Jon Bryan

After paying for all those taxis to and from "The Rio" to watch and play in the WSOP, we had discovered a free bus shuttle from the hotel next to us. So...keeping the $10 taxi fare for something else, we got the shuttle in time to see the players who had made it to the final table come out to applause. The last nine of the 8773 who had begun playing in the WSOP Main Event started stacking their chips and got ready to play poker in the final. All of them would leave with over $1.5million and the winner would take home $12million.

The build-up was something else, with everyone being introduced to the crowd who had anything to do with the WSOP, and then each player getting a biography read out as if this was a heavyweight boxing fight.

What I do remember about this was that two of the players had never had cash finishes in any poker tournamenet before, and were internet players in their first year of the World Series.

We sat and watched for a while.

After 20 minutes, the short stack was knocked out by Jamie Gold who called an all-in bet on the flop. The flop was 2/3/5 and the short stack showed Ace-King. Gold showed pocket deuces. Gold eliminated this player at about 2.30p.m.

13 hours later Gold was the winner, but we had long gone.

It was great to watch some of the final, but there was also a lot of activity going on around. Some poker cash games, but lots of poker stars making themselves available to "fans". We took advantage.

It is striking that this is a "sport" where the stars are just like many of the other players. They walk freely amongst everyone, and are always willing to pose for a photograph or sign some memorabilia for people. I saw one shirt with lots of signatures, obviously done with a permanent pen. Some people had come prepared.

Got my photo (above) with three previous World Champions.

Chris "Jesus" Ferguson (2000)
Joe Hachem (2005)
Scotty "The Prince of Poker" Nguyen (1998)

I told Joe I was knocked out on day three and he asked me if I enjoyed it and he was dead canny and friendly. "And quite attractive" Kay said.

Scotty shook hands, posed for photos whilst on the phone. Think that's his style!

"Can I get a photo Chris?", I asked very sheepishly. "Sure", he said in a very American accent.

I waited until Jennifer Tilly (2005 WSOP Ladies' Event Bracelet winner and actress) and Phil "The Unabomber" Laak had finished an interview, and got photos with both of them.

Phil Laak won the World Poker Tour Invitational Event in February 2004 and is well established as a poker player. I will always remember Jennifer Tilly from the episode of "Frasier" she was in, but I decided not to talk to her about that.

They were really accomodating and a long-line had formed for both of their attentions.

The action in the poker was slow, and we left well before the end, leaving at about 9p.m. when there were still six players left in.

We took the many "freebies" that we had got at the poker and left. The next task would be to fit all this free stuff into our cases :-)