The bulls are gone, the cowboys are healing and the cards fell silent.  Thus we come to the end of a very long and wild week of events here in Las Vegas.

The interesting thing is what ties the PBR and WSOP together.  Bull Riders and Poker Players.  A collective agreement of the minds, as it were.  What the winners went after and what they received verses what the public perceived they played for and in the end, what we all got out of it.

First The PBR

What was accurately billed as the tightest race in the sport’s history came down to the wire and the numbers.  The top two contenders are the best of friends, yet the best competitors.

When I say it was a battle to the end, it really was.  They were THAT close together.

Kody Lostroh and JB Mauney gave the 17,000 fans in the Thomas and Mack Center every dime they paid for the tickets as they entered the last round almost dead even for the top spot.  Each riding one of the toughest bulls in the world.

Kody came out the 2009 Pro Bull Rider’s World Champion.

The WSOP
This was billed as youth verses age.  Both players being new to the World Series of Poker. Both having beat out some of the best known names in poker to be here for the final round.

Devine Moon, the lumberjack and Joe Cada, the college drop out turned poker pro. One simply wearing his favorite NFL team’s hat, the other decked out in his sponsor’s clothing line.

Cada came into the final round with a unbelievable chip lead.  Almost 3 to 1 against Moon.  Cada showed up with a large fan base where Moon came with a few friends and relatives.

Moon is a very stoic, cold-faced player against a usually very animated and a bit jumpy Cada.  Except the final round saw two men seriously focused on a game of poker.  In fact they never really exchanged any conversation until an hour into the game.

With some amazing swings in chip counts and plays, it took three hours of play before Cada finally swept the pot and took the prize.

And that’s where they all run together.  Where the two biggest events in Vegas this weekend share a moment.

In post game interviews, the winners all said the same thing.  While everyone was asking them about the money, it wasn’t the money they were after.  They came here for the jewelry.  The money was secondary.  They wanted the buckle/bracelet more than the money.  It’s about the bling!!

The Vegas Tourist sends out our warm congratulations to the winners for giving us fans a very exciting weekend of sports competition and enjoy the bling!! (now we can get some sleep!)