So much of my experience at these tournaments depends on who is at my table. Granted, you don’t have to be a big name to say or do something entertaining. Like the local seated next to me who asked where I was from and, when I told him “Scottsdale,” he asked, “Where’s that?” Or the guy seated next to Erick Lindgren who was clearly a fan and peppered Erick with questions like, “What’s your favorite NBA team?” (“Whichever one I bet on.”) and “Do you have a favorite college basketball team?” (“Whichever one I bet on.”) Even then, however, the humorousness of this dialogue depended on Erick Lindgren being at the table.

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Here are some more anecdotes from my ten otherwise unsuccessful tournaments.

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I’ve played eleven events at the 2009 World Series of Poker. In one of them, I made over $116,000. In the other ten, I received nothing in exchange for my buy-in but heartache and a sentence to a poker table for 10-12 hours a day. When friends and family try to be nice after hearing things aren’t going well, I tell them, “Tournament poker is about failure. If I can’t deal with that reality, I deserve whatever happens.”

So except from the Razz, all I have are hundreds of pages of notes I take at the table. Fortunately, some of them document interesting stories, humorous situations, and unique characters. And I do, after all, get paid for writing about such things.

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Greg Mueller won his second bracelet of the World Series yesterday. It’s starting to get very interesting in the HORSE. And as much of a grind as it’s been, I’m sorry to see the Series (other than the interminable Main Event) coming to an end. I have many, many more posts based on interviews, observations, and experiences during the Series and will post those as I’m able, along with the latest news and, of course, Main Event updates once that circus gets under way. With a surplus of good material, there is a good chance I’ll be writing about the Series well after its completion.

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Greg Mueller, who seems like a happy-go-lucky, amiable guy until you collide with him at the poker table, won his second bracelet of the 2009 World Series of Poker, taking down a very difficult final table to win the $1,500 Limit Hold ‘Em Shootout.

Lee Watkinson came achingly close to winning to winning his second bracelet, finishing runner-up to Brandon Cantu in the $1,500 PLOEOB. Day is Moving Day in the $50k HORSE, and the Series’ first shot at a non-rebuy rebuy-type event. And it’s my last shot at a limit-poker bracelet for 2009.

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Roberto Romanello is an engaging character. He is thirty-two but looks much younger, and is talkative, open, and friendly. Although he has been tearing up the European poker circuit, he is still – other than a famous YouTube clip at last year’s Main Event titled “The Greatest Laydown in Poker History” – he is still not well known in the United States. You can, however, expect that to change. With his engaging manner and spot-on reads, he is a natural for television and talented enough that his first big success in the United States can’t be that far off.

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THE LAST WORD ON CELEBRITY APPRENTICE

THE MIRACLE OF 20TH CENTURY POSTAL SERVICE

During the first week of the the World Series, Annie Duke was approached by her old friend, Steve Zolotow. Steve said, “I have a piece of mail for you.” Steve Z had seen Donna Harris, Poker Director for the Mirage, and Donna had asked Steve if he could pass along a letter addressed to Annie – at the Mirage.

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Friday was Day 1 of the $50,000 HORSE. Because it’s not being televised – and ESPN earlier decided to televise the $40,000 NLHE instead – this was the only WSOP event with a somewhat depleted field. There were just 95 starters, and 91 of them return for Day 2.

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POCKET KINGS, OR $300 A MINUTE

I busted out of the $1,500 NLHE event in just five minutes. On my third hand, I was dealt pocket kings. I called a raise, but after the big blind reraised, the original raiser moved all-in. I knew there was a chance he had aces but I was willing to take the risk.

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