Like any other walk of life I suppose, Poker is full of myths and misnomers, but surely the answer has to be Las Vegas? Its the unofficial World Headquarters of Poker, and where many of the biggest pros live, including Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey.Those big cash games always centred around Bobbys Room, in the Bellagio on the strip, and the room was named after Bobby Baldwin. You may not have heard of Bobby Baldwin, even though he has won no less than 4 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, but that was a very long time ago. Later, he became involved in Casino Management, and very successfully too. In fact, he was President of Bellagio Casino and Hotel when it was decided to name Bobbys Room after him. You may be forgiven for suspecting there may be a connection between those 2 facts. Later, the big games in Vegas moved a few yards up the strip to the Aria Resort and Casino, this time, more appropriately, it took place in Iveys Room, named after 10-time WSOP winner Phil Ivey.Are the worlds biggest cash games still held there, in Las Vegas? Absolutely not.Big cash game Poker is a dynamic thing, it follows the money, and soon the game moved to China of all places, or more specifically Macau, which is a sort of political subsidiary of China, and it sits just across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong. And we all know how the Chinese love a gamble, so that fits nicely.Soon, though, the game moved again, and remarkably, its next stop was the most densely populated city in the world, Manila, in the Philippines.Why does the game move so often? Quite simply, it follows the money, and this is where it gets interesting. It does not follow the big Poker pros like Phil Ivey, Dan Cates and the like, it follows players called whales. A whale is actually a rather unkind and unfair description of a very wealthy person who likes a game of Poker. Im sure you are ahead of me here, but you can see where this is going - the pros follow the whales, because they can smell easy money.Who are these guys? Well lets start with a chap named Richard Yong, who, really, is common to Las Vegas, Macau and now the Philippines. He was in all the big Las Vegas cash games, but then an odd thing happened - Richard was arrested in his Caesars Palace condo after an FBI raid, and accused of illegal sports betting. Slung in jail, with bail set at $1.5 million, he was bailed out by Poker pros Phil Ivey and Dan Cates. Thats how much they valued his cash game action. Happily, all charges were eventually dropped, and Richard was completely cleared. And so Richard decided it was time to dodge out of Dodge, and next popped up in Macau, as did - yup, youve got it, Ivey, Cates and Co.Soon, he relocated to the Manila, and obviously, the game followed him there, and as long as he and his ilk are in Manila, the game will stay there. And thats just how it works.There are plenty of so-called whales, of course, including a few from the UK.One such is Paul Newey. Paul made his name with Ocean Finance, who were a pioneer of pay day loans, and are based in the Midlands. He eventually sold out in 2004 for a whopping £250 million. Paul wont ever need a pay day loan, thats for sure.Since then, he has played the high roller Poker circuit, and very successfully too, with his biggest cash being $1.4 million, though the buy-in for that event was a staggering $1.1 million. He lives in Jersey now, for tax reasons, but spends his time travelling the global high roller circuit.He has another hobby too - high roller slots, both online and live. Earlier this year, he wanted to go to Melbourne to play the Aussie Millions, so he decided to go via Las Vegas, and play some slots en-route, and did very handsomely, too, collecting a most pleasing half a million dollar payout from a Vegas slot machine. It brings a whole new meaning to what a life, eh? Am I jealous and envious? You bet I am. Hes a nice fella though, so good luck to him. Talal Shakerchi is another UK based high roller, and he does pretty well at the game, too. If you met Talal, youd never believe he was a Poker player, he is quiet, unassuming, softly spoken, polite, and a complete gentleman. Dont mess with him at the Poker table though, hes a beast. Big sums of money dont bother Talal, as his day job is managing a high roller Hedge Fund. No scared money there, then.Canadas Guy Laliberte is perhaps the biggest of these whales. Guy is the founder and 95% owner of the fabulous Cirque du Soleil circus troupe, who have stage productions all over the world, including no less than 8 currently running in Las Vegas.Guy is a perfect example of why its a little rude and unfair to make the assumption that Poker whales have more money than sense. Guy founded the One Drop Poker tournament - the one with the $1.1 million price tag - but the whole thing is based around his One Drop Foundation. The aim of One Drop is to provide sustainable water supplies to those parts of the world where running water does not exist. Guess you might describe him as a whale out of water. So there we have it. Can anyone join these high roller cash games? Why yes, of course. You just need to pull up the minimum buy-in, which is usually about 2 milly. For you and me, think wed best stick to being fish, and tiddlers at that. So if you fancy some 5p - 10p cash action, Im your man. Pull up 2 million to play Poker? Err, PASS. 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Then - yep - there it is, his name engraved on the silver chalice. For Lefty, its all gravy from this point on. He feels complete. "The British Open really changed some of my perception of myself as a player," Mickelson said Tuesday after a practice round at Oak Hill for the final major of the year, the PGA Championship. "Had I won another green jacket, that would not have done the same thing as what winning the claret jug has done." Mickelson is a little over two weeks removed from one of the greatest closing rounds in major championship history, a 5-under 66 at rock-hard Muirfield to claim golfs oldest crown. It was the leg of the career Grand Slam that always figured to elude him. His game was built for the target golf played in America, complete with an array of soaring drives and wondrous wedges. But, over four days along the Scottish coast, Mickelson showed he could grind it out better than anyone on a tabletop of a course, imagining shots that go against everything hes supposed to be about -- then pulling them off. "In my mind, it is an accomplishment in my career that makes me more of a complete player," he said. "To finally have won that and break through and play some of my best golf ever in my final round, that kind of changes the way I view myself and my game, more so than just a major championship that I had already won." Mickelson has already won the PGA Championship, back in 2005 at Baltusrol. Thats not to say he doesnt want to add a few more majors to a resume that already ensures hell be remembered as one of the games greatest players. Hes never been this confident about his chances. "Im more motivated than ever to work hard to succeed, because I can taste some of my best golf coming out," Mickelson said, his voice and demeanour just oozing confidence. "I can feel it." At 43, hes already a man in full, complete with five major championships. Only 11 golfers have won more. But dont get him wrong -- hes driven to complete a career Grand Slam, merely lacking a victory in the U.S. Open, where hes been the runner-up a record six times. "I feel as though I started to play my best golf in the last four, five, six months," he said. "I feel like Ive keyed in on two areas that Ive struggled with for years, which is putting and off the tee. I feel very confident in my ability to get the ball in play off the tee, and I feel very confident in my ability on the greens now. "Ive turned weaknesses into strengths," he went on, "and this serves me well in major championships. I feel like now the major championships are possibly the easieest ones for me to be in contention and maybe even win.dddddddddddd" At home in California, Mickelson had a practice facility built right in his yard, allowing him to work on shots when theres nothing on the line, no fans shouting his name. "I enjoy walking out after dinner and hitting some putts and hitting some chips and hitting some balls," he said. "I find it very calming and very serene being out there doing what Ive always loved to do." Hes still fending off the next generation, giving players who arent even half his age a lesson in how this profession is supposed to work -- on and off the course. If it means spending a good half-hour or more signing autographs after a practice round, as Mickelson did Tuesday for the throngs clamouring for a piece of him on a warm, sunny day at Oak Hill -- well, thats part of the game, too. "Hes a guy that Ive always looked up to, been a fan of," said 20-year-old Jordan Spieth. "I dont know anybody who is not a fan of Phil." Well, maybe one. When Tiger Woods was asked about their personal relationship, he danced around the question as much as possible before finally closing with a terse "its been a lot of fun." Mickelson was more gracious, conceding his record doesnt come close to matching Woods and those 14 major titles, marveling at his rivals remarkable consistency over a professional career thats approaching two decades. "Hes a great motivator for me. Hes helped me work hard," Mickelson said. "Hes helped me put forth the effort to try to compete at the highest level year in and year out, and Ive loved competing against him. Hes really brought the best out of me, especially when weve been paired together, and I hope that we are able to play together for many more years." Theyre certainly not going anywhere at the moment. While Woods is mired in the longest major drought of his career, hes won five times this year on the PGA Tour, is ranked No. 1 in the world, and is coming off a seven-shot victory at the Bridgestone. Mickelson is right behind him in the rankings, two exquisite players who have been the face of American golf for so long. "Im as motivated as ever to compete and to play and get the best golf out of me, to hopefully play against Tiger when hes playing his best," Lefty said. "That would ultimately be the goal -- I play as well as I can at the same time hes doing the same. "I would love that opportunity." Once again, TSN.ca will feature live streaming of the PGA Championship, beginning with Tiger Woods, Davis Love III and Keegan Bradley on Thursday at 8:30am et/5:30am pt. TSNs live coverage of the PGA Championship begins with first-round action on Thursday at 1pm et/10am pt. Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott and Justin Rose tee off at 1:45pm et/10:45am pt ' ' '