2012 WSOP Poker Player Sightings

Below is the list of poker players that I recognized (and still remembered when I wrote this) at the 2012 WSOP:

• Brandon Adams
• Matt Affleck
• Mickey Appleman
• Kristy Arnett
• Sam Barnhart
• Viktor Blom
• Liv Boeree
• Brad Booth
• Humberto Brenes
• Doyle Brunson
• Joe Cada
• Everett Carlton
• Norman Chad
• Johnny Chan
• Bill Chen
• Lee Childs
• TJ Cloutier
• Freddy Deeb
• Shaun Deeb
• Bryan Devonshire
• Antonio Esfandiari
• Ted Forest
• Jimmy Fricke
• Prahlad Friedman
• Phil Galfond
• Bill Gazes
• Kristy Gazes
• Jamie Gold
• Barry Greenstein
• David Grey
• Bertrand "Elky"  Grospellier
• Jordan Handrich
• Dan Harrington
• Dan Heimiller
• Maria Ho
• Sam Holden
• Chad Holloway
• Phil Ivey
• Alex Jacobs
• John Juanda
• Mel Judah
• Allen Kessler
• Phil Laak
• Guy Laliberte
• Ben Lamb
• Bernard Lee
• Andrew Lichtenberger
• Erick Lindgren
• Lon McEachern
• Jason Mercier
• Bryan Micon
• Ed Miller
• Darvin Moon
• Molly Anne Mossey
• Amanda Musumeci
• Daniel Negreanu
• Ali Nejad
• John Pham
• Dennis Phillips
• Kevin Pollak
• William Reynolds
• David "Doc" Sands
• Matt Savage
• Ylon Schwartz
• Kara Scott
• Huck Seed
• Vanessa Selbst
• Jason Somerville
• Sam Stein
• JC Tran
• Burke Veasy
• Cyndy Violette
• Jessica Welman
• Todd Witteles

Here are some pictures I took with my iPhone:

Doyle Brunson

Phil Laak

Phil Ivey

Jason Senti

Phil Galfond

Dan Harrington

Ben Lamb and Vanessa Selbst

Daniel Negreanu

Everett Carlton and Jason Somerville

Tales from the WSOP

I busted out of the $550 satellite without winning a Main Event seat.  Despite that my first time attending the World Series of Poker has been a great experience.  As a big poker fan it has been wonderful to see the places, the faces and the events of legend.

It was hard for me to focus on the satellite when I was playing it.  I kept noticing things like Barry Greenstein or Eli Elezra walking through the room, instead of focusing on my cards.  Next time I think I will be able to focus more on the poker and less on the spectacle.

My brother finished Day 1C with 54,625 in chips.  For perspective, this places him with the 649th largest stack of the more than 2,200 people that finished Day 1C.  He also has more chips than the 11,525 that Phil Ivey ended the day with.  Needless to say I am proud of his achievements and am rooting him on.  (I've also informed him that he has to wear an Ante Up patch if he makes it to a televised table.)



While my brother played Day 1C, I was able to walk through the Pavilion, Amazon, and Brasilla rooms that I had heard about on my podcasts.  I was also able to see the $11 sandwiches and overpriced beverages in the poker kitchen.  I sat in the stands where they record the ESPN feature table and I saw lots of famous faces.  For example all the complaining about the heat is somewhat justified.  With temperatures every day over 100 degrees, I felt liked I need a shower after the walk from the car to the air conditioned Rio.  Of course it is a dry heat and that does seem to make a difference.  110 in Vegas is like 95 in Minnesota.  Still way too hot.

I've seen several famous poker faces so far.  I practically ran into Joe Cada and Mickey Appleman.  I saw TJ Cloutier yell "Hello" to Humberto Brenes from across the room.  I saw Doyle Brunson riding his scooter down the hallway during the brake.  I watched Antonio Esfandiari playing on the ESPN feature table.  Other than actually winning the Main Event myself, this trip has surpassed my expectations.

Next year I may need to work on getting a press pass so I can have more access to the WSOP.  I met fellow Ante Up's Illinois ambassador, Joe Giertuga, and he informed me that the press passes are worth their weight in gold. And I haven't been shirking my duties for Ante Up either.  I've been on the been on the look out for fellow Minnesotans.

II took a picture of Minnesota pro Jason Senti playing his day 1.  I also saw Molly Anne Mossey (third place finisher at the MSTP event in Tama, IA) and some of her friends.  I know Erick Wright is also out here, at least according to his facebook posts.  Minnesota Poker Magazine has a good overview of the standings going into Day 2.


I'm having a great time.  Wish you all were here.

Playing Satellite Today

I'm going to play a $550 Satellite for the Main Event today. Hopefully I win!

Vegas, Baby Vegas!

I've been a poker player since high school and a poker fan boy ever since the poker boom started in 2002.  But I've never managed to make it out to see the spectacle that is the World Series of Poker.  I've had a long standing family fishing trip in the first part of June, so it's been hard to justify taking another trip so close behind.

But this year my brother has given me the perfect excuse.  He won a Main Event seat through playing in a series of tournaments with friends in Kansas City.  So of course I have to go out to sweat him, don't I?  And if I happen to play in one of the $500 super satellites, well so be it.

I really am excited about going.  After all, the WSOP is the Mecca of poker and seeing it is definitely on my bucket list.  I'd love to play in the Main Event, but I'm not willing to pony up the $10K to play so I'll have to get lucky in the satellite. But I'll play cash games and maybe a smaller tournament as well.

Of course this trip has not been without its drama.  My brother locked up his seat in May, but then on the way to the previously mentioned fishing trip he hurt his knee.  Turns out he fractured his leg, likely caused by a giant-cell tumor.  This is NOT cancer, thankfully, but he will have to have it removed as soon as we return from the WSOP.  Until then he is supposed to stay off his leg, and has to walk with crutches.  So he is going to rent a motorized wheelchair,so he can wander around the Amazon and Pavilion rooms without lugging crutches around

We'll be out there for a full week, from July 7-14.   Hopefully we will both be too busy playing the main event to do much of anything else.

Wish me luck!

July 2012 Ante Up Magazine Article

This month I cover the Northern Lights MSPT event.

http://www.anteupmagazine.com/featured-column/kirby-dominates-northern-lights-poker-event.htm