Fun with Norm and the Unabomber

I’ve watched the funniest series of poker hands at the WSOP and I sort of participated.

Phil Laak is at a table with Norm McDonald. Phil, Jennifer Tilly, Anthony Miele and I are all huge Norm fans. I mention some clips of Norm on Howard Stern and Phil says that Jennifer Tilly listens to Howard Stern for about 8 hours a day.

I mentioned to Phil the story of how Norm got fired from doing Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live because ex-football broadcaster Don Ohlmeyer either didn’t find him funny or was angry about Norm calling OJ Simpson a murderer, and he wasn’t familiar with the details. So I printed out MacDonald’s Wikipedia entry and brought it out to Laak, who starts reading it at the table in the 3 spot while Norm is across from him in the 7 spot.

When Laak is in the blinds he doesn’t even look at his cards until the action is on him, but he picks at them. As Laak is chuckling over classic Norm one liners, Macdonald eliminates a player with a set of threes, which becomes quads on the river. Laak looks up and sees what happens and demands the details of the hand. Norm raised with the threes. Laak is incredulous “You raised with threes from there? I can’t believe it. You do that? I’m going to have to raise you later now that I know that!”

Then Laak goes back to reading Norm’s bio. Two hands later Laak raises from the button with Qh 10d. A player moves all in for about 3500 more. Laak starts counting the pot and doing calculations and finally calls. His foe has K8 of diamonds. The flop comes 8 high but all hearts and Laak makes a flush on the turn to win the hand.

Norm says “Were you ever ahead on that hand?”

Phil: I can’t make quads like you. I have to do what I do.

Later I talked to Norm, who when not playing poker is really nice and happy looking. I admitted my prank to him with Laak and he tells me that during the break after the above hands, the Unabomber seriously told Norm that he was crazy for making that raise with 33 and should tighten up.

The first hand after the break Norm picks up 33 under the gun, chuckles to himself and mucks them. Seconds later he’s aghast to see that he would have flopped quads!

Oh and why is Will Farrell doing Harry Carey in Norm’s sketch The First Two Gay Men on Earth? Because Norm loves that voice and told him to.

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