The Longest Day in History

It was just another day of poker. Just another day, that is, if you are accustomed to 96 hour days.

The fourth and final flight of “Day 1” of the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event is nearing an end as this is being posted and those that have labored through fifteen hours of poker (well, fifteen hours counting dinner and breaks) with some chips still in front of them now get the chance to gather their wits and energy and embark on yet another long, long day. Tuesday, survivors of the first two parts of Day 1 face off at the Rio, while those who participated in the second two parts wait until Wednesday to try to advance closer to the final table.

All in all, while the Main Event has had some circus-esque features, it has not been nearly as crazy as one might have expected, considering the wild scene it was last year. Yes, of course every table was full, of course there were thousands of fans milling around in the halls and in the poker lifestyles show, and, of course, there were multitudes of media trying to get that one photo or story that is oh, so important. But because of some measures put in place by Harrah’s, it’s not as unbearable as it could have been.

As has been the case with most of the events, half of the players are dismissed for a break, while the others continue play. When the break is over, the second half of the players go on break and the first half resumes. This has made actually finding a toilet possible, as opposed to last year, where it was advised to pack a catheter.

Tournament officials also decided not long into the first day to restrict spectator access to the poker room. At first this was quite annoying for fans, particularly if they had friends or family playing, but it was probably a good move. Each day, hundreds of alternates were waiting for a seat and were originally having problems wading through the teeming masses to reach their tables. With spectators pushed out into the halls, the walking lanes in the room were luxuriously wide (think Seinfeld when Kramer redrew the lane lines on his piece of highway), affording players, officials, media, and Rio staff ample room to roam.

There was one problem that resulted from this though. It didn’t really feel like the most important poker event of the year. As a floor manager said, “There’s no electricity.” And he was right. Until the crowds were let back in later in each day, after all the alternates had been seated, the room was actually strangely quiet, save the constant clacking of chips. Even that becomes white noise if you’re in the room long enough. Occasionally, the cries of an enthusiastic player or a dealer calling for the floor will echo across the two hundred tables, but generally, the atmosphere is eerily tepid.

Once the fans are let in, the Amazon Room buzzes more, but even then, since it’s late, not as many spectators are filling the aisles. Maybe it’s for the better, though. Each seat did cost $10,000 and the players are playing for millions of dollars in prizes, so maybe a little sanity is a decent idea.

But enough praise for Harrah’s. They must have done something wrong, right? Of course. Enter the “all-in chip.” At the start of the tournament, players found a WSOP commemorative card protector at their seats. That’s a nice little memento. But tournament officials announced on Day 1A that this was not just a keepsake, and was not just something to place on top of your cards. Oh, no. This chip could be used to signify that you were all-in. Instead of moving all of your chips to the middle of the table, you could simply toss the card protector into the pot and you’d be all-in.

Great idea! There’s no way that could cause any problems! Especially after two more announcements were made within the first five minutes reminding players not to fool around with those chips, as they would signify an all-in if thrown into the pot. What could go wrong?

There’s no way someone would accidentally use his card protector to go all-in with 5-9, is there? Wait…this actually happened? Oh. Hmm.

And so the WSOP did away with the “all-in chip.” Nice try, though.

Quote of the “First Day”

Overheard while eating dinner:

“This tournament is easy. Every single player at my table qualified online.”