Two of my card playing buddies won seats to this years $10,000 WSOP. That's the good news. The bad news is that both are already eliminated. Dr Sid Savitt, my very good friend went out Thursday evening after 11 hours of play. Don't have any of the details other than the fact that he called home at 4:30 in the morning ( just could'nt sleep ) very bummed/depressed.

John Rakes ( you know who that is Mr. Shoop ) lasted only two hours. Had pocket kings three times. Won a small pot with them, then lost a big pot with them, then got knocked out for good when he went all in with the cowboys and got a call from a fella with pocket rockets.

I offerd him $6,000 for his seat two days earlier, but he turned me down.

Nice side story about John. I played against John in a 20 player tourney here in Madison Ohio just 16 hours before he was going to leave for the WSOP this past Tuesday evening. We play here every Tuesday and Saturday evening all year long. I was at the same table as John, and talk was how we have never had anyone hit a royal flush at any of our games. We had talked often about all of us having to kick in an extra buck for every game we played in, that would go into a pot to be given to the first one of us that hits the royal. We estimated that we would have over $1500 in th pot at this time. I think this may be the 50th time we have had this conversation, yet have never acted on it.

Well I said if anyone would hit it, it would be John as he is soooo lucky ( consider his winning a seat at the 2005 WSOP) and if he were to hit it tonight it would be a good omen for his upcoming Vegas WSOP trip.

Just two hours later I looked down to see I had been dealt K J clubs. I raised $200 from first posistion and only John called. Everyone else folded. The flop came Ac Qc Qs. I went all in $2300 on a flush draw. John called my all in and showed Q-10 . His trip queens had him up on his feet. I figured I was dead the way my luck had been going. When a 10d showed on the turn I was pretty bummed. John stopped celebrating when the 10 clubs showed up at the river. My first royal flush! Pretty exciting! Put John out and sent him off to Vegas with a bad taste in his mouth. Wonder if he was still on tilt when he sat down at the Rio Thursday.