I really wanted to get down for the opening event of this year’s Venetian Deepstacks Extravaganza I, a $500K guarantee NLHE game with a $600 entry fee, but it didn’t happen.

Then, yesterday morning when I opened my Twitter stream, there was the announcement of the winner, with a picture of someone I know fairly week from across the Portland felt: Himmaphoum “Nu” Bounthinh. So at least someone from Portland took it down.

Nu is a bit of a joker, with a deadpan delivery that is probably one of his assets as a player. I still get a chuckle thinking about a game a couple years ago when he tried to convince the table that I was related to Howard Lederer and Annie Duke. So sincere congrats to Nu on a score that propels him into the top 50 Oregon tournament players tracked on Hendon Mob. A list headed by Annie Duke, who I don’t believe lives here any more.