WSOP — The Vegas Tourist

121 – Catching Up and interview with The Godfather

We Are Alive!! We Are Alive!! Podcast 121 is a mix of new and old. Some of the news hitting The Vegas Tourist radar mixed with an interview from a podcast that never made it to posting. But its all good fun for everyone…

The year has flown by and now its almost September, Damn!! The fall is when Vegas starts getting active again with conventions and tourists. Less family, more business and more adult stuff…

Since our last Podcast, We had the annual Trekie Convention in town, so we had our fill of Spock ears and bad Klingon outfits. That was followed by the DefCon gang. The computer hackers of the world come in and mix with those who want to hire them. Vegas apparently is neutral ground for them. Something left over from the old days of rival Mafia gangs or something…. Who knows??

Mixed in with all of this is a podcast edited for play, of us coming back from The World Series of Poker media tournament. We had a ringer this year: The GodFather and he brought us the BatMobile to ride in. Yes, you get to meet the infamous Godfather Sazzy always talks about. Or at least hear why we like him so much!

Here is a list of some links and notes from Podcast 122

So take a listen and tell us what you think…. Always open to your comments and suggestions.

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Binion, Ivey, WSOP History

Sazzy and I spent some time Thursday at the World Series of Poker and was able to catch a little piece of history. The Godfather of WSOP, Jack Binion awarding Phil Ivey his eighth gold bracelet. Not bad for a 33 year old poker pro.

It’s one thing to win a gold bracelet, its another to have it presented to you from the man who made WSOP what it is. Jack Binion and his father are the men credited for creating the championship game and making it the premier event in the world of poker back in 1970.

It was kind of strange to see Jack up there with Phil. Two men from two different era’s of the same game. One is the man who created it and protected it as it grew. Only to have his sister screw it all up and literally give away to some big, impersonal corporation. The other is a man who is barely in his prime and who has spent most of his WSOP career with it in the new owners hands.

Jack is not one for fancy pomp and circumstances. the presentation was over and he immediately left the stage and headed for the exit. However, I did catch him on his way out and saw that Binion magic at play. He walked out the main corridor, stopping to say hello to anyone who asked. He also made a point to stop and say hello to all the vendors along the way. The people who are helping to make this an enjoyable event for the fans and players. That’s the magic that is missing in the game. That personal touch that the Binions were famous for.

Phil Ivey was the winner of the $3,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. championship on Wednesday. From the sounds of it, this was a dramatic win for Ivey and marks his eighth career WSOP gold bracelet victory. That locks Ivey into a tie with Erik Seidel for fifth place on the all-time WSOP wins list.

Phil Ivey also becomes the youngest player in WSOP history ever to reach such a lofty plateau. This puts him on the same page as the game masters Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and the late Johnny Moss. A nice place to be sitting.

Listening to him, Phil Ivey shows absolutely no signs of slowing down and remains hungry to win a few more. And that begged a question from the media. if you can make more money player cash games, why are you here at WSOP? His answer was one of pride and honor. To him, the WSOP has made him what he is. He wouldn’t be where he is today if it wasn’t for the years he played in the WSOP and the skill she learned in the tournaments.

It is where he got the fame, the money and the sharp skills. So he plays it because this is here he belongs right now. As always, its not about the money, its about the honor of saying “I won a gold bracelet.”

I can see Phil back at the final table. One of the November Nine….