Event #24 $2,500 NL -- Event #23 $5,000 Stud -- Event #22 $1,500 NL Final Table

I hocked up a loogey the size of Paris Hilton's dog only a few moments after I woke up to the sound of grinding garbage trucks. Flipchip told me that I got the "cough" and it's common among most non-Nevadans after living here for a few weeks. I have a feeling that it's going to linger like a bad case of the clap.

I walked across the street to Wild Wild West casino. Mrs. Flipchip said they have good breakfast specials. I only eat two meals a day and I needed to expand the base of my first meal of the day beyond Wendy's, In & Out Burger, and Subway. It's bad enough I eat the same shit here at the Rio so finding something inexpensive and only a few minutes from the Redneck Riviera was a godsend. I'm slowly morphing into that dude from Supersize Me. My kidneys are starting to throb with all that fast food grease slushing around in there.

What did I eat this morning? French Toast, bacon, hashbrowns, and an iced tea with lemon.

Wild Wild West is a locals casino and it's part of the depressing side of Las Vegas. It's like walking into a time machine and zapping yourself back to 1981. It's about the same size of my fraternity house back in Atlanta except it has people older than Bob Hope sitting at the bar drinking $1.49 draft beer specials and old ladies shoving quarters into slot machine in between puffs on those see-through tubes leading to bulky oxygen tanks, which are attached to the back of their wheelchairs.


I'm sure my waitress shit an eggroll when I left her a $3 tip on a $9 meal.

There is a big researchers convention here at the Rio. So there are a lot of dorky looking middle-aged guys wearing khaki Dockers and bumping into each other because they're spending more time on their Blackberries and less time watching out where they are walking.

The parking lot was packed and there were no close spots available. While we were circling for a spot, I spotted Doyle Brunson in his big white Stetson hat sputtering along in his motorized wheelchair. Here's the greatest poker player who ever lived and his parking in the boondocks like the rest of the masses. Our parking spot was just two or three down from his and I watched as he got up with the help of a crutch and loaded up his chair into his Cadillac.

"Big win for Todd yesterday?" I said.

"You bet!" he said with a proud smile.

"Hot enough for you?" he joked.

Texas Dolly and Flipchip commiserated about having to park so far away from the entrance to the Rio's convention center. Dolly suggested that they need a security guard back in the parking lot keeping an eye on things. I wondered how many $100 bills he had rolled up in his front pocket?

I hadn't even arrived at work, and I bumped into the man, the myth, and the legend himself... Doyle Brunson.

Fox Sports picked up my recap of last night's win by Todd Brunson. They titled it Son Rise. Take a peek. They included a great pic of Texas Dolly taken by Flipchip of course.

I'm covering three tournaments today, including a final TV table:

1. Event $22 $1500 NL Final Table = Green font
2. Event #23 $5K Stud Day 2 = Red font
3. Event #24 $2,500 NL Day 1

Yeah ESPN is taping the final table of the one I played in on Wednesday. It started with 2013 players and the prize pool is $2,777,940. The $5K Stud event began with 192 players who are competing for a prize pool of $902,400. We started play with 37 players. Stay tuned for more info on today's NL event.

****** Live Blogging Updates ******

1:05pm... $2,500 NL Day 1 update: I arrived in press row early and I was the first one here. I'm watching ESPN set up for the final table. The Rio is packed today which happens with the lower buy in NL events. Liz Leui and Jen Harman are sitting at tables next to media row. Jen is adoarble. She's usually wearing a hoodie underneath a jean jacket. She sits perched up on her seat, sometimes on her knees, and listens to her iPod.

1:45pm... Isabelle Mercier picture of the day... for Mean Gene.

2:30pm... $5K Stud Day 2 update: 37 players began today. Barry Greenstein, Thor Hansen, Joe Awada, Denis Ethier, Mike Wattel, John Phan, Chip Jett, and Dave Colclough are all still left. Sam Silverman began the day as the chip leader.

2:45pm... $1,500 NL Final Table update: The final table started a little late, which usually happens during taped events. Here is the breakdown of the final table including chip counts.

1 Minh Nguyen (Lake Elsinore) $378K
2 Devilfish Ulliot (Hull, England) $338K
3 Steve Rassi (Morton, IL) $325K
4 Webber Kang (Dallas, TX) $166K
5 James Carter (Frisco, TX) $263K
6 Bill Gazes (181K) $181K
7 Peter Lee (Queens, NY) $461K
8 Greg Raymer (Stonington, CT) $613K
9 Mark Seif (Incline Billage, NV) $305K

In the writers pool, we have strict rules. No one can pick the chipleader. BJ from Card Player took Devilfish. Jay Greenspan picked Minh Nguyen. Heather from Pokerwire took Peter Lee. I gut stuck with Mark Seif. And Otis went with Steve Rassi. Fossilman begins today as the chipleader. The best part about having Otis here now, is that I get to sit next to him everyday.

3:00pm... Evelyn Ng picture of the day... for F Train.

3:39pm... $1,500 NL Final Table update: The Devilfish is no more. He was the first player to be knocked out at the final table courtesy of Webber Kang. Devilfish pushed all in on the button with A7 and Kang called with AQ. On the turn, Kang caught a Broadway straight. Devilfish won $47,225. BJ's pick is done.

4:00pm... $1,500 NL Final Table update: Peter Lee flopped quads with 55. He won some of his chips back from Mark Seif who took them in a big pot a few minutes earlier.

4:11pm... $1,500 NL Final Table update: Steve Rassi was elimianted in 8th place by Webber Kang. Rassi moved all in preflop wih 88. Kang called with AK. Rassi was ahead on the flop and Kang caught a King on the turn to send Rassi him on 8th. He won $63,895. Otis' pick is done and he has been knocked out of the Writer's Pool. It's down to me, Heather, and Jay.

4:40pm... Bouncin Round the Room: Otis and I are drinking on the job. During the break, I bolted over to a tiny shop that sells ciggies and beers. I picked up a 24 oz. MGD for $4. On my walk back, I found Scotty Nguyen walking towards me with a girl wrapped around him.

5:00pm $1,500 NL Final Table update: Peter Lee took a hit from Minh Nguyen. His 99 lost to A7s when Nguyen rivered a flush on him.

5:20pm... $1,500 NL Final Table update: Steve Carter was eliminated in 7th place by Bill Gazes. Both had short stacked and moved all in on the flop: K-6-7. Bill Gazes caught some of the flop with 10-6. Steve showed 8-3o or the Canadian Hammer. Steve caught a three on the turn, but the river was no help. Steve Carter finishes in 7th and wins $91,670 for his efforts.

5:38pm... $1,500 NL Final Table update: Bill Gazes and his Big Slick doubled up against Greg Raymer's 77. Gazes caught an Ace on the turn and a King on the river to prevail.

5:43pm... $1,500 NL Final Table update: With a shortstack, Greg "Fossilman" Raymer moved all in with 33. Webber Kang called with AJ and flopped a Jack to take the lead. Raymer's hand didn't improve and he was knocked out in 6th place. He won $119,450.

5:47pm... Bouncin Around the Room: I ran over to the Full Tilt Suite and sweet talked with the lovely Sky for a few moments before I snagged two Corona's from the free bar. They had chips and salsa today. I also grabbed a candy bar. I'm now eating chocolate like the pros. I tipped the bartender $3 and ran back to press row with Corona's and lime in tow. Otis and I are drinking beers out of coffee cups. I think that I am finally having fun here at the WSOP.

5:58pm... $1,500 NL Final Table update: Peter Lee moved all in with 99 and Bill Gazes called with AJ. The flop was 3-5-7. The river was another seven and Gazes was down to six outs. A Queen fell on the river and Peter Lee doubled up against Gazes.

6:08pm... $1,500 NL Final Table update: Peter Lee was eliminated in 5th place by Mark Seif. He flopped top pair, top kicker with A7 and Seif had an open ended straigth draw with two overcards. Seif caught one of them on the turn and he knocked out Peter Lee, who returns to NYC with $147,230. Mark Seif has almost $1.5 million in chips.

6:30pm... Bouncin Round the Room: I spotted Tanya and she's playing over at the satellite area. Shirley Rosario is playing in the $2,500 NL event and she's hanging on at a tough table that includes John Juanda and Lee Watkinson. Jeremy from Love and Casino War is in town and I finally got to meet one of the original poker bloggers. Dan from Pokerati is back in town and he's going to get me into trouble by the end of the WSOP. I went back to the Full Tilt hospitality suite and grabbed some nachos and veggies during a quick break. Michelle, the PR director, told me she knocked HDouble out of a tournament.

7:00pm... $5K Stud Day 2 update: 17 players are left during a dinner break. Here a few players who are left: Jan Sorensen, John Phan, Leandro Alvarez, Jon Brody, Joe Awada, Steve Diano, Chip Jett, Tony Cousineau, John Agialoro, Yuebin Guo, Dave Colclough, and Barry Greenstein.

9:15pm... Bouncin Round the Room: During dinner break I hit the Masquerade Bar with Dan, Otis, and Amy. The skanks were out in numbers. It's Friday night at the Rio and there are a high number of lovely ladies wearing white pants. What's the deal with that?

9:40pm... $1,500 NL Final Table update: Webber Kang didn't look good when he was all in preflop with A6o against Minh Nguyen's ATs. Fortunate for him he chopped the pot with a board of A-Q-4-4-9.

10:24pm... $1500 NL Final Table update: Insanity has broken out when three players moved all in preflop. Bill Gazes had AK, Webber Kang pushed with pocket tens, and Minh Ngyen moved all in with JJ. Railbirds flocked from all over the room to catch a glimpse of the hugest hand of the tournament. Players in other events left their seats to catch the action. The flop was J-10-6 and the room exploded. Minh was ahead but Bill Gazes had a gutshot. The turn and river didn't help anyone and Minh Nguyen won a monster pot in one of the most exciting hands I have seen so far at this year's WSOP. Webber Kang was eliminated in 4th place. He won $175,010. Bill Gazes was left with only 55K in chips. Although Minh Nguyen accumulated over $1 million in chips on that hand, Mark Sief was the chipleader, "Seif is safe," Andy Bloch mentioned.

10:33pm... $1500 NL Final Table update: Bill Gazes and his short stack was elimianted by Minh Nguyen in 3rd place. Bill won $202,790 for his efforts. We have reached heads up play.

10:50pm... $1500 NL Final Table update: In the first big hand heads up, Mark Seif Mark Seif raised to 100k and Minh Nguyen re-raised to 400k. Seif went over the top and Minh Nguyen folded. Mark Seif's big pot gave him over $2 million in chips.

11:00pm... $1500 NL Final Table update: Minh Nguyen got some of his chips back when he caught quad nines. Shirley Rosario is on the rail cheering on her friend, Mark Seif who is trying to win his secomd bracelet in a week. This is actually his first tournament since his victory last Friday.

11:45pm... $1500 N: Final Table update: Mark Seif just won his second bracelet in the past week when he beat out Minh Nguyen. Seif's KK held up against Minh's A-10. Seif flopped a set to clinch the win. Minh Nguyen won $329,975 for second place and Seif won $611,145 for first.


2005 Two-time bracelet winner Mark SeifCongrats again to Mark who picked up another bracelet.