WSOP likes and dislikes

All-in

Jeff Madsen
He won two gold bracelets, placed third in another couple of events and he’s only 21 years old! You think you’d hate him but he’s one of the nicest blokes in poker. Jeff, we salute you.

Star-spotting
‘It is him, it’s the fish, go and say hello.’ An English couple spot their hero – HillyTheFish – outside the Rio. He might not have won the Main Event but he’s still a star in some people’s eyes.

Poker Powder
Nine hours sat on a seat? No problem. A liberal sprinkling of Poker Powder (check out Rick’s Picks next month) and you’ll be as dry as Death Valley.

Tao
It’s the best club in Vegas at the moment. We might feel close to death but we had a damn fine time ruining ourselves in it.

‘Shuffle up and deal’
The words uttered on the first day of the Main Event, followed by over 2,000 players applauding and cheering, which literally sent shudders down our spines. Make sure you’re there for it next year.

The Devilfish #1
Celebs at the WSOP? You’re due for short shrift unless you’re Shannon Elizabeth or Matt Damon. What would you expect the Devilfish to say when he was introduced to poor old Brian McFadden? He didn’t disappoint: ‘Who the f are you?’

The Devilfish #2
Amarillo Slim’s got more stories under his hat than the world’s got hats but the following had us spitting our Bellagio buffet back out: ‘That Devilfish, I know him, I made him hopping mad one day when I called him the Jellyfish. He was so mad… (yuck, yuck, yuck).’

The Nugget and The Vixen
Vegas might be full of the most cosmetically gifted bodies but all eyes were on a gorgeous Brit during an early morning photo shoot at the Rio. Davis also managed to cash at this year’s WSOP Main Event. Some people were heard to mutter that ‘Leilani’s a bit of all right as well.’ And yes, that is Woods in the background. The tit.

The Mouth
He was out of the Main Event but he was still there in spirit at the end watching/shouting/staggering and clutching a copy of PokerPlayer.

Phil Hellmuth
He badly wanted his 10th bracelet. He came close once and then finally got it in the $1,000 rebuy tournament. One word: legend.

Fold

Phil Hellmuth
He got his 10th bracelet two days after last month’s WSOP material went to press making us look out-of-date when we hit the shelves. One word: tardy.

Penn
One half of the legendary magic duo, he knocked Woods out of the Media event after 10 minutes. Never play poker with a man famed for sleight of hand. He made Woods’ chips disappear and we’re sure the Ace on the flop appeared as if by magic. Didn’t even offer free tickets to his show by way of compensation and spoke about as much as Teller on Woods’ exit.

Idiot journalists
We get into the WSOP press conference and some idiot American (who probably thinks Australia is the capital of London) stands up and asks the following question to TJ Cloutier and Billy Baxter: ‘How tough is it to get through the tournament now with all the so-called amateurs and entrants who come in through the satellites like Joe.’ Thankfully, Hachem got to answer: ‘To the gentlemen that asked the question, with all due respect, you should get your facts right before you ask a question. I paid $10,000 for my entry, I didn’t win a satellite for $30 online.’

PokerShare’s chimp
Cheap publicity? Go for it, just don’t try and cheapen the biggest and best poker tournament ever. ‘We think any chump can win the Main Event,’ said PokerShare.com, as they tried to enter a chimp into the Big One. A horribly, horribly misguided press release. Oh, and he can’t play poker. He can eat sweets, blow raspberries and beat the poker table like the feral beast he is. And he was never entered into the Main Event as confirmed by the WSOP’s Jeffrey Pollock: ‘There has been no chimp entered in the Main Event and nor will there be.’

Big boys on mobility carts
Surely someone could have said something around the 20-stone mark? Stop eating burgers.

Certain ESPN employees
So you’re the official broadcast partner? It doesn’t mean you have to act like US immigration. ‘Buddy, you need to move, we’re working here.’ What, and we’re not? You might have more money, but we’ve got manners.

Buy that for a dollar
Where was the booth we found at the WSOP expo last year where you went to pay a dollar for someone to listen to your bad beat story? We suffered lots this time round and had to bore random strangers instead.

HillyTheFish’s suite at Caesars
Yes, you’re playing the graveyard shift at two in the morning and you’re not getting up until six in the evening, but get the cleaners in. We visited once and it was like a ferret’s nest.