Once More Into the Breach
Monday, May 25, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
Covering the World Series of Poker was one of those things I dreamed about but never thought I’d actually do. Some people dream about winning a bracelet and millions of dollars; I dreamt about taking pictures of that guy and writing a story about it. Yes, I’m not a well person. Anyway, in June of 2007 I found myself sitting behind my laptop in the Amazon Room, waiting for the $5,000 Mixed Hold-Em event to begin. I grooved on the nervous energy buzzing through that enormous room, waiting for Jeffrey Pollack to finish his welcome speech and hand the mike over the Jamie Gold. The 2006 World Champion said, “Shuffle Up and Deal!”, and we were off.
And then it took about ten seconds for all hell to break loose. You may recall that Harrah’s decided that year to use a different style of playing card, one that had tiny numbers and suits in the corner (so you could peek at your cars just by lifting them an inch) and then large numbers and suits mirroring each other in the middle. Many of the players had never seen these cards before, and they didn’t like them. No siree. Mike Matusow leapt out of his chair and said, “Did you see these cards? You can’t see the cards? Where’s Jeffrey Pollack?” Players started standing up and walking around the room raising a ruckus. Johnny Chan threatened to quit the tournament. Doyle Brunson (Doyle Brunson) took one look at them and said, “What the hell are these?”
I tell this story to illustrate that when you go to the World Series of Poker, chances are things aren’t gonna go as you expect. Heck, when we all went back to Vegas in 2008 the big story going in was, “What will be the big problem this time?”. The registration lines, the food, the structures? And it turned out that the big story was that there WEREN’T any big problems. Harrah’s ran an outstanding event from start to finish, and even the decision to delay the Main Event final table until November translated into a 50% boost in TV ratings. Everyone is expecting the 2009 World Series of Poker to be even better, with players getting 50% more chips to start with, additional levels added to the structure, and more room in the convention center area (meaning no more players exiled to the space outside Buzio’s Restaurant). Heck, Jeffrey Pollack has even promised that the food will be even better this year (oh please, bring back the soup kitchen, it was SO good).
Of course that doesn’t mean that there won’t be periods of profound weirdness and the extremes of the human condition to enjoy. If you’re a poker fan and you’ll be in Vegas between May 28th to July 15th you simply must stop by the Rio and check out the scene. You don’t need to stay long, Vegas is too fun a town for you to spend six hours railing a poker player (unless you’re backing him), but take some time to walk around the Amazon Room, see if your favorite players are in the field, and listen to the never-ending sound of chips shuffled by the thousands.
If you’re playing in an event, especially if it’s your first WSOP tournament, I’d also recommend paying the Rio and the Amazon Room a visit before your event. Learn where to park, learn where the bathroom are. Walk around the Amazon Room and get a feel for the vibe. There’s a chance you won’t be playing in the Amazon Room, so learn where the Brasilia and other tournament rooms are. You don’t wanna walk through the door at high noon and realize you have no clue where your seat is, and I can’t tell you how many panicked players have run up to me asking where the hell they’re supposed to go. Most folks play their best poker when they’re comfortable with their surroundings, so a quick reconnoiter of the Rio can ensure you’re calm and collected when the cards are finally in the air.
If you’re going to be at the World Series for the duration, then God help your soul. Well, actually it isn’t THAT bad…so long as you don’t try to make every day in Vegas like your LAST day in Vegas. No one can survive 50 days of non-stop poker and full-bore partying, the human body wasn’t designed for that sort of abuse. My friend Nicole Gordon wrote a piece with her Top Ten Tips for Surviving the World Series of Poker, which I heartily recommend your read and put into effect. You will need to sleep. You will find planning ahead saves you endless headaches. You will find that Vegas is dangerously hot in July. When people ask me how I survive seven weeks in Vegas I sum it up this way–I keep both hands on the steering wheel. If you get into a nice routine, where you’re sleeping and eating like a normal person and drinking in moderation, you’ll be fine. If it’s June 7th and the bouncers on the afternoon shift at the Spearmint Rhino know you on a first-name basis, you may be in trouble.
I can’t believe it’s already WSOP time again, my mind is having some trouble getting around that fact. It hasn’t helped that I’ve been sick as the dog with the flu and spent the last ten days staring at the wall and losing weight. Good times, good times. I’ve been thinking of what I’m most looking forward to…
- Walking through the Rio and hearing the “Penn & Teller….doin’ tricks…” jingle by their theater 15,000 times during the Series.
- The citrus “All-In” energy drink. That’s a tasty beverage.
- The floor staff telling spectators “No Flash Photography” 15,000 times during the Series.
- That first chicken salad wrap from the Poker Kitchen
- My old friend (and older nemesis) video poker.
And, of course, writing about all the excitement and madness for you to enjoy here at the UltimateBet blog. If you’re a UB player I will do my utmost to find you and track your glorious progress through the tournament. If you see me, and I don’t see you, please stop by and say hello, I want to meet as many of our players as I can during the Series and make them famous throughout the blogosphere. This is me, by the way, working in Aruba:
The 2009 World Series of Poker, just a few days away. Unreal. I get to Vegas Wednesday evening and I’ll hit the ground running as the $40,000 No-Limit event commemorating the WSOP’s 40th-anniversary starts Thursday at noon. And that starts 50 days of people making poker history and winning millions of dollars, day after day after day. It is one of the great sporting events in the world and I can’t wait for it to start.
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