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.