Things turn for "The Worm"
Every time I see Micky Wernick in his Blue Square gear, I crack up laughing, not at the fact that Micky got himself a sponsorship deal - he more than earned it, fair and square - but at the fact they insist on calling him Micky "The Legend" Wernick. Of course he's a legend and has been for years, but to those who have known him longer than a year or two, he'll always be "The Worm." It just fits.
Micky was his usual self at the
World Series of Poker. He likes nothing better than a good whinge during the breaks, but his heart isn't really in it most of the time. Old habits die hard. Micky hit a bit of form at Bellagio during the
WSOP; he orchestrated a three-way chop in a tournament in which, amazingly, Micky got more money than the other two. But then again, he needed it. While the other two guys were worrying about who was going to get the bracelet, Micky had more important matters on his mind. He asked the audience to form three separate lines: one for those who had a piece of him, the second for those to whom he owed money, and the third for those who wished to borrow money. It's not easy being a legend - or The Worm.
Winning with style
I spend a lot of time in America, so I spend countless hours watching the debates and analysis surrounding the upcoming presidential election. Being an outsider, it's sometimes a lot easier to see the glaringly obvious than if one were involved. After looking around the Rio for six weeks, it's a certainty that the first candidate to announce that his/her first move on being elected president would be to change the law so that people can marry themselves would win in a landslide. The new breed of poker player should get out a little more.
My faith in the game was restored when I bumped into England's Andy Ward the day after he finished second to Ram in the $1,500 limit hold'em shootout. It was great to see a guy who genuinely loves and respects the game so happy with his success. While others chastised well-wishers who congratulated them on getting close because they didn't win, Andy was thrilled with himself and never once played the "what might have been" game. Good luck to him!
Benny Hill at the main event
With the vast number of players involved this year, security was always going to be a difficult task. The majority of the security guys did a tough job in a friendly and efficient manner. I got the impression that a small minority would have worked for nothing as long as they were allowed to shout at people. But they didn't beat player A. Player A was a well-known face on the European scene, first as a player and later as a complete nuisance in the money-borrowing business. I lent him money several years ago in Paris to travel home for his mother's funeral. About six months later, he asked me to finance a trip home, as his mother was very ill. At the time, I remarked that at least that was a bit of an improvement, but he wanted money anyway. He transferred his operation to the U.S., where he regularly haunts Bellagio. He popped up on day one (D) in the Rio and ran his business from the playing area for the last hour of level five and all of level six without any form of ID or press pass. At least he can say that he spent more time as a player in the main event than Hellmuth, without the inconvenience of having to part with $10,000. I know that I should have been paying more attention to what was going on at my own table, but then I'd have missed the spectacle of French star Lelouch running away from his table closely followed by a gesticulating player A. You've got to see some of this stuff to believe it.
