Who's left?

The Main Event of the 2007 WSOP continues in to the multiple Day 2's, ever thinning the herd, reducing it down to the point where all players will be housed in the massive Amazon Room at the Rio Casino and Hotel. That room full will be weeded down to a final table, and then ultimately the remaining players will be ushered over to the "final table" area to play it all down to the last man standing. Who will it be? Somebody? Most likely nobody... Luck seems to be becoming the most deciding factor in these uber-events. Skill levels in my mind have drastically improved, since everyone has any number of ample opportunities to practice their game online or at some brick and mortar casino. This isn't a bad thing...but the game has changed. It's even changed in the short amount of time in my poker "career." By "career" all I mean is since I first started playing. There used to be sharks and fishes. Now there are so many classifications of players that you need to keep straight at the tables. In your home games, online, and B&M you also have the maniacs, whales, rounders, drunks, foreigners, ADD babies, etc... On the televised games, you have that plus the aristocracy of the game, the pros, who make their living at poker, and have the endorsement contracts which add gravy to their game. These guys and gals are the new heroes. They're treated like rockstars. I do it too, when I was in Las Vegas a couple weeks ago, I was snapping pictures and jockeying for position on the rail just like everyone else. Heroes come in strange places, but at least now, they're not in a back room card game. There's a spotlight on the game they play.

My son even watches the game on TV with us from time-to-time. A commercial for UB's Aruba Classic came on, which he watched intently. He asked me "why don't you do that daddy?" I told him because it would cost more money than I was willing or able to lose. His response, "...but you can win a lot!" The concept of risk hasn't set in for him yet at the tender age of 8. He doesn't understand that if I piss it away at the table, that the house we live in, the cars we drive, the food he eats, and most consequential to him, the toys he plays with, would be no more. I have responsibilities. I'm the breed of card player, that is recreational, responsible, and minimally profitable. In the words of Mike McDermot, "...you can't lose what you don't put in the middle." I know Worm would not approve. And no, I'm not even playing at the Mike McD level. Nowhere even close! I don't presume to have the skill or ability, but most of all...I am not willing to let my family down. Maybe years from now, my game will expand, but today in the here and now...I'm family man, and that's okay too. No chasing of pipe dreams anymore. In fact my pipe dream (poker related) isn't even the same anymore. Once upon a time it would have been to play in the Main Event. But now, my pipe dream would be to play B&M Ring Games. And not just NLHE anymore. I enjoy many games of poker. They keep it exciting for me. Some would complain that I'm not a purist...so be it.

At any rate...back to the Main Event. A lot of the heavy hitters have headed for the rail. Guys I would have loved to watch at a final table aren't there. There will be a grouping of newbies there to watch and rate and rank...and more than likely we'll never see them again, except in ESPN reruns of the series for years to come.

Here's a listing of the names that catch my eye as noteworthy bustouts thus far. Sadly, there will be more:

Day 1A
Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, Mike Sexton, Josh Arieh, Eli Elezra, Shaniac, Dewey Tomko, John D'Agostino, Mel Judah, Johnny Chan, Liz Lieu, The Grinder, Vince Van Patten, Devilfish, Joe Awada.

Day 1B
Jeff Shulman, Erik Seidel, Isabelle Mercier, Kathy Liebert, Scott Fischman, Jennifer Harman, Annie Duke, Howard Lederer, David Williams, Sam Farha, and John Juanda.

Day 1C
Phil Laak, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, Shannon Elizabeth, Greg Raymer, Phil Ivey, Chris Bigler, Men "The Master" Nguyen, Jennifer Tilly, Clonie Gowen, Andy Bloch, David Sklansky, Vanessa Rousso, TJ Cloutier, Kenna James.

Day 1D
Jamie Gold, Phil Hellmuth, Chip Reese, Brandi Hawbaker, Paul Darden, Cyndy Violette, David Benyamine, Dutch Boyd, Erick Lindgren.

Day 2A
Lou Krieger, Evelyn Ng, Barry Greenstein, Dan Harrington, Paul Wasicka, Mark Seif, Patrick Antonius, Joe Hachem, Captain Tom Franklin, Montel Williams, Hoyt Corkins, Tom McEvoy, Joe Sebok, Miami John Cernuto, and David the Dragon Pham.

Sheesh...should I just pick a name out of the remaining crowd at random (preferably one I've never heard of) and start cheering them on? But there are a few of the "good guys" still in there! We'll see.

Frank Wolfe did tell me last night that Jim Lucas is still in the main event. Who is Jim Lucas? Well he's from Florida but a couple months back, he was in town, right here in Parkersburg, WV...and showed up to play at Frank's first game in the new house. Big Red and I, made it to game #2 and I believe he sat to my left. Good luck to you! I suppose you have greater ambition than I, or is it that you are at a different stage in life, where you can afford the luxury. Either way...get in there when you have the best of it, protect it when you don't.

I'll continue to live vicariously through the blogs of others throughout the remainder of the Series. Thanks to all who play and have brightened my day, and given me something to look forward to.

Regards,

cheer_dad