World Series of Potpourri

[Content Disclosure: Stuff In and Around the WSOP]

Just another collection of tidbits from one more week of trodding the halls of the WSOP and the blogs, sites and sounds from the Series. Today (Sunday) is the biggest day outside of the World Series as both Ultimate Bet and Poker Stars run there massive WSOP main event qualifiers. UB will be handing out 50 seats, while Poker Stars has been qualifying players for over a month for their 150 seat extravaganza. 

Lest you think these online events are for those living in Nova Scotia and Des Moines. There will be plenty of players hold up in their hotel rooms all over Las Vegas today. A cheap seat is a cheap seat, no matter where you are currently seated.

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In case you missed the New York Times article "How Twitter is Changing the World of Professional Poker"; it is worth a read and if you intend to follow the main event or any of the remaining events, I strongly recommend adding to your internet feeds the twitters from PokerRoad. No one has twitter technology mastered yet but PokerRoad is way out ahead for this WSOP. You can follow dozens of top pros right from the tables. Plus much of the insider dirt also gets laundered via tweets. Makes you almost feel like you were here and needing a quick shower.

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The WSOP parties start in earnest this coming week, expect to see the drab "queen and a queen only" tournament coverage being spiced up with reports from inside all the hot clubs in Vegas. Media get invites to these so they will pimp the host sites and well, we do. Coverage of such alcohol fueled debaucheries will be found in much more detail on other sites. Speaking of debauchery, Dr. Pauly is rumored to be returning from his extended Phishing tour. I make a final appearance on the Tao of Poker on Monday, but this time with a PG rated story. Well, maybe R rated if you live in (country name redacted to avoid jihadist retaliation).

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Inside the WSOP these are the doldrum days. More players are napping at the tables. Twitters and blogs are replete with excuses for missed tournaments. The WSOP flu is fully in evidence but not at pandemic proportions. More arguments are popping up at the tables and thus more penalties and warnings are hitting the infamous WSOP infraction book. Bitching about the poker kitchen, bad payout structures, missing blind levels, in general anything and everything have spiked this week. It's all a function of this being the fourth or is it the fifth week of cards and chips, chips and cards and the main event is still nowhere in site.

The WSOP Doldrums will be the theme of my next three Poker Mind In Depth posts as even Misters Matusow, Hellmuth and Negreanu are not immune. That series will resume on Tuesday.