TOBEY MAGUIRE

I already blogged most of my thoughts about playing with the affable star of SPIDERMAN. Some other tidbits: I was surprised to find that he is, by his own admission, not technically savvy. I asked him if he ever plays online, and he confessed to not even really knowing how to use email. He is 30 and claims that computers caught on after he had left school. Add to that the fact that he has never been inside a cubicle and I can see where the trend passed him by. It's probably just a passing fad anyways, and I expect people will go back to writing longhand once the fad passes. I am 36 and definitely self-taught in computer science. There were no computers in my high school. In fact, I went to college to learn how to produce video, and now my high school has an entire wing devoted to video production. I have been obsolete for some time now. Good thing poker rose to the occasion to fill the void.

Tobey spent most of the day either being massaged or procuring his next massage. At one point, Tobey Magure was being massaged to my left while Brad Berman was being massaged to my right, and Tobey was calling dibs on Brad's masseuse to be next on her list. Berman didn't like Tobey propositioning his girl while she was working on him, and they indulged in some friendly bickering across my personal space. Of course, every girl wanted to be on Tobey's list so they could feel up an A-lister. He's not only a handsome young millionaire, but was routinely passing out hundred dollar bills for the $55 sessions. I remember reading during the SPIDERMAN 2 negotiations that Tobey was having issues with his back. I remember thinking at the time that the pain in his back was his agent, trying to hold out for more guaranteed money. Once the studio decided to hire Jake Gyllenhaal, the back problems cleared up. I asked him if he had chronic back pain, and he told me that he has had issues in the past with his back but not so much anymore.

He had a personal assistant procuring food for him during the day. The assistant checked in after level four with a menu of choices for Tobey to pick from. Tobey is vegan and when Berman asked whether it was for nutritional or political reasons, Tobey gave a brief spiel about how he doesn't like the way we farm animals and how it is kind of repulsive and we are excessive as a culture, and such. I report this only for the interest of my readers. If Tobey ever reads this, I want to assure him that I think of him as a quality guy, and am happy to have spent the day playing alongside him. I signed off after busting him by shaking his hand and hoping to run into him some time at the Commerce.

BRAD BERMAN

Soon after Maguire sat to my left, Berman filled the vacant spot to my right, courtesy of the guy I busted by sucking out with AQ v AK. I totally had forgotten that Berman was son of WPT cofounder Lyle Berman. I recognized him from his final table appearance on a televised WPT event. He has a very distinctive look, resembling a Civil War soldier, so I remembered his appearance and the general impression that he had played well and was busted out unjustly. He was outgoing, and instantly began bantering with Maguire to my left, which soon drew me into the conversation.

Frederick had been hired by PokerRoom as the official photographer for the event. PokerRoom actually sent more players to this event than any other online outfit, since PokerStars did not run qualifiers. When Frederick realized I had Maguire next to me, he moved in for the photo op. Tobey, in mid-massage, put his shades on and pulled down the brim of his ball cap until the photographer moved on. I didn't ask him why he is so camera shy. I can see that it is annoying when he just wants to blend into the poker crowd, but then again, I would think that any publicity is good publicity. When the threat was past, Berman told Maguire that he was going to invent a hat with a pull down polarized screen that reflected light and rendered photographs unusable. The funny thing is that I noticed that Frederick, after "losing interest" simply moved back further and used his zoom lens once the shades came off. I knew he was there, so I engaged Tobey in conversation to make for a good shot, though I have yet to see it.

I really liked Berman. I was surprised to find that he is younger than me, only 34. The Johnny Gray look ages him a bit. He owns a company in Minneapolis that creates games. He says the next big trend in poker is going to be electronic tables. You won't need a dealer or even chips. The game will be played electronically, but at a poker table in a casino, which allows for the social aspect of the game to remain without tipping, shuffling, or dealer errors.

My favorite Berman memory is the two hands in a row that he held KK and got all his money in against AA. The aces were also held by the same player both times! Two hands in a row, the same two players went all in with AA v KK. The aces held up the first time, and Berman took the loss so well that I complimented him on taking it like a man. The very next hand, he is all in again, and laughing when the aces are exposed. This time, he spiked a king on the flop and survived. Later, when he tried to isolate the short stack by pushing all-in in front of me, I did my best to bust him with my 99 v his KJ and the short stack's KQ. He cheered when the king came on the turn, but I didn't hold it against him, because he's a guy you don't mind losing to. To sum up, Brad Berman - quality fellow.