ESPN

Andrew Feldman

  (1:57 PM)

Hey everyone. Welcome to today's poker chat! Our guest today will be Bluff's Managing editor Lance Bradley. Send in your questions and we'll get started in a few minues.

Andrew Feldman

  (2:01 PM)

Ok, Lance will be on shorlty, but I'll take some questions to start...

Eric, Los Angeles, CA

Any word on Ivey's prop bracelet bets?

Andrew Feldman

  (2:02 PM)

Rumor has it that Ivey has a number of bracelet bets this year for upwards of millions of dollars. With a seat at tonight's final table in the 2-7 lowball event, he's no going to let ths one go.

Justin (denver)

What's going on with the big names? i get that some pros are winning these events, but none the casual poker fan would recognize.

Andrew Feldman

  (2:04 PM)

We're only six events in! Sung is a pretty well known player in poker circles so seeing him take down an event was a win there. Mercier is 22, but has 2 EPT titles already. I bet if the two of them won again in a year or two, the public would recognize them. Ivey has a big chance tonight, but he comes into the final table last in chips.

Justin (denver)

That's fair. From your perspective, does it matter the events the pro's wind up winning in? In other words, if Ivey wins the 2-7 lowball, does anyone know?

Andrew Feldman

  (2:08 PM)

I would think that the lowball events as well as the $10,000 world championship events are regarded very highly among the pros. In a game like 2-7, you aren't getting a ton of amateur players and to win that tournament would result in great respect from the community.

Mike

Pretty impressive achievement by Freddie Ellis huh

Andrew Feldman

  (2:09 PM)

It's a great story and Freddie Ellis is a great champion. The live hand updaters from pokernews really took to the guy as well and I think they were rooting for him to pull through. First event, first bracelet. Don't get much better than that.

Andrew Feldman

  (2:11 PM)

Lance is here...

Lance Bradley

  (2:11 PM)

Hey everyone

Lance Bradley

  (2:13 PM)

There's enough old-school players who play Razz that the buy-ins not relevant. I think what they found last year with 453 players is that there is now a demand for the game among younger players as well. I don't think Razz is going anywhere

investor (ny)

Why hasn't the wsop gone to RFID chips yet so the media can cover the tournaments much better?

Lance Bradley

  (2:16 PM)

There's a couple of things at play here. The first is the cost. Once that's out of the way you need to properly build the infrastructure to handle it and make sure it's capable of handling a day with 7 tournaments running like we had yesterday. There's also some concern that a system like that could actually slow play down as new players come to tables and need to be swiped in. I do know that it's coming, it's just a matter of when and who'll be footing the bill.

Brian (Louisville)

Are there added conduct rules in place this year? Thought I heard there were a few New Poker Brat rules.

Lance Bradley

  (2:17 PM)

Yeah, the Hellmuth system. Each player who commits any infraction has his penalty entered into a database. Repeat offenders get stiffer penalties and apparently every player will be held to the same standards.

Dick

will are the chances scotty retires if he doesn't make 4 mil

Lance Bradley

  (2:19 PM)

Zilch. Zero. Nadda.

Ric (Dallas, TX)

Who's the biggest pain in the ___ to cover on a daily basis?

Lance Bradley

  (2:21 PM)

Wow. Loaded question. All the players on the tour are fairly unique and once you get that figured out and how to approach or deal with each guy, they're all a little bit easier to work with. Phil Hellmuth can be tough to speak with but I had no trouble chatting with him throughout the Main Event last year when he was as focused as I've ever seen him.

Qual Guy (internet)

My friend wants to stake me in the 1k qualifiers for the Main Event. I plan on playing 10 of them and i'm a 10% ROI player. What pct is fair to split winnings?

Lance Bradley

  (2:25 PM)

Well, that depends. If you go 0-for-10 are you going to oh your buddy 10K or is he going to assume that that's a cost of doing business? If you're not going to owe him for any losses than you're probably looking at a minimum of 50-60% being his You're also going to want to consider what happens to your friendship if you go and swingandamiss all 10.

Brad (Seattle, WA)

What's the biggest difference you've noticed so far between this year's WSOP and previous WSOPs?

Lance Bradley

  (2:28 PM)

Two things come to mind. The first is that Jeffrey Pollack and his crew of staff are doing a great job of improving the Series each year. And not just the tournaments themselves but the whole event. Second is that there seems to be a different energy level this year, I'm not sure what that energy is, but it's not the same as last year. It may be because there's less angst amongst the players about structures/services/ammenities etc.

Vinny B. (Albuquerque)

What is the usual wait time for the satellites at the Rio?

Lance Bradley

  (2:30 PM)

It varies. If you're in town during one of the $1,500 events, the wait can be quite long. And lines tend to get longer after 5 pm. The most you'll wait is probably an hour but if you were here right now you'd walk in and sit down and play.

Pete (Rochester, NY)

The 1k played down to 50 players on Day 2, the 1500 played down to 33 yesterday (go markysals!). Are we going to see fewer day 2s play until 6-8 in the morning this year, and more day 3s with >9 players? If so, well done WSOP staff, it's about time.

Lance Bradley

  (2:33 PM)

Well, I'll agree with you. Sort of. The schedule of events being broadcast on ESPN360 and BluffMagazine.com is getting killed by this. The fact that events aren't playing down to a final table wasn't intentional. All the schedules called for the final day to be only the final table. But they added chips and levels to each event and failed to allow for more time. As such poker fans at home aren't going to be able to see some of the events that are scheduled - we've already had to cancel one and today's broadcast will be on fairly late - especially for poker fans in Rochester.

Jeremy (Maine)

Numbers wise, will the Main Event be bigger than last year? Does it have a chance to pass 2006 numbers?

Lance Bradley

  (2:35 PM)

If you'd asked me that question before the Series started, I would have said no way it's bigger. Harrah's was predicting an uptick of about 500 players form 08. I think there's a chance it gets to 8,000 players though.

Andrew Feldman

  (2:35 PM)

I think 8,000 is a little too high there Lance...

Lance Bradley

  (2:35 PM)

Harrah's projection is 7,323. It will all depend on how many internet qualifiers decide to show up. that's a variable that you just can't predict yet.

Richard Banger (Berkeley CA)

Any chance anyone ever wins 3 bracelets in one year

Lance Bradley

  (2:41 PM)

I'd say yes if only because the biggest names all have bets going on who will get more bracelets/POY points. I don't think it's likely, but one or two players bagging a couple isn't out of the question and then who knows what happens from there. I'd say Jason Mercier has a shot because he's on a sick, sick, sick 18 month heater.

Justin (Denver)

I've also noticed that a lot of people are busting out quickly. Is that a product of internet play, being ancy, or just being a donkey? Is the play such that players can actually play super tight and survive more than 4 levels?

Lance Bradley

  (2:43 PM)

The pace at which players are hitting the rail is astonishing. They gave players more chips and more levels and yet they still feel the need to push chips around. We saw during the Main Event last summer where guys with 40bb were playing like they had 8bb. I think you see other stacks around you getting so big and you start to think you need to catch them.

BJ (California)

Will the WSOP have the circuit events again this year?

Lance Bradley

  (2:45 PM)

I haven't heard they're not going to offer them but I also haven't heard they will. Given that they exist partially to promote Harrah's properties I can see them sticking around.

Justin (Denver)

I didn't get a chance to watch the broadcast on 360. How did it turn out?

Lance Bradley

  (2:47 PM)

The broadcast went well. The final table even had some of the TV drama moments we all love to watch and Steve Sung played great to get the bracelet. We have another broadcast today that we're hoping is just as exciting.

Robert

How good is Dan Heimiller, he has made a lot of final tables recently? And I once hear some young internet guns comment on how tough he was to play against because he was so aggressive.

Lance Bradley

  (2:49 PM)

Dan's a very solid player with some good results. Talking to him you don't get the feeling that he's got a whole lot of tilt in him but lots of creative ways to mix up his play.

Steve (whitehall, pa)

How do you deal with people shovelling all their chips in like that? I don't wanna play like a rock, but I'm not interested in shoving over 40 BBs in with AK. Just seems variance becomes a bigger factor with this maniacal style of play.

Lance Bradley

  (2:51 PM)

I think that's a question better asked of some of the pros. There is some credence to having some patience and employing a little bit of Daniel Negreanu's Small Ball. Play smaller pots with suited connecter and hands with strong drawing power. The implied odds are through the roof once you factor in the style of play that features a lot of overbetting.

Tony (Chicago)

What was the feedback you got on the 40K Championship? I wasn't sure I'd like it initially (thought it might take some shine off the Main Event) but I think it turned out pretty well...

Lance Bradley

  (2:53 PM)

The 40K was a great event and featured some great poker. Poker fans will be lucky to get to watch this one on TV. As quiet as Vitaly Lunkin is given that he speaks no English he's a great player and he had his opponents guessing all night long.

Joe (Green Bay) [via mobile]

What event is showing on 360 today? (I'd look it up but ESPN Mobile doesn't have 360).

Lance Bradley

  (2:55 PM)

The final table of Event #7 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em)

Lance Bradley

  (2:56 PM)

Thanks for having me. Hope the fans at home are enjoying the coverage from WorldSeriesofPoker.com, ESPN.com and BluffMagazine.com.

Andrew Feldman

  (2:56 PM)

Thanks again Lance! Speak to everyone tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET and don't forget to watch the final table of Event 7 tonight at bluffmagazine.com!