Is live poker experiencing another boom? Everything in Las Vegas suggests that if you thought poker was dead, you'd be dead wrong. A total of 18 of the 20 events of this year's WSOP have surpassed last year's numbers, ranging from +1% to +51% year-on-year growth. In view of this trend, it is increasingly being predicted that when last year's historic ME in 2006 missed by only 110 entries, this year the record will no longer stand a chance!
The main tournament is still far away, but fortunately, the events in Vegas are showering us with interesting stories every day. A comeback performed in Event #24 $1,500 Razz by David "ODB" Baker, who at one point in the game was down to just the last two blinds. Chip'n'chair made it to the finish by winning his third bracelet, to which he also collected a $152,991 bonus. "If you did a poll among players about who loves poker the most, I'd be in the top ten. This is what I live for. It really means everything to me!”
Another big name among the freshest champions is Josh Arieh, who excelled in the $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship event. Among the 134 entries, Arieh made his way to the very top of the field, which, in addition to the $195,443 reward, brought him a valuable bracelet with the number five.
Although we regularly write about who wins bracelets and big prizes in Vegas, we also have to mention those who have not yet arrived at the WSOP. One of them is the WSOP 1998 Main Event champion and the owner of a total of five WSOP bracelets, Scotty Nguyen, who clearly belongs to the icons of world poker. The regular participant of the WSOP for many years is absent from the tables this year, but the reason is health - the Vietnamese-American icon is recovering from surgeries. The reason was the sliding rib syndrome, which causes unpleasant pains in the chest, but the surgery successfully removed it, as Scotty himself informed his fans.
"I want to let you all know that the surgery and recovery are going very well. At the moment, both sides hurt, I have trouble getting out of bed, but I still have my wife Julia by my side, who helps me with everything. I love you all and I hope to see you in the second half of the WSOP!”
At the very end of this article, we have prepared a moment that we have never seen before in the history of TV poker. Right during the stream of the $1,500 6-max limit hold'em event, we could witness how "hit the nuts" took on a completely new dimension in the rail behind the TV table. One of the viewers caught a blow right on the most sensitive place, which was noticed by the viewers in the stream:
“Was that a hit right…there? Did you see that?” streamed commentators began, unsure at first. "Yeah, the guy goes to the ground, oh my god, she really hit him right there!" To make matters worse, this whole absurd situation is underlined by the statements of both her performers:
Source: WSOP, PokerNews, Twitter, YouTube, CardPlayer
