Another Day in the Office - Part 13

By Neil Channing - July 2005

Sometimes when you're in the rickety old Gold Coast elevator you just don't want to answer early-morning questions. Although I'd had a good satellite night, this was one of them.

My night wasn't as volatile as Carlo's. In one satellite he called Lawrence's 1,975 all in (1 limper on the 25 level) with pocket 4s and gets beat by JJ on the first hand. In another ego and testosterone lead to a $5,000 last longer bet (the satellite is for $5,000) which bites the dust. He claims he got out of trouble by bedtime.

The 63 yr old lady with the Harley T-shirt had her answers ready. The guy from the accordionist convention (you can't make this stuff up. It sounds quaint until your afternoon nap is interrupted by "The Floral Dance") asks her:

"Do you ride Harley's?"

She bats that one away quite easily, so he follows up with:

"How about your husband?"

"He's in the cemetery."

In most countries that would qualify as a conversation stopper; in America there are two more supplementaries before the lobby.

The Day before the Main Event is normally spent in a last desperate satellite (the afternoon mega has 65 seats), but this year, thanks to the magic of BetUSA.com, it's all different.

The first port of call is The Wynn. I am off to see Stan James Poker supreme Paul Spillane and the famous Hooters girls. This is a brilliant ploy by Paul to achieve huge publicity for his sight by hosting a tournament with The Hendon Mob. It's also a brilliant ploy by Paul to get a free trip to Vegas and spend a couple of days escorting some Hooters girls around.

From The Hooters party it's off to The Palms. The Bodog party is exceptionally cool and is full of girls in thongs and little else. We go to The Paradise Poker party ( Paradise are part of the same group as BetUSA). This is full of liggers and is very loud and unpleasant.

We miss the Pokerstars, Ultimatebet, Party Poker and Doyle's Room parties, which seems the fashionable thing to do. I'm in a one-table for $1,000 by 3am and out of it by four. I comment to Jesse that all the extra people who havn't been here for seven weeks are like gatecrashers at MY party. I yearn for quiet nights of $500 sats.

The first day of the 2005 WSOP is a bit chaotic. The place is packed but you can roughly see what's happening. I can see "The Lizard" who looks rough, but gets away from Kings on a 9 high board. (his opponent shows a set), John Duthie, who is cracking away and going well, and Devilfish who is out. ("that woman got me-the Wicked Witch of the West")

The toilet situation is helped by making the womens' into a mens' (just the 15 min walk to the casino girls). It is not helped by the dance convention of 12 year old girls that runs in the next door convention facility (there must be an Amarillo Slim joke there but I just can't see it.)

After Vicky gets her money in with A10 on a board of AQ23, calling all-in against a flush draw that gets there, I have had enough and head off to sleep before my big day. 

Neil Channing is sponsored by Betusa.com

Click here for part 14