I seem to be about to fall asleep. No, that's not a gold bracelet on my wrist, merely a watch.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
WSOP Day 1B report
The tension in the tournament room was thick as we waited to begin play on Day 1B of the WSOP’s main event. I surprised myself because I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be as a first timer, perhaps because I knew I had more experience in big casino tournament play than the great majority of the Internet qualifying field present for the festivities.
The table was filled with fellow ‘net qualifiers as I had hoped, and one pro, Patrik Antonius, himself a cool customer. I rarely saw his expression change and he didn’t crack a smile until the board came 9-7-7-9-9 in a hand in which he held a seven and another player tried to bluff him on the turn with 4-4 and sucked out for a chop.
I was hopeful coming in that I could either steal a lot of blinds or limp pre-flop and steal a lot of small pots, but this proved not to be the case. The players were aggressive in defending blinds and stealing blinds, so it seems they shared some of the same strategy.
I earned my first notable pot when I limped for 50 with 9-9 and Antonius raised it to 225 or so in the cutoff seat and it was folded to me. I decided to see what would develop and called. After a flop of K-7-5 rainbow, I checked to Antonius and he fired out 400. Unsure where I stood, I called to see what he would do on the turn. That turn card was the oh-so-creamy nine. I checked, he bet 1,400 and I check raised to 3,200. He thought a long while and called. The turn was a jack of hearts and he folded to a 3,000 bet. This put me up to 15,000.
A loose player to my right managed to take most of my profit back with 10s-6s for a flush and Jc-4c for two pair.
As we played in the second level, Nolan Dalla announced that Phil Hellmuth, who was on the featured ESPN table, had busted and the room was filled with cheers.
And soon after I make my move up the charts. I pick up my second pair of pocket rockets on the day and raise it up to 525 and the loose player to my left smooth calls. After a ten high flop I bet 900, he raises to 2,500 and I push him all in for 4,000 more. He shows A-T and the aces hold.
A few hands later I’m in the SB with 2-2. Antonius makes it 600 and the button, another loose player, calls. I call as well and we see a flop of A-2-2. I check to Antonius, who bets 1,200 and the button raises to 3,000. I smooth call and Antonius wisely folds. The turn is double checked and my 3,000 bet on the river is called. I had hoped for the case ace to river so I could push. No way that player is going to fold in that spot.
Antonius cracks another smile after I turn over the quads. “I had a big ace,” he said. “I knew you had something.”
“Yeah, what else could I have had? You had an ace and you know he had an ace,” I said in agreement.
Our table is broken soon after and I take my 32K chips back near the featured table area. The table is full of internet qualifiers – two from Poker Stars, one from Party Poker, two from Poker Room, one from Interpoker, one from Poker Share and one from Ultimate Bet.
I find this table to be even better than the last one – no pros, and a happy go lucky bunch on top of that. I’m able to build my stack up to 36K when I hit a bump in the road.
A player in middle position raises to 1,000 and I find aces for the fourth time on the day and pop it to 2,500. He calls and then pushes for 10K on a flop of 5h-6h-Jc. I call immediately, but get a disgusted look when I see 7h-8h. Too many damn outs. He hits the Th on the turn and I can’t catch up on the river with my nut flush draw.
That pushes me down to about 23K and around that time we hear loud applause begin across the room that soon spreads across the pavilion.
“Doyle must have been eliminated,” I said, and soon thereafter a tournament director announces the departure of “Texas Dolly,” who also started us off this day with the line “Shuffle up and deal.”
“The difference between Doyle and Hellmuth,” one player opines, “is that they cheer for Doyle when he busts out because they respect him and they cheer when Hellmuth busts out because they hate him.”
Meanwhile, it’s getting late. We begin the sixth level at 1:20 a.m. and two hours are still left before the play ends. I meander for the last level until I get aces for the fifth time and raise the 400 BB to 1,200 under the gun. A Sweedish kid, who to this point had played well, decides to double up or go home and pushes his 10K into the pot. After I call he turns up Q-J offsuit. Huh?
He’s drawing dead by the turn. Thanks for coming, have a nice flight home.
I finish the night with Q-Q and a player folds to my reraise. The tournament directors announce that play has ended and the room cheers. Hand shaking and congratulations commence between all the players at my table. The player in the Yankees jacket who folded to my reraise on the final hand comes over, shakes my hand and tells me he thought I was the best player at the table. I was obviously honored by that gesture.
I count the chips before bagging them and receiving my new table assignment. The finall tally is 40,825, my high point of the day and tops on this table. We are hustled to our new tables to leave our chips and sign some documents. My second day on Tuesday looks promising as I saw no familiar professional faces.
The table was filled with fellow ‘net qualifiers as I had hoped, and one pro, Patrik Antonius, himself a cool customer. I rarely saw his expression change and he didn’t crack a smile until the board came 9-7-7-9-9 in a hand in which he held a seven and another player tried to bluff him on the turn with 4-4 and sucked out for a chop.
I was hopeful coming in that I could either steal a lot of blinds or limp pre-flop and steal a lot of small pots, but this proved not to be the case. The players were aggressive in defending blinds and stealing blinds, so it seems they shared some of the same strategy.
I earned my first notable pot when I limped for 50 with 9-9 and Antonius raised it to 225 or so in the cutoff seat and it was folded to me. I decided to see what would develop and called. After a flop of K-7-5 rainbow, I checked to Antonius and he fired out 400. Unsure where I stood, I called to see what he would do on the turn. That turn card was the oh-so-creamy nine. I checked, he bet 1,400 and I check raised to 3,200. He thought a long while and called. The turn was a jack of hearts and he folded to a 3,000 bet. This put me up to 15,000.
A loose player to my right managed to take most of my profit back with 10s-6s for a flush and Jc-4c for two pair.
As we played in the second level, Nolan Dalla announced that Phil Hellmuth, who was on the featured ESPN table, had busted and the room was filled with cheers.
And soon after I make my move up the charts. I pick up my second pair of pocket rockets on the day and raise it up to 525 and the loose player to my left smooth calls. After a ten high flop I bet 900, he raises to 2,500 and I push him all in for 4,000 more. He shows A-T and the aces hold.
A few hands later I’m in the SB with 2-2. Antonius makes it 600 and the button, another loose player, calls. I call as well and we see a flop of A-2-2. I check to Antonius, who bets 1,200 and the button raises to 3,000. I smooth call and Antonius wisely folds. The turn is double checked and my 3,000 bet on the river is called. I had hoped for the case ace to river so I could push. No way that player is going to fold in that spot.
Antonius cracks another smile after I turn over the quads. “I had a big ace,” he said. “I knew you had something.”
“Yeah, what else could I have had? You had an ace and you know he had an ace,” I said in agreement.
Our table is broken soon after and I take my 32K chips back near the featured table area. The table is full of internet qualifiers – two from Poker Stars, one from Party Poker, two from Poker Room, one from Interpoker, one from Poker Share and one from Ultimate Bet.
I find this table to be even better than the last one – no pros, and a happy go lucky bunch on top of that. I’m able to build my stack up to 36K when I hit a bump in the road.
A player in middle position raises to 1,000 and I find aces for the fourth time on the day and pop it to 2,500. He calls and then pushes for 10K on a flop of 5h-6h-Jc. I call immediately, but get a disgusted look when I see 7h-8h. Too many damn outs. He hits the Th on the turn and I can’t catch up on the river with my nut flush draw.
That pushes me down to about 23K and around that time we hear loud applause begin across the room that soon spreads across the pavilion.
“Doyle must have been eliminated,” I said, and soon thereafter a tournament director announces the departure of “Texas Dolly,” who also started us off this day with the line “Shuffle up and deal.”
“The difference between Doyle and Hellmuth,” one player opines, “is that they cheer for Doyle when he busts out because they respect him and they cheer when Hellmuth busts out because they hate him.”
Meanwhile, it’s getting late. We begin the sixth level at 1:20 a.m. and two hours are still left before the play ends. I meander for the last level until I get aces for the fifth time and raise the 400 BB to 1,200 under the gun. A Sweedish kid, who to this point had played well, decides to double up or go home and pushes his 10K into the pot. After I call he turns up Q-J offsuit. Huh?
He’s drawing dead by the turn. Thanks for coming, have a nice flight home.
I finish the night with Q-Q and a player folds to my reraise. The tournament directors announce that play has ended and the room cheers. Hand shaking and congratulations commence between all the players at my table. The player in the Yankees jacket who folded to my reraise on the final hand comes over, shakes my hand and tells me he thought I was the best player at the table. I was obviously honored by that gesture.
I count the chips before bagging them and receiving my new table assignment. The finall tally is 40,825, my high point of the day and tops on this table. We are hustled to our new tables to leave our chips and sign some documents. My second day on Tuesday looks promising as I saw no familiar professional faces.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
It's D-Day
It's funny how interested people around this town get when they find out you're playing in the main event of the WSOP. I met a man in a laundromat Tuesday who excitedly shook my hand and asked my name when I told him I was in the big one. (I don't just volunteer the information, but people see my WSOP cap and the conversation starts.)
People are so enthused about celebrity that they hope to say they met that guy back when...before he won the WSOP and was known to millions. In my case, I hope this guy at the laundromat gets his wish.
The dog-eared copies of Harrington on Hold'em have been studied and re-studied. Small tournaments around town have been played. It's finally time for me to take my seat at Table 98 today and my first chance to play on poker's biggest stage. I'll report back on what it's like for a main event virgin to compete.
I have a game plan in place and I'd like to have 30,000 chips by the end of the day, which would put me at about an average stack when Day 1 action is complete. We'll see what the cards dictate.
People are so enthused about celebrity that they hope to say they met that guy back when...before he won the WSOP and was known to millions. In my case, I hope this guy at the laundromat gets his wish.
The dog-eared copies of Harrington on Hold'em have been studied and re-studied. Small tournaments around town have been played. It's finally time for me to take my seat at Table 98 today and my first chance to play on poker's biggest stage. I'll report back on what it's like for a main event virgin to compete.
I have a game plan in place and I'd like to have 30,000 chips by the end of the day, which would put me at about an average stack when Day 1 action is complete. We'll see what the cards dictate.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Celebrities, monkeys and donkeys
Thursday was a busy, but fun and eventful day, from the annual WSOP press conference and media/celebrity charity tournament to the Poker Share party.
We were directed to the showroom at Masquerade Village in the Rio for the press conference where the slick looking and talking commissioner, Jeffrey Pollack, bragged about the WSOP’s success. He harped on the first every players’ advisory council and the $50,000 HORSE event (which will go to four days next year), as well as a special section on the WSOP that will appear in Friday’s USA Today, a first for the game.
Pollack also mentioned a possible champions’ reception next year, in which Harrah’s would bring al former bracelet winners together.
Tournament director said participation had increased 8 percent for the preliminary events from 2005, while the prize pool has also increased. There were 7,600 entrants in the main event as of 2 p.m. Thursday.
“At least 12 players will become instant millionaires,” Daily said.
Last year, each of the final nine made at least $1 million, with Joe Hachem earning the top prize of $7.5 million.
The proceedings then moved to the Hall of Fame inductions, where Billy Baxter and T.J. Cloutier were honored.
Baxter moved to Las Vegas from Georgia in 1975 and became a force in the WSOP, cashing 34 times and winning seven gold bracelets, all of them in lowball events.
“Players began calling the lowball tournament the Billy Baxter Benefit,” said Harrah’s executive Tom Jenkin.
Baxter was the litigant in a landmark Supreme Court decision in 1987 that compelled the IRS to treat poker winnings as earned income.
“It’s certainly an honor to be included with all these great players of the past and present,” Baxter said of his induction.
Cloutier is one of the legendary road gamblers and is often considered the best player never to have won the WSOP main event, with two seconds and a third on his resume. The native Texan has won six WSOP bracelets.
“It’s one of two things I always wanted to win,” Cloutier said of HOF induction, noting that the other was the main event.
“I’ve still got a chance and I’m still kicking.”
Cloutier quickly reiterated, however, that he now wants to win the HORSE event. One out of three isn’t bad.
Harrah’s brought reigning champion Hachem to the stage and the three men fielded questions from the media, including one dimwit who congratulated Baxter and Cloutier on being inducted yet couldn’t remember Baxter’s name.
Baxter said he disagreed with the prospect of raising the entrance fee to the main event to narrow the field. “This is a world championship that should be open to everyone and I think they’ve got it right where they need it to be.”
“I’m proud to be the reigning champion even it it’s only maybe for another week…maybe,” Hachem said in reply to a question, drawing chuckles.
“Trying to repeat a victory is hard. Trying to repeat a main event victory…is almost twice as hard.”
Pollack said there could be an announcement in the coming months of an event that may be only for amateurs who haven’t won a bracelet or made a final table. “The World Series of Poker is a work in progress that we will improve every year,” he said.
As for Poker Share’s attempt to enter the chimp Mikey, Pollack was adamant that no monkey would play in the WSOP. “There’s been no chimp entered into the WSOP, nor will there be.”
“But there are fish and donkeys everywhere,” quipped blogger C.J., sitting next to me in a showroom both. Pauly and fellow Poker Blogger Kristin were also there. (As an aside, Poker Stars recently hired Pauly and C.J. to blog for them, while Party Poker hired Iggy and a few others to join us at Poker Blog. It’s an arms race unseen since USA vs. USSR!)
Cloutier and Baxter discussed the importance of the WSOP in the poker world.
“I don’t think there’s any event in the world that will ever top it,” Cloutier said.
“It’s like the majors in golf,” Baxter added. “You always want to win the major.”
A reporter asked about trickle down money from sponsors reaching players via the prize pool.
“We might not see that part of it, but it’s definitely coming,” Cloutier said.
Media director Nolan Dalla took the last question.
“Who’s going to win?” he asked the players.
Cloutier thought for a second. “One of the 8,800 players who’s going to enter,” he said.
“I agree with him,” Hachem said.
Curtis Hanson, director of the new movie “Lucky You” that centers around poker, then took the stage to promote the flick, which opens Sept. 8. The movie centers on the relationships between a longtime player (Robert Duvall) and his son (Eric Bana) and the son’s love interest (Drew Barrymore).
“The ability that every poker player tries to develop…would be hateful away from the table,” Hanson said.
Barrymore was brought onto the stage to discuss the movie, but didn’t get off on the right foot when she opened with, “I’m extremely honored to be here at the World Championship of Poker.”
It’s World SERIES of Poker, dear.
Barrymore said she watches poker on TV obsessively and plays with friends.
“Thank you for being here because poker is cool,” she said.
Um, ok.
The gathered media mass then watched a trailer of “Lucky You”, as well as a clip from the movie that featured a recreation of the Bellagio poker room, in which poker pros like Jason Lester, Sammy Farha and Barry Greenstein sit around the table with the characters played by Bana and Duvall.
Doyle Brunson and Jennifer Harman are also featured in the movie, though Harman plays a fictional character and actress Jean Smart plays a poker player based on Harman. Confused yet?
“Doing a movie was a lot of fun,” Harman said after she, Brunson and Lester were called to the stage. “Watching everything involved in it was quite interesting.”
Lester praised the efforts that went into making the poker scenes look authentic.
“I don’t consider myself to be a celebrity,” Brunson said, “and I’m certainly not an entertainer. I’m just a poker player.”
Then we all hustled back to the tournament room for the media/celebrity charity tournament, though crapshoot would be a more apt name. We get 1,000 in chips with 25/50 blinds and 15 minute levels. It’s truly a shove in fest.
The celebrity turnout was much better this year and this probably not so comprehensive list included: Norm McDonald, Robin Tunney, Ron Jeremy, Shannon Elizabeth, Jennifer Tilly, “Amazing” Jonathan, Carrot Top, James Garner, Cindy Margolis, Anthony Michael Hall, Penn Jillette, Ryan McFadden and Dick and Vince Van Patten.
Once again, I had no bigshots at my table, unless you include poker writer Barry Tannenbaum, a woman who is the president of Corum, a watch company and WSOP sponsor, and some guy dressed as Elvis.
Elvis doubled up early and then serenaded the woman he busted, to the delight of the ESPN cameras.
“Don’t mess with the king’s blind,” he often said.
“I wouldn’t think of it,” I replied.
I lucked up a few times and was hanging in until I tried to take the blinds from late position with A8 and ran into AJ and then lost the rest of my chips with a push with AT that ran into the same woman, now holding AK. Ten of us bloggers had a last one and I was the third to last out. Brad “Otis” Willis was the standing winner, making the final table in the process.
I hurried over to the Palms for the Poker Share party after I busted. The soiree was held in Room 28101, otherwise known as the “Real World” suite, after the MTV series was filmed there several years ago. It was nice meeting the guys I played against day after day for weeks, trying to earn a main event seat, since there were only a few dozen of us playing those tournaments.
I also got to meet Mikey, the prohibited chimp. He didn't show off his poker skills, but he did insist on hopping into the arms of everyone in sight. He particularly loved Art Bracken, a longtime WSOP dealer.
Max Wright, poker room manager for Poker Share, said he was disappointed by Harrah's decision. "I think they've got a lack of a sense of humor," he said.
Alex Van Klaveren, the site's spokesman, said a lot of training was put into preparing Mikey for the WSOP. He told me that Mikey would have been able to play on his own without his trainer assisting him.
Van Klaverern said Pollack hasn't replied to emails from him asking for an explanation. The spokesman suspects Harrah's could use the rule that a player has to be 21 to enter to bar the chimp.
"This is not the end of it," Van Klaveren said. "When he turns 21 we're going to enter him again."
When I asked him how old Mikey was, Van Klaveren hesitated.
"He's four," he finally replied.
"Four and a half," Wright corrected him.
The WSOP tournament area was a madhouse Friday morning as players and spectators convened to begin the biggest poker tournament in history.
The main event was about 15 minutes late getting started thanks to the crush of people trying to get to their seats. Security tried to keep all non-players out of the tournament room to no avail, leading to one massive traffic jam and fire code violation.
Media director Nolan Dalla announced that all people wearing poker clothing with .com on it had to take those articles off or turn them inside out. One major online site experienced a major snafu when it handed out thousands of shirts, baseball jerseys and caps with .com on them, leading many players to put tape over the suffix of the URL.
Finally, when most of the players had found their seats, Dalla opened with, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the World Series of Poker," which was followed by hearty applause.
Actor James Garner, playing in his first WSOP at age 78, was given the honor of announcing, "Shuffle up and deal."
The first player was eliminated six minutes later.
"Congratulations everyone," said a tournament director. "You have outlasted one player."
Alternates were then called to be ready for placement.
An interesting addition to the mix this year is an all-in button provided to each player (which can double as a card protector.) If a player wants to go all-in, they can toss the button into the pot. Players were also provided with seat cushions for added comfort.
Later in the media room, tournament director Daily told me that there were 8,570 players in the main event, a figure that’s still expected to climb. Harrah’s will continue to accept alternates until the end of the first level on day four (Monday).
We were directed to the showroom at Masquerade Village in the Rio for the press conference where the slick looking and talking commissioner, Jeffrey Pollack, bragged about the WSOP’s success. He harped on the first every players’ advisory council and the $50,000 HORSE event (which will go to four days next year), as well as a special section on the WSOP that will appear in Friday’s USA Today, a first for the game.
Pollack also mentioned a possible champions’ reception next year, in which Harrah’s would bring al former bracelet winners together.
Tournament director said participation had increased 8 percent for the preliminary events from 2005, while the prize pool has also increased. There were 7,600 entrants in the main event as of 2 p.m. Thursday.
“At least 12 players will become instant millionaires,” Daily said.
Last year, each of the final nine made at least $1 million, with Joe Hachem earning the top prize of $7.5 million.
The proceedings then moved to the Hall of Fame inductions, where Billy Baxter and T.J. Cloutier were honored.
Baxter moved to Las Vegas from Georgia in 1975 and became a force in the WSOP, cashing 34 times and winning seven gold bracelets, all of them in lowball events.
“Players began calling the lowball tournament the Billy Baxter Benefit,” said Harrah’s executive Tom Jenkin.
Baxter was the litigant in a landmark Supreme Court decision in 1987 that compelled the IRS to treat poker winnings as earned income.
“It’s certainly an honor to be included with all these great players of the past and present,” Baxter said of his induction.
Cloutier is one of the legendary road gamblers and is often considered the best player never to have won the WSOP main event, with two seconds and a third on his resume. The native Texan has won six WSOP bracelets.
“It’s one of two things I always wanted to win,” Cloutier said of HOF induction, noting that the other was the main event.
“I’ve still got a chance and I’m still kicking.”
Cloutier quickly reiterated, however, that he now wants to win the HORSE event. One out of three isn’t bad.
Harrah’s brought reigning champion Hachem to the stage and the three men fielded questions from the media, including one dimwit who congratulated Baxter and Cloutier on being inducted yet couldn’t remember Baxter’s name.
Baxter said he disagreed with the prospect of raising the entrance fee to the main event to narrow the field. “This is a world championship that should be open to everyone and I think they’ve got it right where they need it to be.”
“I’m proud to be the reigning champion even it it’s only maybe for another week…maybe,” Hachem said in reply to a question, drawing chuckles.
“Trying to repeat a victory is hard. Trying to repeat a main event victory…is almost twice as hard.”
Pollack said there could be an announcement in the coming months of an event that may be only for amateurs who haven’t won a bracelet or made a final table. “The World Series of Poker is a work in progress that we will improve every year,” he said.
As for Poker Share’s attempt to enter the chimp Mikey, Pollack was adamant that no monkey would play in the WSOP. “There’s been no chimp entered into the WSOP, nor will there be.”
“But there are fish and donkeys everywhere,” quipped blogger C.J., sitting next to me in a showroom both. Pauly and fellow Poker Blogger Kristin were also there. (As an aside, Poker Stars recently hired Pauly and C.J. to blog for them, while Party Poker hired Iggy and a few others to join us at Poker Blog. It’s an arms race unseen since USA vs. USSR!)
Cloutier and Baxter discussed the importance of the WSOP in the poker world.
“I don’t think there’s any event in the world that will ever top it,” Cloutier said.
“It’s like the majors in golf,” Baxter added. “You always want to win the major.”
A reporter asked about trickle down money from sponsors reaching players via the prize pool.
“We might not see that part of it, but it’s definitely coming,” Cloutier said.
Media director Nolan Dalla took the last question.
“Who’s going to win?” he asked the players.
Cloutier thought for a second. “One of the 8,800 players who’s going to enter,” he said.
“I agree with him,” Hachem said.
Curtis Hanson, director of the new movie “Lucky You” that centers around poker, then took the stage to promote the flick, which opens Sept. 8. The movie centers on the relationships between a longtime player (Robert Duvall) and his son (Eric Bana) and the son’s love interest (Drew Barrymore).
“The ability that every poker player tries to develop…would be hateful away from the table,” Hanson said.
Barrymore was brought onto the stage to discuss the movie, but didn’t get off on the right foot when she opened with, “I’m extremely honored to be here at the World Championship of Poker.”
It’s World SERIES of Poker, dear.
Barrymore said she watches poker on TV obsessively and plays with friends.
“Thank you for being here because poker is cool,” she said.
Um, ok.
The gathered media mass then watched a trailer of “Lucky You”, as well as a clip from the movie that featured a recreation of the Bellagio poker room, in which poker pros like Jason Lester, Sammy Farha and Barry Greenstein sit around the table with the characters played by Bana and Duvall.
Doyle Brunson and Jennifer Harman are also featured in the movie, though Harman plays a fictional character and actress Jean Smart plays a poker player based on Harman. Confused yet?
“Doing a movie was a lot of fun,” Harman said after she, Brunson and Lester were called to the stage. “Watching everything involved in it was quite interesting.”
Lester praised the efforts that went into making the poker scenes look authentic.
“I don’t consider myself to be a celebrity,” Brunson said, “and I’m certainly not an entertainer. I’m just a poker player.”
Then we all hustled back to the tournament room for the media/celebrity charity tournament, though crapshoot would be a more apt name. We get 1,000 in chips with 25/50 blinds and 15 minute levels. It’s truly a shove in fest.
The celebrity turnout was much better this year and this probably not so comprehensive list included: Norm McDonald, Robin Tunney, Ron Jeremy, Shannon Elizabeth, Jennifer Tilly, “Amazing” Jonathan, Carrot Top, James Garner, Cindy Margolis, Anthony Michael Hall, Penn Jillette, Ryan McFadden and Dick and Vince Van Patten.
Once again, I had no bigshots at my table, unless you include poker writer Barry Tannenbaum, a woman who is the president of Corum, a watch company and WSOP sponsor, and some guy dressed as Elvis.
Elvis doubled up early and then serenaded the woman he busted, to the delight of the ESPN cameras.
“Don’t mess with the king’s blind,” he often said.
“I wouldn’t think of it,” I replied.
I lucked up a few times and was hanging in until I tried to take the blinds from late position with A8 and ran into AJ and then lost the rest of my chips with a push with AT that ran into the same woman, now holding AK. Ten of us bloggers had a last one and I was the third to last out. Brad “Otis” Willis was the standing winner, making the final table in the process.
I hurried over to the Palms for the Poker Share party after I busted. The soiree was held in Room 28101, otherwise known as the “Real World” suite, after the MTV series was filmed there several years ago. It was nice meeting the guys I played against day after day for weeks, trying to earn a main event seat, since there were only a few dozen of us playing those tournaments.
I also got to meet Mikey, the prohibited chimp. He didn't show off his poker skills, but he did insist on hopping into the arms of everyone in sight. He particularly loved Art Bracken, a longtime WSOP dealer.
Max Wright, poker room manager for Poker Share, said he was disappointed by Harrah's decision. "I think they've got a lack of a sense of humor," he said.
Alex Van Klaveren, the site's spokesman, said a lot of training was put into preparing Mikey for the WSOP. He told me that Mikey would have been able to play on his own without his trainer assisting him.
Van Klaverern said Pollack hasn't replied to emails from him asking for an explanation. The spokesman suspects Harrah's could use the rule that a player has to be 21 to enter to bar the chimp.
"This is not the end of it," Van Klaveren said. "When he turns 21 we're going to enter him again."
When I asked him how old Mikey was, Van Klaveren hesitated.
"He's four," he finally replied.
"Four and a half," Wright corrected him.
The WSOP tournament area was a madhouse Friday morning as players and spectators convened to begin the biggest poker tournament in history.
The main event was about 15 minutes late getting started thanks to the crush of people trying to get to their seats. Security tried to keep all non-players out of the tournament room to no avail, leading to one massive traffic jam and fire code violation.
Media director Nolan Dalla announced that all people wearing poker clothing with .com on it had to take those articles off or turn them inside out. One major online site experienced a major snafu when it handed out thousands of shirts, baseball jerseys and caps with .com on them, leading many players to put tape over the suffix of the URL.
Finally, when most of the players had found their seats, Dalla opened with, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the World Series of Poker," which was followed by hearty applause.
Actor James Garner, playing in his first WSOP at age 78, was given the honor of announcing, "Shuffle up and deal."
The first player was eliminated six minutes later.
"Congratulations everyone," said a tournament director. "You have outlasted one player."
Alternates were then called to be ready for placement.
An interesting addition to the mix this year is an all-in button provided to each player (which can double as a card protector.) If a player wants to go all-in, they can toss the button into the pot. Players were also provided with seat cushions for added comfort.
Later in the media room, tournament director Daily told me that there were 8,570 players in the main event, a figure that’s still expected to climb. Harrah’s will continue to accept alternates until the end of the first level on day four (Monday).
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