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World Series Of Poker 2005 Editor's Reports |
LAS VEGAS June 2, 2005 July 15, 2005 |
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T minus 1 - World Series Of Poker
Lifestyle 6th July 2005
Today was not the end of
the beginning and it was not the beginning of the end, it was infact the start
of the World Series Of Poker Lifestyle Convention.
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I
know what you are thinking when you say these words to yourself. Stalls will be
selling an old smokey hotel room, tiffany lamps (as in The
Cincinnati Kid), Stetsons,
cigars and a barrel of whisky in shrink wrapped boxes. Take one home and
inflate for your very own World Series in your garage. And if it came with this
girl I would buy one.
What the WSOP 2005 lifestyle thing-a-ma-doooda is,
is a lot of newcomers coming to town trying to cash in on the boom in poker
across the world. DVDs, books online training were there to be had and signed
for in exchange for your email address and your chance to win a Porsche or a
Harley Davidson.
The world of poker has
changed forever, or until the TV companies get bored. It has become a rolling
"reality TV show", though this more than the others you see on TV has blurred
the boundaries between fact and fiction so much that they have actually merged
into a Frankenstein creation. His monster was just misunderstood and maybe this
will be something we can all live with when this initial flurry of money and
attention disappears. I hope so.
The Jack and Benny Binion
version of the World Series in Binions, downtown Las Vegas, has gone forever
but believe me it is missed by those that enjoyed the grand hospitality and a
welcome second to none. More than 50% of those attending this years event will
not have experienced what it was like and to them this is just fine. We won't
be going back.
Now back to the poker and at the moment there aint no
where else to go. The thing we had today was the media event where the winners
cheque of $10,000 went to their favourite charity. I was out in 10 minutes
flat, A-9 against somebody from USA Today with A-5.
Later, after my
unpleasant visit to the Mandalay Bay (below), I got back in the tournament hall
at 4:30 a.m. to see the last $1000 satellite to produce entries for the
Championship event. Five tables left with 45 players, 44 to go through, and
they were playing hand-for-hand in a brutal death watch, 44 people praying for
the exit of the low stack in every all-in heads-up play. When it finally came
they were merciless, cheering loudly at the demise of the poor guy who picked
up $3000 for his consolation. It didn't look like it was.
My evening trip was over
to the Mandalay Bay Casino at the end of the strip. This is a high end place
with a very expensive hotel and an even more expensive partner hotel next door,
The Four Seasons. The floor space is enormous and the style is an almost subtle
attempt at Raffles of Singapore. I stopped off at the Noodle bar, although
Vegas is not known for its oriental food. The simple rice dish was very good,
just like a Chinatown meal, but miss the Hot and Sour soup.
From there I
headed for the poker room. I had to stand in line for 10 minutes just to get my
name on the list where I was first!. The guy running the room was rude and
pushy and the system at the table was a must move (you play on a filler table
that sends players to the main tables to always keep them full) system. The
place was understaffed and only one cocktail waitress was on hand to serve the
necessary alcohol to allay my tension. Then the fire alarm sounded for ten
minutes (no one moved) and an arsehole sat down next to me and never stopped
opening his mouth. If I hadn't have been stuck $600 I would have been off like
a shot but I played 4 hours until someone had the bright idea of going all-in
with a spade flush draw against my trip 7s. Suffice to say no spade arrived and
I got level and out of here.
Nice looking room though and ridiculously
revealing outfits for the cocktail waitresse get them 3/10.
Pictures
from today T minus 1.
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Move on to tomorrows report
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