If You Really Loved Me...You'd Give Me Your Chips

One of the great things about poker is the characters associated with the game.  Part old-school WWF (lots of Honkeytonk Man mullets and Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake bravado), part Gordon Gecko "kill or be killed" Darwinism, poker players are people worth watching. 

Yesterday we noted ways to kill time, like the guy with the portable DVD player (or the doofus with the Elmo head).  One thing we didn't consider though is reading.  Calm, relaxing, thought-provoking, you can seldom go wrong with a book.  Like "If You Really Loved Me" by Ann Rule.  Don't let the title fool you though.  This isn't a Fabio novel that some random housewife is thumbing through.  It's a murder for money crime book that an old-timer, bearded cowboy is chewing up.  Gotta love poker, you just can't make this shit up.   

Speaking of Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi is hanging around with about 17k.  Dutch Boyd is looking relaxed and chilled out with about 17k.  One table behind, the guy who knocked Dutch out of the 2003 WSOP, Chris Moneymaker, is doing much better than last year.  Eyeballing it, he has around 16k.  Table 73 sits former world champ Robert Varkonyi and Chip Reese.  Robert is down to 6k, Chip is around 11k.  You get the feeling some bully is just waiting around the corner for Varkonyi to get up so he can give him a wedgie. 

On the 4th Street side, Dino has gone out.  His trip K's lost to a nut flush on the flop.  Sandman has built his stack up to around 12k. 

Word is that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon will be playing tomorrow.  Overheard Antonio Esfandiari talking to another player about Ben, who isn't making it around the circuit much more.  "You know, he's married, having a baby..." and isn't as into it as a year ago.  But Affleck, if he's on, is still capable of doing some damage.  Or at least do better than Mimi Rogers AND Tobey Maguire AND Oliver Hudson, who all busted out early.

Celebs aren't the only one struggling though.  Top players Dan Harrington and Allen Cunningham are hovering around 5k.  And Daniel Negreanu has about 1100.  No k.  Just 1100. 

Check back for more pics to go along with this shortly...