A Wise Move

Back in my younger days, I partaked in the hobby known in some parts as the magical cards. And as they started providing large cash prizes to compete, I started to play more and more often. And while my success was rather limited, I did get to meet many different people who I can consider friends.

One such person is Gary Wise. I met Gary 10 years ago at one of the aforementioned Magic tournaments. Back then he was a talented player, and one of the more recognizable ones. He gained more fame in the community as he put up top finishes in major tournaments. But what he became more known for was his writing. Gary was the one of the premiere writers about Magic, and for good reason. Gary is one of the rare people in the world who can tell a story and captivate an audience, regardless of whether they cared about the topic or if they have heard the story a thousand times previous.

So when he told me that he was going to be writing about Poker, I was extremely happy. One thing that is lacking in poker is a good historian. With Gary's skills as a storyteller, and his strong desire to make this succeed, I know he will do very well.

What's prompting this? Well, Gary has a website: Wise Hand Poker. Here he posts a daily "Wise Hand of the Day", where he provides the story behind a particular hand that occurred in a major tournament, along with a blog about poker. (This is also featured on the Corus Radio Network websites, like The Edge, a radio station in Toronto.) And he's now doing work for Bluff Magazine, one of the largest poker magazines in the world.

It's the work with Bluff Magazine that is bringing him to Las Vegas at the end of the month. He will be doing coverage of the World Series of Poker, along with doing research for future projects. And it's his work with Bluff Magazine that has gotten him an article on the Worldwide Leader itself, ESPN.com. I spoke to him last night, and to say he is excited about this is an understatement. Having an article published on the largest sports website in the world is a great accopmlishment, and is only the start of something big.