Quote:
Originally Posted by leon
I remember walking into Binion's to watch the WSOP, back when anyone could just walk in off the street and stand next to the tables.
Sounds like we might have walked right past each other around those times.
I fell in love with poker in 95' and started going to the WSOP year every to sweat the event, soak in the environment and try to play a little. I was in awe of it all and had no idea what I was doing. For those who are unaware, there were virtually no resources back then besides Doyles book and a few two plus two books; the main game played was limit holdem.
I'd have to go out there solo because none of my friends were into poker and they all thought I had a gambling problem because I would drive to Shreveport to play when I wasn't flying to Atlantic City or Las Vegas. It felt like such an adventure at the time. Poker was still a big mystery and had that aura about it because the game was so looked down upon yet intriguing plus the notable players were larger than life and fascinating characters.
Walking around Binions during the WSOP at that time was so different than today. For example, they would set up these cheap metal bleachers in the corner of the room for the final tables to be played and viewed. They probably wouldn't hold 100 people at full capacity, which was never an issue because no one watched, except for me and a reporter named
Andy Glazer and occasionally a straggler or two that would try to watch for a few minutes, give up and saunter off.
My favorite memory is sitting on the second row so I could get a little height above the table because I was less than 5 feet from the back of Johnny Chan who was playing heads up with Eric Seidel for the
2001 $3,000 WSOP no limit tourney. We were so close, Andy and I could see Johnny's hole cards. I still have an image in my mind of the two playing heads up and the surrounding bleachers empty except for an old man drinking a cup of coffee with I assume his wife who looked both irritated and bored. In the final hand, Johnny pushed all-in on a naked bluff and Seidel called him with 2 pair, K7 off IIRC. Man, I wish I had an Iphone back then so I could have recorded what I was watching. There wasn't even a damn report posted on this final table rematch, unreal in retrospect.
Man, I miss those days, sorry for the derail down memory lane.
Last edited by yimyammer; 05-24-2017 at 11:50 AM.