. Only Illinois rankedoutside of the AP Top-25.
Matthews, who was drafted 12thoverall in this year’s NFL draft by theChargers, will fill in for the shoes of
LaDanian Tomlinson as San Diego’slead running back. Though there wereother positions available at theCharger’s 12th pick, San Diego had toimprove a position that has hinderedthem to advance in the playoffs thepast two consecutive years. Becauseof this Matthews should be given plentyof opportunity to show why he was thesecond running back selected in thedraft. Chargers head coach Norv Turnerhas already been quoted as sayingthat Matthews could see as many as250 carries this year along with 40receptions.
While the 40 receptions appears tobe somewhat unrealistic given thatMatthews only had 19 receptionsduring his entire college career, theFresno State standout has shownthe ability to successfully handle aheavy workload. Playing an extremelyfavorable schedule this year andwith no real competition in theChargers backfield, Matthews couldeasily become a top-10 fantasyrunning back.
9 Recommended draft selection:
early to mid second round.
GX POKER
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The TipperSitting on your backside all day withwaitresses delivering you drinks and snacksis one of the few times when poker playerswill have someone slaving on them handand foot 24/7. And when the impeccablybehaved waitresses bring refreshments,tipping them a few chips is not onlycommon courtesy but an absolute must.But when one of your opponents startstipping $20 for a glass of flat Coke, asidesfrom his blatant attempts to secure thewaitress’ phone number, he’s also trying tointimidate you. He thinks if he can afford topay that much for carbonated beverage,you’re not going to be able to scare him offany pots.
The problem here is both good and bad. Ifhe’s chucking money around like it growson trees in his back yard, he’ll be unlikely tobe budged from too many hands whenyou’re bluffing. But he’ll also be calling yourstrong hands too. So what you need to dois give him even more reason to do so.Start off by buying drinks from the
waitresses and sending them over to himlike men in films who send over glasses ofchampagne to the long-legged blondes atthe end of the bar. Then shout him somechips and peanuts before eventuallyordering him the most romantic meal on themenu (even if it’s just a burger with a heartshaped pickle).
What will happen next will be one of twothings: he’ll either stay out of your pots ashe’ll see your raises as a come-on, or he’ll bedesperate to bully you out of pots afteryou’ve threatened his masculinity and bigspending ability, making him even moredetermined to bully you off pots from whichyou won’t budge. Either way, he won’t beable to afford too many more $20 sodas onceyou’ve worked your magic.
Mr TelephoneIt’s highly unlikely there’ll be many playersat the table who don’t have a mobile phone.But there’ll almost certainly be one who’scalling, texting, or playing with it so oftenthat you’d be forgiven for thinking the pokerwas an irritating distraction preventing himfrom getting down to some serioustelephone business. His phone will alsoundoubtedly be the latest model of iPhonewhich probably hasn’t even been releasedyet. Fortunately though, two can play at thatgame. And there’ll only be one winner.
If you’re involved in any pots with Mr.Telephone, make sure you’re busy textingwhenever it’s your turn to act. The dealerwill be the first one to prompt you intoplaying, but Mr. Telephone will startchipping in too once you’ve done it severaltimes. You should also try and get hisnumber, either by asking directly or bygetting one of the waitresses to get it for
you for a small fee. You can then proceed tobombard him with a barrage of messageswhile also calling him on an unknownnumber and not saying a thing. By this pointhe’ll be so focused on his phone that hispoker will start to rapidly deteriorate; leavingyou the spoils. The other trick is to pretendhe’s calling you every time he makes a callas this will wind him up beyond belief.
The Apologiser It may be considered good form toapologise when you hit a one-outer on theriver, just like it is in tennis when you clipthe net and it falls agonisingly short of youropponent on the other side. But you know,and he knows, that you’re not really sorry.In fact, you’re delighted, and you might aswell run towards the crowd sliding on yourknees shouting goooaaalll while pumpingyour fists in the air with tears streamingdown your face. And if you react in anyother way, especially by apologising,everyone watching will know you’re a
conman - the kind who asks a woman headmires how her boyfriend is with sincereinterest when actually hoping he hastragically been killed in a bear fight.
So don’t apologise for getting lucky,celebrate instead. It’s sure to wind up youropponents and put them on tilt. Remember,you’re not there to make friends. You’rethere to make money. Of course the onething you need to be able to do if you’regoing to go down this route is remainoblivious to the way people will behavewhen they luck out on you.
GX POKER
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Interview
DOYLEBRUNSON
“I'm 76 now.and I feel.
I'm close to.being as.good as I.
ever was”.
Can the new Porschehybrid concept car throwoff the shackles previouslyassociated with suchmachines? Jamie Mallonfinds out.
T he word hybrid, in a vehicularsense at least, is somewhatdivisive. For some it inspires
imagery of a cleaner, greener world; abrighter more environmentally sustainablefuture. For others it means poorlyperforming cars with overly arrogant drivers,advertising their green credentials andbasking in the fury created by their Priussitting in the fast lane of the M1 at 55mph.
This could all be set to change should thePorsche 918 Spyder concept reach theproduction line. This piece of hybridmachinery is a million miles away from thedrab looks and asthmatic performance of a
majority of hybrids currently on the market,it looks like the creator of the universe (I’mnot starting a God vs Evolution debatehere!) and some highly advancedextraterrestrials borrowed a Carrera GT andteamed up in creating this masterpiece.
It might be fair to expect the 918 Spyder totip the scales given the monumental weightof many electric cars, but it weighs in at afairly dainty 1,490kg and has a combinedoutput of over 700 bhp from the combustionand electric motors. The process of getting
from 0-62 is demolished in just 3.2 secondswith a top end speed a shade off 200mph.For anybody wondering if a hybrid can reallyperform in the real world, the stats paint avery clear picture: the 918 has lapped theNurburgring in 7:30 minutes, a full 22seconds quicker than a Mclaren SLR andquicker than the Carrera GT.
EXTERIOR
Porsche has really achieved somethingastonishing in maintaining the lines andfeatures that define the brand and maintainthe legacy of Porsche’s design while alsocreating something entirely new, entirelydifferent and entirely jaw-to-the-floorgorgeous.
While there are distinct similarities to theCarrera GT, the 918 Spyder’s front end ismuch more angular with less aggressivemore shapely intakes. It’s much the samestory along the lines of the doors with largermore curved intakes feeding the power-plant huge gulps of air. The rear quarter
GX LIFESTYLE
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SPYDER CAR WILLSAVE THE WORLD PORSCHE 918 SPYDER HYBRID CONCEPT
