WSOP down to Final Four (in more ways than one)
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(Note: these are excerpts from a thread in the ViewFromVegas Forums that I've been filing all day from the final table of the World Series of Poker's Main Event. Players are on a dinner break until approximately 8:30 p.m. PDT, so there's time to join in the discussion. I'll continue posting in the forum the rest of the evening.)
tuleythetout said: July 17, 2007 12:34 PM I'm live at the Rio for the final table of the 2007 Main Event. At 12:18 p.m. PDT, last year's winner Jamie Gold said the traditional words "Shuffle Up and Deal" and the cards went in the air for the final nine players who are shooting for the $8.25 million first-place prize, the coveted bracelt, as well as poker immortality. I'll be posting my thoughts here throughout the day. Feel free to make your comments if you're watching the ESPN pay-per-view, listening to the audio link on worldseriesofpoker.com, or just want to wax philosophical. |
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tuleythetout said: July 17, 2007 3:31 PM
As I begin this update, they've been playing for three hours and three players have been eliminated. That would be great if this lasts only 9 hours, unlike the final table two years ago that went to 6:40 a.m. the following day. When players came back from a break right before the top of the hour, these were the official standings: Jerry Yang $62.49 million Tuan Lam $20.025 million Raymond Rahme $17.105 million Jon Kalmar $15.91 million Hevad 'Rain' Khan $7.755 million Alex Kravchenko $4.2 million Yang has dominated the early action. He has been the aggressor and won the first two hands at the final table, five of the first nine, 12 or the first 28, and has personally eliminated the three ousted players. The blinds have increased to $150,000/$300,000 with a $40,000 ante. |
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tuleythetout said: July 17, 2007 3:41 PM
As for the scene here, spectators are crowded 4-5 deep around the stage that holds the final table. It looks more like a TV set, which it is as ESPN cameras are shooting from all angles for the live pay-per-view ($19.95 from your local cable operator if still interested) and the taped show on Oct. 30. The rest of the cavernous Amazon Ballroom, which has hosted the entire WSOP is relatively empty. There are TVs set up all over for people to sit and watch the action (though no hole cards are shown). It's really not that exciting of an atmosphere if you're not right in the middle of the action. In fact, I was trying to come up with an analogy and I think I've got it — the WSOP is like the NCAA tournament. The championship game is necessary as it crowns the champion, but the real charm of March Madness is that opening weekend of games, especially the 16 do-or-die first-round matchups on Thursday and Friday that make it an all day event. The WSOP is the same way: you have to have the final table to determine the champion and that's the name that will go in the record books, but the real charm of the WSOP is those first few days when everyone has the dream. On those opening days, there is a buzz in the room as word comes from all corners: Phil Helmuth has doubled up, Mike Matusow is pouting after losing a big pot, celebrity sightings galore, the blind guy who was allowed to play, etc. There are so many stories and twists and turns that you just can't get from one table. Still, I plan to stick it out and see what stories the final table has in store. |
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tuleythetout said: July 17, 2007 7:11 PM
Three hours later...I was hoping for more of a discussion here, but while a lot of people are viewing this thread, no one has posted (I'm guessing not many shelled out the $19.95 for the pay-per-view), but I'll carry on as long as people are reading... The Amazon Room is filling up more as the action heats up, and perhaps due to people getting off of work (though in this 24-hour town, only about a third of the employees have the stereotypical 9-to-5 workday), so I'm going to stick with the opinion that it's because poker fans know we're getting closer to crowning a champion. The crowd around the actual table is about the same as before, but there are many more hundreds of people seated in front of the big-screen TVs in the surrounding area. Only two more players have busted out in the past three hours as we approach 7 p.m. PDT. Hevad 'Rain' Khan finished sixth, earning $956,243. The remaining five were to win more than a million, starting with fifth-place finisher Jon Kalmar, who earned $1,255,069. Kalmar was the first player not to be eliminated Jerry Yang. Fourth place will be worth $1,852,721, third will be $3,048,025, second will be $4,840,981, and first is $8,250,000. Just before 7 p.m. PDT (6:56 p.m. to be exact), the players began a 90-minute dinner break. So play will resume right around 8:30 p.m. The official chip counts heading into the break: Jerry Yang $71.275 million Raymond Rahme $33.2 million Alex Kravchenko $11.75 million Tuan Lam $11.25 million I'll post again later after a player is eliminated. If you don't want to shell out the $19.95 for the ESPN pay-per-view, the live audio feed is free at worldseriesofpoker.com or just keep checking the ViewFromVegas Forums. |
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