I need to know if this is a little extreme. I love poker as much as the next gy. I even get a few magazines each month. But something I saw last night seemed a little odd and wanted some opinions.
My GF calls me last night and tells me that it is open to the public so I figured I would go up there and look around. I get up there around 8pm, doors and opened 9:30. It is first come first serve seating so I get in line. I get stuck next to a poker groupie. Him and his sister are nice but know too much about the past few days and started to tell me everthing they can think of. I start thinking I am not going to stand here this long and just as I am about to leave the sister in law of the red cardinal hat guy (Phillps) starts talking to super fan in front of me and she gives him and his sister 2 tickets (no need to stand in line and they are for the 5th row). She then turns around and looks right at me and smiles and so I smile back just trying to look friendly and she says you want my other ticket? I say yes. Now I am all fired up because first off I think I dont have to stand in line and now I can come back 5 minutes before this starts and walk right to my seat and I think I am in the 5th row at the WSOP final table.
I call my GF (yes I went alone, loser but remember she has too work in the morning and it doesnt even start till 10pm) and start walking down this hallway and decide to call my GF and begin telling her how lucky am for getting this ticket, etc. There is no one around and I turn around and there 10 feet behind me walking right towards me is Daniel Negreanu. I look at him and first thing I think is how do I know that guy, he looks like some average Joe from my hometown and for a split second that is who my brain thinks it is, a buddy of mine who I cant think of his name. Within 3 seconds it hits me that it is him so I pull the phone off my ear and try not too look like a complete *** and stick my hand out and say "nice to meet you". I kind of choked, I didnt say my name or anything (not like he cares) and he says "nice to meet you too", funny part is I never introduced myself or any of that. It was awkward. Just a smaller guy but he was friendly. Within 10 seconds a few stragglers come upon the scene and start bothering him for pictures and autographs. I think man this is a weird situation. Is he a celebrity? Does he go thru this all the time? One of the guys has playing cards he has him sign and there were quite a few signatures on these. I wasnt feeling too great about my approach after I met him but after watching these grown man giggle and get autographs I started to feel a lot better. I start thinking how the whole poker scene is just odd, these guys who were once huge outcasts in society, who gambled for a living are now being approached by grown men seeking autigraphs, these guys (poker players) must pinch themselves (or be pissed) about how their fortuntes in life have turned. I mean this would be like Fishhead having groupies. can you imagine someone walking thru a casino and seeing Fish and saying "hold on stop guys it's Fishhead and I have to get his autograph cause he bet sports for a living and is good at it". Like I said more power to you and I am all for poker but I think this was a little extreme. Dont get me wrong I shook his hand and told a few people already that I met him but I thought the autgraph thing was a little out there.
Anyways look story short I see Negreanu and Eric Lindgren walking to their seats with beers in hand. They are worshipped by these people as they walk in. It is just an odd feeling and I think they even feel uncomfortable by the whole thing. I also see then what annoying guy who made it to the final table a few years ago. Cant think of his name. big guy who screamed the whole time and acted stupid. He supposedly plays up to 20 some tables at once.
Worst thing is the seats were 5th row in the mezzanine (sp). Nothing special. Better then standing in line I guess. Surprised they served beer there. It was okay. Left at 1am.
My GF calls me last night and tells me that it is open to the public so I figured I would go up there and look around. I get up there around 8pm, doors and opened 9:30. It is first come first serve seating so I get in line. I get stuck next to a poker groupie. Him and his sister are nice but know too much about the past few days and started to tell me everthing they can think of. I start thinking I am not going to stand here this long and just as I am about to leave the sister in law of the red cardinal hat guy (Phillps) starts talking to super fan in front of me and she gives him and his sister 2 tickets (no need to stand in line and they are for the 5th row). She then turns around and looks right at me and smiles and so I smile back just trying to look friendly and she says you want my other ticket? I say yes. Now I am all fired up because first off I think I dont have to stand in line and now I can come back 5 minutes before this starts and walk right to my seat and I think I am in the 5th row at the WSOP final table.
I call my GF (yes I went alone, loser but remember she has too work in the morning and it doesnt even start till 10pm) and start walking down this hallway and decide to call my GF and begin telling her how lucky am for getting this ticket, etc. There is no one around and I turn around and there 10 feet behind me walking right towards me is Daniel Negreanu. I look at him and first thing I think is how do I know that guy, he looks like some average Joe from my hometown and for a split second that is who my brain thinks it is, a buddy of mine who I cant think of his name. Within 3 seconds it hits me that it is him so I pull the phone off my ear and try not too look like a complete *** and stick my hand out and say "nice to meet you". I kind of choked, I didnt say my name or anything (not like he cares) and he says "nice to meet you too", funny part is I never introduced myself or any of that. It was awkward. Just a smaller guy but he was friendly. Within 10 seconds a few stragglers come upon the scene and start bothering him for pictures and autographs. I think man this is a weird situation. Is he a celebrity? Does he go thru this all the time? One of the guys has playing cards he has him sign and there were quite a few signatures on these. I wasnt feeling too great about my approach after I met him but after watching these grown man giggle and get autographs I started to feel a lot better. I start thinking how the whole poker scene is just odd, these guys who were once huge outcasts in society, who gambled for a living are now being approached by grown men seeking autigraphs, these guys (poker players) must pinch themselves (or be pissed) about how their fortuntes in life have turned. I mean this would be like Fishhead having groupies. can you imagine someone walking thru a casino and seeing Fish and saying "hold on stop guys it's Fishhead and I have to get his autograph cause he bet sports for a living and is good at it". Like I said more power to you and I am all for poker but I think this was a little extreme. Dont get me wrong I shook his hand and told a few people already that I met him but I thought the autgraph thing was a little out there.
Anyways look story short I see Negreanu and Eric Lindgren walking to their seats with beers in hand. They are worshipped by these people as they walk in. It is just an odd feeling and I think they even feel uncomfortable by the whole thing. I also see then what annoying guy who made it to the final table a few years ago. Cant think of his name. big guy who screamed the whole time and acted stupid. He supposedly plays up to 20 some tables at once.
Worst thing is the seats were 5th row in the mezzanine (sp). Nothing special. Better then standing in line I guess. Surprised they served beer there. It was okay. Left at 1am.
