Michael Phelps Invited to Join Doyle Brunson at Asian Poker

[redeyed]

http://www.pokernews.com/files_en/cnt/48b5926b5ea20.jpg

Submitted by Thomas Somach on Tue, 08/26/2008 - 21:12.

Ten-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet-winner Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson, scheduled to participate in a major poker tournament in Macau, China, next week, may not be the only golden boy at the tourney. Swimmer Michael Phelps, who just won eight gold medals at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, has been invited too.

The tournament is a stop on the Asian Poker Tour (APT) and will take place at a Macau casino.

In an open letter to Phelps that was widely publicized on the Internet, Jeff Mann of the APT invited the scrawny poker-loving Olympian from Baltimore, Maryland, USA, to trade in his swimsuit and pair of goggles for a suited pair at the card table.

The letter reads:

"Dear Michael: First of all, congratulations on your eight gold medals and world record-breaking feats-what a supreme sporting achievement and I hope superstardom treats you well. However, I write this open letter to you to say that I am in a position to add weight to the argument that you should be crowned history's ultimate sportsman.

"I noticed recently that you have told your local newspaper that you were a big fan of poker and look forward to playing again. By a strange twist of fate, I represent the Asian Poker Tour and we are running Asia's largest ever guaranteed tournament NEXT WEEK in Macau. It starts on the 27th and runs until the 31st and guarantees a prize pool of $1,500,000 and a first prize of $500,000. This is the biggest prize pool ever offered in Asia! While you are already in China, why don't you give it a go? It would be our pleasure to fly you in, organize your accommodation and buy you in to the tournament!

"Some have said you are a ‘human dolphin' but we're keen to know if history's greatest swimmer is really a fish. You may have feet that can reach angles others cannot to give you the ultimate swimming technique, but just you wait until you've got sharks like Vegas poker legend Doyle Brunson chasing you. We'll see how fast you really are then when they smell blood-get some flippers on those size 14's!

"Don't bring your goggles, bring a pair of sunglasses-dive in at the deep end and we would love it if you showed us your hand. You've almost certainly got more chance of making good money from our $1,500,000 prize pool than securing any commercial deals! Your homecoming to a delirious country can wait.

"Go all-in Michael! We'll even get some special one-on-one lessons for you from poker's greatest players. If it makes you happier, we'll even bring in Mark Spitz too and you can play heads-up! Some have campaigned for poker to become an Olympic sport. The fact that you are a ‘human dolphin' doesn't mean you will necessary get a gold medal for Texas hold ‘em! In all seriousness, come join us, you may as well while you are there! We'll definitely show you a good time and would be honored with your presence. Get the closing ceremony over and done with first though! Best wishes, Jeff Mann, Asian Poker Tour."

So what are the chances that Phelps actually would show up at the tournament?

About the same chance of Doyle Brunson running in an Olympic marathon (Brunson walks with a crutch).

The Phelps invite is simpy a publicity stunt intended to give some much-needed attention to the APT-and it worked.

If the flacks in the APT, such as Mann, really thought Phelps might attend their event, they would've done better homework.

First of all, Phelps wasn't "already in China" as the letter claims.

After competing in Beijing he flew to London, England, to particiapte in a handover ceremony-London will host the 2012 Olympics.

He would've had to fly all the way back to China again to play poker.

Second, Mark Spitz is the last person you want around Phelps.

Spitz has been publicly blasting everyone connected to the Olympics-from the U.S. team to NBC-for failing to fly him to China free so he could watch Phelps break his (Spitz's) record of seven gold medals won in an Olympics.

Why bring a hothead on board?

And third, if Mann and his co-horts really believe that Phelps has, "more chance of making good money from our $1,500,000 prize pool than securing any commercial deals," then the flacks at the APT have been inhaling fumes from lead-laden poker chips.

Phelps was already making $3 million a year in commercial endorsements before his eight gold medal performance in China.

Now it is said he will make $30 million a year commercially.

The Asian Poker Tour would be thrilled to make half that much.

found here:
http://www.gambling911.com/poker/michae ... 82608.html

[redeyed]

Opinion: Michael Phelps - So, The Golden Boy Plays Poker
August 27, 2008
John Caldwell
It's been a long time since I felt like the Olympics were a big deal to us Americans. Maybe the last Olympics that felt this 'present' in American culture was 1976. Bruce Jenner was winning decathlon Gold, Nadia Comeneci was cute as a button and America cared – deeply – about the Olympics.

Boycotts, the Cold War becoming more lukewarm, and America's waning dominance seemed to cause Americans to lose a level of interest in the Olympic games. All that changed this past month in Beijing, to a great degree because of one man – Michael Phelps.

The eight-time gold medalist made, what probably seemed like an offhand comment at the time, telling a reporter from the Baltimore Sun last week that it "would be cool to play in the World Series of Poker". Phelps is apparently quite the grinder, his play drawing generally good reviews from those who have played with him at a casino in Windsor, Ontario Canada according to a story recently published by the Windsor Star.

Almost immediately after Phelps pronouncement, the poker world lit up, knowing what a boon it would be were Phelps to provide even the slightest endorsement of the game of poker.

Speaking of endorsements, Phelps agent, Peter Carlisle told CNBC last week that he was getting '50 pitches a day' before the eighth medal, and that that number 'had increased exponentially' since the eighth gold medal landed on Phelps chest.

Needless to say, Phelps has bigger things on his mind than poker. It is said that his endorsements this year may rival that of another athlete – some guy named Tiger. We're talking tens of millions of dollars this year.

So, what can poker reasonably expect from Michael Phelps? Many of the publicly traded companies paying him big money may not exactly be thrilled to see him come out in a big way promoting the game we all love for fear of a backlash from conservative shareholders.

The first thing any fan of the game of poker should expect is for Phelps to get all the money he can. The guy has earned it. He worked his butt off his whole life, knowing that even the slightest mistake when it mattered the most could cost him untold millions.

So, how to work this young man's passion for the game of poker into his newly found ultra-famous life? Simple. Just play. Don't make a big deal out of it, just play the game you love. The more you allow the 'machine' of the new world of poker to participate in your life, the more complicated things may become on the endorsement side of your life.

Oddly enough, it might just be a bad thing for poker (in the long term) if Phelps came out too strong on behalf of poker. One of his big sponsors complains, the agent 'talks some sense into him', and that's the end of Michael Phelps, public poker player (at least for the duration of his time in the spotlight).

But, if Phelps just goes about playing the game he loves without anyone making a big deal about it, he might just be able to, in a subtle way, provide a lift to this game by just being loosely associated with it. If, in the hearts and minds of Americans, Phelps is considered a poker player on any conscious or subconscious level, the game will benefit by the association, both in the short, and the long term.

Mr Phelps, congratulations on your achievement of a lifetime. You should be very proud of yourself. When the world stops going 150 miles an hour for you, go play some poker. I promise we'll all be here, trying our best to beat you. You should expect nothing less.

found here:
http://www.pokernews.com/news/2008/08/m ... -poker.htm