Slim has suffered from personal as well as health problems over the past several years, and it shows. He was sporting his trademark cowboy hat with the rattlesnake wrapped around the rim, but other than that the man didn’t seem like himself. He usually has a twinkle in his eye and funny quip about every subject. Today he was quiet and almost sullen. I talked to him at length in a coffee shop in Amarillo several years ago, and that man and this man aren’t the same. The only similarity is his penchant for gambling. While most pros are advocating playing lots of small pots before the flop, Slim seemed happy to push all in with A-K. He got called by tens, and he was out when his hand never improved.

The most entertaining table I watched this evening had both Barry Greenstein and Brandon Adams sitting at it. In this sea of amateurs any table with two pros is a good one. The two were sitting in the 3 and 7 seats all the way across the table from each other, and yet they kept up a running conversation as if they were right next to each other. It was like the other seven players at the table weren’t even there. They mostly talked about the Big Game and one particularly juicy game that Greenstein missed out on. It seems the Scandis, Janni Vilmunen and Thomas Wahlroos and some others, were drinking while playing Chinese Poker. Greenstein considered this a “big edge” as the Scandis are known for not being able to handle their liquor.

“Sammy’s done real well overall, which is amazing because no-limit hold’em is not his game,” Greenstein said at one point in reference to Sam Farha’s play recently. Evidently, Farha has bounced back from that $1.8 million hit he took from Brian Townsend.

“I would personally prefer a cap,” Adams said about the no-limit game.

Before the conversation could go any farther, Adams moved in with pocket kings and got called by a guy who had aces. The flop came Q96. Adams was in bad shape until the K fell on the turn. He doubled up and is now in great shape.

I have always gotten a kick out of the single-minded degeneracy inherent to professional poker players. It’s fodder for a million entertaining stories. But I also find it really depressing at times. I would much rather read about Barry Greenstein giving his tournament winnings to charities that aid poor children than about Erick Lindgren pocketing $340,000 for winning a golf bet (though admittedly I still think his winning that bet was really cool, one of the greatest prop bet wins of all-time).

I have only hung out with Annie Duke once. We chatted for a bit and tested each other’s trivia knowledge. She knows a ton of arcane facts. I thought she was cool then. Now I think she’s one of the coolest people on the planet. Organizing one of these events can’t be easy. Calling countless p.r. people and personal assistants to make sure that some actor can make it to Vegas for a night is a full-time job, and she’s already got one of those. In fact, she’s got two—she’s also a mom. Why would she subject herself to this? Because it’s IMPORTANT. Poker is many things: cool, fun, entertaining. But in the grand scheme of things it’s not important. Annie Duke recognizes that, and she understands what is, and I give her all the credit in the world. On this day, more than any other I can remember, I am proud to be a poker player.

One player who took advantage of both of these elements of the game early on today was Doyle Brunson. Staring at a large raise, Doyle went ahead and shoved the last of his money into the pot. He got called and his opponent showed him a 9-high low while Doyle could only show a 10-high. “I knew that hand wasn’t any good,” he mumbled before shouting, “Rebuy!” Taking a break from the game, Doyle visited a table that featured Barry Greenstein, Freddy Deeb, and Scotty Nguyen. “They just sit there,” Doyle said, commenting about the tight play at his table. “They’ve got no gamble in them.” 

It was a particularly appropriate comment when you consider the history of this game at the World Series. Debuting in 1973, the first tournament was won by Jack Straus, one of the biggest gamblers of all-time. In 1974 the buy-in jumped to what it is today, $5,000, and the game was also played no-limit. “Sailor” Roberts, a man with almost as much gamble in him as Straus, took the title. In 1976 Doyle Brunson would win the bracelet in that event. The following year the buy-in jumped to $10,000 for the first time and Bobby Baldwin won $80,000 for coming in first. The buy-in stayed at $10,000 until 1983 when the event suddenly disappeared from the schedule. It returned the following year, but in 1986 the buy-in was reduced to $5,000. In the 1990s the event would be dominated by Billy Baxter, who has won the event five times, and John Bonetti, who has won it twice. Then in 1999 it suddenly vanished once again. Back on the schedule in 2000, Jen Harman took the title. It’s been going strong ever since, an old-school game that has managed to survive the rise and seemingly endless appeal of no-limit hold’em.

3:18 David Singer was intently watching the TD add several minutes to the tournament clock following Bruno’s all in.  For ESPN final tables, the clock stops for the Degree all-in moment. 

3:21  I’m afraid I’m going to gouge out my left eye to make watching limit poker only half as painful.

3:25 “How about a big round of applause for Joe Sebok’s dad, Barry Greenstein,” announced Sam.  I wonder how much the cub had to pay for that one…Barry needed a on the river, but was left signing a copy of Ace on the River for Amnon Filippi.

3:28 There are two exceptions that allow poker reporters to root for players. 1) You have them in a fantasy pool and 2) They help with live updates after they go bust.  Since I'm totally out of the running for #1, I'm unashamedly rooting for David Singer and Amnon Filippi from here on out.

3:35 Sam just announced some chip counts: 
Kenny Tran - 2.04m
David Singer - 1.1m
Bruno Fitoussi - 1.46m
John Hanson - 2.4m
Freddy Deeb - 3.9m
Amnon Filippi - 3.95m (had to give him the lead of course)

3:47 Bathroom break time (for me, not the players)