03 WSOP was on ESPN Last Night

[Festus22]

First footage of the '03 event I've seen. Anyone know what their schedule is for the remainder of the event? Last night covered some early round action focusing on one table. A few highlights:

Varconi went all in with pocket K-K PF only to be called by Nguyen with pocket A-A. '02 champ = toast.

Brunson went all in (short stack) with K-9s and ran up against pocket K-K and that ended his campaign.

ESPN did a piece on dead money (guys that basically have no chance) and one of the guys mentioned in that piece was Moneymaker. Oops!

Also noticed a lot of guys playing non-face suited connectors and one gappers. Although I guess there's guys in that crowd who could probably play 7-2o profitably.

[Ed Miller]

Preflop play is very different in no limit than it is in limit because the potential to win money after the flop is much greater in no limit.

Having said that, I didn't understand Doyle's call of the big raise with K9s.

[Slowplay]

Did you see the smug smiles on the faces of all the Big Dogs when Lucky Robert made his walk of shame? It was priceless. Getting his cowboys cracked by Scotty's bullets is hubruis re-defined. I, for one, was thrilled to see him crawl out of Binion's like a scolded puppy. Last year's win was a punchline.

SP

[KefAAAA]

Anyone know when the rest of the showings are?
Thanks

[Festus22]

It's on every Tuesday night at 9 Eastern on ESPN through the end of August. It's also on ESPN2 tonight at 10 but that may be a replay of last night (Slowplay: maybe the thrill of watching Varconi slinking out again?).

[Homer]

I, for one, was thrilled to see him crawl out of Binion's like a scolded puppy.

Why?

[KefAAAA]

What does everyone have against Varconi?

[Festus22]

This is purely an outsiders view but since he is not a professional poker player, he did not get the respect he deserved. Last year Hellmuth said when the final table started (with Varconi having the chip lead) that he would shave his head if Varconi won. Sure he was just having fun but that indicated the lack of respect for Varconi's game. Even on last night's telecast, Brunson made some kind of demeaning remark regarding the amateurs (sorry, don't remember the details). Maybe having amateurs win the last two has knocked the pros self image down a bit. Who knows but one thing is certain, you have to have a lot of skill AND luck to win the big events. Wait a few weeks and see what eventual winner Moneymaker (amateur) rivered on pro Phil Ivey.

[Slowplay]

All right, I'll gladly give him credit for winning, but not for winning play, and DEFINITELY not for not behaving like a winner. He rolled to the final table last year in a wheelchair (cracking Hellmuth on day four by calling with a dubious QT and filling up on the river; the same Glad Bad hand that he smoked Harley Hall with on the final table, by the way).

Now, sitting 7th in chips at the final table he calls Gardiner's UTG AA all-in with 77--on the first hand, no less--and is nearly felted right then and there. And then Shipley just hands over the chip-lead to him on a silver platter by making an incredibly foolish all-in call with A9s against Lucky Robby's JJ, letting him double-up and take control.

I have all the respect in the world for Shipley, but considering the fact that he knew virtually nothing about Robert, I am shocked that he made this play--don't you always error on the side of caution with amateurs, who don't and can't bluff in that situation? Watch the footage closely and you'll notice that the moment Robert goes all-in he stares directly at Shipley's stack--a nearly 100% reliable rookie tell that he wants him to call! Shipley misses this and then makes the veteran move of asking Robert how much he has (getting him to speak) and he responds without the slightest crack in his voice; yet another solid tell that he's got a legimate hand. And so it went last year.

Perhaps the biggest shamrock to fall out of his a** was when he woke up OTB with AA and--now there's only three players left--Gardiner brings it in UTG with TT and Harley Hall comes over the top with JJ. Lucky Robby stikes again, busting Hall (Gardiner folded his tens, astute enough to realize the difference in prize money between 2nd and 3rd).

But none of this fortune compels my distaste for the man; nope, it's his transparent, "Aw, Shucks", phony sheepish, nearly saccharine presence. It's his MIT-grad-the-geeks-shall-inherit-the-earth-Star-Trek-Skittles-Diet-Coke-mousy-voice-Bill-Gates-I-got-the-sh**-beat-out-me-in-high-school-now-it's-revenge-time image that boils my blood, churns my stomach and makes me long for the Return of Cool.

Poor Brunson. He must feel like Frankenstein (for those who were smart enough NOT to study English, the was the name of the doctor, not the monster; the monster's name was never revealed, although for our purposes, let's now call him Lucky Robby).

Phew. I feel much better now.

SP

[girlny]

re: slowplay's characterization of robert v.---BRILLIANT

[J.R.]

makes me long for the Return of Cool.

You'll be waiting a long time if you expect to find it in poker.

[dirty_dan]

What's wrong with Skittles?

[Slowplay]

Not only do I expect to find our collective definition of "Cool" in the coming years, I guarantee it--the WSOP has, like or not, started to bleed into the mainstream and when this happens we are powerless against the media juggernaut and it's handling of marketablility. Why do you suspect that ESPN launched this year's broadcast with Lucky Robby and Brunson's table? They certainly were not targeting the die-hard poker fan (the quality of play would have been clearly better at a different table). They were, of course, appealing to the masses; an audience that would respond favorably to their Reality-TV approach, pitting the weathered old pro whose game has diminished against a lucky amateur whose only contribution to the event might ultimately be luring more dead money next year, inflating the purse, and the pockets of professionals who make money playing in side games. Christ, ESPN even flung those nauseating player profiles at us. It was like Brunson and Robby were voted off the fu**ing island.

So, yes indeed, poker will--has--been subjected to one big fat focus group that are the narrow-minds and wide-waists of America and guess what--Robert V. just doesn't fit. I'll bet the remaining telecats will focus on the self-proclaimed John McEnroe and the weird, long-haired card-thrower; however, all of the attention will eventually shift to Ivey, the African American youngster who wears Blue Marlin throwback jerseys, real sunglasses (no Ray-Ban knock-offs here) and is in a word, "Cool". Cool as the other side of the pillow.

SP

[J.R.]

I hope you are right. Maybe I'm too self-deprecating/lack vision, but sitting around a table gambling all day with the cast of characters often found in a casino has never really seemed to me to be the culturally desirable thing to do (although I personally may never get enough of it).

[Stork]

I guess they're kinda like p*ssified eminems...
Personally, I don't have anything against them though

[asdf1234]

Not to be picky, but a few corrections on the 2002 WSOP hands.

When Shipley doubled up Robert big time, Robert had JJ and Shipley had AJo.

The TT vs.JJ vs. AA hand. Gardner did have TT, but it was Ralph Perry, not Harley Hall who had JJ. Harley finished fifth.

Also, I believe Julian Gardner knocked out Harley Hall with K7o when Hall had A2.

The final hand Robert won with QT, but he busted Julian, with it, not Harley. He caught his boat on the river with the ten of clubs, making Julian's flush, but also making it no good.

And yes, I also think it's sad I have these hands memorized.

All that being said, I think it's good if amateurs win. If amateurs never won, do you think fish would be more or less inclined to venture out into their local casino only to be gobbled up by sharks? Just a thought.