WSOP Experience

My World Series of Poker Main Event Experience

So I am an internet poker player. Suddenly across the screen flashes “Congratulations you won entry to the World Series of Poker Main Event!” Yipeee!!!!!!! Pokerstars is sending me to Las Vegas to play in the World Series. Suddenly millions of dollars flashed across my mind. Maybe I’ll become the World Champion (Not). Well, in any case, it did cross my mind at the time. Off to Vegas we go.

Well Pokerstars put me up at the Palms Hotel and Casino – very nice rooms I must say - large bathrooms with jetted tubs etc. At check in they said “here is your VIP pass to the Playboy Club” and handed me a special pass. I thought hmmmm what would those girls want with a chubby guy like me. I have to keep my focus on winning the main event. They also gave me tickets to see the show put on by Ditta Von Teese (the lady that dances in this large champagne glass). It was a very good and entertaining show I must say….she definitely has lots of talent.

Well its July 5^th and the main event tournament starts at 12:00pm. I walk from the Palms to the Rio Casino proudly wearing my Pokerstars gear through the 45 degree Celsius heat of Las Vegas sucking back my bottled water. Players were walking around all edgy and tense right before the start of the tournament. ESPN was getting set up to cover the days events. At noon we were all ushered in and taken to our tables and seated.

I looked around the table and sized up my opponents and they were doing the same thing. We listened to the opening ceremonies and then dealers were told to deal their cards.

Being an internet player, I had never really played in a casino before – only once when Pokerstars sent me to the Star Casino in Sydney, Australia for the Asian Pacific Poker Tour grand final. Well after a few hands I folded out of turn possibly giving an advantage to late position players and that stirred up the ire of a couple of players. “He played out of turn, he should lose his chips”. I replied being the gentleman I was “Hey sorry about that, I’m an internet player and I’m used to the computer folding my hand for me.” For some reason, this explanation did not seem to satisfy the other players.

A few minutes later I made an amateurish mistake and called a raise with a pair of deuces preflop. The flop was QQ8 different suits so no flush possibility. I thought I was good and placed my opponent on AK. He was already short stacked and went in with his remaining 4000k chips and I called. He had AQ – three of a kind. I was in big trouble. The turn was a 7. On this pot I was down to my last card. The river was a 2 – the whole table groaned as I hit my full house and sent the poor French guy packing. After shaking the French guys hand and sitting down, I said to the rest of the table “I know what your thinking but I had him placed on AK. They just shook their heads from side to side.

Well a few hours later I was in another big pot. I held pocket 55 and limped into the pot. The flop was 10 5 6. Hmm, I had trips and thought that was worth a 5000 chip bet out of my 30,000 chip stack. There was one caller. I placed him on a higher pair either smooth calling me or on a 10. Well any way the turn card was a 6 giving me the full house of fives full of sixes so I bet 15,000. The other fellow called. The final card was a six. I check thinking that he would raise but he checked as well. I turned over my cards and reached onto the table to take all of my chips. The dealer slapped my hand and said “Don’t reach into the pot”.  I said, "what? " And she says "he won." I looked at his cards and he had a full house 10’s full of 6’s because the turn was a 6 and the river was a 6.

My heart sank. There went my 10 million dollars and the future title of World Champion of Poker. Oh well, it’s just a game. Maybe next year!!!