Breakfast Club Poker

Day 1: Who's In, Who's Out, etc

Who's In:
Phil Ivey, Annie Duke, Layne Flack, Chris Ferguson, John Juanda, Devilfish Ulliott, David Williams, Men Ngugen, Barry Greenstein, Mike Sexton, Kristy Gazes , Jeff Madsen, Scotty Nguyen, Carlos Mortensen, Mike Matusow, David Pham, Mark Vos, Steve Day, Victor Ramos, David Grey, Mickey Applemann, Tony Bloom, Anna Benson, Hoyt Corkins, "Tony" Ma, Mike Caro, Tex Barch, Brandon Schaefer, Pamela Brunson, Noah Boeken -- Daniel Negreanu, Greg Raymer, John Gale, Tom McEvoy, Josh Arieh, Gareth Edwards, Melissa Hayden, Bobby Baldwin, Mads Andersen, Lacey Jones, Lynette Chan, Sarah Bilney

Jeff Madsen, Instant Celebrity

What's the over/under on Jeff Madsen becoming a household name? With the help of Full Tilt, it might not take long. The youngest winner in WSOP history has already earned 2 WSOP bracelets, and brought his monthly lifetime cash to $1,467,852.

Today on the Luxe Life with Robin Leach, Madsen was mentioned as a poker pro in the same breath as longtime pros Johnny Chan and Chris Ferguson, gulp.

Carmen Electra hosted the official kickoff party with Shannon Elizabeth and Jennifer Tilly on hand with 10-time WSOP bracelet winner Johnny Chan and poker pros Chris Ferguson, Daniel Negrenau, Jeff Madsen and last year’s champion Joe Hachem.         
                                   —The Luxe Life with Robin Leach

(Photo courtesy of Wicked Chops Poker)
 

Women to Watch: Melissa Hayden

As the WSOP main event progress, BCP will continue to profile some of the talented women to watch in the field.

With eleven years on the felt, Melissa Hayden can be considered one of the "veteran" women in the field.  And by grossing almost $600,000 in tournament play, she also stands out as one of the most consistent earners in the field. 

Hayden has cashed ten times in the WSOP, including three final table appearances.  She just missed out on a final table this year when she finished 14th in the $2500 NLHE event.

Melissa Hayden sucessfully made it through her Day One and will start Day Two on Wednesday with 28,175 chips.

   

Mix at THEhotel

On Jen's suggestion, Dave Scharf and I had dinner last night at Mix, the restaurant atop Mandalay Bay's THEhotel. 

The restaurant is retro spaceage stunning; think The Jetson's in white.  The view of Las Vegas from the 64th floor is breathtaking.  The food was mah-velous.  And the service was warmly attentive without being snooty or overbearing. 

World renown chef Alain Ducasse opened Mix after making a name for himself with his two Michelin 3-star restaurants in Paris and Monaco.

I also loved the fact that they have a "no hat" policy, but made an exception for my Stetson:)               

Everybody Wants to be a Legend

Oh am I?

Phil Laak Candy

Las Vegas Vegas keeps track of Phil Laak.
He's still in, but his better half is not.

Gavin Smith & Joe Sebok: The Wager

It didn't really matter who won The Wager, everyone was looking forward to the payoff. Gavin Smith and Joe Sebok had a pre WSOP bet over who would do better in the preliminary events. The one who dominated got to choose what the other would wear on the first day of the Main Event. For every day following, the loser would have to pick a superhero's costume out of a hat and wear it. Sebok lost by a landslide and has been wearing the price every since. Gavin just paraded his pal through the tables now, cameras and mics traipsing behind.

How Many Ways Can You Say Money?

Is there another way to make
$10 million in two weeks?

Day 1A&B finishers at the 2006 WSOP

We got a list of finishers from the past two days.
Here are the names that I recognize.

Mark Vos 85,375
Jeff Lissandro 85,025
Allen Cunningham 77,625
David Pham 57,850
Layne Flack 56,300
Steve Day 53,550

Women to Watch: Annie Duke

As the main event begins, BCP will continue to profile some of the talented women to watch in the field.

Annie Duke probably needs no introduction to the poker public.  This sister of Howard Lederer and mother of four has built up an enviable poker portfolio.  Annie has cashed in over two dozen WSOP events and grossed over $3 million in tournament play. 

In 2004, Duke not only won her first WSOP bracelet in the $2K Omaha hi/lo but she also took down the Tournament of Champions, delivering a heads-up defeat to Phil Hellmuth.

Duke is one of those players that seems to thrive with a lot of irons in the fire.  Annie dedicates much of her time actively consulting for the online site, UltimateBet.  She also recently penned her candid autobiography, Annie Duke: How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed and Won Millions at the World Series of Poker.

Annie successfully negotiated her way past Day One of the main event and will be playing her Day Two on Tuesday.