I said that Kelly Kim would get his chips in smart, and he did. After raising the first hand on the button and picking up the blinds and antes, I don’t think he played another hand for an hour and a half. But Ivan Demidov raised Kelly’s big blind from the small blind and Kelly called him all-in.
We Haven’t Lacked for Excitement …
… though the Dennis Phillips 300 could have done without it. That’s how big a group Phillips brought with him to the final table, and they’re looking stunned during the break.
I know it sounds like a cliche but the tension was palpable during the first hand. The world of possibilities is so open, so infinite, that every moment before anything has actually changes is precious.
While the players unbag their chips, let me pass along something I heard from Howard Lederer last night. In my “Tournament Star” contest, I asked entrants to tell me who they would hire to coach them for the final table, and a lot of people chose Lederer. Because of Howard’s studious approach to the game and unflappability, he is an obvious and desirable choice.
But back in the olden days, Howard Lederer made the final table of the Main Event.
It’s 9:40 AM PST as I write this, though I imagine it will take a little while before this gets written and posted. I am sitting in the first row of the Penn & Teller Theatre at the Rio in Las Vegas. We are supposedly a half hour from cards-in-the-air for the Final Table of the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event. I’ll be here all day (and all night if required) as well as tomorrow night when the last two play heads-up for the World Championship.
I already have plenty to tell you and you’re going to get some special coverage if you follow my Blog through the Final Table.
Does This Mean You’re the Dad?
After I busted from FTOPS Event #1, I signed up for the Midnight Madness and a $220 + $16 NLHE-T Matrix SnG. I quickly learned that the abdominal pain my daughter Ellie had been experiencing earlier in the evening was much worse, bad enough that a trip to the emergency room might be in order. So I unregistered from the Midnight Madness and monitored her suffering, eventually taking her to Scottsdale Heathcare’s emergency room.
Of Presidents and Poker Players
One of the reasons I’ve been cranking out the blogs today is because I’m jealous. Two of the poker writers I hold in the highest esteem - James McManus and Anthony Holden - are turning out some great stuff in high-profile places. I don’t know if I can match them for quality - who can? - but maybe I can out-word them in quantity. (Even that doesn’t matter much, though, unless I can get Uncle Tilty to pay me by the word.)
FTOPS X
FTOPS X began yesterday, the first of 25 events ending with the FTOPS Main Event, $500 + $35 NLHE on Sunday, November 16. I’ve kept a low profile in my writing about this FTOPS because (a) my FTOPS record is dreadful, and (b) I’m currently running as bad as I’ve ever run.
Audience to History
Unless my political views directly affect poker, I generally keep them out of the blog. So I haven’t made a big deal about my support for Barack Obama. I think Democratic leadership may be better for poker players than Republican leadership, but it seems pretty likely (a) the country has a lot of bigger problems to worry about and fixing a dumb anti-poker law can’t be high on the list; (b) despite the noise made by the PPA, I haven’t sensed that online poker has tried to wield the political influence of similar multi-billion dollar businesses, or is doing so but not quickly or conspicuously; and (c) when you lose 409-2 in the House of Representatives, you really can’t blame one party over the other when trying to get that law repealed, nullified, neutralized, or clarified.
I’ll be skipping out on tonight’s FTOPS Event, $500 + $35 NLHE-Shootout. It’s one of my favorite events but it’s my son Barry’s 19th birthday and we’re picking him up at ASU and taking him to dinner. (Beats buying an expensive gift, right?) In fact, I’ll be a no-show for most of the next several days. On Saturday, I’m participating in a walk against breast cancer, then driving to Vegas, where I’ll be table-side reporting to you on what happens at the final table of the World Series Main Event. Hopefully, by the time next Tuesday’s FTOPS events ($500 + $35 HORSE and $200 + $16 NLHE-Turbo) start up, the following will have happened:
