Quiet before the storm

WSOP blog

by ‘Hollywood’ Dave Stann

So it’s official: one week in, and the 2008 WSOP is in full swing. What started as a mad dash has settled into the quiet, determined early stages of a long marathon. The media machine is up and running, with chip counters and bloggers patrolling the aisles for every possible snippet of information to report back to the world outside these packed walls. From my perch up here in the press section of the Amazon room, all i can see is an ocean of hopeful faces and the ever-present sound of chips being shuffled. Strange to think that out of this mess of sweat, focus and sheer desperation will emerge 55 heroes brandishing shiny new wrist jewelry. And one bracelet to rule them all.

My own 2-day journey in the first Omaha 8/b event was cut short on Wednesday just shy of the money, when my AA2J couldn’t pull out against a dominated AK23. Even though i went into Day 2 a few thousand ahead of chip average, the high blinds relative to those chip stacks still meant one or two bad hands spelled certain doom. And that’s exactly what happened — although it seemed like i couldn’t lose a pot for 6 hours on Day 1, i just couldn’t seem to win one on day 2. And in true Hollywood Dave style, I couldn’t resist busting out without leaving just a little angst behind:

Some newbie had gone all in on a marginal hand some hour or so earlier and ending up scooping a monster 4-way pot to send him from outhouse to penthouse. Impressive, exhilarating, and right on time for this poor schmo — but the guy just wouldn’t shut up about the hand for the next half hour. Some guys do drugs to get high, others skydive, but you could tell this guy’s high was to suck out in large pots. His whole demeanor changed, and after awhile of him verbally re-playing the hand, one or two of the players who had lost chips to him in that hand basically told him to chill out. So of course I chimed in as well, told him he reminded me of a crackhead who just got his fix, etc etc. All in good fun, of course. Until I busted. Then he wanted to be the big man who made the comment about karma on my way out. “Keep thinking you’re a genius,” I shot back, “You’re the only one who does.”

Petty? Maybe. But with the sea of degeneracy floating around the Rio right now, hardly a drop in the bucket. I’ve always thought that there are a lot of sick people in poker, and just because some of them hit a big score or 2 to justify their addiction (or sucked out on a key pot, in this guy’s case), doesn’t mean they’re any less sick. And what good is covering all the highs and lows of the sport if we don’t stop to acknowledge some of those low spots along the way?

Anyway, I’m off to get drunk and go bowling. Tomorrow is the shotgun wedding of one of my knocked-up friends at a classic Vegas ‘Elvis Chapel’ of love. And then Sunday is my glorious return to the felt, with the $2000 Omaha 8/b event. We’re talking serious money time here, people. I’m geared up, dialed in, and ready to rock. Bring on the World Series, in all its glorious degeneracy.

And i’ll try to be on my best behavior this time — but no promises.

-hd.