On To Day Four

Well, it's been a grueling Main Event for Michael and his friends. Of the thirteen who started, only one is left....and it's not Michael. Steve Billirakis, aka MrSmokey1, is the only one still playing and the only one to cash (almost 6,000 players had to be eliminated before you could finally make any money in this event). I know many of you were eagerly waiting to read my blog this morning for an update but, unfortunately, I had to be in work so early and didn't get a chance to type this before I left the house.

When I call him Smokey, that's because it's the name he uses when he plays poker online. He's very famous there and all you have to do is mention his name and any poker player knows who he is. And I'm sure, anyone who's playing at his table, probably isn't very happy that he's there. I was very excited when I met him this summer. We spoke for awhile and he was very patient answering all my questions about poker. While we were speaking (which was at the Rio during another tournament), there were so many other players coming up to him and introducing themselves to him like he was their hero. And I'm sure he is. But to me, he's just Smokey...Michael's friend.

When I was there at the Rio talking to him, I was also with Liz and Bryan and my two friends Pat and MaryAnn (who had been in Vegas at the same time as us visiting with some friends). They were waiting for me to finish talking and I finally went up to them and said, "That was Smokey" and I made a big deal out of it. MaryAnn looked at me and said, "Who the "f" is Smokey?" Sorry for using that curse word here Aunt Margie. Well, after she said that, I immediately brought her over and introduced her to him. MaryAnn is also one of the hottest looking friends I have so I'm sure he wasn't disappointed meeting her. She was definitely better looking than any of the poker players he was meeting. After this, "Who the "f" is Smokey" became kind of a tagline for our trip. We just kept saying it over and over because we all thought it was so funny. Except that MaryAnn kept calling him Stoney and still does.

So we all got home and MaryAnn is still talking about "Stoney". The other day she said to me, "Tell Stoney I want him to teach me everything there is to know about poker. And then next summer, I can play in the main event and no one will know who I am and I'll do well because Stoney taught me everything he knows. And oh, by the way, I want him to stake me too." For those of you who don't know what that means, it means she wants him to pay for her entry into the tournament as well. I told her for that, she will have to start calling him Smokey.

A WSOP bracelet is nothing new to Smokey because he already won one last year when he won the 1st event of the 2007 WSOP. That was a very exciting time for all of us. When one of Michael's friends does well, it's just like he's doing well.....that's how happy I am for them. Here's a picture of Smokey winning his bracelet last summer and celebrating with all of his friends with all of the money he won (which was more than half a million dollars).....Michael's sitting to his left.

So it's all on you now Smokey. Take it home for all of us. But, even if you don't, I'm proud of all you've done in poker and happy that you've been such a great friend to Michael. Good Luck Steve aka Smokey aka Stoney!!

EDIT: As I'm following tonight on http://www.pokernews.com/, he seems to be doing well. They have him at 500,000+ chips. Here's two write ups on him so far...

Steve Billirakis Eliminates Peter Biebel

Peter Biebel moved all in for 123,000 in late position and Steve Billirakis made the call from the cutoff. His 55 pipped Biebel's 44 , and when the board ran out K3AQK, Biebel was eliminated.

Marco Busto

Marco Marcon found the last of his chips committed preflop holding 77 to be in a race with the A 10 of Steve Billirakis. The board fell 9A982 to give Billirakis a pair of aces to send Marcon to the payout desk.