World Series of Poker: Psyched Up

"What a long strange trip it’s been." - Grateful Dead

July 18, 2007

By Jake Gosselin
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer

The story of the first couple days of the World Series of Poker Main Event was the widespread slaughter of the biggest names in poker.

With only a few exceptions, the rule of thumb was that if you had heard of a player, they were probably already out and playing at the Bellagio Cup after Day One.

Many of the pros simply got caught with their hands in the cookie jar on flush draws or on weak bluffs as they tried to get a head start in the race.

Phil Hellmuth, the man who arrived wearing a flame-retardant NASCAR racing suit, escorted by a gaggle of models, showed up and barely had time to eat his cheeseburger at the table before getting short-stacked and forced all-in on the big blind.

In like a lion and out like a lamb. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

Pros who did make a go of it were Huck Seed ($103,382), Gus Hansen ($154,194), Lee Watkinson ($585,699) and of course Scotty Nguyen ($476,926).

Scotty Nguyen

The Prince of Poker made an incredible comeback on Day 6. Early in the day he found himself the shortest stack in the tournament with $1 million but he carved his way through the ranks all the way up to $17 million. But it was not to be for Nguyen as he then went on to blow his entire stack in an hour, busting out in 11th place.

Nguyen busted out in 11th place. (Bodog Nation photo)

On several occasions Nguyen seemed to have the uncanny ability to predict not only the strength of opponents’ hands but also the actual cards that would come on the board.

At one point early in the tournament, he got up from his table to watch an all-in call at another.

One player was on a flush draw after the Turn and needed a heart – any heart – and Nguyen piped up saying, “It’s gonna be a ten of hearts.”

And of course, it was.

I had a chance to interview this eccentric hero to the poker people and asked him if he actually makes decisions in his game based on gut instinct and intuition as opposed to simply reading tells and weighing odds.

He said, “Of course. I visualize the card and I make it happen, baby.”

Lee Watkinson

With Nguyen busted out that left only Lee Watkinson to tow the line for the pros at the Final Table.

Watkinson is a 40-year-old poker pro, businessman, and animal rights activist from Cheney, WA. He was one of only two players at the final table who owned a WSOP bracelet. He has a degree in economics, a record company and a clothing line.

Watkinson’s skill and experience made him the second favorite to win the Final Table according to poker props oddsmakers. But he ended up getting eliminated early at the Final Table when he was caught in the aggressive poker storm known as Jerry Yang, as Yang eliminated the first four players of the day.

The fifth player to be eliminated was the online poker prodigy, Rain Khan.

Rain Khan

Hevad “Rain” Khan, as you will see when you watch the ESPN Main Event coverage in August, is an absolute wildman.

Khan gained some small Internet fame after an online poker site confused him with a “bot” while he was playing dozens of sit-n-go’s all at once. He then created a video of himself playing 28 tables at once and sent it in to the site prove that it was in fact him playing and not some computer program.

Hevad "Rain" Khan was a wildman at the tables. (Bodog Nation Photo)

Khan was redeemed, his identity confirmed as human, his account reopened, and he went on to a very successful online career, part of which included winning an online qualifier to the 2007 WSOP Main Event.

It was there that Khan showcased not only his deadly poker skills but also his over-the-top antics and showboating. Throughout the WSOP, whenever he won a sizable pot, he would scream some kind of nonsense and put a chair on his head, or play invisible basketball, or just run around yelling nonsense.

The general attitude at the World Series was that Khan was a decent guy and wasn’t trying to rub his win in his opponents’ faces but was just genuinely happy.

While this might have been the case in several of the instances, it was sometimes apparent that the antics were strictly for the attention of the cameras and the notoriety the exposure would bring.

He was hamming it up.

One thing is for sure though, Khan is a solid poker player and, for better or worse, we can expect to see more from this lunatic in the future.

He finished in sixth place, cashing for $956,243.

Jerry Yang

Who would’ve guessed that relative unknown Jerry Yang, with the second fewest chips coming into the final table, would come out swinging and proceed to not only knock out Watkinson but seven of the eight other players before going on to win the entire Main Event.

Yang is a 39-year-old psychologist and social worker from southern California. He’s a native of Laos who holds a master's degree in health psychology and is married with six children. Yang started playing poker only two years ago and won a seat into the Main Event via a satellite held at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA. His total investment in this event was just $225.

The socially-conscious Yang is determined to give something back to charity and pledged 10 percent of his winnings from the tournament to three different charities – the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Feed the Children, and the Ronald McDonald House.

Although Watkinson and his chimps would’ve made good use of the money, it’s tough to take issue with a champion like Yang.

WSOP Celebrities

There were strong performances from Jason Alexander (George from Seinfeld), Sully Erna (lead singer of Godsmack) and Sam Simon (co-creator of "The Simpsons").

There were also some not-so-good performances from celebrities like Jose Canseco (ex-baseball player/steroid user) who, after busting out on Day One, complained to reporters that the other players were snobs and acted as if they had gone to “Poker University.”

Rick Tocchet (ex-NHL assistant coach/operator of illegal gambling ring) was one of the few celebrities to make Day Two, but presumably due to all of the bad press he was getting for playing in the world’s highest profile poker tournament so soon after his conviction for operating an illegal gambling ring, he ended up abandoning his chips and didn’t show up for Day Two.

Spidey put forth a good show this year. (Bodog Nation Photo)

Tobey Maguire (Spiderman) was probably the most recognizable name playing in the World Series of Poker Main Event and was also one of the most successful.

Maguire outlasted more than 95% of the field and even doubled up through Team Bodog’s Jose “head2782″ Severino.

Severino told Bodog Nation, “I knew Spidey was playing tight but I thought I’d give him a shot at me. I doubled him up. Whatever, Spiderman.”

Maguire was ultimately eliminated from the World Series of Poker after getting deep enough to earn himself $39,445.

So at least we know Tobey won’t go hungry this winter.

Team Bodog

The Bodog Pack had a good run this year with more than a few pleasant surprises.

One of the team favorites was Team Bodog Pro David Williams’ mother Shirley. She played some impressive poker and beat out more than 90% of a field of the best poker players on the planet and cashed for $29,833.

Bodog had three cashes for $34,664 from Chris Hamman, Greg Hobson and Frank Welch.

Jose "head2782″ Severino, who is currently No. 1 on the Bodog Yearly Tournament Leader Board was looking like a serious contender until a string of bad beats knocked him out in 345th place, earning him $39,445.
 
Dan Melan played some seriously good poker as he competed with the best players on the planet. He faced off against the likes of Chris “Jesus” Ferguson and Scotty Nguyen and ultimately cashed for $45,422.

The ESPN cameras loved Maria Ho. (Bodog Nation Photo)

Bodog’s Kelly Jo McGlothlin and Maria Ho were the last two women to survive the World Series of Poker Main Event, cashing for $67,535 and $237,865 respectively.

Since her outstanding performance Maria has been doing interviews with almost every major poker publication on the planet.

The ESPN cameras also loved Maria so you can expect to see plenty of her when you watch the ESPN coverage on TV.

TOP PHOTO: Jerry Yang knocked out seven of eight opponents to win the 2007 WSOP Main Event. (AP Images)