I went into this charity event a little excited because, well, its the biggest poker event in MN….probably ever. The confirmed guests were amazing, but let’s not kid ourselves; there was only one person that everyone wanted to see, and that was Michael Jordan. I kid you not, the place was basically dead, and then Michael walked into the room, and BOOM; everything was going right. There was a cash prize, but at these things, it is somewhat implied that you should give the money to charity if you win anything.

Michael Jordan was guaranteed to play the final table. That idea kind of sucked to me, but it was worth trying to get to the final table. Don’t get me wrong, there were some other HUGE celebrities. KG was there, as were Scottie Pippen and Patrick Ewing. The poker celebrity list was also quite impressive, featuring Greg Raymer, Hoyt Corkins, Patrik Antonius (who is the man), Johnny Chan, and last but not least, Phil Hellmuth. At one point, Michael Jordan asked Phil to put down the Microphone, and Phil did. Phil tends to take over these things, but he couldn’t here because Michael’s aura is just too big.

I had John Phan at my table, and he and I had a little encounter in the past. Overall, though, I like John, and I think the way he plays poker is real special. I admire his game a great deal. I had to call an all in with 89 (I was too pot committed to fold, and you needed to gamble given the structure) when John went all in with 22. The funny thing is, John busted Hellmuth (also at my table) when Hellmuth did one of his classic shove the chips in the pot play. Phil was delightful this evening. Anyway, John flopped a butter ball with a flush draw and made a straight flush on Phil. Phil took it well; after all, this was for charity. We went on break after about 6 levels, and I had been playing my normal roller coaster poker.

My next table had Hoyt. Hoyt actually plays against stereotype, as he is quite a tight player. During the break, I struck up a conversation with Patrick Ewing, and I seemed to peak his interest when I mentioned that I would be up for a game of Tonk (I don’t really know how to play tonk, but I can’t imagine too many people in the room could be that much better than me even if they had played).

Michael was involved with a conversation with Greg Raymer while Charles Oakley watched. I used to be in sports memoribilia in a big way, and I have seen Shaq and Chris Webber within 5 feet of me. Those guys are huge, but neither of them are nearly the badass that Charles Oakley is. Michael suggested that Greg should come over and play poker some time, and that they play for real big stakes. Greg said he would be concerned of getting robbed bringing large sums of cash to a private game (given his past experience). Michael said, “let me re-introduce you to Charles Oakley. No one will be robbing us.” Did I mention that Charles Oakley is a badass? Michael then said, “Anyway, if someone were to rob us, I would just give them anything they wanted,” which certainly made sense. Michael taunted everyone, and he let it be known that everyone was playing for second. I am ten times the poker player Michael Jordan is, but hell, I kinda believed the dude.

I got knocked out soon after the break, trying to make 99 beat KK. I then sat and talked to Patrik Antonius (who is the Charles Oakley of poker), and we discussed the cap of the NL games on FTP. Phil Gordon confirmed that mixed games are coming soon. Phil is just a nice guy, always cordial and just a great representative for poker. Patrik is just so sick that when you’re talking to him, his eyes pierce you in a way that suggests he could reach into your chest and crush your heart, which is a metaphor for the way he plays poker.

The final table set up like a who’s who of poker. I might have some of the participants wrong, but I don’t think so. Greg Raymer was there, Michael got him. Mike Mizrachi was there, Michael got him. Marcel Luske was there, and guess what. Yep, Michael Jordan beat almost 200 people to win this thing, owning the tournament from the first hand (he didn’t just play the final table as I initially thought he would). Final hand? PocketFives! Scottie Pippen said, “It’s just so sick, he just wins everything”.

After the tournament, I had to lobby hard for a VIP wrist band for the after party. Man, was that worth the grovelling. Minneapolis doesn’t have a lot of great clubs that rival LA, New York, or Las Vegas, but this club (Karma) was close. Being in the velvet room, Hoyt and I sat across from Michael and KG. You see, when I say Michael and KG, you know exactly who I mean. How cool is that? In sports memorabilia, I have likely bought and sold 200 Michael Jordan rookies and countless other rare collectibles, all of which were special. I don’t get autographs or even pictures basically for one reason: if I tell you that I was clubbing with Michael and KG and you don’t believe me, who cares sucker! I WAS CLUBBING WITH MICHAEL AND KG!

I was real happy for Hoyt. He is one of my best friends in poker, and it is pretty clear that he is one of the most popular figures. You would not believe how many people wanted his photo and autograph (apparently older women is Hoyt’s core demographic, who knew?). Hoyt didn’t need it, but coming in 3rd recently bridged some gaps for him. If he doesn’t get in the Heads Up Championship on NBC this year, something is wrong with that system.

At the end of the night, the rap group Houdini (from the ’80’s) did a short set. Wow, could this get better? Not only did I know every song, but I used to pop lock and break dance to them back in the day (I looked hot in parachute pants). Just the perfect ending to a perfect day.