COUCH SLOUCH: Easy to root for guys like Greenstein

This column is dedicated to the memory of the great Bud Furillo,who passed away last week at the age of 80. Upon reading a recentpoker column of mine, Furillo - Ohio-born and -bred - e-mailed me:"In Youngstown, if a guy checked and raised, he wound up in MiltonDam." I dare anyone to check-raise Bud Furillo in the afterlife.

LAS VEGAS - First came the American Revolution, then theIndustrial Revolution, then - somewhere between the birth of AmarilloSlim and the death of disco - the poker revolution. Then came onlinegaming, the hole-card cam and Chris Moneymaker, and nowadays youcan't walk down The Strip without tripping over some pimply Internetwunderkind with a mouse pad, an iPod and a buddy named EFrog45.

Boy, there are a lot of people wandering around here with a chipon their shoulder and a chair.

The World Series of Poker Main Event begins Friday, and here are acouple of staggering numbers:

Nearly 8,000 entrants are expected.

The winner will get between $10 million and $12 million.

I am here as one of the broadcasters for ESPN. What are myqualifications? Other than my good looks and rosy disposition, I havenone. This is emblematic of the poker boom - anyone can play, anyonecan win and, in fact, anyone does win.

Moneymaker, an accountant from Tennessee, won the Main Event and$2.5 million in 2003. Greg Raymer, a patent attorney fromConnecticut, won $5 million in 2004. Joseph Hachem, an ex-chiropractor from Australia, won $7.5 million in 2005. Therein liesthe game's strength: The card room is as great a melting pot asanywhere in America, and every year some poker unknown with anunlikely story walks in and carries home the richest cash prize thereis.

Still, I'd like to see a poker pro again take down the de factoworld title.

I root for "Miami" John Cernuto, a former air traffic controllerfired by President Reagan who since has won three World Series ofPoker bracelets. I root for Phil Ivey, who once sneaked into AtlanticCity card rooms underage and now has five World Series braceletsbefore he's 30. I root for Jennifer Harman, who has had two kidneytransplants and plays in the highest stakes games in the world. Iroot for Dewey Tomko, a former kindergarten teacher who twice hasfinished runner-up in the Main Event.

And how can you not root for Barry Greenstein, 50, one of poker'sbest, who donates all his tournament winnings to charity?

After a string of successes, Greenstein decided to turn thesoulless pursuit of gambling into a soulful expression of care. "Igot such an overwhelming response, I was almost forced, in a goodway, to do more positive things," he said. "The cliche - 'when yougive, you get more back' - became so true for me."

Greenstein will walk into the World Series poker room at the Rioknowing he has little chance to win the cherished Main Event - toomany people, too much luck involved - but he's bullish about thebiggest tournament in poker getting bigger and bigger.

"Why not let everyone into the party?" he said. "Poker is notexclusionary. I love the fact that you can sit down at a table withan entire demographic of the world. In poker, everyone starts evenand everybody's got a shot at you. That's its appeal."

Some of Greenstein's fellow pros disagree - they'd like to keepthe crumb bums and shoe clerks on the rail - but, then again, pokerplayers are famously disagreeable and, well, somewhat insensitive tothe world around them.

In Greenstein's fine book, "Ace on the River," he tells of thelegendary Jack Straus, the 1982 Main Event champion. Straus oncereceived a call at the Horseshoe Casino from a friend who was ondeath row. The friend said, "It looks like I will be executed. Thegovernor didn't grant me a pardon." Straus responded, "That's prettybad, but you won't believe what they've been doing to me here."

If Jack Straus were alive today, I'd be rooting for him, too.

Ask The Slouch

Q. The Seahawks were jobbed against the Steelers in Super Bowl 40,as were the Mavericks against the Heat in the NBA Finals, plusumpires nowadays couldn't find the strike zone with a radar detector.When does it all end? (Lee Stewart; Troy, N.Y.)

A. Last time, people: STOP WHINING ABOUT THE CALLS. All the focusis on officiating now, every moment of every game. The joy is gone.It would be like going to the movies and, instead of getting lost inthe story and the characters, concentrating on the sound editing andthe set design.

Q. In football, when a player loses the ball, it's called afumble. In basketball, it's called a steal. Between a fumble and asteal, where would you place your mishandling of your various ex-wives? (Ed Anderson; Kirkland, Wash.)

A. In tennis, I believe it's called an "unforced error."

Q. The Christians have Bethlehem, the Jewish have the Wailing Walland the Muslims have Mecca. Does The Slouch have Latrobe, Pa.? (RonEureka; Streetsboro, Ohio)

A. Pay the man, Shirley.

You, too, can enter the $1.25 Ask The Slouch Cash Giveaway. Just e-mail asktheslouch@aol.com and, if your question is used, you win$1.25 in cash!