The best hand never seems to win
I was sweating Erick "E-Dog" Lingren in the $2,500 Six-Handed event in the hopes of getting some late-stage six-handed strategy tips from him.  Steve Wong was on a bit of a rush at his table, opening several pots in a row and E-Dog had already come over the top of him all-in.  The second time they butted heads, Steve opened for 16k,  E-Dog pushed in for 120k and Steve called with 66.  Erick had him dominated with 1010 but a 6 fell on the turn.  It was a huge overcall for Steve, and Erick had set up the situation perfectly.  If Erick wins the hand, he probably would've made his second six-handed final table in two years.

No matter how many small pots you win, it's the big ones that count
PokerWire Radio host/King of Hairy Italian comedy Joe Stapleton and I were watching a few players during their heads up matches.  I had watched Howard "Bore A Hole Through Your Skull With My Icy Stare" Lederer win small pot after small pot against Dan "Will Someone Please Buy Me a Hat That Fits" Harrington, but Harrington seemed to win the really big ones.  The same was true of Kristy Gazes against Rene Angelil.  Angelil limped in and both players checked down an A8XX8 board until the river, when they got it all in.  Kristy held 86 but Angelil slowplayed AA to double up.

However, for every moment in tournament poker that makes me vomit in my mouth, there's at least one more reason why I love it:

If it weren't for luck, Phil Hellmuth really would win every tournament
The guy is a machine.  He's already at another final table.  ESPN actually shut down play last night at 10 players because Phil was on the short-stack and they wanted him to be on TV.  It turned out to be a smart move by them, as he has already outlasted a few players.  Phil's ability to put on a clinic year in and year out at the WSOP demonstrates that it truly is a game of skill.  Yes, players go through streaks of "running good" and "running bad," but in the end it all evens out and the best players come out on top.

Mr. Bell is a hell of a guy
This good ol' boy from North Carolina always brings a smile to my face.  He waved me over to the rail to meet Mrs. Bell today, and ask about an update on his boy.  I first met Chris Bell's dad at the LAPC where his son just missed the final table.  Watching him and Mike Gracz (affectionately called "Keeeid" by Mr. Bell) pound the beers is entertainment worth paying for.  Mr. Bell is the only guy I know who could give JDN a run for his money on storage capacity for hops and barley. 

I have the best co-workers a guy could ask for
Seriously--I'm getting paid to travel around the world and watch people play poker--and I get to do it with some of my favorite people.  I tend to not be a late-night guy, but I decided to come back to the Rio last night to hang out with Alex (aka AlFX), Really Good Producer Jeremy, and LA Mike last night at Tilted Kilt.  Everyone at PokerWire has a niche and it's great to see an all-star team like this together (with Heather, Amanda, and Stapes rounding out the field).  The WSOP has been fun, but when we have the access to events we're used to (live updates, chip counts, and video), look out, because we'll have the best coverage on the net.

The Urban Dictionary accepts new poker terminology
Thanks to Gavin for pointing this out on the radio show. 

Gaining a reputation for always having a stable of horse in most of the tournaments he enters, Lindgen was busy buying pieces of other players right up until the moment the tournament director announced, “Shuffle up and deal.” He had entered the Amazon Room with, to name a few, Huck Seed, Chris Bell, and Anthony Reategui, who in an amazing coincidence were all sent to the same table as Lindgren. “Somehow they put us all at the same table,” he said. “It’s really unfortunate. I’ve got them all to my left so I’ve had to play really tight solid poker, which I would probably be doing any way. They don’t give you enough chips to actually mess around. You can’t just bluff your way through. It would be pretty stupid.”

In an encounter that showed how problematic it has been for Lindgren to have so many tough players sitting on his left, he opened for a $600 raise from the cutoff seat and Huck popped it to 2k from the button, forcing Lindgren to muck his cards. “I don’t think Huck necessarily had anything,” said Lindgren afterwards. “Our table just sucks right now. It’s the worst table in the joint. There are 3,000 people here and I’m playing with four really good players and five other guys who can play.”

At the fifteen-minute break between level 5 and 6, Lindgren had about 3.7k. “I’m alright,” he said, “but I had better make something happen this next level. I’m getting in trouble.”

[Lindgren would get eliminated by Huck Seed shortly after returning from the break.]