2010 WSOP Main Event Payouts and Money Winners

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

Quick Numbers
2010 Main Event Entrants: 7,319
Payouts: 747
First Place: $8,944,138
Prizepool: $68,798,600

November Nine/Final Table Payouts:
1st - $8,944,138
2nd - $5,545,855
3rd - $4,129,979
4th - $3,092,497
5th - $2,332,960
6th - $1,772,939
7th - $1,356,708
8th - $1,045,738
9th - $811,823

Rest of the Main Event Payouts:
10th-12th - $635,011
13th-15th - $500,165
16th-18th - $396,967
19th-27th - $317,161
28th-36th - $255,242
37th-45th - $206,395
46th-54th - $168,556
55th-63rd - $138,285
64th-72nd - $114,205
73rd-81st - $94,942
82nd-90th- $79,806
91st-99th - $67,422
100th-171st - $57,102
172nd-243rd - $48,847
244th-315th - $41,967
316th-387th - $36,463
388th-459th - $31,647
460th-531st - $27,519
532nd-603rd - $24,079
604th-675th - $21,327
676th-747th - $19,263

* * * * *
2010 Main Event Money Winners:

Final Table/November Nine Money Winners:
1st: Jonathan Duhamel - $8,944,138
2nd: John Racener - $5,545,855
3rd: Joe "subiime" Cheong - $4,129,979
4th: Filippo Candio - $3,092,497
5th: Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi - $2,332,960
6th: John Dolan - $1,772,939
7th: Jason Senti - $1,356,708
8th: Matt Jarvis - $1,045,738
9th Soi Nguyen - $811,823

The following players won $635,011:
10 Brandon Steven
11 Pascal LeFrancois
12 Adam Levy

The following players won $500,165:
13 Duy Le
14 Hasan Habib
15 Matt Affleck

The following players won $396,967:
16 Ben Statz
17 ODB David Baker
18 Scott Clements

The following players won $317,161:
19 Michiel Sijpkens
20 Patrick Eskandar
21 Redmond Lee
22 William Thorson
23 Robert Pisano
24 Ronnie Bardah
25 Mads Wissing
26 Matthew Bucaric
27 Johnny Lodden

The following players won $255,242:
28 Bryn Kenney
29 Gianni Direnzo
30 Theo Jorgensen
31 Michael Skender
32 Eduardo Parras
33 Corey Emery
34 Edward Ochana
35 Gabe Costner
36 Michal Wywrot

The following players won $206,395:
37 Dag Palovic
38 Nicolas Babel
39 Jonathan Driscoll
40 Jan Randomesen
41 Damien Luis
42 Jerry Payne
43 Matthew Berkey
44 David Assouline
45 Sergey 'gipsy' Rybachenko

The following players won $168,556:
46 Evan Lamprea
47 Evgeny Shnayder
48 James Fennel
49 Jacobo Fernandez
50 Tony 'Bond18' Dunst
51 James Manning
52 Alex Kostritsyn
53 Chris Bolt
54 Peter Jetten

The following players won $138,285:
55 Josh Brikis
56 Jared Ingles
57 Matt Harris
58 David Benyamine
59 Eric 'basebaldy' Baldwin
60 Bill Melvin
61 Rudy Miller
62 Jim MCCrink
63 Gary Dishongh

The following players won $114,205:
64 Denis Pisarev
65 Ismail Erkenov
66 John Armbrust
67 Meenakshi Subramaniam
68 Niklas Toorell
69 Marcel Cole
70 Pierre Canali
71 Richard Morgan
72 Habib Khanis

The following players won $79,806:
73 Gabriel Nassif
74 Brock Bourne
75 Jeff Banghart
76 Mark Meloche
77 Adam Etter
78 Jean-Robert Bellande
79 Joshua Norris
80 Manuel Davidian
81 Gabriel Alarie
82 Randy Dorfmann
83 Jacob Tyler
84 Ian Gordo
85 Gary Kostiuk
86 Juha Helppi
87 Andrew Brokos
88 DanDruff
89 Matthew Reed
90 Javier Martinez

The Following Players Won $67,422:
91 Brian Jensen
92 Jeffrey Fielder
93 Jean Pasqualini
94 Fokke Beukers
95 Flavio Zumbini
96 James Carroll
97 Josue Sauvageau
98 Arie Kliper
99 Desmond Portano

The Following Players Won $57,102:
100 Christian Harder
101 Getty Mattingsley
102 Martijn Schirp
103 Daniel Chamberlain
104 Dan Lu
105 Theo Tran
106 Nicholas Rainey
107 Matthew Schreiber
108 Jesper Hougaard
109 Garrett Beckman
110 Benjamin Straate
111 JP Kelly
112 Jimmy Tran
113 Tristan Wade
114 Jose Nadal
115 Pavel Milanov
116 Robert Mizrachi
117 Gualter Salles
118 Karga Holt
119 Michael Pettit
120 Sebastian Panny
121 Breeze Zuckerman
122 Mozheng Guan
123 Justin Tazelar
124 Binh Nguyen
125 Olivier Daeninckx
126 Christopher George
127 Kevin Stani
128 Johan Slutter
129 Jeffrey Rothstein
130 Luis Ubierna
131 Ryan Eriquezzo
132 Vern Keller
133 Charles Norris
134 Tomer Berda
135 Todd Brick
136 David Peters
137 Michael Maitre
138 Matthew Pearson
139 Michael Ferguson
140 Vazgen Terpogosyan
141 Phil Galfond
142 Patrick Hartnett
143 Bryan Pellegrino
144 Robin Bergren
145 Chad Wutke
146 Marius Arnesen
147 Javed Abrahams
148 Thomas Denny
149 Neil Tyler
150 Farshad Fardad
151 Joel Benzinou
152 Craig Savage
153 Steven Norden
154 David Liu
155 Trevor Roberts
156 Johnny Chan
157 Jesse Martin
158 Jordan Seigel
159 Randall Tagawa
160 Vladislav Varlashin
161 Brandon Wong
162 Evan Dahl
163 Lauri Eramaja
164 Alan Neubauer
165 David Liu
166 Guy Thomas
167 Francois Binette
168 Marcelo Dabus
169 Russel Rosenblum
170 Nicolo Calia
171 Derek Gibb

The Following Players Won $48,847:
172 Thomas Vinas
173 Paul Evans
174 Adam Kagin
175 Diogo Borges
176 Paulo Figueiredo
177 John May
178 Manig Loeser
179 Anthony Meeker
180 Jamie Brown
181 Jameson Singer
182 Tony Bracy
183 Dragan Galic
184 Greg Schaefer
185 Brian Horton
186 Henrik Tollefsen
187 Rafael Sansrodrigo
188 Blake Kelso
189 Imari Love
190 Scott Desveaux
191 Joshua Seigel
192 Claudio Baptista
193 Kristijonas Andrulis
194 Francis Cagney
195 David Villiard
196 Matt Keikoan
197 Gianluca Speranza
198 Alexander Dovzhenko
199 Juliocesar Saavedra
200 Richard Kirsch
201 Andrey Danilyuk
202 Paul Kristoffersson
203 Joachim Hein
204 Ken Evanowski
205 Paul Dlugozima
206 David Emmons
207 Eric Carr
208 Ludovic Lachance
209 Scotty Nguyen
210 Mikhail Shalamov
211 Jon Jiles
212 Eric Blair
213 Kevin Boudreau
214 Benjamin Blair
215 Michael Souza
216 Dmitrii Valouev
217 Jeffrey Chu
218 Ted Ely
219 Benjamin Koepfler
220 Laurentius Sloot
221 Sam Haddad
222 Garrett Adelstein
223 James Schafer
224 Serge Didisheim
225 Ryan Young
226 Jacob Petersen
227 Claus Vallo
228 Ernesto Jimenez
229 Shawn Rice
230 Larry Karambis
231 Andrew Shack
232 Richard Ellis
233 Andrew Powderly
234 Elia Ahmadian
235 Zach Clark
236 Steven Tabb
237 Dalton Mills
238 Dwyen Ringbauer
239 Mark Teltscher
240 Praz Bansi
241 Neil Mcfayden
242 James Anderson
243 Martin Hanitz

The Following Players Won $41,967:
244 Samuel Oberlin
245 Mark Leonard
246 Carter Swidler
247 Patrick de Koster
248 Steven Pares
249 Arne Riedberger
250 Suleiman Abueid
251 Joseph Gossweiler
252 Dash Dudley
253 Steven Mcloughlin
254 Joshua Weizer
255 Vincent Chahley
256 Jan Boye
257 Steve Billirakis
258 Walter Davis
259 Doug Carli
260 Joshua Mancuso
261 Rodney Sherry
262 Brett Richey
263 Stuart Breakstone
264 Rory Monahan
265 Alan Keating
266 Iikka Tahkokallio
267 Padraig Parkinson
268 Alexander Purk
269 Alex Moore
270 Ryan Dodge
271 Thomas Declerck
272 Max Gurevich
273 Dorothy Von Sachsen
274 Jason DeWitt
275 Paul Paris
276 Brent Hanks
277 Terrance Eischens
278 Kenneth Hofmann
279 Will Failla
280 Alper Sar
281 John Kabbaj
282 Nii Attoh
283 Mikhail Timoshin
284 Joshua Sisak
285 Tomas MacNamara
286 Shane Rose
287 Steve Sanders
288 Giovanni Rizzo
289 Daniel Harkenrider
290 Carlos Sanchez-Vegas
291 Steven Graham
292 Paul Varano
293 Kelly Johnson
294 Joe Brandenburg
295 Richard Rosales
296 Daniel Klodowski
297 Brett Puffer
298 Thomas Huigsloot
299 Russell Blattberg
300 Ryan Milisits
301 Dylan Linde
302 Max Casal
303 Robert Merulla
304 Marlon Shirley
305 Thayer Rasmussen
306 Kevin Mcgowan
307 Tam Nguyen
308 Vitaly Lunkin
309 Kevin Pionkowski
310 Dominykas Karmazinas
311 Andre Coimbra
312 Eric Morris
313 Matthew Brown
314 Brendan Terrana
315 Akio Ishige

The Following Players Won $36,463:
316 Lior Barlev
317 Konrad Molitor
318 Hoyt Corkins
319 Charles Hook
320 Stephen Gerber
321 Michael Shelton
322 Ryan Schmidt
323 Anton Nikaj
324 Roman Suarez
325 Arkadiy Tsinis
326 Justin Goss
327 Hugo Franca
328 Paul Scaturro
329 Edmund Chan
330 Jamin Stokes
331 Mori Eskandani
332 Susan Nordsen
333 Jonathan Tamayo
334 Mark Tyson
335 Mark Ninyo
336 Joseph Parrish
337 Jesse Steinberg
338 Ingo Paulus
339 Andras Koroknai
340 Robert Miller
341 Laurence Hughes
342 Sergey Serafimov
343 Daniel Miller
344 Mark Burford
345 Danny Mizrachi
346 Thomas James Hunt III
347 Eric Liu
348 Allie Prescott
349 Paolo Giovanetti
350 Zsolt Soros
351 Thomas Demaria
352 Scott Kovach
353 Joseph Ressler
354 Gerasimos Deres
355 Peter Hedlund
356 Arnold Spee
357 Michael Bunin
358 Eric Capra
359 Antoine Berube
360 Steven Burkholder
361 Panu Miettinen
362 Damian Artt
363 Osmin Dardon
364 Renato Almeida
365 Cole South
366 Anders Taylor
367 Adam Schoenfeld
368 Frederik Jensen
369 Giovanni Guzzo
370 Ben Blackmore
371 Bart Verbanck
372 Damien Rony
373 Jens Weigel
374 Raymond Muzyka
375 Pablo Ubierna
376 Nathan Meyvis
377 Javier Tazon
378 Bartolome Gomilaromero (aka Tomeu 'Amatos' Gomila)
379 Erik Van Den Berg
380 Robert Mercer
381 Douglas Messner
382 Fabien Dunlop
383 Cory Bath
384 Karla Leduc
385 Chris Klodnicki
386 Greg DeBora
387 Taylor McFarland

The Following Players Won $31,647:
388 Keith Love
389 Mark Dalimore
390 Alex Jacob
391 Daniel Moorman
392 Gregory Fishberg
393 Patrick O'Malley
394 Robert Hart
395 Daniel Steinberg
396 Alexandre Luneau
397 Simon Watt
398 Ralph (Rafal) Michalowski
399 Robert Kim
400 Antonio Palma
401 Fred Bell
402 Mark Gallagher
403 Mats Rahmn
404 Hwang Kim
405 Kevin MacPhee
406 Olivier Matillo
407 Bangalore Subbarao
408 Feming Chan
409 Steven Hartstein
410 Bernard Lee
411 Linh Le
412 Anthony Utnage
413 Jason Kolpin
414 Dwyte Pilgrim
415 Ali Aljenabi
416 Antony Lellouche
417 Nicholas Chappuis
418 Isaac Baron
419 Theodore McLean
420 Philip Lowery
421 Todd Keikoan
422 Richard Sinclair
423 James Sileo
424 Jason Somerville
425 Lou Barlow
426 Pim Van Wieringen
427 Jackie Glazier
428 Joseph DeGeorge
429 Aaron Kaiser
430 Nick Niergarth
431 Anton Hirsch
432 Jon Lactaoen
433 Miakel van Leeuwen
434 Ilya Sheyn
435 Michael Woo
436 Geoffrey Dombrowski
437 Edward Hansen
438 Bradley Libson
439 Scott Lipshutz
440 Andre Dyonisio
441 Scott Veitzer
442 Joseph Sallese
443 Richard Taylor
444 Brandon Cantu
445 Evelyn Ng
446 Jonathan Karamalikis
447 Jeremy Cate
448 Amir Lehavot
449 Dean Hamrick
450 Gregory Ronaldson
451 Thomas Darman
452 Sammy Farha
453 Jin Kim
454 Batsuren Tserendorj
455 Edward Clark
456 Frank Jordan
457 Ricardo Palacios
458 Larry Winter
459 Kiarash Hamadani

The Following Players Won $27,519:
460 Mike (Musa) Mustafa
461 Hien Nguyen
462 Marc Tschirch
463 Jason Mercier
464 David Anderson
465 Charles Sylvestre
466 Danilo Sahione
467 Kevin Gates
468 Iurii Kosrunskyi
469 Ricardo Fasanaro
470 Dennis Cronin
471 Dan Dumont
472 Brian Johnson
473 John Hall
474 Nicholas Decktor-Korn
475 William Schweinebraten
476 Vanessa Selbst
478 Bruce Buffer
479 Gregory Gokey
480 Bjornar Thomassen
481 Vince Van Patten
482 Scott McMorran
483 Carter Phillips
484 Nicolas Fierrogottner
485 Bart Hanson
486 Mikkel Bennedsen
487 Nick Filippopoulos
488 Marc Lome
489 Tina Bergstrom
490 Brian Fite
491 Ken Kao
492 David Cossio
493 David Roper
494 Zuhdi Mansour
495 Fabian Geisel
496 Michael Chow
497 Larry Lipman
498 John Esposito
499 Daniel Bohnett
500 Derek Young
501 Rory Rees Brennan
502 Victor Heffesse
503 Georges Tohme
504 Jean-Philippe Piquette
505 Ovidiu Costache
506 Christian Iacobellis
507 Jason Lester
508 Roger Ahn
509 Thomas Muehloecker
510 Brian Saltzman
511 Jerry Connor
512 Jerry Schwartz
513 Karina Jett
514 Isaac Krantz
515 Shannon Shorr
516 Lucas Wheeler
517 Marco Baldini
518 James Riggs
519 Eric Schneeberger
520 Jamie McCarrel
521 Frank Guerra
522 Evan Wrenn
523 Kenneth Nay
524 Jan Wilhelm
525 Jason Adler
526 Craig Issod
527 Barbara Martinez
528 Dimitri Rassam
529 Dennis Scott
530 Evgeniy Zaytsev
531 CK Hua

The Following Players Won $24,079:
532 Mathieu Sauriol
533 Steven Prater
534 Danny Estes
535 Terry Stuhldreher
536 Roy Vandersluis
537 Brian Rast
538 Vasilios Hrisafinis
539 Matt Matros
540 Paul Weiner
541 Alessandro Pompei
542 Matthew Ireland
543 Gary Haimon
544 Christopher Chambers
545 Nathan Schoo
546 George Kalaitzis
547 Narinder Singh Khasria
548 Paul Mitchell
549 Stanley Quinn
550 Daniel Collins
551 Charalampos Tsaoussis
552 Gil Varon
553 Clayton Bates
554 Eric Buchman
555 Frederick Adams
556 Darren Woods
557 Yevgeniy Timoshenko
558 Carlos Marques
559 Vinh Huynh
560 Armando Munoz-Calero
561 Usama Al Naib
562 Fabrice Soulier
563 Nikolay Losev
564 Michael Adamo
565 Lauren Kling
566 Salim Zakhem
567 Matthew Pearl
568 Andrew Jeter
569 Mikael Oestreicher
570 Jamie Robbins
571 Tore Lagerborg
572 Simon Taylor
573 James Gaffney
574 Peter Bronstein
575 John Kim
576 Amerigo Santoro
577 Phillip Faux
578 Michael Stembera
579 Frederico Dabus
580 Justin Calderaro
581 Allen Cunningham
582 George McKeever
583 David Hrdlicka
584 Jeffrey Fenech
585 Jim Collopy
586 John Dolmayan
587 Dave Williams
588 Michael Minetti
589 Heinz Kamutzki
590 Gareth Teatum
591 Chris Bjorin
592 Rick Villapando
593 Rocky Boustani
594 Darrell Ticehurst
595 Anthony Harb
596 William Thorsson
597 Ville Haavisto
598 Igoris Kuklis
599 Steven Belleville
600 Germain Gillard
601 Patrik Antonius
602 Spencer Hudson
603 Alex Michaels

The Following Players Won $21,327:
604 Ethan Ruby
605 David Burn
606 Michael Marion
607 Alex Prendes
608 Clayton Newman
609 Julien Langvan
610 Christopher Andler
611 Virgil Beddingfield
612 Randy Lorensen
613 Garrett Utt
614 Clorteanu Virgil Marius
615 Jay Houston
616 Steven Wiggins
617 Rahul Maitra
618 L. John Lakatosh
619 Ray Santoli
620 Thomas Kalaway
621 Alan Sternberg
622 Darren Kennedy
623 Kristoffer Vadsmo
624 Kenny Shih
625 Michael Dentale
626 Alexander Amundsen
627 James Coca
628 Michael Fryett
629 Chilfton Allen
630 Adrien Allain
631 Tamas Lendvai
632 Omid Azadpeyma
633 Frank Tenuta
634 Adilson Moraes
635 Bradley Marsh
636 Balazs Botond
637 Elad Magidov
638 Jolmer Meelis
639 Marius Olsvik
640 Kenneth Mcgovern
641 John Michalak
642 David Chiu
643 Thomas Kazemieh Aghdam
644 Thomas Konopasek
645 David Frazee
646 Itay Rokni
647 Alexander Beeckx
648 Brandon Garrity
649 Andy Robbins
650 Steven Currin
651 Paul Hoppe
652 Gregory Howard
653 Petter Northug
654 Alexander Luber
655 Mark Wilds
656 Dan Carter
657 Steve Kuzmich
658 Ward Streeter
659 Scott Zakheim
660 William Morrissey
661 Steven Curtin
662 Pierre Neuville
663 Erik Ekerot
664 Jannick Wrang
665 Sam Greenwood
666 Georgy Kurdin
667 Julian Rembert
668 Scott Baumstein
669 Bastiaan Faessen
670 Jon Friedberg
671 Brendan Reid
672 Mel Judah
673 Ronald Minnis
674 Frank Kassela
675 Thomas Duong

The Following Players Won $19,263:
676 Court Harrington
677 Sylvain Biard
678 Fabrizio Gonzalez
679 John Coletta
680 Michael Mercaldo
681 David Theodosopoulos
682 Tim Pollard
683 Paul Magriel
684 Jay Rosenkrantz
685 Hans Englund
686 Eric Siegel
687 Joshua Appelby
688 Phillip Nguyen
689 Raymond Coburn
690 Juan Reyna
691 Samuel Edwards
692 Khamsy Nuanmanee
693 Curt Kohlberg
694 Luis Nargentino
695 Sylvain Mazza
696 Julien Brahic
697 Jeffrey Mahoney
698 Christopher Hauxwell
699 Lejdin Fazlibegu
700 Jason Ramirez
701 Gil Morgensztern
702 Jack Kashishian
703 Randy McKay
704 Stan Sinclair
705 Charles 'Doc' Hansen
706 Randy Burstein
707 Nicholas Olivares
708 Marc Bariller
709 Thomas Lieb
710 Antony Stroud
711 Patrick McDaniel
712 Anthony Rivera
713 Judson Joplin
714 Thomas Bina
715 Joshua Chait
716 Jeremy Kotter
717 Todd Barlow
718 Eric Mizrachi
719 Paulus Valkenburg
720 Simon Ravnsbaek
721 Manish Patel
722 Blake Bohn
723 William Klevitz
724 Victoria Arzola
725 Donald Himpele
726 Tyron Krost
727 Jonathan Stamm
728 Robert Flowers
729 Jesse 'GridironJesse' Herron
730 Gavin Smith
731 Stephen Elkin
732 Christopher Chapman
733 Boulos Estafanous
734 Anders Jespersen
735 Timothy Batow
736 Humberto Brenes
737 Kyle Bowker
738 John Boylan
739 Paul McCann
740 Amit Makhija
741 Chris Overgard
742 Mathias Karweta
743 Priyan De Mel
744 Mark Brockington
745 Roberto Stamerra
746 Christopher Petrick
747 Ross Myers

NOW AVAILABLE!! Lost Vegas: The Redneck Riviera, Existentialist Conversations with Strippers, and the World Series of Poker

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

Click here to buy Lost Vegas.


Yes, you can officially buy a copy of Lost Vegas: The Redneck Riviera, Existentialist Conversations with Strippers, and the World Series of Poker.

I am selling the book via a third-party seller, Lulu.com. The books are print-on-demand (POD) which means that they are environmentally safe for all of you tree huggers. We will not waste any paper. Lulu prints copies as you order them.

Here's some answers to FAQs about Lost Vegas.

Please go here to buy the book.

Thanks for your patience.

2010 WSOP Day 33: You Are What You Eat and Watch What You Tweet

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

We all got to eat. All you can eat. Eat me.

Food. A place like Las Vegas is an epicenter for overindulgence with the inception of the first all-you-can-eat buffet. In the last decade and more, the trend in feeding the masses switched to high brow restaurants appealing to wealthy clientele with sophisticated palates. The late 1990s and early 2000s featured a reversal from feeding troughs filled with fried chicken and pasta toward a culinary boom in Las Vegas. If you were a celebrity chef at the time, you were courted by the casinos to open up a new restaurant in their space. The reaction was positive and for the first time, you could go to Las Vegas and plan on destroying a seafood buffet one day and then dining on Kobe beef the next night.

Food is overlooked and underrated when it comes to WSOP preparation. Heck, I'm a six year vet and I still make rookie mistakes from time to time -- like trying to eat during peak dinner time (especially on a weekend during a donkulus or donkament). Sometimes the food situation at the Rio is atrocious due to long lines and lack of quality (and healthy) options. The entire point of a casino is to keep you inside which is why they have places to eat and drink so you don't leave the property, get grub, then wander into a different casino. Due to that set up, it kinda blows when you're stuck at the same casino for five weeks straight. The lack of choice starts to grind on you.

The Rio has some choices, but not enough. I've had the pleasure of working in casinos with ample choices like Mohegan Sun, Borgata Casino, and the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia. Crown has probably one of the best "food courts" on the poker circuit with a plethora of international choices. My favorite was the Indian food, which to this day still ranks as one of the best Indian places I ever eaten.

After four weeks in the same spot, food gets old and at the same time, when you're working on a tight schedule in a "resort" place, the service is never going to meet your demands -- it will always be slow. Although some of the eateries are better than others about getting people in and out as quickly as possible, I still encounter some deplorable service. Because when you get slammed -- you do what you can to keep up and sometimes people get shitty service. Sadly, I usually get the shit end of that reality.

That's why if you're coming to the Rio for the Main Event, take the extra precautions to make sure you have proper nutrition while in pursuit of millions of dollars. Find someone to make a reservation ahead of time and even order for you so when you sit down, your food is there and you can beat the "WSOP dinner rush" and enjoy the remainder of your break instead of rushing your meal in order to get back in time.

I see so many poker players take the food situation for granted during the WSOP and over the rest of the year -- which is part of the reason why so many poker players are overweight and obese. You really can't do anything about what/how you eat because of lack of options. When it's 3am and the only thing available is junk food -- you don't have a choice. And that kinda sucks. In an environment where you have people gambling and working 24 hours a day, there really should be something to eat aside from rolling the dice in the Poker Kitchen. Even then, I've had instances where that was closed.

I gonna admit something about my WSOP housing this year. I looked for condos in a specific part of town because it was near one of my favorite breakfast places that offered decent and healthy non-casino food. I actually found two places nearby where I eat five times a week, maybe more. I never know when I'll have time to eat when I get to the Rio every day, that I made it a point to eat a hearty breakfast. It seems so simple, but food is fuel.

The Main Event is only playing four two-hour levels each day, so that means you could eat breakfast and wait until the end of the day to eat a proper meal. Throughout the day, you have to recharge hich is why energy bars are essential. I'm a fan of Clif Bars and they always come through in a pinch. Bananas are good too. I think it was Dennis Phillips who once said that he preferred bananas while playing long sessions. The snack was loaded with potassium and the actual peel was a good defense against any germs he might have acquired through contact with chips and cards.

Fruit and energy bars is just like your healthy friend who does yoga six days a week and works out all the time. The rest of us schmucks are the coffee and cigarettes crowd. If that's what you do to get by, then so be it. Don't change your schedule. Power smoke on your breaks and chug barrels of Starbucks.

Those 4-hour energy shots are helpful. If I can't score some Adderall, one of those suckers is good in a short pinch. They work more like 2-hour pep pills, but hey, if it's getting late in the night, one of those is probably healthier than drinking another Red Bull.

And of course, speed helps as well. Not that I could condone the use of that narcotic, but the side affects include a suppression of appetite (that's what diet pills used to be -- weight loss masked under a speed binge). On a good note, it does allow you to stay up for a week straight and you might finally get around to alphabetizing your CD collection and tearing down one of your walls to locate listening devices because you're convinced that Dick Cheney is spying on you.

Sorry for that tangent. Back to my original thought -- food is more important than you think. Be prepared. Pack your own grub if necessary.

* * * * *
The second topic of conversation is social media-related. Simply put... be careful what you Tweet.

I guess that's general life advice, and not just applied to poker. During the Twitterization of the world, everyone is caught up with the hoopla that they sometimes forget who they are sending a text to -- Twitter or to a friend. I've done this a couple of times. It's embarrassing.

Barry Greenstein made a grave error after busting from an event. He shipped a text to Twitter instead of to his friend...


He quickly erased his mistaken texts that showed up on Twitter. I think it was three in all according to HappyFreaked, one of my Dutch colleagues. Even though Barry tried to cover his tracks, the damage had already been done and the board were lighting up with speculation, rumors, and sexual innuendos. Don't you love the internet? Make one friggin' mistake and within minutes you have your own personal thread on 2+2 or Donkdown.

So let's take that tweet at face value. Barry is stuck $324,000 or roughly $10K/day since the WSOP began. That number includes tournament buy-ins and prop bets (last longers, bracelet bets, betting on flops, et al). That six-figure number is a sobering reminder that a shitty summer can make or break you during the WSOP.

I was also intrigued on who that text was intended. Ivey is a safe bet. Maybe Brunson? Dwan? Only Barry knows for sure. Twitter gives you a ton of insight into what pros think of their tablemates, or what songs they listen to, or what cool club they're at. But it's also the perfect place to monitor mental trainwrecks, gossip, drunken lunacy, and the occasional skeleton in the closet.

* * * * *
Bouncin' Round the Room on Day 33...

After four weeks of choppy seas, we were blessed with one of the calmer days at the WSOP without a final table on the schedule. On the flip side, it was hot as fuck outside, and almost doubled the indoor temps. Anytime you pass 111 degrees, it sucks. I don't care if it's a dry heat - it's still heat. Anyway, with only four tournaments in action and zero final tables, the day certainly lacked the frenzied vibe of the weekend which spilled over into Monday.

Donkulus Day 3: Playing down to the final table after a brutal slaughter on the opening flights on Day 1s and on Day 2. Canadian pro, Owen Crowe, faded the majority of the massive 3,128 donk-laddened field to remain near the top of the leader board for most of Day 2. At one point he had secured the chiplead before dropping back down.

Stripclub owner Michael Beasely finished in 12th place, a few spots short of the final table, meanwhile, Manuel Dividian, bubbled off the final table in 10th place. The remaining nine will return Wednesday.

You can't count OCrowe out of this event for his first bracelet, but his biggest obstacle will be the Scandi... Allan "Sifosis" Baekke. The guy is a monster online an a specialist at heads-up SNGs on PokerStars, so much so that he achieved Supernova status playing $5,000 SNGS.


Sifosis
Baekke rattled everyone's cage at this year's EPT Snowfest. He seized the chiplead on Day 2 and never looked back, essentially going almost wire-to-wire in that event in the Alps. At the very next EPT event, Baekke nearly replicated his Snowfest feat at in San Remo, Italy. He was teasing everyone with back-to-back EPT victories after he jumped out to an early lead... until the Scandi got derailed shortly before the final table and was eliminated in 12th.

"You would mistake him for an online player," explained Benjo who analyzed his play for his commentary (in French) during EPT Live broadcasts. "(Baekke) smiles at the table, but he's very aggressive and never stops attacking."

The Scandi's haven't had much of a showing this year mainly because not too many of them called the Rio their home this summer like in previous years. The Northern Europeans have been absent for the most part, with the sponsored pros opting to play in the Baltic Championships instead of WSOP preliminaries. Despite their absence during the first five weeks, more Scandis tricking in the next few days. Perhaps Baekke's appearance at the final table is a brisk reminder to the Brits that the Scandis are coming.

Donkament Day 2: Georgia's native son, Kenneth Terrell, was among the chipleaders on Day 2, and doing his best to hold off a dwindling field that also included Steve "Stevie444" Chidwick.

One of the bloggers from Poker News, Rich Ryan, advanced to the money in one of his first WSOP events. That's an epic moment for a fellow member of the media because Ryan was essentially playing on one of his few days off. Nothing is more demoralizing that taking your rare day off to play -- and then finding yourself at the shit end of a crappy tournament with nothing to show for it except a food comp and a bad beat story. On the opposite side of the spectrum, when you play only one or two events a year, then advance to a Day 2 of a Boucherie and eventually secure a cash, well, that's a special moment. Nice work, Rich.

* * * * *
Back by popular demand...

Last 5 Pros I Pissed Next To...
1. Arnaud Mattern
2. Mel Judah
3. Steve Wong
4. Mickey Appleman
5. Tom Dwan

Photos courtesy of Harper & Benjo.

Hump Day Link Dump: Adventures with Chip Bitch, Entourage Poker, Grand Games, and the Rug Doctor

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

You made it halfway. Here's a reward -- a few items of note for you to enjoy with your morning coffee. If you dig the links, please pass them along.

Just in case you missed a couple of poker pro cameos on the season premier of Entourage, you can check out Antonio Esfanidari and Chris Moneymaker (sporting a PokerStars patch) brief brushes with fame. (Wicked Chops Poker)

One of the cool things about covering events in different parts of the world, is meeting really cool and funny people. Chip Bitch, one of my colleagues from Costa Rica, is one of those folks. He's working his first WSOP and has been indulging in Las Vegas during his time off. Part 1 of this story about getting a hummer in an elevator is a must read.... Early Night, Early Morning. (Chip Bitch)

Be careful what your PR team leaks! Someone is probably getting fired over this, but David Williams might be/is/already a new member of Team PokerStars? The RugDoctor is in. (Pokerati)

Shamus is pretty damn fine writer which is why you should read Part 2 of his take on The Grand Games. (Hard-Boiled Poker)

As always visit the WSOP's main website for POY standings and overall results. (WSOP)

That's it. NGTFOOMO.

The Show is UP: Chefs!

A food episode, yum! Dig in! Subscribe (it's free!) in iTunes or in Zune. Click on the date below to make it play or right-click to save it and listen at your leisure. Enjoy!

June 28: Hot Air In The Kitchen
...with Rick Moonen & Jet Tila



You know what group of Vegas notables rarely, if ever, find themselves at the center of controversy? Chefs. Normally, they just oversee their kitchens, sell their books and show up on daytime TV feeding perky anchors delicious treats. That's why it was so jarring when Rick Moonen of RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay ended up in the middle of a feud with Top Chef Masters judge Jay Rayner this month over why Moonen came in second in the Bravo series. We'll talk to Rick about that and then turn to another outspoken Vegas chef, Jet Tila of Wazuzu at Wynn Las Vegas. Tila talks about his Guinness record attempts, local restaurant picks, and shows he loved and hated. Plus, he discloses the ingredients of Steve Wynn's special California roll, which is not on the menu. Tila says you can ask for it, though.

In Banter: Vegas downscaled with Ross Dress For Less and more, the wacko Jacko auction, the silliness in Vegas! The Show's advertising and a special cameo by a friend playing WSOP events this weekend.

Links to stuff discussed:

Rick Moonen’s website, book and restaurant
Jet Tila’s Las Vegas Weekly blog and Facebook page
Steve’s AOL News piece on the chip collector’s convention
The McKee-Prosser wedding blog post
Rob Walch’s Podcast411 and Today in iPhone podcasts
Steve’s AOL News report on the MJ auction
Kardashian store coming to the Mirage
Riviera act claiming he's 2009 Nevada performer of the year, Greg London
An image of Vegas! The Show’s ridiculous rack card
Hubert Keller’s TV cooking show, which is moving to Vegas
Facebook page for The Strip Podcast
Steve’s LVW column on the Top Chef outcome

Vince Neil last month: "When you stop, you stop."

A great many of you have emailed and Tweeted to me about the hypocritical nature of Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil's DUI arrest this week. I'll get back to that in a moment, but folks who didn't listen to the May 17 episode of "The Strip" didn't catch this exchange:

Friess: Since you said you don’t drink, when did you actually, finally stop?

Neil: Three years ago.

Friess: So you’ve been dry for three years?

Neil: Yeah.

Friess: In your videos and pictures online, you’re always in the picture with the glass.

Neil: Alcohol doesn’t bother me, being around it. I just choose not to drink. That’s really kind of it. When you stop, you stop. You don’t ask why. You’re just done with it.

Friess: What made you make that decision?

Neil: Because I was drinking too much of it. And I finally came to a point where I was done. I called my wife and said, I gotta go somewhere, I can’t this anymore. And that was it. It was a little over three years ago.

Friess: And you’d tried that before, right?

Neil: Yeah, I’d been in rehab, yeah.

Friess: So what was different?

Neil: When people put you in rehab, that’s one thing. When you want to go to rehab, that’s another thing. Usually you go to rehab b/c the family puts you there, your job, whatever…

Friess: Legal trouble…

Neil: Yeah, whatever, and then they hope that some of it sticks. But when in your mind you’re done, you’re done. This is the first time I actually wanted to go to rehab.

Friess: When you watch in the celebrity culture people like Lindsay Lohan and Amy Winehouse, those sorts of people, do you understand what those other people go through? People who aren’t in the spotlight just watch people like Britney Spears and baffle over it. Do you get it? Do you have an empathy for those folks?

Neil: Yeah, like Lindsay Lohan came out of rehab and went right back to drinking because she didn’t want to be in rehab, she was put in rehab. She’s not going to stop drinking and doing drugs until she wants to. You can put these people away for a month or two months or three months, but they didn’t do it what he wanted to.

It became a more memorable exchange after Sunday's arrest in Las Vegas, obviously, because the rocker and entrepreneur -- with a line of tequila and a collection of bars, no less -- had pledged full sobriety. Unless the cops have this one quite wrong, that was a lie.

But it's not that he continues to drink that ought to upset anybody. Alcoholism is a terrible disease and, like other addictions, it makes liars out of the best of us. And as we've learned from Steve Wynn and Daniel Lamarre and a few others I do not have the power to force interview subjects to tell the truth under oath.

What's shocking here, however, is that he would drink and drive again, given that in 1984 he was drunk when he crashed a vehicle that left a passenger dead and two people in vegetative states. For that, he got a $2.5 million fine and 20 days in jail. You've got to be a pretty hard-core alcoholic to not keep such a horror front and center in your life.

But while listeners have reminded me of Neil's declarations in that interview, nobody has taken note of this part from later in the interview when we were discussing the tequila line:

Friess: Since you don't drink, how do you test new products?

Neil: I taste it. I have a sip of something to taste it. That's a different thing.

Friess: Typically people who are alcoholics say they can never again have a drop of alcohol, not even in food.

Neil: Yeah, those are people who are just Bible-thumpers. Both of my homes have full-stocked bars for people. I have no problem with it being around. I have no problem with my wife having a glass of wine at dinner and I don't or if I go to party. I was at an autism fundraiser the other nigth at the Sterling Club and you know, they hand you champagne, they hand you wine. It doesn't matter. I don't think about it. It doesn't matter to me.

Did you get that? His version of "stopping" meant becoming a casual, if minimal, drinker. But it's not moralistic propaganda that makes alcoholics incapable of having even a modest amount, it's brain chemistry. He also avoids the question at the end there, reverting to whether it bothers him if others drink. That's not the point. I know many alcoholics who don't have any trouble being around alcohol.

Neil has rehabilitated himself as a smart and successful businessman, and that's great. But if he wants to enjoy that success -- and not kill any more people -- he's going to have to have a radical attitude adjustment.

Everest Porch Songs - New Episode of Tao of Pokerati

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV


We return for more hijinks with the quickest podcast in poker.

Episode 46: Everest Porch Songs - Pauly finds Dan hanging out in the hallway (at the Poker Road desk in clear view of the public in a shameless attempt to get noticed). Dan happened to be hanging out during the construction of the Everest poker player's suite. Pauly quizzes him about the latest legal entanglements between Everest, Rio, and the WSOP.

If you'd like to listen to more episodes of your favorite and fastest poker podcast (broadcasting live from the WSOP), then you should visit the Tao of Pokerati archives.

Lost Vegas: The Redneck Riviera, Existentialist Conversations with Strippers, and the World Series of Poker

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

I have been waiting for this book to come out just as badly as you.



You can buy Lost Vegas here.

2010 WSOP Day 32: Le Boucherie, Ripple In Still Water, and TOC Day 2

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

The civilian army of spectators trickled down the corridors of the convention center. Some took a scenic route through the Pavilion and marveled at the space larger than a football field with flags of the world hanging from the rafters in a warehouse facility, airplane hangar, or whatever you want to call it.

On some days, during the 3,000 field events, the gigantic Pavilion becomes the largest barn in the Western United States. When you head to Las Vegas, you never thought you'd play in a poker tournament and visit the zoo at the same time, yet that's what happens when you gather up thousands of poker players, many of whom are suffocating under the bitch end of the bell curve.

Call them whatever you want..

Emus. Fish. Donkeys. Monkeys. Ocelots. Sheep. Lemurs.

They all get led to the slaughter. Flashback to the 2008 WSOP when I was hopped up on pain pills after a car accident and I gazed out into the Amazon Ballroom at the thousands of players filled with blind ambition but unable to survive the killing fields. They were busting at such a rapid pace, the press were scrambling to come up with a proper formula for Donkey Liquidifcation. To this day, that exact formula that Benjo came up with (consulting the Chen 2000 supercomputer) is still in use.


I dubbed the room the Killing Fields in my notes. The metaphor stuck. The French press describe it as... Le Boucherie... or simply put, the butcher shop. The bloody oblivion. Shamus was covering Day 2 of the Donkulus and at one point he mentioned that the meatgrinder was churning our ground donks at a rate of one every thirty seconds. No shinola.

Day 2 of the TOC seemed to be the main focus of everyone at the WSOP, at least that's why the fans flocked to the Amazon Ballroom. As the TOC ran, I realized that those were just two tables in a entire convention center full of nonstop poker. The most popular bracelet winners were playing for the cameras (and live ESPN3 feed with excellent commentary from Adam Schoenfeld, James Hartigan and Lee Jones -- which by the way was the supreme highlight of the TOC. That is the future of the WSOP. I hope more events get covered in that manner. Of course, it's a money thing, but there's hope that someday every single final table will be streamed somewhere on the intertubes. Even if you have to get Chico's Bailbonds and Juggs Magazine to sponsor one of the broadcasts).

Sorry for that tangent... anyway, the TOC players were just 20 or so players in a room of a thousand or more. I had one of those metaphysical moments where the collective conciousness of the WSOP outweighed the frenzy over the TOC tables. After all, the buzzing and hum of the packed Amazon Ballroom really caught my attention. It was a rare sight, sound, feeling during this summer. With the Pavilion hosting all of the Day 1s of the noon events (and essentially all of the massive field NL events), the Amazon lost some of it's kinetic energy.

Although some of the more crucial moments of the tournaments are played out inside the Amazon Ballroom, fewer tables are utilized during the pursuit of immortality. The Amazon is much quieter and lacked the electricity and life force of previous years. Even with a flashmob of Brazilians causing a commotion around a final table, that noise is contained to one part of the room. On some nights, the room seems rather dull, with all the zest and vigor (of cash games and satellites) completely extracted. It reminded me of a library a few times.

If you're not playing in one of the 5pm fetish events, then chances are you (as a player) won't set foot inside the Amazon Ballroom unless you advance to a Day 2. I haven't seen some pros, friends, and even some random people people yet this summer because they have not gotten as far as a day 2. Yeah, it's kinda sad, but a sobering reality. Amazon is usually reserved for the Top 10% because that's where the money bubble usually bursts -- inside the Amazon Ballroom.

By Day 32 of the WSOP, everyone has officially passed the "month" long mark of the WSOP. Any donuts and zeros at this point have to wear you down. Most of those people are tough to be around and you have to tip toe on eggshells because their egos and bankrolls are fragile. And if they can't get anything going during the Main Event, then this summer was a complete waste (and demoralizing black hole of debt). I guess the only solace is the "Donut Mantra" which is...

"I'm saving up all my run good for the Main Event."

The Amazon Ballroom had a "big day" feel on Day 32 even though it was an invisible Monday on the schedule. The TOC brought out the gawkers and fans, while Day 2 of the four day Donkulus filled most of the tables in the room, while the Pavilion was a cattle call with one of the last Boucheries on the schedule. My new nickname for Donkaments are Boucheries. (The $1,000 discounted events will always be a Donkulus in my book).

Early on Day 2 (so early that it was the first hand of the TOC restart), Doyle Brunson busted out. The ensuing eliminations did not happen as fast. Eventually Joe Cada, Mike Sexton, sponsor exemption Andrew Barton, and Dan Harrington were weeded out by mid-afternoon. The worrisome slowdown in bustouts meant that a potential threat loomed -- plenty of poker left to be played but not enough time to play it.

The last week before the Main Event is insanely hectic, crazy, and a blurry whirlwind. Besides all of the drama surrounding the Big Dance, this is the time of WSOP when parties crop up and everyone blows off a ton of steam after a long summer. On the other end of the spectrum, the week before the Main Event is peak season for hallway dealings and other business-related opportunities pertaining to the poker industry. Plus, every day more and more press (domestic and international) are arriving for the first time this summer. This is prime interview season. And, shit needs to get pimped, shilled, and whored out. If anything, this is really the busiest time of year when it should be the most relaxing.

No wonder, the TOC seems like it's more of nuisance than a celebration. What sounded good in theory ended up on the shit end of bad timing, or poor scheduling. In retrospect, the TOC should have happened at the start of the WSOP and allowed ESPN to piggyback taping of that with the 50K 8-Game. With the TOC kicking off the WSOP (sort of like having an All-Star Game as the last game of Spring Training), none of the pros would have had any scheduling conflicts.

After two brief sessions, 17 players still remain with a final table scheduled for filming on July 4th. Originally, the plan was to play for 27 to 9 on Sunday, but that got axed midway through the series. The current plan is to play at 7pm on 7/3 after Ante Up for Africa ends, and hopefully they can get down to a final nine (with conditional terms if no one is playing in the 25K 6-handed event). The tentative TOC schedule is subject to change -- heck, it could have changed twice while I wrote this sentence, decisions these days are floating around in the wind like that plastic bag in American Beauty.

The delayed TOC won't quite be like the snoozer of a durrrr Challenge that took forever to play out (wait, aren't they still doing that?). Look, I know that finding time to play at this juncture of the WSOP is tough. The worse case scenario? Playing early early early on July 4th. That notion irked Mike Matusow.

"What the fuck?" he protested. "Playing thirteen hours on July 4th? Who wants to do that? Everyone has parties to go to. No one wants to play for thirteen hours. That'll suck. I got parties."

Matusow was one of the few pros who wanted to keep playing on, but Hellmuth had chips in a different event and preferred to devote his time to a bracelet event instead of the TOC freeroll. He moaned about losing his buy-in in the donkament if they kept playing.

"Jesus Christ," screamed Matusow. "Phil, if you want, I'll give you $1,500 back if that'll keep you playing."

Hellmuth refused to budge. The TOC did not deter Antonio Esfandiari from multi-tabling inside the Amazon Ballroom. Luckily, his TOC table and his table in the Donkulus were somewhat close to each other. He sprinted back and forth in an attempt to build a stack before the money bubble burst in the Donkulus.

Last names, like Esfandiari, became fodder for prop bets with Scotty Nguyen. He failed to spell Allen Cunningham's last name correctly in addition to Esfandiari and had to ship some cash across the table. Nguyen was much more... sober... than the day before. Night and day. Someone mentioned that he was on medication -- maybe he is but if you have just one cocktail on certain types of meds -- it's trouble and you become a puddle of mush. Who knows (aside from Scotty) what really happened on Sunday, but he was much more coherent on Monday afternoon.

The final two tables were located in closer proximity to one another, with fans glued to both. About a dozen or so spectators who hung out in the beef jerky lounge had a perfect spot and could keep an eye on both tables. I tried to position myself there for a bit. One thing is for sure -- the autograph hounds were out in force. A few old ladies were running around on breaks trying to get pros to sign their freshly-purchased WSOP t-shirts.

The day ended with Mike Matusow as the chipleader. Huck Seed and Johnny Chan are not far behind Matusow. Who knows when everyone will play next? I guess we'll find out on July 3rd at 7pm...

* * * * *
Bouncin' Round the Room on Day 32....

Although I skipped the opening festivities of the "final" Boucherie of the Main Event (there's one more Donkulus on the bill right before the Main Event), I got word from Jack Effel that they were setting aside a moment of silence in remembrance of Amir Vahedi, who passed away in January. In addition to the bracelet and buckets full of cash, the winner of the Boucherie would also be awarded a box of St. Luis Rey Rothchilde cigars -- Vahedi's personal favorite.

On a good note, veteran poker scribe and former WSOP media director, Mike Paulle, made a Day 2 and cashed in the Donkulus. He said that was the first (open) event he played since the WSOP was moved to the Rio -- and he cashed -- so he's going to retire from WSOP altogether.

Event #48 Mixed Games Day 3 and Final Table: The only final table of the day on the schedule and it was one of those final tables that didn't get set until.... They might have to start schedule four-day events otherwise get rid of this 12-hour rule.

Jesse Martin began Day 3 in the Top 5 in chips. When action consolidated to two tables, he found himself in a tough spot (Scott Seiver, Matt Vengrin, Todd Brunson, Kirk Morrison). Even if he was at the other table (Alex KGB, Nacho Barbero, Steve Sung), he wouldn't get a respite. Over a dozen of the final 18 players were tough as shit. Martin ran into some trouble in a hand against Jared Jaffe. He busted out soon after in 13th place. LAPT legend Nacho Barbero from Argentina missed the final table and was knocked out in 12th place. Meanwhile, Alex 'KGB' Kravchenko quietly went out in 11th.


When the "official" final table was set, Steve Sung was out in front with the lead ahead of the likes of Matt "Plattsburgh" Vengrin, Scott Seiver, Jared Jaffee,and another Russian Kirill Rabtsov. Sung drew the most "well known" railbirds -- a mixture of LA-based players and other friends.

With three players to go, the unknown Scandi, Sigurd Eskeland, had more than 50% of the chips in play. Sung was in second place, but still alive. He had experience on his side. He's been a WSOP closer before and knows what it takes to finish off a final table. Despite the deficit, Sung had the edge, especially with the majority of the games limit.

Sung found himself heads-up with the Scandi and sitting with a 2-1 chip discrepancy. But he could not string together enough run good, and it took a bad beat to send Sung to the rail in second place, as Sigurd Eskeland took down the bracelet.

Photos courtesy of Harper & Benjo.

Random Link Dump: Return of Guess Her Muff, Economics Is Hard, Motley Crue DUI, World Cup Fever, and Kobayashi Skips Hot Dog Eating Contest?

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

It's Tuesday. Congrats on surviving a hellacious Monday. You just have to get through today and you're almost halfway to the weekend. So here are a few things to keep you comfortably numb this morning. These links are best consumed while high on some sort of narcotic or while eating chocolate. Both, if you're lucky...

Let's kick thing off with a heavy-handed topic. Thanks to Kid Dynamite for pointing out a paper titled Economics is Hard, Don't Let Bloggers Tell You Otherwise. (Google Docs)

In case you wondering here's an update on how Team Pokerati was holding up against Sam Charlatan's crew at the WSOP this summer. (Pokerati)

Vince Neil DUI in Vegas? (LasVegasVegas)

Wait, poker players are gullible? Energy strips being shilled by pros? Or just another identity scam? (Poker Grump)

A British writer's take on World Cup fever at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas. (PokerStars Blog)

Thanks to the gang at Part Time Poker for the "reserved sign" in the press box. Now I won't have Euro mediadonks stealing my seat! (Part Time Poker)

This is a sad day if the great Kobayashi does not participate in the annual Nathan's hot dog eating contest on July 4th in Coney Island. (Deadspin)

And I dunno about you, but I'm thrilled that Guess Her Muff is back. NSFW, OBV. (Guess Her Muff)

That's it. Guess what? NGTFOOMO.

TOC Rubbernecking and TOC End of Day 1- New Tao of Pokerati Episodes

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV


Michalski showed up at the Rio again for like the third day in a row. He's approaching Lou Gehrig-type Ironhorse numbers with his appearances at the WSOP. Anyway, since he was here, we recorded two quickie TOC-related podcasts.

Episode 44: TOC Rubbernecking - Dan showed up to the Rio super early for a Sunday just in case the the DOJ decided to bust Full Tilt honchos Howard Lederer and Jesus Ferguson. I compared his morbid fascination of the potential perp walk to watching a NASCAR race in order to see a big wreck.

Episode 45: TOC End of Day 1 - Dan and Pauly recap the brief events of Day 1 of the TOC, and the slight confusion surrounding the change in schedule.

If you'd like to listen to more episodes of your favorite and fastest poker podcast (broadcasting live from the WSOP), then you should visit the Tao of Pokerati archives.

BJ's WSOP Report: Week 4

By BJ Nemeth
Las Vegas, NV

Four weeks down, and one more to go until the Main Event begins on Monday, July 5th. I'm BJ Nemeth, and I'll be guiding you through the biggest stories each week and the stats that summarize the rest.

TOP STORYLINES OF WEEK 4

1. Gavin Smith & Chris Bell Win Back-to-Back Bracelets

Gavin Smith and Chris Bell have seen many of their close friends win WSOP bracelets in recent years, but they kept knocking on the door without getting in. Gavin had a runner-up finish in 2007 in $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em, and Chris had a runner-up finish in 2008 in $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em.

Gavin, in particular, was one of the most prominent names on the list of "Best Players Without a WSOP Bracelet" -- there are certain expectations when you have $5 million in career tournament earnings and a WPT Player of the Year award under your belt. But as WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla said in the official report, "It's time to destroy the list. Rip it up. Burn it. Torch it." (Unfortunately for Andy Bloch, that only applies to Gavin's name; the list itself still exists.)

On Saturday night, Gavin Smith won Event #44 ($2,500 Mixed Hold'em), ripping through the final table mostly in the limit hold'em rounds, where he held a clear advantage. While Gavin was on the verge of winning his bracelet, Chris Bell was going deep in Event #46 ($5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo). Chris said he was more interested in watching the scoreboard (Gavin's final table) than in his own tournament. But by the time Gavin won his bracelet on Saturday night, Chris was at the final three tables. When Gavin showed up for his bracelet ceremony on Sunday afternoon, Chris was ready to start his own Day 3. And 12 hours later, Chris Bell was heads-up playing for a bracelet of his own, and this time Gavin Smith was in the stands to support his friend that had supported him a day earlier.

At 5:15 am Monday morning, Chris Bell won his first WSOP bracelet, made that much sweeter because it immediately followed Gavin's. Gavin summed it up well on his Twitter feed. "Chris Bell, one of my closest friends just won his first bracelet, I think I am as happy now as I was last night!"

There are a couple of interesting tidbits to tack onto the end of this story --

If Gavin hadn't been so eager to have his bracelet ceremony Sunday afternoon (many players put it off for a day), they could have taken the Pavilion Room stage together, which would have been an incredibly special moment.

Someone made a comment about Erick Lindgren's horses doing so well, and Gavin joked, "Yeah, his horses are one bracelet away from breaking even for the Series!"

With this bracelet, I think Gavin Smith will easily be voted into next year's WSOP Tournament of Champions. He's one of the most popular players in the game, and I've never seen as many players, fans, media, and staff come out to congratulate a player after winning a tournament. It seems that Gavin is loved by everyone. There is often a group shot taken with a bracelet winner's friends, and I've always turned down invitations to join in. But not this time -- I was in the friends-and-family victory shots for both Gavin and Chris.

One last note -- Gavin Smith and his girlfriend Kayce (pronounced "K.C.") are expecting their first child this November (shortly after the WSOP Main Event returns for the November Nine). Kayce's expected delivery date happens to fall on the birthday of Chris Bell's son, who tragically died at a very young age. Bell seemed to find strength in the coincidence, and it would mean a lot to both of them if Gavin's child was born that day.


2. Phil Ivey Wins His 8th Bracelet

Some people will be shocked that I list Phil Ivey's eighth WSOP bracelet as only the second biggest story of the week, but it's become almost predictable. If Ivey doesn't win any more bracelets this year, his career average will be one bracelet every 1.375 WSOPs (8 bracelets in 11 years). As Scott Huff said on our radio show, "Ivey won a bracelet. In other news, the sun rose this morning."

Not only that, but it's Ivey's next bracelet (if it comes before the end of 2012) that will mean the big $5 million payday in his bet with Howard Lederer. According to Barry Greenstein, the terms of the bet were two WSOP bracelets in three years (from 2010 to 2012), and WSOP Europe bracelets can force a draw but can't win the bet for Ivey.

Yes, this is big news, and yes it's historic that this 33-year-old player is the best in the world and the fastest since Johnny Moss to win eight bracelets. But what else can we say about Phil Ivey at this point? It's simply a question of when he will pass Phil Hellmuth for the most bracelets of all time as he continues to distance himself from the pack on the all-time money list.


3. Frank Kassela Survives a Blackout to Win His 2nd Bracelet

It seems like winning two bracelets in a single WSOP should be a rare and difficult feat, but there has been at least one multiple-bracelet winner in each of the last 11 WSOPs (2000-2010). This year, the first player to do it was Frank Kassela, who won Event #15 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo) and Event #40 ($2,500 Seven Card Razz). Kassela had to battle some familiar faces -- both final tables included Jennifer Harman and Vladimir Schemelev, and both times, Kassela came out on top.

Two things made this final table notable -- other than the fact that it was razz. (There is only one razz event each year.) With seven players remaining, six of them wanted to delay the final table so they could play in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship. Harrah's refused to reschedule the table, so a few players started talking about a potential deal. But Jennifer Harman said, "I don't buy bracelets; I win them." (She's the only woman in history with two WSOP bracelets in open events.) For his part, Kassela said he wouldn't deal either, because he had a shot to become the first multiple-bracelet winner of 2010, and he wouldn't want a deal to compromise the validity of his accomplishment.

The other notable thing? The Razz Final Table was in action when the power went out at the Rio. (And reportedly, along a large portion of the Las Vegas Strip.) The lights were out (complete darkness except for cellphones) for a good 10 seconds before they came back on. With about five minutes left in the level, the tournament director had the four remaining players at the Razz final table play in the dim light, and they would sort out the situation at the break. The TD's iPhone served as the tournament clock since the computers were down. When the final four players came back from break, they were moved to the main ESPN stage (which had full lighting) to finish their final table.

Kassela was short-stacked when the lights went out (and when they came back on), but he credits the blackout with helping him to refocus his efforts, buckle down, and win his second WSOP bracelet of the Series.

* * *

QUICK RECAP OF COMPLETED EVENTS

Event #32, $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed
568 players (last year: 928)
Winner: Jeffrey Papola, $667,433

Event #33, $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em/Omaha
482 players (last year: 453)
Winner: Jose-Luis Velador, $260,552

Event #34, $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em
3,142 players (last year: 2,707)
Winner: Harold Angle, $487,994

Event #35, $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em
256 players (last year: 256)
Winner: Ayaz Mahmood, $625,682

Event #36, $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em
3,102 players (last year: 6,012)
Winner: Scott Montgomery, $481,760

Event #37, $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.
478 players (last year: 452)
Winner: Phil Ivey, $329,840

Event #38, $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em
268 players (last year: 275)
Winner: Valdemar Kwaysser, $617,214

Event #39, $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout
1,397 players (last year: 999)
Winner: Steven Kelly, $381,927

Event #40, $2,500 Seven Card Razz
365 players (last year: 315)
Winner: Frank Kassela, $214,085

Event #41, $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
847 players (last year: 762)
Winner: Steve Jelinek, $245,871

Event #42, $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em
2,521 players (last year: 2,715)
Winner: Dean Hamrick, $604,222

Event #43, $10,000 H.O.R.S.E.
241 players (last year: 194 for $10K 8-Game Mix)
Winner: Ian Gordon, $611,666

Event #44, $2,500 Mixed Hold'em
507 players (last year: 527)
Winner: Gavin Smith, $268,238

Event #45, $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em
3,097 players (last year: 2,781)
Winner: Jesse Rockowitz, $721,373

Event #46, $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
284 players (last year: 198)
Winner: Chris Bell, $327,040

* * *

WINNERS BY NATIONALITY

United States: 31
Great Britain: 5
Canada: 5
Hungary: 2
New Zealand: 1
France: 1
Russia: 1

WSOP PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Entering the final week of the WSOP preliminary events, there are 23 players who are within a bracelet victory (100 points) of POY points-leader John Juanda. Here's a look at the top 13:

1. John Juanda: 225 pts
1. Frank Kassela: 225 pts
3. Vladimir Schemelev: 210 pts
4. Dan Heimiller: 200 pts
5. Michael Mizrachi: 190 pts
5. Men Nguyen: 180 pts
5. Richard Ashby: 180 pts
5. Jeffrey Papola: 180 pts
5. James Dempsey: 180 pts
10. David "Bakes" Baker: 170 pts
10. David Chiu: 170 pts
10. Michael Chow: 170 pts
10. Allen Kessler: 170 pts

A few of the other notables within a bracelet of the lead are Dave "Not Bakes" Baker (150 pts) and Phil Ivey (130 pts).

Keep in mind that the Main Event also awards POY points, and Ivey has a history of doing pretty well in that one -- he has reached the final three tables 50% of the time in the last eight years (23rd in 2002, 10th in 2003, 20th in 2005, and 7th in 2009).

MOST CASHES: 7
Shawn Buchanan and Allen Kessler lead the WSOP this year with seven cashes each. Kessler, who is known as a min-cash grinder, has been going deep, with only one of his cashes being for the minimum. Is Kessler riding a lucky streak, or has his career turned the corner?

There are also five players with six cashes each: Pat Pezzin, Dan Heimiller, Tad Jurgens, Amnon Filippi, and Michael Glasser.

In recent years, the most cashes in a single WSOP have belonged to Daniel Negreanu (2009: 8 cashes), Nikolay Evdakov (2008: 10 cashes), Michael Binger (2007: 8 cashes), and Chad Brown (2007: 8 cashes). (Note: These figures do not include cashes in the WSOP Europe -- WSOP-E would give Negreanu 9 cashes in 2009.)

THE YEAR OF THE WOMAN?
We've now had six women who have reached final tables -- an improvement over last year, but anything less than a bracelet in an open event is a bit below expectations -- women have won 14 non-ladies event bracelets in the last 14 years. The media is already shopping around for a new "Year of the Blank" headline.

Here are the six women who have reached final tables:

J.J. Liu: 3rd place, $86,512
Event #9 ($1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em)

Jennifer Harman: 3rd place, $173,159
Event #15 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo)

Christine Pietsch: 2nd place, $86,756
Event #21 ($1,500 Seven Card Stud)

Karina Jett: 4th place, $60,588
Event #27 ($1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo)

Mandy Thomas: 6th place, $40,169
Event #41 ($1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo)

Jennifer Harman: 6th place, $33,890
Event #40 ($2,500 Seven Card Razz)

Annette Obrestad just missed her first WSOP final table in Las Vegas, making it to the third round of Event #39 ($1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout), but busting in 11th place. It's not officially a final table, but reaching the third and final round of a shootout should be enough to quiet most of the critics (like me) who were saying that Annette wasn't living up to (unfairly high) expectations.

Vanessa Rousso finished fifth in Event #35 ($10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em). While that would count as a final table in any other hold'em event, I've had discussions in the past with other tournament reporters, and decided that players need to make the Final Four in a heads-up event to get credit for a final table. (At the WSOP, it's also literally true, as two matches are played side-by-side on a single table.)

MULTIPLE FINAL TABLES
Twenty-eight players have made multiple WSOP final tables so far this year, and five have made three or even four final tables.

John Juanda
4th in Event #2 ($50,000 Poker Players Championship)
5th in Event #15 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo)
4th in Event #19 ($10,000 2-7 No-Limit Draw)
3rd in Event #37 ($3,000 2-7 H.O.R.S.E.)

Vladimir Schmelev
2nd in Event #2 ($50,000 Poker Players Championship)
7th in Event #10 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud)
7th in Event #15 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo)
4th in Event #40 ($2,500 Seven Card Razz)

Michael Mizrachi
1st in Event #2 ($50,000 Poker Players Championship)
6th in Event #10 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud)
8th in Event #29 ($10,000 Limit Hold'em)

Jameson Painter
5th in Event #7 ($2,500 2-7 Triple Draw)
7th in Event #12 ($1,500 Limit Hold'em)
4th in Event #29 ($10,000 Limit Hold'em)

David Chiu
4th in Event #7 ($2,500 2-7 Triple Draw)
9th in Event #29 ($10,000 Limit Hold'em)
2nd in Event #33 ($2,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em/Omaha)

The following 23 players have made two final tables each: Frank Kassela, Dan Heimiller, Men Nguyen, Richard Ashby, Jeffrey Papola, James Dempsey, Michael Chow, David "Bakes" Baker, Dave Baker, Maxwell Troy, Al Barbieri, Matt Matros, Blair Rodman, Derric Haynie, Daniel Idema, Eugene Katchalov, Robert Mizrachi, Stuart Rutter, Jennifer Harman, Michael Michnik, Jarred Solomon, Erik Seidel, and Rob Hollink.

While Frank Kassela is the only player who has won two bracelets this year, he is one of six players who has two top-two finishes. The others are Men Nguyen (1st, 2nd), Richard Ashby (1st, 2nd), Jeffrey Papola (1st, 2nd), James Dempsey (1st, 2nd), and Maxwell Troy (2nd, 2nd).

LIFE COACH SAM CHAUHAN'S "TEAM"
Last week, I pointed out that the six players who have hired life coach Sam Chauhan were collectively having a disappointing WSOP. (The six players are Phil Hellmuth, Gavin Smith, Antonio Esfandiari, Josh Arieh, Paul Wasicka, and David Williams.) But that all changed on Saturday night when Gavin Smith won his first WSOP bracelet.

It's impossible to determine how Chauhan's coaching contributed to Gavin's victory, but it's worth noting that Gavin didn't mention the life coach at all during his post-victory interview. I'll be asking Gavin specifically about this in the next week, to see whether or not he feels Chauhan's influence was a major factor.

As for me, I'm still skeptical. Whether or not Gavin credits Chauhan with an assist, most of us expected Gavin to win his first WSOP bracelet any year now.

JUSTIN BONOMO'S PANORAMA BET
Justin Bonomo laid 10-to-1 odds (he put up $10,000 to anyone else's $1,000) that one of the 68 players who lives in Panorama Towers would win a bracelet this year. To see all the names, check out Justin Bonomo's post in the 2+2 thread by clicking here.

Bonomo has already won this bet, due to the victory by David "Bakes" Baker in Event #19. But worth tracking Panorama's results to help set a proper line for next year's bet. (Bonomo offered the same bet last year with 7-to-1 odds, and won with a Greg "FBT" Mueller bracelet.)

There have been eight final table appearances by Panorama players so far: David "Bakes" Baker (1st, 6th), Ray Coburn (2nd), Nick Binger (3rd), Nenad Medic (4th), Brock Parker (5th), Ben Lamb (5th), and David "Doc" Sands (8th).

* * *

There's your recap for the fourth week of the 2010 WSOP, with one week to go until the start of the WSOP Main Event. Thanks again to Pauly for letting me get my geek on and run down the stats and the big stories. This summer I'm working for Greasie Wheels, which is providing the official WSOP photography for Harrah's. Check out my official WSOP Photo Blog on WSOP.com. I'm also recording the award-winning "Poker Beat" podcast for PokerRoad.com.

Check out previous installments of The BJ Report... Week 1 and Week 2 and Week 3.

2010 WSOP Day 31: TOC Hoopla, Flashmob of Brazilians, and Erik Seidel Goes for Number Nine.... Number Nine... Number Nine...

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

Supposedly, Phil Ivey was going to "big time" the TOC and blow it off to play real poker instead. With millions in prop bets on the line, you can't blame Ivey for wanting to focus on bracelet events instead of a glorified made-for-TV freeroll. Ivey's potential snub of the TOC, despite being the top vote getter, worried officials. Would more pros would skip out if Ivey bailed?

In the parlance of Sportscenter speak, "This is Phil Ivey's universe... we're just paying rent."

The TOC was rescheduled at the last minute -- instead of one day of action playing from 27 to 9, the TOC split into two four-level segments (starting at noon on Sunday and continuing at noon on Monday). The final table is scheduled for July 4th (day before the Main Event). Whoever is left at the end of Day 2 will return next week.

The last minute schedule change was more accommodating for the TOC players (especially Ivey) so everyone could play in bracelet events. In fact, some of the Day 2 and 3 restarts were pushed back as well. As a result, everyone who was invited had played without any issues.

The concept of the current TOC rubs me the wrong way because two players in the field (sponsor exemptions Andrew Barton and Elky) are not bracelet winners. If you want to run this event, just don't call it Tournament of Champions because it is misleading, or as Benjo would say... it's booshit. I have no beef if the sponsor exemption goes to a bracelet winner who didn't get voted in, because at least, they met the "champions" criteria.

Here's my suggestion about three similar events that satisfies everyone's needs...

1. The Real TOC. Have a yearly tournament with only Main Event champs, 50K winners, and WSOP-Europe Main Event winners. The winner gets a motorized scooter and the chance to pick the format of the tournament the next year (HORSE, NL, PLO/8, Razz, etc.).

2. Bracelet Invitational. Hold a special event during the November Nine festivities for every player who had won a bracelet over summer, including the WSOP-E. This is similar to the PGA's Player's Championship (where you must win an event on the PGA to qualify to the season ending event). The winner of the Bracelet Invitational gets a year's supply of beef jerky and a $1 million cash bonus.

3. All-Star Game. Four table SNG. Let the fans pick any player they want for this "TOP 40" made-for-TV event. Everyone is happy. The fans feel special because they were a part of the selection process. The players are happy because they have a shot a face time on TV without having to wade through a week of donkey dung. And the TV people are happy because they have a product with lots of familiar faces that will attract viewers and advertisers other than online poker rooms.

These three different events meets the needs of three separate entities: the TOC pays homage to the champions of yesteryear, the Bracelet Invitational honors the current bracelet winners, and the All-Star Game lets the public watch their favorite pros.

* * * * *
I arrived at the Rio before noon, which is something I had not been doing much of this year, opting to come in a little later and staying later. It was sort of strange walking into the Amazon Ballroom and seeing Doyle sitting on his scooter and chatting with Mile Sexton. The topic: sports betting, which was kinda cool to hear what they were bragging about, and what bad beats they recently endured. Dan Harrington joined the circle and I headed to my seat in the press box. I could hear the voluminous musings of Mike Matusow from the other side of the room. He was trying to get odds that a twenty-something would win the event (Cada, Eastgate, or Elky).

The fans were eventually let into the amusement park and they wandered around like little kids in Disney World taking photos with Goofy and Pluto. Most of the TOC players were mingling around the TV stage trying to figure out their seating assignments. The three table tournament would be scattered across the Amazon ballroom in three of the four corners of the room instead of in the same spot. The featured table was used, but not the secondary beef jerky final table. Instead, the tertiary tables in front of the dual press boxes on opposite sides of the room were the locations of the other two tables.

"Have you covered a tournament when all tables involved were this far apart?" wondered my British colleague Howard.

"And have you ever seen pros this bored with a million on the line?" asked Snoopy. "They're rather quiet, not saying much, paying more attention to their iPhones and scratching their balls."

The spectators quickly grabbed seats inside the stadium final table area. The early birds also camped out near available spots on the various rails of the other two tables. They all had cameras. Some had two. Different shapes and sizes from disposables to iPhones. One foreign guy toted around a video camera and was shooting footage of Jesus healing two lepers in the hallway, before one of the security guards busted him.

The TOC brought out the best and the worst of the Amazon Ballroom with hungover media reps rushing into work an hour earlier (I consider myself an insider and I found out about the change in schedule less than 18 hours before start time... apparently, I missed the press release which had the time change buried. Then again, I haven't read a press release in three years). Agents were slithering around the press box. Lots of flashes going off from the clueless spectators. And everyone was wondering where the fuck was Phil Hellmuth?


Actually, when cards went in the air, only Hellmuth, Huck Seed, and Howard Lederer were not at their respective tables. Hellmuth is... well, Hellmuth, and he was not going to show up on time. It's his shtick -- he arrives late with the cameras awaiting his tardy arrival. At this instance, Hellmuth arrived late and headed right to the TV table. He was shocked that he wasn't at that table. An embarrassed Hellmuth quickly exited the set and rushed over to the other side of the room with a Starbucks in hand.

Huck Seed marches to his own beat. Who knows if he overslept, or didn't get word about the change in the start time (originally it was 1pm and he arrived at 12:43pm). When Huck took his seat, Ivey instantly gave him shit.

The Lederer's absence whipped a few people in a frenzy, even Michalski who showed up at the Rio early because he has this theory (more like a forced wish) that the DOJ is going to pop Lederer and Jesus during the WSOP and make them do a perp walk. Michalski wants to be here when that happens. Most media reps will drop anything to see a specific pro try to win a bracelet, but Michalski just wants pics of pros in handcuffs.

Alas, the DOJ didn't bust Lederer (or Jesus) during the $50,000 Players' Championship, and they certainly didn't do anything at the TOC. Lederer finally arrived and quietly took his seat at the featured TV table which included his sister, Annie Duke, and her nemesis Daniel Negreanu. Those two have never liked one another. One of the first ever threads I read on the old RGP boards was a spat involving Negreanu and Duke, where he accused her of having smelly feet. That was right after 9/11 when I was grinding it out at the underground card rooms in NYC and I had yet to start blogging on Tao of Poker. Almost a decade later, the two still have some bad blood, so much so that the denizens of 2+2 started their own sweat thread titled Negreanu sitting next to Annie Duke in TOC.

Duke pretty much ignored Negreanu, and chose to chill out with a shitfaced Scotty Ngyuen -- the lesser of two evils in her eyes. And yes, Scotty was three sheets to the wind. One of my sources informed me that Nguyen has been tipping cocktail servers to bring him bottles of O'Douls (non-alcoholic beer) but with all of the non-beer pour out and replaced by Nguyen's beverage of choice -- Michelob. Yep, this is the same Scotty Nguyen who made a mockery of the 50K HORSE the year that he won it, and then vowed to never drink on TV to avoid embarrassing his family further. I dunno who he was fooling, aside from himself.

While Scotty was getting sloppy (at 1pm mind you -- and not at the tail end of a twelve hour session), Andrew Barton sat at the table in front of my press box. He was the "sponsored exemption" and one of the only two non-bracelet winners in the TOC (Elky was the other). He went from watching his tablemates on TV, to sitting across from them. I guess he was living the dream that so many of you have -- playing against the best of the best with Johnny "Fucking" Chan to your left and an intimidating Jesus sitting across from you.

Due to the Donkulus running inside the Pavilion, the 1pm Deep Stack tournament was moved to the blue section of Amazon Ballroom. For the first time this summer, we had a slew of amateurs inside Amazon. Any of the real donkeys would have been playing in the Donkulus, which means the blue section was filled with what Benjo called "donks in training." Baby donks, or the area of the cafeteria in high school where all of the freshmen hung out. Thought it was an interesting contrast to the TOC running in the other three corners of the room. Fans were four and five deep on the rail for Ivey's table. The Stadium seating at the TV table was filled up along with standing room only up in the beef jerky lounge.

Five players busted out on Day 1, or rather, in the first four levels. POY leader John Juanda, was the first to bust out, and he was followed by Greg Raymer, Barry Shulman, Phil Ivey, and Sammy Farha. Ha, the joke was on the WSOP. Even after the schedule was changed to accommodate Ivey, he was among the first bustouts (in all fairness, it was a bad beat).

* * * * *
Bouncin' Round the Room on Day 31...

It was a hectic weekend day with two final tables, the TOC, and a Donkulus. Both events with scheduled final tables still had to play down. The re-start for Day 2 of the Mixed Game and Day 3 of PLO/8 were both delayed due to the TOC.

Event #45 Donkament Day 3 and Final Table: Alex Outhred survived two days in the killing fields, but he was among the first causalities on Day 3. Cash game specialist Thomas Bichon (one of the French Team PokerStars Pros with Arnaud Mattern) fell short of the final table in 11th place. Ray Coburn was the only player among the final nine that stood out. I recall that he cashed in a couple of EPT events many moons ago.

A Brazilian advanced to the final table, Thaigo "TheDecano" Nishijimajust, and I love how that name sounds -- very Shakespearean -- heroic, yet tragic. Whenever a Brazilian has a shot at a bracelet, Maridu blows a vuvuzela and every Brazilian within in a 420 miles radius rushes to the Amazon Ballroom as the rail becomes washed in a sea of yellow and green. I dig the Brazilians; they always bring their own booze and have ass-shaking samba ringtones on their mobile phones.

Alas, TheDecano busted in third place and the flash mob of Brazilians quickly dispersed. Ray Cobourn had to settle for second, while Jesse Rockowitz took down the bracelet.

Event #46 PLO/8 Day 3 and Final Table: 18. 23. 14. 13. 2. 17. 39. Nope, that's not Hurley's numbers from Lost, nor last night's Powerball numbers. Those are Chainsaw Kessler's seven cashes this summer. He was once in fierce contention for the POY race, but he needs a bracelet victory and then some to catch up to John Juanda and Frank Kassela. At the least, he went deep enough to get another food comp.

The final table was a motley crew: Erik Seidel (consummate pro), Leif Force (a former-pro disc golfer which is a clever term for 'hippie'), Chris Bell (one of Gavin Smith's former drinking buddies), Perry Green (1981 Main Event runner-up who lost heads-up to Stu Ungar), Dan Shak (hedge fund manager), Rob Hollink (Dutch pro who was the reason why Brandon Schaefer didn't win two EPT events in 2005), and how could we forget about Devilfish Ulliot (dirt dick).

I have probably written thousands of words about Devilfish's penchant for young women (who are barely legal and we're talking within days of that danger zone), but at this point it's become one of those "cliches" that beat poker writers make fun of during breaks at our anger management meetings. The ultimate cliche is a hack writer writing about the Devilfish cliche, which I'm doing... and I'll stop that right now.

Seidel had a pretty decent afternoon as the end of Day 1 chipleader in the TOC. His good juju spilled over into the PLO/8 event. Even though he was one of the shorties, Seidel grinded his way to an average stack at the final table. Seidel is a member of the Ocho Club with Phil Ivey. They are doing what they can to keep Men the Master out (not that they are discriminating, they just don't respect cheaters), so they are trying to win nine bracelets as fast as they can. Only four men have won more bracelets than Seidel -- Phil Hellmuth (11), Doyle Brunson (10), Johnny Chan (10), and Johnny Moss (10).

With six to go, Seidel was third in chips. Leif Force busted out in 5th, and Siedel ad slipped to fourth in chips. He could not get anything going at that point and fizzled out in 5th place. Devilfih was eliminated in surprising third place (another deep run for the Brits), meanwhile a heads up match was set between Chris Bell and Dan Shak. When the dust settled, it was the North Carolina boy, Chris Bell, who emerged with the bracelet. I wonder if Erick Lindgren still backs Chris Bell, because if he does, Lindgren just had a fantastic weekend with both of his horses winning bracelets with victories from Bell and Gavin Smith.

Photos courtesy of Harper & Benjo.