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#1
07-07-05, 03:56 AM
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Ok, here's today's recap. I'm sure I'll be forgetting stuff (it was a pretty full day), but here are some highlights:
I arrived at the Rio around 12:30 and picked up my press credentials. Nicole, the press girl, remembered me from last year (my name and everything). I guess I made a lasting impression - must be my crazy good looks. Uh huh. Anyhoo, I signed up for the Media/Celebrity event to be held later in the day and then went off and explored for a while. I went all through the trade show / convention / lifestyle show (whatever they are calling it) and got all sorts of free loot (tshirts and hats mostly), and talked to a number of interesting people. I spoke with a couple of sites about hosting our Heads Up tourney next month, and I'm confident someone will take care of us  I talked to Lee Jones from Poker Stars for a little while, and he explained to me why Stars won't set up Private Heads Up matches (I won't go into it now). In other news, they are sending over 1100 players to the Main Event this year!!! That's just crazy.At 3:30, there was a press conference that lasted about an hour. In addition to a couple of Poker Hall of Fame inductions and plenty of announcements, there was a Q & A period. Greg Raymer was there and I was impressed with all of his answers. He really seems like a down to earth, extremely intelligent guy. He estimates his chances of winning the WSOP this year to be around 1500:1, btw. Oh, they don't have an exact number but it looks like the final number of entrants will be around 6000, meaning Poker Stars players will be making up 20% of the field. Hmmmm.... this post is getting awfully boring, isn't it? Maybe I should skip ahead to the good stuff.........  To Be Continued. |
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#2
07-07-05, 04:01 AM
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So, there I was in the Media/Celebrity tournament. Notable celebs playing included Jimmy Woods, Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond guy), Penn (of Penn and Teller), and a handful of others. An old time player names Oklahoma Johnny was at my table. Cool guy. The hottest celeb, of course, was Shannon Elizabeth. As we were getting started, I jokingly asked everyone at my table if someone would be kind enough to switch seats with her. No takers. So, as players were eliminated, I kept hoping (out loud) that they would break her table up and she would come join us (a long shot with a field this big - 250ish, I believe). When he guy to my left got busted, I again begged the poker gods for her to come join us, even brushing the seat off for her..... and for once..... the poker gods came through! I could barely believe my eyes when she came over and sat down maybe 5 minutes later. Neither could the rest of the table, who could only laugh.
BTW, to this point, I had won just about every hand I didn't fold preflop, but the blinds go up FAST (*doubling* every 15 minutes, starting at 25/50 (antes kicked in at 100/200) - we started with 1500 chips). I knew it was going to be a crapshoot, but I was sitting next to Shannon Elizabeth, so I wasn't going to complain! My stack was pretty low in comparison to the blinds and I got JJ in the BB the hand before the break (her second hand at the table). I SO did not want to get knocked out here, but everyone folded to the button who raised. I called all in, and my JJ held up to beat his 88. Sweeeeeeet. I managed to survive for nearly another hour after the break. With blinds of 800/1600 and 200 antes, my 2000 chips were look awfully small! I finally decided to pick a hand and went with my old lucky 8Ts (for a whopping 200 chip raise). Shannon reraised all in behind me and everyone else folded, including the BB. She turned over 55, which I was thrilled to see, but her hand held up, and that was that. I finished around 40th, knocked out by none other than Shannon Elizabeth. She made it to the final 15 or so before getting her AA cracked by JJ. She was very nice, and I enjoyed playing with her. And yes, I told her that I thought her friend on E's Hollywood Hold'Em was hot. I have a bunch of photos that I will post after I get home. To Be Continued... Again. |
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#3
07-07-05, 04:14 AM
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After the Charity Event, I left the Rio and headed over to the Ghostbar at the top of the Palms for the UB party. Little did I know this was an open bar party. TP likey open bar
 Within 2 minutes of walking in, I bumped into Jennifer Tilly and Phil Laak. I congratulated Tilly on her win, shook her hand, and took a photo of the two of them. Phil then took a photo of the two of us, and let me just say, DAMN I am one ugly S.O.B. compared to Phil Laak! No wonder I don't have a hot celebrity girlfriend (or do I?). Anyhoo, I chatted with them for a few minutes and told Phil that of the celebrity poker shows, I think his is the best. I like the home game feel of it a lot more than the ones where the announcers pretend to be amazed by the (terrible) play of the celebs. I wished them both good luck in the Main Event and went on my way.2 feet away, Antonio Estfandari was doing magic. GOOD magic. Card tricks, to be exact.... That guy's sleight of hand is amazing. I watched for a little while and then got his picture too. A few beers later, Mr. Phil Hellmuth finally showed up. This was great. I very sarcastically brought up how "not one, Phil, but TWO guys now have 10 bracelets. I mean, you're not even second best any more!" It was great. His exact words, "Yeah, I'm not very happy about that. People are breaking all my records." hehe... I told him I was confident he'd get #10 someday and probably #11 too, but he'd have to wait til next year. He reminded me that he still has another shot at this year, and if he wins, he'll break ALL the records. Uh huh. Good luck with that, Phil. I asked him if he had seen the Bill Filmoff videos, and he said yes, and he though they were "very well done." I agreed, and did my best imitation of Bill's imitation of one of Phil's hand gestures (the one with both hands in the air, palms up). hehe.... The next thing I know, Devilfish takes the stage and starts jamming, playing guitar and singing too. This guy is good! When I left a half an hour or so later, he was still rocking away... Man.... I know I am leaving some stuff out, but that's a decent recap of my day. Sorry it got so long. I hope you enjoyed the read. P.S. Did you SEE the picture of my new girlfriend at the top of this thread??? 
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#6
07-07-05, 12:16 PM
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Sounds like you're having one helluva time.
Keep up w/ keepin us posted.
__________________
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#7
07-07-05, 12:32 PM
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Must … not … fly … to … Vegas!
It is taking all of my willpower not to get up from my desk, drive straight to the airport, and get on the next flight. Great reports, TP. Keep ‘em coming, and good luck at the tables.
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Hybrid Mode
