After the drama of the sell out/shut out from yesterday, it was good to get back to some poker and the real reason we're all here... to find out who is going to be the winner of a boat load of money and the most prestigious bracelet at the World Series of Poker.
This afternoon I spent the majority of time watching hands unfold... the reactions of the players as they won or lost... and just seeing how people were playing. I saw a mix of good and bad play, lucky and unlucky flops, turns, and rivers. As one guy said after hitting a two outer on the river after falling behind to a two outer on the turn... “it's just like PokerStars.” Yep, the RNG is rigged indeed.
Funny comment as I was walking by one table and asked a pro how they were doing. “I'm doing better than Michael Jackson,” they answered. I knew I shouldn't have laughed but I did. “Don't write that,” they pleaded. “I'll keep your name out of it,” I answered, but I had to write it just because I found it so damn amusing.
At another table, a player got it all in with a flopped set of tens and was called by a player who had pocket kings. The flop contained all diamonds, however, and the guy with kings had the king of diamonds. The all in player stood up and pleaded with the dealer... “No diamond please, no diamond please.” I'm not a very superstitious person but one of the things I never do is something like that because it seems like every time you do, the card comes. Of course it came and the all in player muttered “God Da**it!” pushed his chair in, and stormed off to surely tell someone his bad beat story.
A similar story at another table when a short stack moved all in with pocket kings and was called by A-Q. The guy with the kings stood up, even though he had his opponent crushed. Again this is something I don't do... stand up when I am all in, even if I have the worst hand. OK, maybe I am superstitious after all. Anyway, an ace hit the turn, and the player with kings looked as if he expected it to come. He hangs his head and walks off quietly, his dream over for at least this year.
Brad Garrett is playing, having a good time, cracking jokes. Not sure if they are very good ones but the table is laughing along with him. Example of a Garrett funny... “When's the break? I took 4 Midol this morning and need to go shopping.”
A woman moves all in for her last 13K into a 40K pot. A burly, muscular man sitting to her immediate right has cards in front of him and is mulling it over. Finally, he decides to make the call. The board is 9-3-2 and she turns over pocket 9's for the nuts. Muscle Man turns over 5-3 for second pair. The woman stands up and says “Oh my God, that's not what I wanted to see.” Huh? I'm wondering what kind of drugs this woman is on. I mean yea the guy can hit runner, runner straight, but that's about as good as it gets when you're all in. Another media member whispers to me, “Where do they find these people?” The internet son...the internet.
Pam Brunson is moderately short but she's in a chipper mood. She calls a masseuse over and tells him she's been waiting for a man. “There's nothing better than getting a massage from a man and taking chips from a man.” I can think of a few things better, so I'll just have to take Pam's word on that one.
As I'm walking through the tournament area, a guy comes up to me and says “Hey, how do you get them to put your name up there?” He points to the leader board they have displayed on a couple of screens in the Amazon Room. “I have 138,000 in chips.” I want to tell him that he needs to win something besides some fluke satellite win on Full Tilt Poker but I direct him to the appropriate people, knowing that he has no shot of getting his name up there. At least today that is.
ESPN was shamelessly filming the hot girl of the 2009 Main Event (apologies to Kara Scott who is always a front runner for that title), Paola Martin. There's always one girl who captures the eyes of the media (and every guy wandering by her table) and gets thrust a little bit in the lime light despite their poker playing abilities. I'm not saying Paola can't play as I haven't watched that much, but she's definitely caught the attention of the cameras.
Speaking of Kara Scott, I was walking by her table and saw something I've never seen in my four years at the World Series of Poker. The under the gun player limped, the following six players limped, and the small blind completed. The big blind checked their option and all nine players at the table saw the flop. They all laughed as the flop came 
. It was checked to Kara in middle position and she bet 3,000. Everyone folded and Kara showed A-J. “No one had a five,” said another player at the table. “That's amazing.”
Players are going on dinner break in about 30 minutes. I'll be back later with more action from day 2A of the Main Event. Until then...