The gambling activity started shortly after David and I arrived Friday evening. A short session of craps resulted in some small losses - and we adjourned to our room relatively early in anticipation for Saturday afternoon's Event #27 World Series of Poker tournament. It's probably the earliest I've ever gone to bed when in Vegas. Nevertheless, I didn't want to be sleepy the next day.
The buy-in for Event #27 was $1,500 and I saw a lot of famous poker players during my time there. I nearly shared a bathroom with Chris "Jesus" Ferguson at the Rio, but I was walking out of the bathroom as he was walking in. If I had more energy, I'd write all the names of the poker professionals I recognized. I did, however, find myself sitting only two tables away from Greg Raymer when the event started. The field was capped at 2,700 players.
Unfortunately, my 1st appearance in the WSOP wasn't particularly exciting. Starting with 3,000 chips, I didn't play a lot of hands for the 1st two hours. In fact, when we hit our first 20 minute break, I had 2,800 chips and had participated in a small handful of pots. I may have scooped five pots - none of which were particularly big.
Shortly after that 1st break, I found myself holding an unsuited AQ while sitting in the small blind. One of the short stacks at the table went "all in" ahead of me, and I decided to make the call. I was hoping he was holding an Ace with a small kicker, but he flipped over AK and took half my chips.
On the very next hand, I was dealt a suited AQ. The table folded around to me and I went "all in" with the blinds immediately behind me. The small blind (the biggest stack at the table) called my bet and he flipped over pocket 4's. Quite naturally, I got no help and was eliminated with a whimper. Ooops!
So, after all was said and done, my first venture to the World Series was quite uneventful. Nevertheless, David and I have agreed to make this an annual event, so it won't be the only time I make this venture. Hopefully, I'll find better luck in the future. David, meanwhile, played for about 6 hours before being eliminated.
Everyone who participates in the WSOP is given an opportunity to purchase a commemorative photo. Since my experience wasn't all that memorable, I'm taking a pass. However, I was able to find a bootleg photo of myself on the internet. Here I am sometime during the action. For all I know, this was seconds before I was eliminated:
Thankfully, the rest of my time in Vegas was relatively profitable. As an example, I entered the daily $120 hold 'em tournament at the Wynn on Monday. The highlight of that tournament was sitting at the same table as Dmitri Nobles (pictured below). Some of you may recall that Dmitri was the Day #1 chip leader at the 2006 Main Event of the WSOP. I remember him being a loose aggressive player, and he didn't disappoint at the Wynn tournament. I scooped one nice pot against him, but otherwise I just sat back and enjoyed his lively banter and the action he brought to the table.
Starting at 2pm, the Wynn Tournament lasted over 6 hours - despite the fact that only 50 people played. Dmitri was eliminated relatively early, but I eventually made it to the final table. At that point, one person suggested that we pay the top 9 spots - but we all agreed to limit the payout to the top 5 spots. I argued, in particular, that I wasn't interested in playing 6 hours of poker in Las Vegas to only win $100.
Ultimately, I was happy with that decision, because I eventually claimed the 4th place prize. The final results are posted on Wynn's website, but I'll save everyone the time of surfing over there. In fact, here's a snapshot of the top 5 players. The German player, in particular, was an enjoyable fellow and I was glad to see him win. You'll probably hafta click on the image to really read the results:
So, after all the dust had settled, I "only" lost $400 on the entire trip. Considering that I frittered away $1,500 in the WSOP, however, I'm happy to record a modest loss. That means I won $1,100 on other gambling adventures.
The experience was great and I look forward to doing it again next year. In fact, if anyone wants to join David and I next year, let us know. The more, the merrier!!
I'd write more about the last five days, but we all know the saying - what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!
