Friday, May 30, 2008

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Young ballers thrive on frat-house setting

Billirakis and his crew.

By Jason Kirk

The first win of the 2007 World Series of Poker went to online phenom Steve "MrSmokey1" Billirakis, who turned 21 just 11 days before taking down Greg Mueller in the heads-up match for the bracelet.

While the chances that Billirakis' record will be broken this year are slim, it won't be a big surprise to anybody when another 21-year-old takes home the bling in 2008.

When the winner has his photo taken, there will most likely be a big crowd of supportive friends around him - and there's also a good chance that those friends will have been living together for the duration of the WSOP.

Billirakis shared a house during last year's WSOP with five friends who have all known each other for years through online poker, including Justin Bonomo. The crew had their own live-in chef, ready to serve up hearty meals at any time. Bonomo says that the housing arrangement helped everyone involved to stay comfortable and to improve their games even further.

"Two of the guys in the house weren't even 21 yet," says Bonomo, "so [it helped them] to be there playing online with all these guys in the house, learning from them, sharing hand histories, all that stuff. But also, being able to lounge by the pool with friends is awesome - especially when the chef serves you food while you're still in the pool. It was super sweet."

Bonomo says that the atmosphere after Billirakis' big win was one of camaraderie, as evidenced in the winner's photo where he was surrounded by his housemates and other friends as he lifted two bricks of cash in the air.

There was also an air of supreme confidence, both for the winner and his friends.

"We all knew he was one of the top players in the world, so it wasn't a big surprise to anyone," Bonomo says. "One of the things we talked about was that a lot of times when people get to a final table, they get nervous and start shouting when they get all-in. But Smokey took it… as just another day at the office."

Where my boyz at?

Bonomo and Billirakis are both living at the new Panorama Towers south of the Rio this year, although in separate condo units. Still, Bonomo says that the tower, populated by a virtual who's who of poker, has a "frat house feel" that makes it conducive to better poker in much the same way as the house they shared last year.

"I was telling a friend that one of the cool things is that I know like 30 people who live there. I can go downstairs and watch TV with [PokerListings.com blogger] J.C. Alvarado, or play Magic with David Williams. You literally just go downstairs and you're at a friend's place. It's a pretty sweet atmosphere."

Another player who knows the advantages that sharing a living space with other poker players can bring is PokerListings.com blogger Matt Stout. The New Jersey native went in on a house with a group of young online poker friends from the East Coast and found the experience to be enriching.

"When we're playing online together at the house, we have the advantage of seeing how each other plays, and we get to discuss hands and talk a lot of strategy. That's one of the best parts of playing online," says Stout. "Sometimes when I talk strategy with others, they'll bring up some concept I've never even thought about. It's good to get different perspectives."

Hoping a bigger posse will equal bigger success this year.

Unlike Bonomo and his friends, Stout and his crew have decided to band together once again this year in their quest for WSOP success - and this time their group is even larger than before.

"There was a group of people that all wanted to live together but there were too many, and we didn't want to get a mansion because it would have cost way too much," says the WSOP Circuit ring winner. "So we have a sister house this year."

"We all got along real well last year, so we're getting a slightly nicer house this year with a pool and everything. We're going to try and win some bracelets because we were all pretty miserable failures last year," he says with a self-deprecating laugh. "I went deep in the Main Event and had a few cashes, but overall I wasn't happy with my results."

If Stout does manage to score one of the 55 bracelets up for grabs this year, it's a sure bet that the winner's photo here on PokerListings.com will feature a crowd of like-minded young players gathered around to celebrate his win almost as if it were their own.

Poker fans can follow these young guns all through the 2008 WSOP in the PokerListings Live Tournaments section. Our team will be on the scene as the first cards are dealt today at noon for the $10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em event up until the Main Event wraps up to find a new world champion.

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