Where I left off was the night that five players were still in contention of the original nine – it was after 2 a.m. when I gave up, packed up my pc and cameras, and barely had the energy to move my butt across Valley View, from the Rio to the Gold Coast.  I must’ve been asleep before my head hit the pillow.

While I have pictures of City Center and a few others things to post about, I want to write about the WSOP event while most of it’s still on the surface instead of tucked away in the memory banks.  One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how rude people are, no matter where you go, or what you’re doing.  They run over you, bump into you, shove you down push in front of you without even an ‘excuse you’ or afterthought as they go screaming by in pursuit of what?

The only player I went to try and get a picture of when he busted out was Kevin Schaffel, the players were all supposed to come down about 10 minutes after busting and stand in front of a screen to have 2,000 cameras stuffed 3 inches from their noses, coming in from all directions, and answer the questions of the press.  I was there a few minutes early and as soon as Kevin came out with some security/Rio personnel around him, I had my camera up, overhead as far as I could reach but not to worry, other people raced in to shove in front of me and held their camera up right in front of mine.  I gave up.  That was only one incident of being ran over, it was continual.

One thing that reminded me so much of a person ‘living on the street’ incident was when I went down just before one of the breaks to stand in line at the beverage bar.  I was visiting with a woman, a stranger to me, and a short hispanic guy came by wanting to know if anyone would buy his ‘free’ Milwaukee beer coupons so he could get a cup of coffee.  The coupons were given out by the Milwaukee’s Best Girls and anyone and everyone could get them.  I don’t know if he scored or not.

Early on, before the start of the final table, the press was allowed to go up on stage and take photos of the chips that were still bagged and the milling crowd.  In the crowd on stage were some poker Super Stars, like Greg Raymer, Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, and more.  I was about two feet from Barry Greenstein when I heard him offer a couple that would be seated in his section $5K if they would wear PokerRoad sweatshirts.  Damn, I would!  Maybe he knew them and it was a special offer but more than likely it’s something that’s done quite commonly to get more media attention.

I was impressed with Phil Ivey’s continual grinding and the fact that he rarely seemed to be in a position to flirt around with taking a flop or making a move.  Just before he got knocked out, they were on a short break and I had ran to the gift shop.  When I came back to the theater, before making my way back to the Press Box, he was on the monitors, eating his apple, semi eye twinkling grin and the hole cards were on the table; Moon had A-Q off to Phil’s A-K off.  This is one of the first times that I had spotted Ivey with anything but a grim look on his face since play began.  Truthfully, I was rooting for Phil to win the pot – not necessarily the tournament at the point.  It seemed forever before the flop came up and the first card spotted was the Queen.  When the Q-6-6 was spread, Phil’s whole expression changed (believe me, mine would’ve too) and as the turn card came off, he knew it was over.  When he busted, he stood up to talk to the ESPN cameras for a moment and disappeared through some back entrance, never coming out to the media area.  One note of interest that I had heard at the beginning of the play was that his family and rooting section was pretty much off limits to cameras – that’s a rumor but still interesting.  And as soon as the hand was over, I walked across the foyer to the elevator to the Press Box and watched the Ivey rooting team make a quick dash out of the theater with heads down.

I’ve have NEVER seen Phil get out of line, in all the time that I’ve dealt to him or watched him play.  But I have one question, what happened to the apple?  Did it take a bite of the floor?  Did he crush it?

I went to the press conference at 1PM at the Rio on the 9th.  For the 1st time, I voiced my preference for a winner of the two finalists to Dan of PocketFives and Jennifer Newell.  I was definitely rooting for Cada.  I want someone that is focal, motivated to play poker, and will stay in the limelight to help promote it.  Poker is my business.  Darvin Moon stated at the conference that if he won, he would put the $ in the bank, he wouldn’t buy anything new or buy gifts for his wife, etc.  His image of never playing in a WSOP event and winning 1st place would be a stupendous achievement – and winning 2nd was too – but the fact that he would go back to the woods and hibernate somewhere in a toasty corner is not my idea of what we need representing poker to the world.  My choice really had nothing to do with Moon personally…not that he gives a shit what I or anyone else thinks with $5M tucked in his pocket.

Just before the conference began, Moon went up one flight of stairs at the Masquerade Theater and Cada the other.  The Sasquatch got into the act and hammed it up – cute!  Nolan Dalla did a great job introing the two players with the true voice of a sport’s announcer – even though the microphone didn’t do what it was supposed to do and he had to hand smack it every now and then.  The contenders were introduced, one at a time, and made their way down the stairs.  A few pictures of the media event…it’s all so RED from the backdrop and lighting.

After Nolan had them stand by the $$$ and hold the bracelet, and at one point fake a move like they were going to fight each other, they each took an opposite end of the cash table to give interviews and were immediately swarmed.  I stood on the stairs for this shot as it will give you an idea of what it’s like to be interviewed:

I managed to squeeze in to get these two shots between elbows and butts and moving body parts:

And the sasquatch, making his move to fondle the cash…the hell with the bracelet!

As the day progressed, I got to have a late lunch with 2 of my sons and Ryan, my oldest grandson.  We met at the Gold Coast ‘Fridays’ and after they left, I did the ‘nap’ thing until almost 8 p.m.  Whatever my sweet boy Riot gave me, it’s not giving up.  I’m still sneezing, blowing, gagging up mucous and have a sinus headache off and on.  This coming Sunday it will be two weeks since I started feeling puny and if it’s not abating by then, I’m off for a Dr. visit.  Claudia mentioned that it could be Swine Flu.  But damn, I know a lot of people that are pigs but I haven’t been hanging out around them.  At this stage of the game it’s hard to tell if it’s cold/flu, add allergies due to hiking, or medication I’ve been on that’s new to me in the last few months.  It all sux anyway.

By 9:30PM I was back at the Rio with cameras and pc rolling along behind.  This is a shot of the Press Box from down in the theater – see the top windows of light, that’s where I spent most of my time.  The only downside is the light bar that hangs over the table.  When anyone was announcing, they were behind the table and hidden because of the light bar.  Yah, there were monitors but getting a real live picture would’ve been the best.

Press was not allowed up on stage before play began this time – at least not common folk like me.  The Moon rooting team were signing each others’ shirts and anything that got in the way…they were cute and very enthusiastic.

When the big moment arrived – it was late, starting at 10:30 instead of 10 – Vince Neil was escorted on stage by two showgirls and he sang/belted out the words “Shuffle UP!” ending in a high voice with a pause, and then a melodious ending, “And deal!”  I didn’t expect it and thought it was quite KEWL!

The battleground as it appears from the Press Box:

A boatload of cash, bagged chips on the table, and technicians doing last minute detail:

Jeffrey Pollack is standing behind the table – hidden by the light bar – making an announcement, the chips are stacked and ready to go.

Before the action started, I was down in the theater and managed this picture – didn’t realize that I had even gotten the faces in the background until I looked at it on the pc.

The boys are in a hand:

The first hand that Joe was in jeopardy of being busted out if he lost – he had J-9 and Darvin had an open-ended straight draw – he was over with his sweaters, a bit tense looking about the outcome:

The final hand, Joe couldn’t stand to look at the board:

After the River card hit, and Joe knew he was a winner, security jumped between him and his sweaters.  He went back to the table and had the pose of possibly disbelief/relief/shock at winning:

Darvin Moon appeared to be quite gracious – at least from the Press Box.  He chatted with Seth Palansky for a moment and then walked around to talk to Joe’s cheering section.  Joe and Darvin shook hands from reports that I read but couldn’t see from my area.  Aftershock is probably a minor way to explain things at this point.  Joe accepted the congratulations from his sweaters:

And he spent a few minutes talking to Nolan Dalla:

At one point when Joe was by the front of the stage, he signed his first autograph as the WSOP Main Event Champion to a coat someone held up for him, and one other person got one too before he went back to the safety of the table.   About this time is when MOI loaded up to leave the building.  Read the full report of the event here.

While at the tournament I had the pleasure of seeing Change100, Pauly, Brad, F Train, Dan, and Alcan’thang.  Nice to see all of you again and the blogger’s Winter Festival is coming soon…see you there!