The Muck


Monday, December 17 2012
2012 12 17 - 2012 12 23
  • JUN 14

    All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 18 Live Blog

    PokerNews Staff

    2012 WSOP

    All Mucked Up is a live blog of all the stuff you want to know at the 2012 World Series of Poker, besides hand histories and bad beats. Well, we might add a few in here, everyone loves a good bad beat story — unless it happened to you. Check back often for polls, soundbites, celebrity sightings, and who knows what else!

    Four by Four with Terrence Chan

    We caught up with Terrence Chan this morning and asked him for four answers on a few questions in honor of today's Event #28: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Four Handed.

    What are four things that tilt you?

    1. Players who play slowly.
    2. Players who are abusive to other players.
    3. The price of a salad in the poker kitchen.
    4. Ten handed hold'em.

    Who are four players you don't want to see at your table today?

    1. Ivey.
    2. durrrr even though that seems pretty unlikely right now.
    3. Hellmuth, because I don't want to have to listen to him all day.
    4. Anyone who plays slowly.

    What are four tips you have for an amateur coming in to today's event?

    1. Be observant.
    2. Re-raise a lot.
    3. Don't play slow.
    4. Have fun.

    We'll catch up with some players on break and get some more fun answers for even more questions so make sure you stay tuned to All Mucked Up.

    We Love Four-Max!

    All the buzz at the Rio today is about Event #28: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Four Handed.

    Here's what some of the players are saying:

    We over heard one of the older gentlemen in the field talking to a tablemate at the start of the tournament. "We already agreed that there would be no bluffing for the first two hours of the tournament." The tablemate grinned and laughed. Unfortunately sir, I don't think that's going to fly.

    We'll catch up with some of these players on break and see if they will let us do a four by four interview with them.

    Excuse Me Sir, We Have Some Money For You

    Daniel Negreanu went to pick up a cash today from earlier in the 2012 World Series of Poker, and this is what he had to say about it:

    #mustbenice

    A Sicko At Every Table

    We've been perusing the Brasilia room to see if we could find some sick tables, and trust us, there's at least one sicko at every table. This table had three sickos:

    Faraz Jaka, Noah Schwartz, and Shawn Buchanan at the same table in the four-max
    Faraz Jaka, Noah Schwartz, and Shawn Buchanan at the same table in the four-max

    In seat 1 was Shawn Buchanan, in seat 3 was Faraz Jaka, and in seat 4 was Noah Schwartz. There was no seat 2, but we feel sorry for the poor sap who gets sat down at this table.

    So Many Wizards

    We found this gem on twitter. Lauren Kling and Brian Hastings have apparently been texting back and forth during Event #28: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Four Handed. Here's what they're saying:

    And here are the texts:

    The Box Game

    Bracelet winner Sean Getzwiller and Josh Evans have been playing heads up for an entire level over on Table 70 in Event #28: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Four Handed.

    "I want to play heads up," Chance Kornuth said from an adjacent table.

    Shaun Deeb, who was at a third table, agreed.

    "One of them has an edge," Deeb said. "I'm not going to say who though."

    Getzwiller and Evans were playing the popular "box game" as well. To win, you have to fold your two cards into the box designated for the flop, turn, and river, without touching the lines. The two were playing for $20 a toss.

    Sean Getzwiller and Josh Evans playing the "box game".
    Sean Getzwiller and Josh Evans playing the "box game".

    "Hey," Deeb piped up again. "Are you guys just folding and taking that guys stack?"

    There was a third stack at the table that was blinding out, but Getzwiller and Evans weren't just folding every hand.

    "Why are you even thinking of that?" Kornuth shouted to Deeb. "Just because you have no integrity...and no shoes..."

    We didn't understand the latter part of that statement until we looked down at Deeb's feet, and saw that they are bare.

    Four by Four in the Four Max, Part 2

    We caught up with Joe Cada and Lex Veldhuis during break in Event #28: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Four Handed for another set of "Four by Fours."

    Joe Cada

    Who are four players you don't want to see at your table today?

    1. Phil Ivey
    2. 'Doc' Sands
    3. Tom Marchese
    4. William Reynolds

    What are four things that tilt you?

    "Oh jeez. I don't know," Cada said.

    1. Traffic

    (That's the only answer Cada could come up with.)

    Who are four people you want to see in the WSOP commentator box?

    1. Joe Stapleton
    2. Phil Ivey, although I don't think that would ever happen.
    3. Some of the better ranked online players.

    (Joe couldn't think of a fourth answer.)

    "Man, I suck at this," he said.

    What are four tips you can give to amateur playing this event?

    1. Open up your game. You can't play the same way you play in a nine handed tournament.
    2. Pay attention and adjust to your opponents.
    3. Pay attention to stack sizes. I wouldn't do a lot of calling with a stack under twenty big blinds.
    4. Mix it up and be aggressive. It will help to throw your opponents off.

    Lex Veldhuis

    Who are four players you don't want to see at your table today?

    1. Viktor Blom
    2. Viktor Blom (Veldhuis decided Blom was worth two spots on his list.)
    3. Scott Seiver
    4. Dario Minieri, I don't actually know if he's here, but he can be pretty annoying to play with.

    "When I give players, does that mean I don't respect them?" Veldhuis joked.

    What are four things that tilt you?

    1. When players are obnoxious to their dealers.
    2. Players forgetting to put their antes in every time.
    3. Players who smell like dead rats.
    4. Players who don't recognize personal space.

    Who are four people you would like to see in the WSOP commentary box?

    1. Olivier Busquet is really good at that.

    "Is it ok if I just don't give any more names?" Veldhuis asked. "I don't really watch all that much."

    We decided to let him off the hook and move on to the next question.

    What are four tips you could give to an amateur playing this event?

    1. Don't play too loose out of position.
    2. Don't get annoyed by aggressive players.
    3. Don't try to take revenge for lost pots.
    4. Don't register for this event if you don't want to go home early.

    We'll see if we can get a few more players to do a "four by four" interview on the next break.

    Late Much?

    There was a little controversy last night over whether to stop the heads-up match in Event #24: $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better, but with Scotty Nguyen tired, the tournament directors suspended play for the night and sent the players home.

    Maybe it was a revenge play, but Joe Cassidy, who was frustrated with the decision to stop play, showed up 14 minutes late for his own heads-up match today. Here's what Jason Mercier had to say about it:

    Poker T-shirt of the Day

    We got this one courtesy of Karina Jett:

    What's Your Handle, Sir?

    Quality things happen when youth meets experience. Adam Junglen has provided us with a quality tweet regarding one of the older gentlemen at his table:

    Stinger: No Omaha 8 fish

    Brian ‘Stinger’ Hastings may have some action on his hands after issuing a twitter challenge to Mike ‘The Mouth’ Matusow late last night. Matusow, while commentating on Event #24 $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, called Hastings a ‘stone idiot’ when it came to playing Omaha hi-lo split-eight or better.

    Hasting obviously heard rumors of this comment, and asked his twitter followers to clarify just what was said. After getting some responses, Stinger said:

    We’ll try catch up with Hastings or Matusow today to see if any heads-up grudge match will go down during this years World Series Of Poker.

    Is that Erik Seidel?

    An older gentleman was on the rail and he turned to one of our live tournament reporters and asked, "Excuse me, can you tell me, is that Erik Seidel?" The man pointed to someone in the field, and it was not Erik Seidel at all. In fact, it was Allen Cunningham.

    We kindly informed the man that it was not Erik Seidel, but we want to know, do you think Erik Seidel and Allen Cunningham look alike?

    Do Allen Cunningham and Erik Seidel look alike?
    Do Allen Cunningham and Erik Seidel look alike?

    Poll

    Do Allen Cunningham and Erik Seidel look alike?
    View results

    Another Four by Four with Matt Matros

    We caught up with three time bracelet winner Matt Matros on break in Event #28: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Four Handed, to do one more "four by four" interview.

    Who are four players you don't want to see at your table today?

    1. Jonathan Jaffe
    2. Phil Ivey
    3. Mark Darner
    4. Vanessa Selbst

    What are four things that tilt you most?

    "Oh man, I almost never tilt," Matros said.

    1. Abbreviations
    2. Bad music
    3. Rudeness
    4. Feeling sorry for yourself

    Who are four players that you want to see in the WSOP commentary box?

    1. Shaun Deeb
    2. Antonio Esfandiari
    3. Vanessa Selbst
    4. Andy Bloch

    What are four tips that you can give to an amateur playing this event?

    1. Don't go too crazy.
    2. Defend your blinds.
    3. Don't over value the antes, there is only four players.
    4. Focus, focus, focus.

    The Boy Is Back In Town

    Photo Courtesy Of SpadeSocial
    Photo Courtesy Of SpadeSocial

    We met up with Dubliner Eoghan O’Dea right after he busted Event #27 $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. just after making the money. O’Dea told us how his day went:

    “I actually got pretty lucky. I had a really low stack coming up to the money, but I made it in. I had a rough hand a short while back where I ‘misclick’ called with AQ and my opponent flopped a flush with J4s. I was pretty tilted after that, and I was on life support”.

    O’Dea is best known for his appearance on the 2011 Main Event Final Table. We asked him how it felt to be back in Las Vegas a year on, and what his plans were.

    “Yeah it’s cool to be back. This is only my second event so I’m just getting going. I plan to play 8 or 9 more events, mostly Hold’em but some PLO too. I’m definitely going to play the Main Event again too”.

    “I’m staying over in Vdara at moment. A few of the Dublin lads have a house here together, but it would be too mad staying there. It would be too messy” laughs Eoghan “My dad [Donnacha O’Dea] is here too, he’s not around the Rio today, but he’s playing some cash in the Bellagio I think”.

    We’ll keep tabs on O’Dea in the coming weeks, and see how he’s preparing for the monster grind that is the WSOP Main Event this year.

    The Michael Godard Art Booth

    Two of Michael Godard's paintings
    Two of Michael Godard's paintings

    We got a chance to stop by the Michael Godard art booth today, which had just set up today. An employee at the booth gave us a little run down on the artist, Michael Godard, and what's for sale at the booth.

    Godard is an artist living in Las Vegas. He attended the University of Las Vegas. His paintings are strong influenced by his life, and living in Las Vegas. Godard, the employee told us, is the number one selling artist in the United States. Many of Godard's paintings are gambling themed, since he likes to play craps, but Godard doesn't play poker.

    Many pros have come to the booth and to the gallery upstairs in the Rio to buy paintings. In the gallery, there is a painting selling for $100,000, the employee told us.

    Godard also paints pictures of Nascar and children.

    The most expensive painting at the booth is currently selling for $4,500 and is titled "The Olive Cash." Here is a picture of the painting:

    "The Olive Cash"
    "The Olive Cash"

    Godard usually sells anywhere from 60 to 80 paintings a month, and some pros have even bought paintings from the booth. If you're interested in seeing more of Godards work, you can visit his website, or visit the art booth set up right across from the Amazon room.

    When In Doubt, Check Out The DeepStack

    Today has been a slow day - in terms of players wearing fabulous hats. With Event #28 $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em / Four Handed full of serious internet kids and Event #27 $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. in the money and choc-full of big name pros too, this is no surprise.

    In times like these, we on the PokerNews team like to wander through the Daily Rio DeepStack tournament in the Pavilion room to see what we can find. They’re never short of cowboy outfits, untamed facial hair or shiny tracksuits in there. Today we spotted these two players in nice straw boater hats…

    Check out that big field!

    It’s definitely worth noting how much value is in these fields. There were over 1,000 entrants today as there has been many days so far. Check out this tweet from AlCantHang:

    On The Rail

    The Amazon room seems eerily quiet as the break for Event #26 $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha begins. For the last hour or so, there’s been a tremendous amount of support coming from Khiem Nguyen’s cheering section. Nguyen’s sweaters are wearing Germany football jerseys, are all drinking cocktails and have a custom chant for Nguyen – which is one word, 'KHIEM!'.

    Nguyen has had several cashes in the WSOP before, all in No-Limit Hold’em, but this will be his first bracelet if he can battle through this tough final table. We hope Nguyen goes deep tonight, because the atmosphere at final table is as exciting as it’s been this series.

    Car Of The Day

    Roaming through the valet parking lot we came across this Aston Martin.

    We don't know whom it belongs to. It still has the dealer plates on it thought. It’d be nice to take it out for a test drive.

    Lunch With Mickey Petersen

    We sat down briefly with Mickey ‘MementMori’ Petersen while he was on his dinner break from Event #28 $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em / Four Handed. We had a casual discussion that touched on Mickey’s table, his flawless American accent and tomorrow’s senior’s event.

    ‘I’m doing ok in the 4-max at the moment” MementMori tells us. “ But man my table is so tough. Just loads of internet guys that I know from online but don’t know in real life. It’s aggressive and shows no sign of breaking just yet”.

    Regarding his flawless English, Petersen told us:

    “It comes from watching too much American TV and films I suppose. I did English in school, all through school, so that’s where the language comes from. The accent is from watching TV”.

    We asked Mickey what the next event he was playing would be:

    “I don’t think there’s much going on tomorrow? The senior’s event? No I can’t play that, I’ll be back in a few years though. You write the muck? Good luck getting stories tomorrow then” Petersen called after us, as we left him to finish his apple and get back into the fray.

    Four By Four With Annette Obrestad and Team PokerStars Pro Mickey Petersen

    We caught up with Annette Obrestad and Mickey Petersen for another round of four by four, as they were coming back from dinner break in Event 28: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Four-Handed

    Annette Obrestad

    Who are four players you don't want to see at your table today?

    1. Phil Ivey
    2. Sorel Mizzi
    3. Team PokerStars Pro Lex Veldhuis
    4. Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst

    What are four things that tilt you?

    1. People who take forever
    2. People who don’t win gracefully
    3. Berating dealers
    4. Asking dealer to reshuffle deck

    Mickey Petersen

    Who are four players you don't want to see at your table today?

    1. Chris Moorman
    2. Andy Frankenberger
    3. Jason Koon
    4. Galen Hall

    What are four tips you can give to amateurs playing this event?

    1. Defend blinds more
    2. Three bet more
    3. Hand rankings go up (For example {10-}{10-} in a 4max has higher value than at a full table)
    4. Play more hands

    Castle Building: Joe Tehan Edition

    Joe Tehan appears to be building a pretty huge stack in Event #28 $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em / Four Handed. Here is a pic from 40 minutes ago, and one from just now. If it keeps growing at this rate he will have a castle in no time!

    Mother Knows Best

    We ran into Shirley Williams, mother ofTeam PokerStars Pro David Williams, in the Amazon room. She was railing David who’s still in the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event. We wanted to know what she’s been up to lately.

    Are you playing any WSOP events this year?

    I’m playing the Seniors Event tomorrow. I cashed in it the last two years.

    Are you playing the WSOP Main Event this year?

    No. I use to get sponsored from the Internet sites. I tired some satellites but no luck.

    What are you most proud about with David?

    When people tell me what a good person he is. I had a dealer tell me how well he behaves at the table.

    What are some of the best poker tips you’ve received from David?

    1. Don’t drink (alcohol) at the table (laughs).

    2. Don’t worry about bad beats, it’s a long term game.

    3. Play tight in a sit-n-go satellite.

    The sit-n-go advice paid off; she's chopped two satellites this summer.

    Tweet Of The Day: Day 18

    Check out this priceless tweet from Clayton Newman. If you don’t read The Muck daily and aren’t up to date on the latest WSOP gossip, this is a play on the ‘popular’ hallway song ‘Call Me Maybe’, replaced with lyrics that reference David Williams having his All American Dave meal stolen by a hungry villain! If you do read The Muck every day, then don’t read this paragraph and just check out the tweet!

    Four By Four With Team PokerStars Pro Humberto Brenes and Jeff Madsen

    We caught up with two more pros in the $2,500 4-handed tournament that agreed to play our four by four game.

    Jeff Madsen

    Who are four players you don't want to see at your table?

    1. Phil Ivey
    2. John Juanda
    3. Erick Seidel
    4. Patrick Antonius

    What are four things that tilt you at the table?

    1. Players taking too long to make decisions.
    2. When I make mistakes.
    3. People who smell bad.
    4. People who berate my play that aren’t thinking at the same level as me.

    We asked Humberto Brenes what players he didn't want to see at his tables, but he turned the tables on us and told us what players he wants to play with:

    1. Phil Hellmuth. He cries too much but he's a great person off the felt.
    2. Team PokerStars Pro Viktor Blom
    3. Phil Ivey
    4. Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier

    When asked why he would want such a tough table draw, Brenes replied,"I like playing with the best."

    Happy Hour With Gavin Smith

    We happened to eavesdrop on some fun table chatter at Gavin Smith’s table in the $2,500 4-handed tournament.

    “Where’s my waiter,” Smith yelled.

    A few moments later his waiter appears. “There’s my waiter,” said a relived Smith.
    He then points to his empty glass, wanting a refill. The waiter obliged, but not before Smith belted out the opening lyrics of the 80s TV show The Facts of Life.

    “You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life…the facts of life.”

    The table, which included Moshin “ChicagoCards” Charania, broke out in hysterics. Charania then added, “I should just write a blog about Gavin Smith.”

    Smith fires back, “Rast [Brian Rast] wrote about me in a blog.”

    Rast, seated at an adjacent table, replies in a puzzled tone “I have a blog!?”

    We’ll be sure to update on any further banter.

    We encourage everyone to get involved with "The Muck." See something you think is Muck worthy? Send it to themuck@pokernews.com. We accept all media including photos and videos.

  • JUN 13

    First Five with 2012 WSOP Bracelet Winner Michael Gathy

    Chris Weldon

    Michael Gathy

    We spoke to Michael Gathy, the winner of Event #21 $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em, just after his final table victory over Jamie Armstong. Breathless with joy and surrounded by his friends, the Belgian national gave us a good humored interview about some of his first actions as a bracelet winner.

    What was your first thought after you won?

    No thoughts. Honestly, nothing. Just disbelief. I just thought ‘OMG I can’t believe this.’

    Who’s the first person you’re going to call and tell?

    My mother. [Friend shouts over, “His Girlfriend”] No, no, I will call my mother [laughing], not girlfriend.

    What is the first thing you’re going to do as a bracelet winner?

    Drink a lot! I don’t know where, this is my first time in Vegas, I’m listening to suggestions.

    First person you hugged or high fived?

    I don’t know which one, I hugged my friends. [One of his friends says it was him] Yes, it was my friend Olivier, from home.

    First thing you’re going to buy?

    I’m going on vacation with my friends, straight after Vegas. I have no idea where. [Author suggests Ireland] Ireland? No, certainly not Ireland. I don’t think I will ever go to Ireland. Somewhere where the weather is good.

  • JUN 13

    Talking H.O.R.S.E. and Basketball with Huck Seed

    Samuel Cosby

    Huck Seed

    We got a chance to catch up with 1996 World Series of Poker Main Event Winner Huck Seed earlier who was on break in Event #27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.  We asked Seed a little bit about the H.O.R.S.E. tournament, and a little bit about basketball as well. When we saw Seed, he was talking with John Hennigan about a recent bad streak.

    “Let me ask you something,” Hennigan said to us. “Do you think a good player can play 30 tournaments and not cash?”

    Hennigan was poking fun at Seed for his recent luck in the World Series of Poker.

    We asked Seed what his least favorite part of the H.O.R.S.E. event was. “The amount of the buy-in,” Seed joked.

    That was not the answer we were looking for, so we asked Seed what his least favorite game was in the H.O.R.S.E. structure. “It's like if you had five children,” Seed said to us. “You can't say you love any one less than the others.”

    We asked Seed what game he thought people playing the tournament were the worst at. “Probably stud, razz, or 8-or-better,” he replied.

    We followed up by asking Huck if he thought he was better at poker or basketball right now. “I'm pretty worn out from playing tournaments all the time right now,” Seed said. “But I've been trying to play basketball for a while now. I just haven't had time. Probably at midnight after this gets out, I can go play some. The best scenario would be if someone at my table challenged me to a one-on-one match for some money.

    “Vanessa Rousso has this really nice outdoor court that I love to play at,” he continued. “It has this matting that has some really nice grip. I'm gonna go out and get some shots on her court later. It's my new favorite outdoor court.”

    Following up on that, we asked Huck about some players and whether he'd rather play H.O.R.S.E. basketball or H.O.R.S.E. poker against them.

    Jason Mercier: “Basketball.”
    Chad Brown: “Basketball.”
    Phil Hellmuth: “Basketball.”
    Olivier Busquet, “Olivier actually challenged me to a one-on-one match, we just never got around to it. I think I'd actually rather play him in H.O.R.S.E poker because he doesn't play limit games. There's not many people who could beat me at shooting right now. Another guy I’d probably rather play in poker is Prahlad Friedman. Prahlad played Paul Pierce in a game of H.O.R.S.E once and he beat him.”

    We'll have to catch up with "Spirit Rock" later on in the series when we see him to verify this one, but if it's true, it's a pretty awesome story.

  • JUN 13

    All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 17 Live Blog

    PokerNews Staff

    2012 WSOP

    All Mucked Up is a live blog of all the stuff you want to know at the 2012 World Series of Poker, besides hand histories and bad beats. Well, we might add a few in here, everyone loves a good bad beat story — unless it happened to you. Check back often for polls, soundbites, celebrity sightings, and who knows what else!

    Horsing Around

    The $1,500 H.O.R.S.E tournament is under way. Classic rock tunes from The Who and Eric Clapton were heard thought the Brasilia room so it was fitting running into veteran and two-time WSOP bracelet winner Mel “The Silver Fox” Judah.

    We asked him what disciplines of poker he feels players are most deficient at in a H.O.R.S.E. tournament.
    “Stud hi-low, and limit hold’em,” said Judah. Especially for no-limit hold’em players making the adjustment to Limit Hold’em.”

    We also ran into Maria “Maridu” Mayrinck and posed the same question. “I don’t know, I don’t have any experience in H.O.R.S.E. (laughs).”

    She says stud and stud hi-low are her weakest games.

    PokerNews’ own Rich Ryan is playing in the tournament as well. We had some fun with Ryan and played a game of “Would You Rather” play HORSE the basketball game or H.O.R.S.E the card game against the following players:

    Team Poker Stars Pro Jason Mercier: "I’ve played basketball with Jason and I think he’s lost a step so I’ll go with basketball with him.”

    Brent Hanks: "The card game."

    Olivier Busquet: "Neither!"

    Team PokerStars Pro Bertran "ElkY" Grospellier: "Definitely basketball."

    Team PokerStars Pro Jonathan Duhamel: "Basketball."

    Stay tuned, as we’ll be engaging other pros in “would you rather?”

    Six Max Chat

    Day 3 of Event #23: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em- Six Handed is under way. We ran into Freddy Deeb who’s currently seventh in chips with 18 remaining.

    Freddy Deeb
    Freddy Deeb

    We asked Deeb if he has any concerns about his table draw today, which includes Team PokerStars Pro Eugene Katchalov.

    “I’m the only one that will get in my own way," said Deeb, confidently.

    Deeb has played tournaments all around the world and we asked him what place besides Vegas does he enjoy the most.

    “Aviation Club in France. The games are good, the action is good, and the food is great. The city is beautiful. “

    The feature table of Event #23 is full of notables, including Team PokerStars Pro Bertran "ElkY" Grospellier, Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger and Scott Montgomery.

    Elky in seat 5. Lucky Chewy in seat 1. Scott Montgomery in seat 2
    Elky in seat 5. Lucky Chewy in seat 1. Scott Montgomery in seat 2

    Just before the cards were dealt we asked Grospellier, if he would rather win a second bracelet or have France win the European Soccer Championship.

    “I’d rather have a bracelet. It’s not even close!”

    France played England in their last match to a 1-1 draw.

    Would You Rather

    We caught up with Team PokerStars Pro Chad Brown, on break from the H.O.R.S.E. event, for a round of "Would You Rather" play a specified opponent in a basketball game of HORSE or a card game of H.O.R.S.E.

    Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier: "Basketball."

    Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier: "Basketball. However, Grospellier is playing more mixed games so if he keeps playing them he'll be a champion in them."

    Shaun Deeb: "Basketball."

    Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst: "Basketball"

    Olivier Busquet: "Either or."

    "I'm pretty good at basketball," said Brown.

    Brown also indulged us in a story that took place a few years ago at a PokerStars PCA event. It involved a rock-climbing contest and the person who made it to the top in the least amount of time was crowned the winner.

    “It was me, Jason [Jason Mercier], and Dario Minieri. Dennis Phillips was keeping time. Jason and I are both athletic and very competitive. Poor Dario was just praying to make it to the top without falling, but he made it. He’s a fighter especially since he has a fear of heights.”

    According to Brown, Minieri took the longest, but Mercier climbed up the rock quickly.

    “After Mercier came down from his climb he rushed over to Phillips and asked him if he beat me,” said Brown.

    Phillips broke the news to Mercier that Brown beat him by eight seconds.

    Car Of The Day

    We’re always on the lookout for the coolest cars in the Rio valet.

    The valets weren’t at liberty to reveal the owner of the car, but from their vanity plate, they don't mind getting their chips "ALLYN."

    Can You See With Those Things On?

    We saw this gentleman playing in Event #27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. wearing rainbow colored glasses that flip down into shades. They definitely aren't a $200 pair of Oakleys, or a $500 pair of Ray Bans, but they are our favorite pair that we've seen today.

    Who Wore It Better: Suited Up Edition

    There were three players suited up for Event #23: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed today.

    One of them was recently eliminated leaving only Scott Montgomery and Foster Hays:

    Foster Hays and Scott Montgomery suited up
    Foster Hays and Scott Montgomery suited up

    We want to know who you think wore it better.

    Poll

    Who Looks Better In A Suit?
    View results

    The Table of Death, Omaha Edition

    We've talked often about tables of death, but the rail birds led us to this one. Most of the rail in the Amazon room today is either gathered around ElkY's table in the six handed event, or this table in Event #24: $3,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better.

    On one side of the table, we have Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, and Joe Cassidy:

    Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, and Joe Cassidy
    Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, and Joe Cassidy

    And on the other side of the table we found the "Prince of Poker" himself, Scotty Nguyen:

    Scotty Nguyen
    Scotty Nguyen

    Also, right in the middle of the table, with a heap of chips is the brother of one of our live reporters, 123md, Elie Doft. Either way, it's not the table you want to be sat at.

    Wimpy At The Rio

    I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for an AllAmericanDave meal today. According to Team PokerStars Pro David William’s twitter somebody intercepted his AllAmericanDave meal and ate it.

    Williams broke down the events in a series of tweets:

    Williams later tweeted the culprit's seat number and we went ahead of snapped a picture of him. According to the Rio staff the person's name is William Harrington.

    William Harrington
    William Harrington

    Can You See With Those Things On: Part 2

    Here’s another gentleman in Event 27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. wearing an interesting set of Kanye-esque shades.

    We're not sure if he has to open them up like a set of venetian blinds when he wants to peek at his cards.

    The Man With The Binoculars in Action

    For the past few days we've been bringing you updates on the man with binoculars, who has been at several final tables, and could be seen staring down Phil Ivey on multiple occasions.

    Well today may be the day the man in binoculars gets his own fan base as we caught him playing in Event #27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.

    The Man With The Binoculars
    The Man With The Binoculars

    We'll try to keep an eye on his progress throughout the tournament as today may be the day the man becomes a legend.

    What Game Are We Playing?

    We caught this gentleman playing in Event #27: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.. We don't know if he couldn't see the game plaques, or if he just needed a friendly reminder, but he had a few pieces of paper on top of his chips with the game they were currently playing.

    Phil Ivey's Magic

    "Every time Phil Ivey wins a pot a unicorn and leprechaun are born," we just heard Maridu Mayrinck say from the rail of Event #24: Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-better. We all know Ivey has amazing poker skills, but apparently he can do a lot more than just rake in chips!

    The main feature table set has been filling up ever since word got out Ivey was gunning for his ninth bracelet, and we expect a lot more famous faces as the night goes on.

    The Straddle

    If you haven't seen Kristy Arnett's video "The Straddle," it's a must watch. Arnett gives a behind the scenes look at the 43rd annual World Series of Poker. In this weeks Straddle, Hellmuth disappears, "Crazy" Mike Thorpe makes an appearance, and we see some hostess bloopers.

    The All-Singing, All-Dancing H.O.R.S.E. Event

    We know only the most multi-talented poker players play Event #27 $1,500 H.O.R.S.E, but one man is taking the definition to new extremes, regularly breaking into song at his table.

    The songs are often embellished by his choice dance moves, a sort of shuffle, clearly designed to put his opponents on chip-spewing suicide tilt.

    The man could be heard belting out an old country number that he had in his heads phones from across the room. When we arrived on scene, his tablemates were trying to get him to take requests.

    “I’ll sing some requests if you boys send me some of those chips,” our hero says.

    “Tighten up fellas!” Remarks his nearest neighbor, to raucous laughter from the players, the dealer and even surrounding table.

    Celebrity Look-Alike!

    We spotted a celebrity look-alike today in the form of Rio Floor Manager Bob Smith. We think he is the absolute splitting image of Walter White from the hit TV show ‘Breaking Bad’. What do you guys think?

    World Series of Bromance

    We spotted Gavin Smith and Huck Seed a bit earlier on, chatting away during Event #27 $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. Smith is shown above giving Seed a tutorial on one of his apps on his iPhone.

    Smith and Seed have played a lot of poker with each other over the years, I wonder how this makes the dynamic at the table?

    Here We Go Again

    The rail is teeming as we prepare for a long night at the final table for Event #24 $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, where Phil Ivey, Scotty Nguyen and other big names battle it out for nearly $300,000 and, more importantly for Ivey, a gold bracelet.

    The field starting this afternoon was one of the most stacked we've seen in recent history with Ivey, Nguyen, Mike Matusow, Brian Hastings, Bart Hanson and Dan 'djk123' Kelly. Hastings was second in chips behind Ivey early on, but crashed out in sixteenth after a bad run of cards. His tweet below highlights just how tough it is out there!

    We'll hang around the rail all night and keep you posted on the rail's mood and any of the players antics!

    Finally, A Sweet Chip Stack!

    We've been sweeping the Brasilia and the Amazon room every night for the first 17 days of the series, trying to find someone putting some effort into their chips. Finally, Jason Mercier has come through for us. Mercier is playing in Event #27 $1,500 H.O.R.S.E and coming to the end of day one is doing well. Well enough to make an interesting stack anyway!

    The twisting structure is pictured below next to Mercier's infamous cracked iPhone.

    Side Action

    We spotted Jennifer Harman and Mike Matusow playing some Chinese poker in the high-limit cash game section in the Pavilion room here at the Rio. The pair are trying to turn their day around after disappointing busts in Event #27 $1,500 H.O.R.S.E and Event #24 $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better respectively. Harmon’s husband Marco Traniello was sweating her from the rail.

    Also putting in some big hours in the side games is Barry Greenstein, who’s been there since early this afternoon, also playing Chinese. His wife, however, was sitting directly behind him sweating his cards. The rail gathered to watch the games is growing as the evening grows old.

    Tweet Of The Day

    Sometimes a poker tweet comes our way that needs to be printed here in the muck. Congratulations to Faraz Jaka for Tweet Of The Day, Day 17.

    The Experts

    We have Jeff Madsen and Jean-Robert Bellande in the booth at the moment, talking about the final table of Event #24 $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better.

    Daniel just tweeted in:

    To which Jean-Robert replied "That dealer looks pretty sharp, I could well be the fifth".

    Tune in Here to hear Madsen and Bellende's commentary.

    The Other Game

    With all the talk the last few days of Phil Hellmuth's 12 bracelets and Phil Ivey's search for number nine, one man has been overlooked. Running deep in Event #26 $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, Eric Seidel is in with a real chance of winning his ninth bracelet tomorrow evening!

    Seidel has been on a strong run the last few years, winning several high profile non-World Series Of Poker events all around the world, but hasn't won a bracelet since 2007. He will be hoping this is his year. Phil Hellmuth, who is desperate to keep his all time bracelet record, will be hoping that it isn't.

    Rowdy Rail: The Scotty Nguyen Effect

    This has been by far the most active rail for a final table yet. Everyone seems to have a beer in front of them, and every pot that is awarded is accompanied by a big cheer (and in the case of Scotty Nguyen, a yell of “SCOTTTTAYYYY” from an unidentified spectator).

    We like to chalk this rowdy atmosphere up to ‘The Scotty Nguyen Effect’. Scotty has been drinking beers and interacting with the rail for hours. He’s playing an all-action style and the 3 WSOP bracelets on his wrist accentuate his outfit nicely. Ivey may draw the spectators like no other, but Scotty knows who to get them going. It’s going to be an exciting night no matter what happens.

    We encourage everyone to get involved with "The Muck." See something you think is Muck worthy? Send it to themuck@pokernews.com. We accept all media including photos and videos.

  • JUN 12

    All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 16 Live Blog

    PokerNews Staff , 1

    2012 WSOP

    All Mucked Up is a live blog of all the stuff you want to know at the 2012 World Series of Poker, besides hand histories and bad beats. Well, we might add a few in here, everyone loves a good bad beat story — unless it happened to you. Check back often for polls, soundbites, celebrity sightings, and who knows what else!

    Bust Out Bounty

    For years Barry Greenstein has been giving away his book, Ace on the River for those lucky players who knock him out of a tournament. Well, it seems like Greenstein has been one upped by Adam Junglen.


    Hal Lubarsky in the Field

    You may recognize Hal Lubarsky from ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2007 and 2008. Lubarsky has a condition known as retinitis pigmentosa, making him blind. Lubarsky has been able to compete at the world series since 2007 with the help of a hand reader, who whispers him his cards.

    Lubarsky and his hand reader
    Lubarsky and his hand reader

    Before losing his sight, Lubarsky moved to Las Vegas with dreams of becoming a professional poker player. For 15 years he played in a $150-$300 H.O.R.S.E. game with some of the biggest names in poker. Lubarsky is playing in Event #25: $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout, an event which he finished 11th in last year.

    To keep an eye on Lubarsky's, or anyone else's, progress, make sure you check out the live reporting blog.

    I Used To Play You Heads Up When You Were A Little Boy

    Antonio Esfandiari and J.J. Liu are sitting at the same table today in Event #25: $1,500 Limit Hold'em. Esfandiari is never one to shy away from conversation, but today him and Liu were talking about times gone by.

    "I used to play you heads-up when you were just a little boy," Liu said to Esfandiari. "You must've been 19 or 20 years old."

    "Yeah, that was 14 years ago J.J.," Esfandiari said. "I think you're the only woman I can say has gotten prettier since then."

    J.J., flattered by the comment, blushed, smiled, then flexed her muscles. This table dynamic is rather interesting so we'll be sure to keep an eye on them throughout the day.

    #winning

    Aaron 'aejones' Jones had a rather cool shirt on today. Here's a photo:

    #winning
    #winning

    Jones is on the money bubble in Event #23: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Six-Handed, so he should be #winning at least a little bit today. We'll keep an eye out for any more cool shirts through our days at the World Series of Poker, so stay tuned.

    On Break in Event #25: $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout

    We were able to catch up with Bill Chen and Tony Dunst who were on break in Event #25: $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout for some quick lessons and poker tips regarding the event.

    "These require a different set of skills," Chen said. "We actually started short handed, then we went to full ring, and now we're going back to short handed. But these take a different set of skills than a full tournament. That's part of the reason I like mixed games so much too, it's a different set of skills."

    We asked Chen what some of the biggest mistakes people make in early stages of the tournament are."People don't buy into these events on time," Will said. "You can lose a lot of chips just blinding out. They just think, 'if I come later, I can just play short handed,' but that's not right. You're going to have to play full ring and accumulate chips if you want to win."

    Tony Dunst said that his favorite part of this tournament is that he gets to find out quickly if he's going to cash or not. "You're not here for that long, and you don't have to subject yourself to suffer through hours of limit hold'em torture. You only have to play for a few hours and you'll know if you're going to cash or not."

    We also asked him what some of biggest mistakes people make in early stages of these kind of tournaments are. "People are limping too much, which is never good. They are cold calling with too many hands. They are folding post flop when they shouldn't. People are folding in spots where they have a lot of equity to peel one off."

    Finally, we asked Dunst what tournaments he was looking forward to playing. "The $3,000 six max was a really good tournament, with a good mix of players. There is a $2,500 four max that is coming up that should have a similar field, so I'm really looking forward to that."

    Stacked Tables in the Brasilia Room

    Two days ago Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey were both battling heads-up for bracelets in two different events. Today, the two Phils are battling each other. The two have drawn the same table in Event #25: $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout. Both Phils are all smiles though and seem to be enjoying each other's company.

    Ivey and Hellmuth's table in Event #25
    Ivey and Hellmuth's table in Event #25

    At another table, good friends Daniel Negreanu and Jennifer Harman are seated together as well. Also at the table is Eric Froehlich.

    Jennifer Harman, Eric Froehlich and Daniel Negreanu's table
    Jennifer Harman, Eric Froehlich and Daniel Negreanu's table

    Truly these are two tables you would not want to find yourself seated at today.

    Crazy Mike in the House

    There's never a dull moment when "Crazy" Mike Thorpe is at a poker table. And today is no exception.

    Thorpe, who plays some of the biggest mixed cash games in Las Vegas, is seated at a table with Barry Greenstein here in the first round. With just five players left at the table, Thorpe is leaned back in his seat with his feet on the chair next to Barry.

    "Do I have to smell his feet?" Greenstein asked a nearby floorperson.

    "Hey, I'm comfortable," Thorpe responded. "I'm a seven-star customer so I should be able to put my feet where I please!"

    Matt Glantz threw in a zinger from the next table over: "You're an idiot star."

    Crazy Mike Thorpe
    Crazy Mike Thorpe

    Thorpe and Greenstein were just playing a hand when we saw him. Thorpe called from the small blind and Greenstein quietly checked.

    "Did you check Barry?" Mike asked, nearly yelling. "See Scott," he said to Scott Seiver who was sitting behind him. "I wasn't kidding when I told you I was playing with geriatrics at the table. He can't even tell if the action's on him."

    Thorpe has been running back and forth between tables sipping out of two cups of what appears to be coke. We'll be sure to add any interesting updates on Thorpe to All Mucked Up today.

    That's Twelve Baby!

    Two days ago now, Phil Hellmuth won his twelfth bracelet. Today when he first sat down at this $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout table he was wearing a hat with the number 11 still printed on it. Somewhere between then and now he's picked up a couple hats that have the number 12 printed on them:

    Hellmuth's Bracelet #12 Hats
    Hellmuth's Bracelet #12 Hats

    We're not sure when, or where he got them, but we do know that he did not start off the day wearing them. He was just recently eliminated from the limit hold'em shootout event, and we saw him carrying at least 3 hats.

    It's a Pukefest in the Amazon Room

    Apparently, there are a couple players who are sick in the Amazon room who are playing in Event #24: $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better. One of those players is Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, who claims to have food poisoning. Here's the tweet describing the experience from William Reynolds:

    We'll try to keep an eye out and see if there is any more puke flying today.

    Interesting Heads-Up Matches in the Limit Hold'em Shootout

    Shootouts always bring out some of the most interesting heads-up matches. Here are a few from today's event.

    We found Viktor Blom and Mike Leah playing against each other:

    Then there was Ari Engle and Jonathan Little who also did some tweeting about their match:

    The last two matches going on were between McLean Karr and Matt Matros,

    And Greg Mueller and Andrey Zaichenko:

    Because this is a shootout event there are bound to be more and more great heads-up matches, so we'll keep an eye out.

    World Series of Bromace

    Earlier in the week, Andrew Lichtenberger and Aaron Jones talked about how they are both good friends and consider themselves to be each other's best poker friend.

    Today they were presented with an interesting table dynamic as they are seated right across from each other:

    Another bromantic moment brought to you by the World Series of Poker
    Another bromantic moment brought to you by the World Series of Poker

    We're still watching for more bromances, so let us know who you think are some of the best by sending an email to themuck@pokernews.com

    REBUY! REBUY!!!!

    It's no secret that Pot-Limit Omaha is a game of action and there's been plenty of it here in the first level already. The call of "Rebuy!" has been heard over and over from the dealers, and also from players in Event #26: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha with Rebuys. When a player busts one of their stacks, they call for a rebuy and use one of the add-on lammer chips to get another 3,000, or 6,000 if they choose. The tournament staff is certainly working extra hard and sometimes running from table to table in order to get all the chips distributed back into play so as to not slow the action.

    Here is a clip of what it sounds like in the Amazon room right now. Amongst the chirping of the chip crickets, you can hear the call of "Rebuy!" being yelled throughout the room.

    This One Seems Self Explanatory

    Brad Booth and Chino Rheem next to each other in Event #26
    Brad Booth and Chino Rheem next to each other in Event #26

    Even poker pro Kevin Saul had a couple tweets about this one:

    We'll let you guys come up with the caption for this one. If you can think of any great captions for this picture, post them in the comments below or email them to themuck@pokernews.com

    Some More Great Heads-Up Matches From The Limit Shootout

    We talked about Hal Lubarsky earlier today in All Mucked Up. Well now he is heads-up against Victor Ramdin to move on to tomorrow:

    Hal Lubarsky and Viktor Ramdin are heads-up
    Hal Lubarsky and Viktor Ramdin are heads-up

    Also heads-up are Barry Greenstein and "Crazy" Mike Thorpe who we talked about earlier as well:

    Mike Thorpe and Barry Greenstein are also heads-up
    Mike Thorpe and Barry Greenstein are also heads-up

    Greenstein has the chip lead, so the "geriatric" might be the one to take home a victory today.

    Frankenberger Makes the Wall Street Journal

    Andy Frankenberger has apparently made it into the Wall Street Journal after his victory over Phil Ivey on Sunday night. Here's his tweet about it:

    You can read the article at online.wsj.com .

    The Run Good Continues

    Matt 'Jacksup' Matros went on to win his heads-up match in Event #25 $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout, putting him in a position to challenge for another bracelet. Matros’ luck doesn’t seem to have run out as he predicted it would after winning Event #16 $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed.

    Having already won 3 bracelets in the same number of years, Matros is the first to acknowledge that the poker gods have smiled down upon him. He will be hoping, but probably not expecting, that this continues for tomorrow and for the rest of the series

    Tweet Of The Day

    Check out this hilarious tweet from Mike 'Timex' McDonald, playing in Event #26 $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha

    In The Money

    Mike Thorpe was able to leap frog Barry Greenstein’s chip lead to cash in Event #25 $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout and secure his place in Day 2 of the event. Thorpe’s celebration was reportedly a little over zealous, but anyone who knows him will know that it’s just his personality. Barry took the beat with poise and professionalism as people have come to expect from him.

    Elsewhere, Victor Ramdin beat Hal Lubarsky to proceed to day 2 as well. Victor can now be seen in the high-limit cash game section, hoping to make today even more profitable.

    First Time For Everything

    A table in Event #26 $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha had no players turn up after dinner, and then played one handed after a single player showed up. According to Daniel Negreanu's tweet, this was the first time he'd seen this in all his time in poker. The situation appears to have righted itself now, as all tables in the PLO event are currently at least close to full. We'll try to swing by and find out just how a one handed poker game works a bit later on.

    Who Ya Got?

    We saw Brian 'Stinger' Hastings walking around the Rio earlier today decked out in OKC colors. Another notable fan today was Jason Mercier, who follows tonights losing team, the Miami Heat. It would appear from some tweets that have been going around that Mercier lost a little money to fellow pros Clint Tolbert and Kyle Julius.

    Railin' Ain't Easy!

    Check out this picture of a speculator on the rail of Event #21 $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em dozing off. Those chairs are pretty comfortable in all fairness to him!

    The Evening Grind

    We usually see the biggest rails on an evening when Phil Ivey is going deep in a tournament, and tonight is no exception - except that nobody's at Ivey's table.

    All of the young poker fans seem to be gathering at the other side of the amazon room, watching a star studded line up battle it out for Event #23 $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed. Pictured below is Bertrand 'Elky' Grospellier, who has a lot of chips, sitting opposite Andrew 'LuckyChewy' Lichtenberger. Why most of the fans have gathered here is anyones guess - perhaps Ivey's recent deep runs have taken away some of the novelty for poker fans... or perhaps people simply don't know the rules to Event #24: Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better!

    Whatever the dynamic, Ivey's exploits seem to be slipping out of focus, for tonight at least.

    Castle Building

    We caught this snap of Event #23 $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed chip leader Artem Metalidi right before they racked up the small chips. Metalidi seemed unenthusiastic about racking up his mountain of chips - having a lot of chips is always more fun!

    For anyone who is wondering, that is 1.1 Million in chips pictured. Metalidi has come a long way, starting yesterday with just 9 thousand in chips.

    Whioutfit of the Day

    Railing the final table of Event #22 $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball, we noticed that one of the contestants - Benjamin Lazer - was wearing head to foot white. We're proud to issue todays whioutfit of the day to Lazer. He will hope that the time he put into wardrobe coordination doesn't go to waste and he can ship this 2-7 event!

    Junglen U-Turn

    Adam Junglen had a bit of a change of heart this afternoon, and decided not to give away his signed prosthetic limb as a souvenir to whoever knocked him out. He seems to think he spoke too rashly yesterday, and that he can't just give away his limbs in this economic (poker) climate.

    I'm sure 'the girl' who missed out on it will be very disappointed.

    Actually, Junglen did give us a little more info about 'the girl', tweeting that she was named Monette, she was attractive and that she likes to get it in with flush draws. We're not trying to play Muck Matchmakers here, but it sounds like there could be a spark...

    We encourage everyone to get involved with "The Muck." See something you think is Muck worthy? Send it to themuck@pokernews.com. We accept all media including photos and videos.

  • JUN 12

    First Five with 2012 WSOP Bracelet Winner Benjamin Scholl

    Samuel Cosby

    Benjamin Scholl

    We were able to catch up with the winner of Event #20: $5,000 Limit Hold'em moments after he won his bracelet. Benjamin Scholl is a financial analyst from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and works in the same firm as William Chen, another professional poker player. Before Monday, Scholl's biggest cash was in a World Series of Poker event in 2009 where he finished 4th place for $150,132.

    What was your first thought after you won?

    I couldn't believe it. I was just really happy to win. I couldn't believe heads-up was so quick. I was wondering if I should play heads-up instead of taking a dinner break, but I went with eating, and luckily I didn't have to play too much heads-up. I wouldn't call my self a heads-up specialist by any stretch.

    What's the first purchase you're going to make?

    I don't know. I might buy a car. I don't have a car at this point. So, maybe a car.

    What's the first thing you're going to do as a bracelet winner tonight, or tomorrow morning?

    A few of my friends are flying out tomorrow. I'm going to be here for a little while longer. So I will probably hang out with them. My rail was nice enough to watch the past six hours, and rail me, so I'll do whatever they feel like doing really.

    Who is the first person you're going to call and tell?

    I'm from the East Coast, so no one right now, but I'll probably call my parents and my brother and sister tomorrow.

    What was going through your head when you were presented with the gold bracelet?

    Well, I was wondering what the difference between that was and real thing because they told me I couldn't keep that one. But, I have seen pictures of the new design and it looks pretty cool. I don't know when to wear it though. I don't know what the etiquette is on that.

    Will we be seeing you at any more events this series?

    I was planning on playing the shootout tomorrow, but I think I need a break from limit hold'em. But I'll almost certainly play the horse event in a couple of days.

    Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

  • JUN 12

    2012 World Series of Poker: A Tale of Two Phils

    Samuel Cosby

    Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey

    The atmosphere was completely electric as everyone in the poker community had their eyes on two men — Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey — Sunday night. Thousands tuned into the WSOP.com live stream, hundreds gathered around both rails, and there was no shortage of visits to the PokerNews Live Reporting Blog. In the end, one Phil would walk away with yet another bracelet, and one would fall just short of glory. Phil Hellmuth was able to defeat Don Zewin heads-up for his 12th bracelet, and Phil Ivey would fall to Andy Frankenberger; Ivey narrowly missing his ninth.

    Everyone in the poker community was either at the event or streaming the events from home on their computers. Hundreds of tweets flew out regarding both heads-up matches, both excited and ecstatic for the two Phils:

    The rails at both feature tables were jammed, elbow to elbow, which is a sight that has not been seen so far at this year's World Series of Poker:

    Hellmuth and Zewin's Heads-Up rail
    Hellmuth and Zewin's Heads-Up rail

    The room was mostly silent between pots in the Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em to the point where you could only hear the very very quiet whispers of the rail and the air conditioner. The room would explode with excitement when Ivey won a pot. When Frakenberger won a pot, a select crowd would cheer, but it was nothing like when Ivey scooped a big one.

    The Rail of Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em Heads-Up Match
    The Rail of Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em Heads-Up Match

    In the end, Ivey could not close the deal, he fell short of his ninth bracelet, and after shaking hands with Frankenberger, and wishing him congratulations, he quickly left the Amazon room, not wanting to be interviewed, or even to talk to anyone.

    The rail died down quickly as only fans and friends of Frankenberger stuck around to see the ending ceremony. Ivey fans quickly made their way out of the building, and within minutes, the mothership was quiet once again. Ivey's face showed visible frustration, and one could tell he was very upset to have not been taking home his ninth bracelet.

    The same could not be said for Phil Hellmuth's rail at Event #18: $2,500 Seven Card Razz. The room would jump and shout with excitement whenever Hellmuth won a pot, thanks in part to his good friend Mike Matusow.

    “I don't think I could handle it if Phil came runner-up in a second one,” the Mouth joked. The two would hug and fist bump between pots as Matusow really brought the crowd to life.

    Mike Matusow on Phil Hellmuth's Rail
    Mike Matusow on Phil Hellmuth's Rail

    Just before Hellmuth won, he found out that Frankenberger had won the $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em Event.

    “Andy won?” Phil asked. “Who was the runner up?” We still don't know whether we was joking or not.

    When Phil finally chipped Don Zewin down to the wire, and the final card was dealt, Hellmuth jumped for joy in pure excitement. He then fell to the floor in happiness, and tears could be seen in his eyes. Tears of joy of course.

    Phil's son, Phillip Hellmuth III presented the bracelet to his father.

    Phil Hellmuth and his son Phillip, presenting him his bracelet
    Phil Hellmuth and his son Phillip, presenting him his bracelet

    Complimentary bottles of Dom Perignon were brought to the table in honor of his win.

    Toward the end of the night, Media Executive Director Nolan Dalla asked Phil Hellmuth one question:

    “Phil, I have a serious question for you,” Dalla said. “Ivey is 35, and you are 47. When Ivey is 73, and you are 85, who is gonna have more bracelets?”

    “Hmmmm,” Hellmuth pondered.

    “I have a better question,” Mike Matusow piped up. “Are any of us going to have money then, or are we all going to be broke?”

    Truly, with this win, his first in a non-hold'em bracelet, Hellmuth has once again reinforced the fact that he is one of the greatest poker players in the world, and who has ever lived. Ivey's runner-up finish, while not as glamorous will also be remembered forever in the poker world as an integral part in the night of the Phils.

  • JUN 11

    Poker Players in Las Vegas for 2012 WSOP Partake in Electric Daisy Carnival Festivities

    PokerNews Staff

    Electric Daisy Carnival

    Over the weekend, the Rio Convention Center was scattered with girls in furry boots and tutus, and guys in brightly colored shirts and shorts. One would think that's out of the ordinary, but just 40 minutes down the road, the biggest electronic music dance festival was happening. The Electric Daisy Carnival attracted an estimated 340,000 party-goers this year and the poker community definitely got in on the action.

    Vanessa Selbst, Liv Boeree, Brian Hastings, Jason Koon, and Scott Seiver were just a few of the pros who made the journey to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the festival. Below are some tweets from the weekend. Be warned, some of the outfits featured are not for public consumption.

    And here's the psychedelic outfit Selbst wore.

    Liv Boeree and her crew somehow lucked out on Saturday after EDC was shut down due to high winds.

    Brian Hastings was part of the group that got sent home early, but flew back in a helicopter. It almost doesn't make sense to us.

    Here are some other gems from the weekend.

    How did Boeree party with a broken ankle?

    Did you go? Let us know how is was below, and as always, follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

    *Lead photo courtesy of LasVegasSun.com

  • JUN 11

    All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 15 Live Blog

    PokerNews Staff

    Cards

    All Mucked Up is a live blog of all the stuff you want to know at the 2012 World Series of Poker, besides hand histories and bad beats. Well, we might add a few in here, everyone loves a good bad beat story — unless it happened to you. Check back often for polls, soundbites, celebrity sightings, and who knows what else!

    How'd They Do?

    We know the pros can count odds and are pretty good with tells, but how did they do when we put them on the spot with some trivia? Find out below.

    Tweet If You Like 6 Max

    Lots of players have taken to twitter expressing their excitement for today’s Event 23: $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em-Six-Handed tournament. UFC announcer Bruce Buffer kick started the event with a thundering rendition of the “Shuffle up and deal” intro. Buffer is also playing in the tournament.

    Who's More Fashionable?

    Poll

    Who Is More Fashionable?

    Please login to paticipate in this poll.

    View results

    3BET Clothing

    If you walk the thought the halls of the Rio you’ll notice rows of vendors; among them is 3BET poker clothing. A new line aimed at poker players. Scott Clements, John Phan, Brian Rast, and Andrew Little are some of the poker pros associated with the line. We spoke to co-founder Dan Spring about the company.

    How did it all get started?

    My partner and I are avid poker players based in Los Angeles. My partner has been in the clothing industry for 35 years. He’s one of the top people in the industry. We felt there was a void in comfort and fashion in poker. We wanted fans to connect to the game we all love.

    When did you officially open?

    We opened our virtual doors in January of this year.

    How did the pros get involved?

    I sat next to Andrew Little at a WPT event. I connected with him and he eventually brought in Brian Rast and Scott Clements.

    Where can people find you online?

    They can go to www.3BET.us and we’re also offering free shipping during the WSOP.

    Jamie Gold In The Building

    We spotted 2006 WSOP Main Event Champion Jamie Gold today in the $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em-Six- Handed tournament. He was seated next to Erick Lindgren. Gold is known for his table talk, we’ll be sure to keep tabs on him and report back any interesting banter.

    I'm Just A Girl

    We came across a tweet from female poker pro Jamie Kersetter about dumb questions she gets at the felt from male players.

    We’ll be asking the female poker pros what questions they get asked that tilts them. Here’s one from Lauren Kling: "A guy yesterday at my table asked me, 'Do you use your charm to get all the chips?' No, I use my skills. And then I just walked away."

    All In!

    Customized license plates seem to be all the rage here in Vegas. We caught this one today parked in the rio parking lot:

    This guy is All in!
    This guy is All in!

    We also caught this one:

    Natural
    Natural

    The last one was a Pontiac Fiero with the license plate reading "F1ERO," but we couldn't catch a picture as it was driving away. We don't know who they belonged to, but it's always fun to guess.

    Excuse Me Sir, What Are You Staring At?

    You may recognize this next gentleman from yesterday's issue of All Mucked Up. Well he's at it again. This time with binoculars fully equipped to watch the final table of Event #20: $5,000 Limit Hold'em.

    The man and his binoculars
    The man and his binoculars

    I Want It To Look Pretty

    We just saw this tweet from David Bach who is playing in Event #24: $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better

    Sometimes looks are more important!

    A Woman And Her Dog

    Apparently, earlier in the day, Liv Boeree was accommodating her canine companion at the table. Here's her tweet:

    And here's the picture of her and her adorable little friend:

    Liv and her little dog
    Liv and her little dog

    We swung by her table to see if her pet was still around, but had no luck, as it had already been taken away.

    Whatcha' Reading?

    It's no surprise that there is a lot of downtime between hands at the World Series of Poker. That's why it's no shocker to see players reading books or playing iPad games in between hands. We caught this gentleman reading Mike Matusow's "Check Raising the Devil," in between hands.

    This gentleman was reading Mike Matusow's book in Event #24: $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8-or-Better
    This gentleman was reading Mike Matusow's book in Event #24: $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8-or-Better

    Oddly enough, Mike Matusow himself was seated just a few tables away from the man reading his book. We expect a great dialogue to ensue if the two men are seated next to each other. We'll also be sure to see what else players are reading in between hands here at the World Series of Poker.

    Father Son Final Tables

    Sunday we had both Phils heads-up in different tournaments here at the Rio. Monday we found the Shulman father son duo at it again. Both Jeff Shulman and Barry Shulman made final tables in Event #20: $5,000 Limit Hold'em and Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em.

    Unfortunately, Barry was eliminated earlier in sixth place from Event #19, so there will be no excitement and drama as both Shulman's are heads-up.

    This is the second instance of the Shulman's making deep runs together. When Jeff made the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2009, Barry also made the final table of the Main Event in the World Series of Poker Europe.

    Maridu Mayrinck and Daiblo III, Part 2

    Last week, we told you about Maria Maridu Mayrinck and her problems with Diablo III.

    It's only been getting worse for Mayrinck as she has been tweeting about the game again today, this time including fellow pro Xuan Liu:

    Hopefully that cheers you up a bit Liu.

    The Jester Hat Makes a Final Table Appearance

    Last week we showed you Kennii Nguyen's lucky jester hat. Today, Nguyen made a final table in Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. Of course making another appearance was his lucky hat:

    Kennii Nguyen and his lucky jester hat
    Kennii Nguyen and his lucky jester hat

    Nguyen ended up finishing in second place for $347,036. Looks like his hat was lucky after all.

    More Deep Runs For The Ladies

    Three more women are making some noise in the poker community tonight as they make their way towards a bracelet. The first is Maria Ho, who is sitting with 270,000 chips in Event #21: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em. Ho was one of the few women to make a final table last year when she went heads-up in Event #4: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em and fell just short of winning a bracelet.

    Maria Ho in Event #21
    Maria Ho in Event #21

    The second two are both deep in Event #22: $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball with only 16 players remaining. The first is Julie Schneider who is sitting with 82,000 chips.

    Julie Schneider in Event #22
    Julie Schneider in Event #22

    The second is Von Altizer who has 130,000 chips.

    Von Altizer in Event #22
    Von Altizer in Event #22

    Last year through 20 events, only four women had made final tables. Maria Ho in Event #4, Odette Tremblay in Event #8, Kim Nguyen in Event #19, and Diana Allen in Event #20. Through the same amount of events this year, we have already seen six women make final table, and seven if you could Vanessa Selbst's 9th place finish in Event #12: $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em. Women have also made two heads-up appearances this year, Patricia Baker, who went heads-up in Event #1, and Amanda Musumeci who went heads-up in Event #9.

    We'll be keeping our eye out on women players as this could be the first year since 2008 that a woman wins an open event.

    Groutfit of the Day

    Here in the PokerNews media room, we have an unhealthy obsession with Groutfits, or all grey outfits. That's why it was to the surprise of everyone that the man himself, Phil Ivey was wearing a Groutfit today. We managed to get a picture of it:

    Phil Ivey's Groutfit
    Phil Ivey's Groutfit

    We'll be sure to bring you any more notable groutfits from throughout the World Series of Poker.

    Overheard in the Dealer Break Room

    Conversations in the dealer break room are hardly every dry, and range a wide variety of topics. Today, things got borderline philosophical in there:

    "Shirley*," one dealer said to another. "Can I run something by you, and you can tell me what you think it means?"
    "Sure," Shirley replied.
    "Ok, so 'A man's attitude determines his fate.' What do you think that means?"
    "Oh yeah... I can see that," She replied. "I think it just means that how you act determines how your life is going to play out."
    "Pretty much, yeah," the first dealer replied.

    The conversation then moved towards money.

    "I don't think money can buy you happiness," one dealer said. "But it sure makes it easier. I see tons of poker player who come in every day and they don't look so happy."
    "Yeah, but the grass is always greener on the other side," another dealer said. "If I had the money of a poker player, I'd be happy as hell, but mainly because i've been broke for so long."

    The dealers finally talked about working in the snake pit, or the high limit area of the casino.

    "You have a way better chance to make tips in there if you put on a smile and start conversations," one dealer said.
    "It really doesn't matter," another dealer said. "It's all going to average out to about $18/$19 an hour in the end no matter where you are. Sometimes you'll pick up $9, sometimes you'll get $50, but at the end of the day it's always going to be about $18/$19 an hour"
    "The other day I worked Chinese Poker," one dealer said. "I didn't make a single dollar!"

    The dealer break room conversations are always the best, so we'll be sure to add some of the more interesting ones here.

    *Names have been changed to protect the identity of the dealers.

    "Why Do You Guys Always Use The Worst Pictures?!"

    We were standing near Event #22: $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball when Allen 'The Chainsaw' Kessler approached. "Why do you guys always use the worst pictures?" Kessler asked. "There are 10 other perfectly good ones, and you had to use that one!" He was talking about the photo of him used on PokerNews.com.

    "Do you know when my 2 to 7 video is going to be up?" He continued? "Shouldn't it be up now during the tournament, when it will actually be relevant? Don't you guys know about relevance?"

    Kessler is always a character and we'll be sure to continue to keep an eye on him during the World Series of Poker.

    Are You On Drugs?

    Erik Seidel just posted a rather interesting tweet regarding his table in Event #24: $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better:

    Don't worry Seidel, EDC is over, things should calm down soon.

    The Man, The Book, The Legend

    Earlier in the day we told you about the man who was reading "Check Raising the Devil," with Mike Matusow just sitting a few tables over. Well, fortunately for the reader, he can now have a taste of "The Mouth" in person as he has moved to his table, and is seated right next to him:

    The man reading "Check Raising the Devil," and Mike Matusow seated together
    The man reading "Check Raising the Devil," and Mike Matusow seated together

    Unfortunately, the table is mostly quiet as almost everyone has a pair of headphones on. All the players seemed focused on making it to day 2, but we'll check in to see if there is any good table talk.

    We encourage everyone to get involved with "The Muck." See something you think is Muck worthy? Send it to themuck@pokernews.com. We accept all media including photos and videos.

  • JUN 10

    All Mucked Up: 2012 World Series of Poker Day 14 Live Blog

    PokerNews Staff

    WSOP 2012

    All Mucked Up is a live blog of all the stuff you want to know at the 2012 World Series of Poker, besides hand histories and bad beats. Well, we might add a few in here, everyone loves a good bad beat story — unless it happened to you. Check back often for polls, soundbites, celebrity sightings, and who knows what else!

    The Morning Grind

    The Rio is alive for the $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Event. We're seeing all the usual faces around the Rio this morning, a lot of young kids who dream of winning a bracelet. One such kid is Mickey "MementMori" Petersen, who has been grinding hard this summer, in early every day, in search of his first bracelet.

    We asked Petersen whom he didn’t want to see at his table today and he told us he didn’t want to see his friend Jeff Rasmussen.

    Young Hopefuls

    Obviously the smaller buy-in events such as today’s Event #21: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em attract a lot of players who don’t usually play in big tournaments, but wanted to play one. The field out there seems soft with a lot of pros telling stories about strange plays and unsteady tourists.

    We spoke to John "Nikolak" Kim, who seemed focused and excited for the day told us, “My table seems pretty good, it’s going to be fun.”

    We also saw this tweet from Mike "Timex" McDonald, who points out some of the out of the ordinary plays he’s seen so far in Event #21.

    As the event unfolds, we’re guaranteed to hear some fairy tale rags-to-riches stories emerge; this is life changing money for the majority of the field today.

    Outfit Of The Day

    Our favorite outfit of the day so far belongs to this elderly gentleman, for his utilization of a pretty gangster pink neckerchief.

    All Eyes On Ivey

    While more than 1,500 players duke it out in Event #21 $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em, all spectator eyes are on the final two tables of Event #17 $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em where Phil Ivey, Antonio Esfandiari and other big name pros fight for a bracelet.

    The rail is long and thick and people try to catch a glimpse of Ivey in action.

    Ivey himself seems excited, sending out a very rare tweet alerting his fans to his prominent position in the event, and thanking them for their support. The last time Ivey tweeted was in April when Amarillo Slim died.

    The Guessing Game

    Speaking Of Notable Twitter Absentees, Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan has been tweeting a bit lately about his life in Macau, talking about haircuts and poker.

    Yesterday he tweeted a hand and followed it by saying he paid a player $2,500 dollars to see his hand, and that we might be able to guess the monster stakes that he’s playing from that amount.

    Poll

    How Big Do You Think The Pot Was?
    View results

    Motto To Live By

    This man in Event #21 $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em has forgone bright colored, flamboyant hats for a witty slogan. Brian ‘Stinger’ Hastings just tweeted this picture, and the motto on the baseball cap which reads :

    "Every Old Man Is a Young Man Wondering What the F*** Happened"

    Ivey Won't Like This

    Phil Ivey famously doesn't like when media or fans stare at him and bother him when he's playing, I wonder what he thinks of this gentleman peering down his binoculars at him during hands. I wonder if the intimidation factor of the Ivey stare gets multiplied by the lenses too?

    Squeak Strikes Again

    Squeak never seems to disappoint. Yesterday he was a dinosaur, and today he's wearing a tiger outfit. I'm sure he's hoping he'll do "Greeeeat" today. We'll try to catch him on break and find out where the inspiration for his wardrobe comes from.

    Jared Bleznick In The Building!

    Jared ‘Harrington25’ Bleznick was just sighted in the high limit cash game section of the Pavilion room here in the Rio. Talk of the ‘Jared Bleznick challenge’ has been rampant the last few weeks, where Jared offered to play any bracelet winner heads-up in the game that they win the bracelet in, and give 10% of their losses back.

    The arrival for Bleznick is likely to be a catalyst for some big action, as the confident young man has no qualms about taking on all comers, at any stake. If we see Phil Ivey enter the fray this could get ugly, the two have played a lot online with each other in the past and both will feel they have unfinished business.

    We’ll try to catch up with Jared later on today, and find out just how serious he is about the ‘Jared Bleznick challenge’.

    First WSOP Cash for DoubleDave22

    Dave D'Alesandro
    Dave D'Alesandro

    We caught up with Dave “doubledave22” D’Alesandro, as he was making his way back to his seat in Event 19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em. The money bubble just broke and there is 164 players left.

    We asked Dave how his day was going.

    “I’ve got 170k right now (currently 3rd in chips).”

    How does it feel getting your first ever WSOP cash?

    ”Feels good,” D’Alessandro said.

    DoubleDave22 made his bones online, accumulating close to $2,000,000 in lifetime cashes. He’s also coached scores of online players and is an instructor at PokerXfactor.

    We asked him how the transition has been since Black Friday.

    “I’ve been a bit rusty, but I’ve taken advice from friends; fold less to the young guys and fold more to the old guys.”

    We’ll be sure to keep tabs on D’Alesandro's progress throughout the day.

    Race For The Record

    With Phil Ivey chip leader in Event #17 Pot-Limit Hold’em Final Table and closing in on his 9th bracelet tonight, he will have one eye on Phil Hellmuth’s record 11.

    Undoubtedly aware of this challenge, Hellmuth’s looking to put some more space between himself and the rest of the competition, going for an incredible 12th bracelet himself. Hellmuth is chip leader at the final table of Event #18 $1,500 Seven Card Razz.

    With the two tables likely to go on late into the night tonight, it’s thought that two of the biggest names in poker will draw record railbird crowds to the Rio. It should make for an exciting night, check in here for the latest updates.

    Read more about this long standing battle here.

    Scooter Race Warm Up

    Is PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree preparing for her much anticipated scooter race versus Doyle Brunson? We spotted Galen Hall and Boeree racing at break in the halls of the Rio. PokerStars pro Vanessa Selbst greeted Hall in the winner’s circle. Selbst, also gave us a quick recap of EDC.

    In A Gambling Mood?

    Something in the water at the Rio today has players trying to book action left, right and centre. Check out these tweets posted in the last while.

    Who Wore It Better?

    We had to do a double take when we came upon this table in Event 19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. They’re dressed exactly the same and coincidentally seated next to each other. Which begs the question, who wore it better?

    Poll

    Who Wore It Better?

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    View results

    Hat of The Day

    Looks like this gentlemen wants to "Send out the Clowns" with this hat; Frank Sinatra would be proud.

    PokerNews App

    Make sure you download the new PokerNews App. Here's Brett Jungblut checking out the latest PokerNews info on his iPad.

    Phil Hellmuth Refuses To Move

    Brandon Cantu, who is seated in the six seat, just asked Phil Hellmuth, who is in Seat 5, if he could scoot down a bit given the players in Seats 3 and 4 have been eliminated.

    "No," said Hellmuth. "This is my lucky seat." Cantu seemed taken aback that such a simple request was denied and asked the floor if he'd request Hellmuth to move down a bit. "Even six inches," Cantu said.

    The floor politely asked Hellmuth if he'd be willing to move down and again the "Poker Brat" refused. Cantu asked for a little help and the floor said he could check with his superiors, which prompted Hellmuth to say, "You better call Jack [Effel]."

    Despite his unwillingness to budge, Hellmuth did say with sincerity, "I love Brandon Cantu." Hellmuth's stubbornness may just be a result of superstition, though it appears he has scooted down a bit.

    To see more of Hellmuth's and Cantu's antics at the Event #18: $2,500 Seven Card Razz final table, make sure you're following the live reporting blog.

    This Rail Is Huge

    We've been following the action on Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey all day. There is not an open seat in the house for either tournament and people are elbow to elbow on the rail. Here's what the rails look like for Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em:

    The Rail for Event #17
    The Rail for Event #17

    Here's the rail for Event #18: $2,500 Seven Card Razz:

    Rail for Event #18
    Rail for Event #18

    We were also able to grab some pictures just after Shaun Deeb was eliminated in 6th place for $84,668 from Event #17:

    Shaun Deeb was just eliminated in 6th place.
    Shaun Deeb was just eliminated in 6th place.

    And one of Hellmuth playing in Event #18 as well:

    Hellmuth in Event #18
    Hellmuth in Event #18

    We'll try to catch up with some railbirds from each of the events to see what people are saying.

    Olivier Busquet Exposes Hand

    Olivier Busquet posted a blog entry yesterday that’s getting a lot of positive feedback from the poker community. A renaissance man of sorts, whose interests and passions include everything from politics, history, philosophy, art, and science, Busquet’s latest blog entry is a personal one that aims to, in his own words, “expose myself a little more.”

    Doc's Analysis Of Final Table

    We caught up with Doc Sands just as he was taking his turn in the commentator booth for the final table of Event 17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em. They’re currently four handed and Phil Ivey has the chip lead.

    Doc Sands in commentator booth
    Doc Sands in commentator booth

    Sands did some commentary earlier in the day as well and we asked him how it went.

    “Good, it was fun. Jason Koon did some commentary earlier too.”

    We also asked what commentators he enjoys watching.

    “Olivier Busquet was really good in last year’s WSOP. He breaks things down for the laymen and is able to commentate on a high level as well. I like Antonio (Antonio Esfandiari) too.”

    A Tender Moment With Phil Hellmuth

    We caught Phil Hellmuth while we was on break with his family. As the chip leader in Event #18, Hellmuth was taking his dinner break and was spending it eating with his oldest son, Phillip, and wife, Katherine.

    Hellmuth, his son Phillip, and his wife Katherine
    Hellmuth, his son Phillip, and his wife Katherine

    In between eating on the rail, Hellmuth was pacing back and forth among the bracelet cases on the secondary feature table stage. He seems a bit nervous, but determined to stay focused on his conquest for his twelfth bracelet.

    Fashion Faux Pas

    Andy Frankenberger's Salmon Pink Pants and Bright Red Shoes.
    Andy Frankenberger's Salmon Pink Pants and Bright Red Shoes.

    At the final table of Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em, Andy Frankenberger decided to wear a pair of salmon pink pants along with a pair of bright red shoes. What we wanted to know is if you think the pants should stay, or go. Let us know in the poll below.

    Poll

    Andy Frankenberger's Pink Pants: Should They Stay, or Should They Go?

    Please login to paticipate in this poll.

    View results

    Marchese’s Take On Ivey's FT

    Doc Sands on left, Tom Marchese on right
    Doc Sands on left, Tom Marchese on right

    Only three players left in Event 17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em. Phil Ivey is the chip leader at break. Tom Marchese, Doc Sands, and Bart Hanson are doing the commentary for the final table live stream. We spoke to Marchese and asked him for his impressions of the final table thus far.

    Marchese said there’s a lot of “timid play” and it seems they're “in hopes of people busting out and "there’s a lot of limping." If someone "played more agro they’d be picking up a lot of chips.”

    We also asked him his impressions of Phil Ivey’s play.

    “Ivey’s playing well. Looks like he’s trying not to make a big mistake. He’s taking advantage of his opponents post flop.”

    Hellmuth and Ivey both Heads-Up

    Both Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey are now heads-up at their respective tables:

    Hellmuth Heads-Up against Don Zewin
    Hellmuth Heads-Up against Don Zewin

    The rail has just about tripled in size over in the Pavilion room.

    Rail of event Event #18
    Rail of event Event #18

    We're heading over to the Amazon room to catch some action from Phil Ivey's final table now.

    Tales From The Rail

    Among the packed house in the Amazon watching the final table of the $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em was Dwyte Pilgrim. We asked Pilgrim whom he’s rooting for.

    “I’d like to see Andy (Andy Frankenberger) win. Fellow New Yorker, you know. He’s one of the best deepstack players in the world.”

    Among the loudest in the arena was Phil Ivey super-fan, Lester Gonzales. After one significant pot Gonzales yelled, “You’re gonna catch Hellmuth this year!” (Referring to Hellmuth’s number of WSOP bracelets)

    Lester Gonzales
    Lester Gonzales

    “I’ve been a fan of Ivey for 10 years,” said Gonzales. 'I sold my ticket to a show just to be here tonight. My girlfriend is at the club right now."

    We encourage everyone to get involved with "The Muck." See something you think is Muck worthy? Send it to themuck@pokernews.com. We accept all media including photos and videos.

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2006 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Jamie Gold becomes latest player to auction off championship bracelet.

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