I don’t remember where or when I first met Steve, but unquestionably it was engaged in our shared pastime, at a poker table.

Someone once shared, “hey, that’s Steve Fucking Albini!” I didn’t know his name at the time. I had to look it up. I went down a rabbit hole, learning about his impact on so many bands and musicians that I was familiar with, and in some cases, cherished and celebrated. I later learned how much he didn’t choose to have an “impact” on these musicians, chose to elevate the artist and the art. They were buoyed by him anyway.  He thought that the music industry took advantage of their power dynamic, taking so much of the money that the artists had rightfully earned, and leaving them relatively little. He refused that model, taking credit only as "recording engineer", and not as "producer."

The New York Times’s Ben Sisario shared, in a sentence I could only dream of constructing: “With a sharp vision for how a band should be recorded, and an even sharper tongue for anything he deemed mediocre or compromised, Mr. Albini was one of rock’s most acerbic wits.”

He wasn’t just one of rock’s acerbic wits, nor one of music’s sharper critics, he was simply a great wit. The driest of dries. And a critic of all things in life. 

Steve and his band, Shellac, were just about to hit the road to tour their first album in ten years. 

One time I was having dinner with my son and noticed he was wearing an “In Utero” t-shirt, the album that Steve famously recorded (but didn’t produce, dammit!) I snapped a photo of my then twelve-year old son and sent it to him. “One of his favorites too”, was the caption. 

Within minutes, Steve’s retort: “Wow, if he didn’t look just like you, I would be convinced you were a virgin.” 

When I first got invited to play poker with Steve and his regular crew, maybe 10-12 years ago, it was at his recording studio - Electrical Audio. I was so giddy about getting to play cards in the man’s studio. The place where he makes magic. And I wasn’t breaking in, or sneaking in in an oversized horse (though he would have probably loved that), I was actually there legitimately. 

Years later he became a regular in my weekly game. 

I was at the table watching when he won his first World Series of Poker Bracelet in 2018. A couple of years later I found a photo of him dispensing of Chris “Jesus” Fergusen and Jeffrey Lisandro, two of the greats, at a then-four-handed final table.

I said, “Steve, I found a great photo of you winning your first bracelet. Should I send it to you?”

“Nah. I have enough photos of me.” he retorted in his completely earnest, and typical way. 

In 2022 I was fortunate enough to have invested in his results in the Event #32, a $1500 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. event at the WSOP. He never sat at the top of the chip leader board, but elimination after elimination, he was still there. When he got down to the final table, everyone who knew him dropped what they were doing to go “rail” Steve (to watch him alongside the rail around the final table.) 

He brought a brass bell to the final table, the kind you’d find at the front desk of a hotel from the 1950s. Every time he won a hand, he rang that damn bell. He thought it was funny. His supporters thought it was hilarious. 

After awhile, Steve could see that it was irritating his opponents and he stopped ringing the bell. “It’s driving them crazy,” he relayed. For most poker players, trying to destroy their opponents, this was a feature of the bell. For Steve, who’s sharp wit, critical mind, and apparently irascible temperament (I’ll never know how much was manufactured), his public persona often belied the man within. He didn’t want to piss off, or even “tilt” his opponents. He just wanted to beat them. 

Steve was a tender soul. He was a liberal progressive from Missoula, Montana. He was a genius, with a guitar, while recording to GP9 on a Studer A820, or in a debate about human rights and human decency. I learned an awful lot from Steve. 

That night Steve miraculously (and, I mean, it was truly unlikely so many different times) outlasted the field of 773 players (also his area code) and won his second World Series of Poker bracelet. I got to see them both. 

Steve won the bracelet, then broke the bracelet. He called it a “carnival trinket”, but he was thrilled to have won it again. He referred to Las Vegas as a “mob toilet” and “how poor people think rich people live.” He hated Las Vegas, but he loved to compete.

When asked in the post-tournament interview how he felt, he said “great. I’m now tied for third in bracelets in my home game!”

Always hilarious. 

The last time I saw Steve, three weeks ago, he was leaving my poker table in a huff. He’d had a bad night, he’d gotten his ass kicked at the table several times. He never really showed anger, but this night he was unhappy with himself, and perhaps a bit angry with the “poker gods”. He muttered something like “don’t invite me back”, about 20% serious and 80% cheeky. Well, maybe 50-50 in the moment. 

Two weeks ago his RSVP’d his regrets, as he was in “French France”, as he put it. 

I enjoyed EVERY SINGLE INTERACTION I had with that man. 

“Requiescat”, Steve. A word I learned from you. 🎈

Save the Date for Camp One Step’s Charity Poker Championship!

Thursday, April 22nd 2024

Up the ante and raise much needed funds to help kids with cancer at one of the city’s premier poker events, Camp One Step’s Charity Poker Championship. Dan Bernstein from WSCR “The Score” AM 670 returns as emcee and will truly make the evening memorable. Come play your best hand and enjoy poker, food, drinks, prizes and of course, charity.

For now, save the date, as registration opens on February 1st!

Join HFS Chicago Scholars on Friday, May 20^th at 6:00pm for the 11^th annual “All in for Scholars” poker and casino night! Our poker tournament features a grand prize of either entry to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas (valued at $10,000) or $6,000 in Amazon gift cards. 

The event is held at Galleria Marchetti (825 W Erie St.). Your $200 ticket includes food & drinks throughout the night and entry into the Texas Hold ‘em Poker Tournament. You will have $5,000 of poker chips to start, poker chips have no cash value. 

Non-poker players can purchase a general entry ticket ($125 until May 13^th, $150 after) that includes food, drinks, and other casino games (i.e., Blackjack, Roulette, and Craps).

Click here to register now!

This year our casino will be a 1920s era speakeasy, featuring signature Prohibition Era cocktails and a themed photobooth. Cocktail or business casual attire suggested, 1920s attire encouraged.

HFS Chicago Scholars assists economically disadvantaged Chicago inner-city high school students who show academic and leadership promise achieve their educational goals through financial assistance and mentoring. They provide the following to their scholars:

• Financial assistance to attend top Chicago private high schools;
• Academic directors dedicated to supporting each high school class;
• Four-year mentorship program dedicated to helping students earn high school diplomas;
• College visits and admissions support

Camp One Step's Charity Poker Championship, will take place this year on April 21, 2022 at Galleria Marchetti in River West. Hosted by Dan Berstein, from 670 The Score, this is an incredible event for Camp One Step, a children's oncology organization. The Texas Hold 'Em tournament will host about 250 players that compete for a seat at the Main Event of the World Series of Poker. Every ticket includes the buffet dinner and an open bar. There will also be some adult beverage tastings for guests to enjoy. Player tickets are $300 and Spectator tickets are $125. There will also be a high roller table, with a smaller field, whose finalists merge with the main event's final table to play for the top prizes.* 

 All of the money raised is to support Camp One Step. Camp One Step is a 501c3 that provides camp programs to kids with cancer and their families. At camp, kids with cancer can just be kids. They build a community of support, make forever friendships with people who understand, and experience new activities and adventures. Click HERE to watch a quick video about camp.

Register Today!

On Thursday, October 25, 2018 Urban Prep Academies will be hosting its 12th Annual Aces Up Charity Poker Tournament, making it one of the longest running charitable poker events in Chicago.  Hundreds of players will hit the felt, trying to best one another in this game of skill and chance, all vying for a piece of the prize purse valued at more than $10,000. 

You can register for this the 12th Annual Aces Up Charity Poker Tournament here. Tickets for spectators can be found there as well. 

Aces UP! 2017, Urban Prep’s 11th Annual Charity Poker Tournament, was held on Thursday, November 30th at The Chicago Sports Museum. With hundreds of players and spectators filling the place, and enjoying a world class buffet and open-bar, excitement and competition were at an all-time high.

Hosts Alexi Giannoulias, Richard Roeper, Chris Zorich and Urban Prep founder & CEO Tim King were back at it, adding extra energy to the night’s fun. Per usual, participating celebrities were marked men and women as bounty prizes were awarded to players for knocking them out of the tournament. These “Celebrity Bounties” fought as hard as they could, but ultimately surrendered their poker chips – and medals – to deserving competitors.

For the guests who weren’t trying their hands at poker, two new game tables were added to the mix: Blackjack and Roulette. Participants in these table games were allowed to cash their chips in for entrance into the Aces UP! 2017 raffle. The prizes included Chicago Bulls game tickets, certificates to Lettuce Entertain You restaurants, a $500 gift card and limited edition Nike basketball shoes designed specifically for Urban Prep.

There was additional pressure for the eight players who made it to the tournament’s final table, which was broadcast live online by Windy City Poker (and aired on Comcast SportsNet in 2018). They battled tirelessly for a piece of the prize pool valued at over $10,000. When the dust settled, Aces UP! 2017 champion Matt Perno was the last standing, claiming the coveted “ChampionCHIP” and earning a place on the golden Aces UP! Championship Trophy. 

You are cordially invited to the Fifth annual "ALL IN FOR A CURE" Poker & Casino Night!

This special night will feature dinner, premium open bar, silent auction, charitable poker tournament and charitable casino games. The grand prize winner of the poker tournament will win a $10,000 Main Event Seat to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas! This incredible event benefits the Chicago Diabetes Project in partnership with Special Kids Network.

When: This Saturday, September 15th, 2018
Doors open at 6:00pm
Cards Dealt at 7:15pm

Where: The Estate by Gene & Georgetti, 9421 W Higgins Rd, Rosemont, IL 60018

For more information, including registration click here.

For tournament structure, click here.

About the Cause

Chicago Diabetes Project

Escape into the world of Bond - James Bond.

Experience elegance and drama surrounded by casino tables, aerialist performances, Bond theme music, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.

The evening will belong to the legacy of 007 with Bond themes weaved throughout the program and design. Erin Boheme, first discovered by Michael Buble, will set the tone with sultry renditions of Bond’s most memorable themes. Enveloped in drama will be captivating performances from aerialists as they drop from the ceiling of the Grand Ballroom while masquerading guests relish the casino tables. Sip on themed cocktails from the premium open bar and savor chef-driven hors d'oeuvres while you play out the evening of extravagance.

Look Good. Be Bad. Blame it on Us.