HugePoker

[I wrote this post a week and a half ago, and it seems to have been published and then "unpublished" for reasons unknown. If you've already read it and you just got a duplicate email message alerting you to its existence, many apologies]

I’m standing with Mark at the edge of the Amazon Room as Vanessa Rousso (hopefully) navigates her way through the bubble. I’ve gotten to know her a bit, so I’m happy she’s close to cashing in the main event (it’s been a rough series for her, and this will be her first main event cash), but it’s a bit depressing to be watching it from the sidelines this year. Two years ago the bubble was a serious nailbiter for me, but last year it was damn fun. I really wish I could have made it here again.

The hand for hand period has just ended, everyone (including Vanessa) has made the money (minimum $21000 and change) which means that I have at least another $200 coming to me because Vanessa and I swapped 1% of our main event action. If she wins the main event I get $90,000, so there’s still hope for me to have a profitable world series.

And … just like that … no such hope. I had left the Amazon Room to go to bed, but hadn’t even made it to the elevator when Mark called me to tell me she had just busted. I turned around and went back to say good job and goodnight and goodbye, and to collect my $210. I guess I could squint my eyes and say that I cashed in the main event after all.

I realize I still haven’t posted hand stories of my decline and demise - actually Vanessa and I got crippled on exactly the same hand matchups - our 77 vs opponents’ 66, but she got all her money in preflop as a big favorite while I got quite a bit of it in after the other guy had turned quad sixes. Maybe that’s why she’s a famous top pro and I’m just a humble wayfaring poker sort-of-pro.

In 24 hours I will be asleep in my bed in Seattle after a month and a half in Las Vegas, something like 80 poker tournaments ranging from the 2AM Planet Hollywood $60 donk-fest to the $10,000 Holy Grail of poker. I haven’t totaled up how much money I’ve lost, but I know it’s not a very big number. I’ve had some good wins, some very frustrating losses, I’ve cemented my reputation as a super-satellite expert but lost my unbroken record of cashing in WSOP events (the opposite would have been much preferable). I’ve hung out with and played against poker celebrities, luminaries and low-lifes. I’ve eaten some fabulous meals, and discovered an excellent Thai restaurant (”Lotus of Siam”, alleged to be the best Thai restaurant in North America, a claim that made me sneer until I saw the menu and ate the food - I don’t know about best in N.A. but it was pretty damn good). I’ve had a good time hanging out and strategizing and bantering with Mark, in spite of each of us infuriating the other at various times, and I’ve been pleased to meet and pal around with Vanessa - I look forward to watching her progress in all the big tournaments around the world.

Hopefully I’ll be back next year, and every year until I get sick of the game or my fingers get too stiff to hold cards. I’m ready to get the hell out of this weird-ass city and return to the normal world, and this certainly hasn’t been a financially successful World Series for me, but it hasn’t lost its pull or its charm for me.

Signing off from Sin City,

-huge