Half century in the Poker 'Mix'. Ask Me Anything

[DS3]

Now that's funny. Go back two steps...before The Bellagio, before the Mirage, we were at Caesar's. In the '70s and early '80s we would 'pot out' for high-end jewelry. e.g. A bust out with a 5k watch would offer it to the table. We would give him, say, 1200, 150apiece, and then drop it in the next pot. winner get the goods. I once scored a 13K Patik Phillipe for 190.
This one nobody believes unless they were there. Caesar's playing 75-150 mix, a couple visits the table. He looks like Brad Pitt, she looks like Angelina. 'We're available, either or both of us. We need to make $800. We'll do anything.' After the hysterics died down, Fast Eddie, (no not Felson from 'The Hustler',) pulls out his mule choking pocket roll and off go the three of them. Didn't see Eddie for three weeks! and then he never told us the tale!

This is shaping up to be the Best Thread Ever!

 

[Polytarp]

Why ARROGANTICE? You come across as anything but. Are you in the book "Poker Faces?" You've definitely lived a life and hopefully with your skin and marbles intact! The '78 move The Deer Hunter is fiction but I get the feeling that you have had some surreal experiences that normal folk would have a hard time wrapping their head around. I've earned a few grey hairs the normal way (as well as prematurely) where if you twitched or looked the wrong way for an instant then those would have been your last moments. You must have been very capable and had extra sharp instincts when you were in business!

 

[ARROGANTICE]

WHAT'S IN A NAME...

The love of my life always referred to me as 'that arrogant Sicilian gorilla'.. My nom de voyage, Iceberg, was dropped on me, literally, while playing a 50-100 mix game at the Horseshoe during the ‘82 series. Puggy, (yes, the late, great, often grotesque, one,) was over my shoulder when a woman in the game fired this shot at me: "You don't react when you win a big pot, you don't react when you lose a big pot...you're like a f.....g iceberg!"

Puggy recorded this and showed up the next day with a Lucite iceberg card lock for me. It stayed with me through my entire career. That 'nick' really took flight when years later Max Shapiro, my pal and fellow CP editor has some real fun with it: In a column he wrote about what he not so reverently titled 'The Pasta poker Paisans', ; John Bonetti, Vince Burrgio and yours truly, he observed the following: "Why is Sitra known as 'Iceberg? He's A Sicilian, not a Jew. Shouldn't it be 'Icepick?"
Ah, the good ol' days...

 

[Evan Jarvis]

Credentials:

I retired in 2010 after a lifetime as a pro. 1962-76 part time, then permanently at the felt until the Caribbean called in ‘10.

Was awestruck for my 9th birthday when my parents took me on a plane from Idlewild, (JFK for you little ones,) to the desert as a guest of my 4th cousin, Ol’ Blue Eyes, at The Sands, October ’53. (My most definitive memory of my childhood as my papa passed in January ’54.)

Sat down for my first hand at the very same in December ‘65. Played my first hand for cash in 1949…and I am certain the first thing I saw when my eyes opened was somebody’s hole cards as my parents played non-stop. (Mio Babbo was a made member of the ‘Prime Minister’s’ crew.)

Rarely played tourneys, (although I did manage to bank 150K in them,). I lived in Stud, Omaha 8, Big O., all the Mixed, and the master game, Stud 8, from beginning to end. I was opposite everyone from Johnny to Doyle to Stuey to Chip, (The G.O.A.T., no debate.), to Master Ivey when they all played in the trenches.

I was a contributing editor of Card Player for a decade, and Poker Digest for its entire life. Proudly, I avoided Hold Em as if it were the plague. Doyle called it the ‘Cadillac’. Chip called it the children’s hour. Your choice. Poker became big business, kiddies got rich. (See my editorial in CP after Harrington won the main and the 1st Euro. Witness how prematurely naive I was��!) Inevitable and so great to witness in my golden years. Go get ‘em kids!)

Any questions about my games? Want stories from the Jurassic era to Obama? Ask me, I was there…

Where did you choose to settle down in the Caribbean and why? Pics of the beachfront estate?

 

[Polytarp]

The love of my life always referred to me as 'that arrogant Sicilian gorilla'.. My nom de voyage, Iceberg, was dropped on me, literally, while playing a 50-100 mix game at the Horseshoe during the ‘82 series. Puggy, (yes, the late, great, often grotesque, one,) was over my shoulder when a woman in the game fired this shot at me: "You don't react when you win a big pot, you don't react when you lose a big pot...you're like a f.....g iceberg!"

Puggy recorded this and showed up the next day with a Lucite iceberg card lock for me. It stayed with me through my entire career. That 'nick' really took flight when years later Max Shapiro, my pal and fellow CP editor has some real fun with it: In a column he wrote about what he not so reverently titled 'The Pasta poker Paisans', ; John Bonetti, Vince Burrgio and yours truly, he observed the following: "Why is Sitra known as 'Iceberg? He's A Sicilian, not a Jew. Shouldn't it be 'Icepick?"
Ah, the good ol' days...

The iceberg/icepick observations must have made you crack a smile at least. One of your best writers at CP a while back realized he was giving away hard earned "tools of the trade" through his articles and stopped...I think it was Ciaffone...a great magazine that made you think! Dan N. was in canada and up in our neck of the woods (for personal reasons) and played some blackjack at the same table as my wife. She said he wasn't very good ..not long after she received a call from someone asking if she was interested in taking part in a professional blackjack tour (she's that good..and he obviously made a call) she declined the six figures [said it was tacky]. While at the table I asked him what it was that made him so good at poker and he said, no fear. Kind of goes with being an iceberg..
We've been to the Dominican a few times and I learned a little more than expected when considering some investment there. Have you ever played at Xanadu?