So part two of the vacation had me in Vegas with family for a week or so. Finally did a few shows that I never get a chance to see in my previous trips, and I kept the gaming to an odd minimum -- assorted stops at a video poker or slot machines, a short venture into the world of Sic-Bo and a couple of poker tournaments, including just missing cashing out at a late-night one at Harrah's, where I busted out a woman who would be spending the next month and a half as a dealer at the World Series of Poker.
And speaking of the World Series, I actually got a chance to check out the opening of this year's festivities at the Rio, and it definitely was a hoot. First off, there were ridiculously long lines for people to register for all of the tournaments and satellites, but since I was just a spectator, no lines for me. Also notable is that it wasn't just WSOP events taking place in the gigantic ballroom used for the tournament, there were also random cash games going on.
But the big thing was actually being around for the cards going in the air for the first tournament of the WSOP, a $5,000 mixed limit/no-limit hold 'em event. With such a big buy-in, plus being the opening event, you couldn't help but stumble across all the notable names. I saw a few guys like Phil Gordon and Doyle Brunson just before everything started, and then when I got into the room, I spent my time just noting all the big names playing -- Gordon, Brunson (older and younger), Johnny Chan and Daniel Negreanu at the same table, Jesus Ferguson not too far away, an early table with Greg Raymer, John Hennigan and Andrew Black, Norman Chad wandering around the tables, Celine's husband at a table just below a small lounge area next to the ESPN table, Gabe Kaplan passing by me in front of that lounge, and Mike Matusow screaming within seconds after the first hand was dealt because of how awful the new cards were.
Surprisingly with all of the top players there, I wasn't paying that much attention to the actual poker being played. After stopping by a WPT event at Mandalay Bay the day before, I realized that watching poker played without the hole cameras and usually without a real clean look at the board can be a real bore. In a way, watching poker like this is similar to golf since it has a rail/gallery, but you can get a better look at a player actually hitting the ball. Just trying to pick out all the big names as well as matching names with faces became the most interesting part of watching the tournament.
Actually, another way to compare watching this event to golf is like my trips to the Tour Championship while I still lived in Atlanta. The nature of the event guaranteed a ton of the biggest names playing, and I was very star-struck to see all of these notable players all at once. And yet I had to tell myself that these people are just doing their jobs -- although the WSOP is a whole different monster altogether. While it was great to see a bunch of people I've only seen on TV in person, most of them really did just look and dress like the rest of us schlubs in the crowd. And of course, all they're doing is sitting down and playing cards, so the "action" shots (including my really crappy ones I may eventually upload) never look all that compelling, compared to even golfers making their shots.
So I finally have my first WSOP experience, albeit as a spectator. After seeing the mass of humanity all around me, I can definitely see why you're usually better off watching the chopped up highlights after the fact.
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