Episode 45 - Poker Player Frank Wiese; Player's Advocate Bob Nersesian

Frank Wiese, author of Eat Professional Poker Players Alive! was born on Fon du Lac, WI., and resides in Madison, WI. He calls himself "a product of the (Chris) Moneymaker effect," meaning he was one of the many thousands of new players drawn to poker--the live game, tournaments and the Internet after Moneymaker, an unknown (at the time) who went on to win the World Series of Poker in 2003, beating more than 800 other entrants. Moneymaker took home $2.5 million that year. The following year, 2,000 players entered, a year later, 5,000, and in 2006, more than 8,000 hopefuls took a shot at the big prize. The energetic Wiese plays much of his poker in Chicago, but will be in Las Vegas and hoping to win a bracelet in the 2009 WSOP. He's also a correspondent for several poker magazines. He talks about what he's learned about the game--the skills required and the more than 150 books he's read. Players like Jerry Yang, 2007 WSOP winner, Mike Sexton, Lee Childs and Michael Binger are friends of his and offered ideas and input for his book which took two years to write He discusses strategies, skills, bravery at the table, handling sometimes obnoxious opponents, why he disagrees with Daniel Negreanu's playing philosophy on occasion and offers tips to aspiring world class players.

 Bob Nersesian, author of Beat The Players is a Las Vegas attorney who often represents professional gamblers--in particular, blackjack counters, professional slot players and sports bettors. Nersesian's 2006 book is vital for those who wonder about the powers of a casino to bar players who show card-counting skills, who are sometimes restrained against their will--"back-roomed" or arrested or mistreated unfairly. Nersesian discusses specific cases and instances where he defended "advantage players" who found an edge the tables using mental skills--and he offers suggestions on how Nevada and other states should be regulating and recognizing the rights of some of the sharpest players. He discusses the controversial "facial recognition" devices (biometrics) casinos use and how effective and expensive the process is.