WSOP on ESPN

[Chubby]

While I'm watching it just thought I'd mention Al Krux is from my hometown. Graduated with his son Brian.

[AnalBumCover]

hmm.. i just started a thread and didn't see yours. :P seems like we're the only ones watching.

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

hmm.. i just started a thread and didn't see yours. :P seems like we're the only ones watching.

well it's hard for some people i think when this happened 4 months ago and the winner has been known but still fun to watch especially since I know someone at the final table

[sabotai]

I'm watching.

[ahbrady]

I enjoy watching all of these poker games on tv, but some of the enjoyment is taken away by being able to tell who is going to win. What I mean is when there are two left and it's almost been an hour since the show has started it is usually obvious who is going to win. I realize that they can't really show every hand because of time constraints, but I wish there was a better way to do it.

[MJ4H]

fox showed a live final table a few months ago. it took that element totally out of it. it was great. every hand, live. (actually delayed 5 minutes, but the spirit is there).

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

fox showed a live final table a few months ago. it took that element totally out of it. it was great. every hand, live. (actually delayed 5 minutes, but the spirit is there).

that was at Turning Stone where I play sometimes. It was kinda boring and the guy that finished 2nd to Ivey was a complete tool and got pushed around.

[AnalBumCover]

David Williams is definitely someone you can root for.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

David Williams is definitely someone you can root for.

very likeable guy.

Arieh may be the most despisable jerk I've seen yet... although Matusow has a slight edge there.

[kcchief19]

And Raymer is not.

Hate the glasses, hate the attitude, hate the luck. He played a lot of bad hands throughout the tournament, and got stone cold lucky repeatedly at the final table. He's the Moneymaker 2k4. Good player, but he's not better than a lot of other guys who lost, he was just luckier.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

And Raymer is not.

Hate the glasses, hate the attitude, hate the luck. He played a lot of bad hands throughout the tournament, and got stone cold lucky repeatedly at the final table. He's the Moneymaker 2k4. Good player, but he's not better than a lot of other guys who lost, he was just luckier.

The winner of any tournament this big just got luckier than some people. Any winner of a major tournament probably wins 2-3 hands they had no real business winning. It's the nature of the game.

[Comey]

kcchief,

What attitude did Raymer display that you hated? I'm just curious; I rather liked him...very honest, competitive but knew when to congratulate his opponent. Took everything in stride.

Honestly, I do not intend to come off as a bash. I just want to know what angle you saw.

Thanks,
John

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

And Raymer is not.

Hate the glasses, hate the attitude, hate the luck. He played a lot of bad hands throughout the tournament, and got stone cold lucky repeatedly at the final table. He's the Moneymaker 2k4. Good player, but he's not better than a lot of other guys who lost, he was just luckier.

I can honestly say I disagree with nearly every word of this.

Loved the glasses, and the attitude.
The luck was a by-product of big stack and aggression (and yes he caught some good ones at the final table, but he had the stack to take those chances).
He is much, much, much better than Moneymaker (as evidenced by his consistent solid finishes in tournaments.
He is absolutely better than a lot of other guys who lost, not just luckier.

EDIT: and how anyone can criticize the classy Raymer for his ATTITUDE while watching Josh Arieh show his ass for the last 3 weeks or more.

[Honolulu Blue]

My thoughts:

* Arieh was a jerk; he's obviously been studying from the master, Phil Hellmuth.
* At the final table there were plenty of young players, plenty of online players, but NO CREW!! I was not displeased by this.
* Nice comebacks by Jesus and David Williams.
* Also nice to see the Old School competing well with the new blood.
* Marcel Luske was a trip and a half; it's too bad he missed the final table again.
* Williams got trapped on that last hand, which is the hazard of playing low cards too strongly. He was unlikely to win anyway, but he might have been able to hang around a little longer.
* Raymer seemed pleasant enough to me. He was very lucky, of course (you don't win one of these things without a large helping of luck), but also skilled and poised. And it was nice to see those glasses again; they were last seen on Sting back in '84 (minus the silly reflective eye design).

[Vegas Vic]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

He's the Moneymaker 2k4.

That shows how little you actually know about Raymer. He’s been playing poker professionally for over 10 years and has won quite a few smaller tournaments. He finished third in the main event at the 2001 World Poker Finals at Foxwoods. He’s a regular, winning player in the 150/300 limit game there.

Comparing him to Moneymaker, who had one year of internet experience, is absurd.