I even got an email message this am from a collector who had read the thread after I'd left last night and was sending the novice a chip. I wrote and told him I'm going to have to dream up some way to repay all this generosity...but I have an idea.

and RE: be careful...I more worried about your picture than the poker competition (hey, if I make it to the final table I'll throw my shoulder out patting myself on the back). But one look at the pic, and I'm thinking...Oh boy, this guys got it BAD.

And here's what's hilarious. Two weeks ago I didn't own quite enough chips for an 8-handed game and was totally frustrated trying to put together a little hold'em tourney for friends and family. As of this second I possess, in this room: 1,265 clay poker chips. 300 more are on the way from Florida and 60 are coming from New York. Now how does a man who owns almost 2000 of ANYTHING explain to people that he's not a collector?

Or more to the point, who's he kidding?