Fatty’s at the WSOP Main Event and Back to “The Sun”
July 22nd, 2010 by alriccobonoWell, the Fatty’s Reality Show project has really taken off and it was one heck of an experience at this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event! There were 10 of us from Fatty’s Poker Club that went out to Vegas, plus Eric, our marketing director, andour VIP player/host, Lacey Jones, playing in the Main Event. What a whirlwind from the moment we arrived!
I arrived in Vegas on Tuesday, July 6th. I flew in with Carmine and his girl, Shea, from Fatty’s and sat with Ross Mallor, a good friend and poker pro on the flight. It started to get the ol’ blood pumping in anticipation of what was to come over the course of the next week. Never did I expect all that was to come for the Fatty’s Crew. Nor did I expect running into Shaq in the lobby upon my arrival. Largest man in the civilized world, EASIILY!
We all met for dinner the following night to discuss a few opportunities that came up in terms of sponsors and media opportunities. Lacey met all the boys for the first time and we enjoyed a great meal at Cafe Mortorano’s at the Rio, my favorite at the Rio for sure. We ate like….well…..”Fatty’s”….and the camaraderie was alive and kickin’. We met in The Nose’s room for a briefing by Eric and got our sponsorships and patches lined up for the “uniform” we would all be wearing. Nose spoke to the crew, as did Scott and I (the three creators of the show). We looked like Nascar drivers, to be honest, but sure beats the hell out of not having any sponsors!
Day 1 started with a team breakfast and then it was down to the Full Tilt Suite (PPI got us a deal in which they agreed to allow Fatty’s use the Red Pro suite during the entire tournament, a perk that would eventually be very rewarding and enjoyable on breaks, days off, for meetings, etc) for pictures. Eric also worked out a deal with Andrew Feldman for us (Nose, Scott andI) to be interviewed before the start of Day 1. What a trip! It’s sort of weird looking at my name on those ESPN graphics that I spend half my life looking at. Me? For real, ESPN, you need to raise your standards..lol. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy0nwZM-XDY. Day 1 was pretty successful for the twelve of us, as we ALL made it through to Day 2. Day 2 saw us lose five players and the highlight of the day was ScottE Mayhem’s knock out Phil Ivey! Seriously….huh? How? Well, Scott can die a happy man now. It was pretty funny and I am sure we will be seeing that on the ESPN telecasts of this year’s event coming soon. Day 3 we lost two more andwent into day 4 with Kenny, Scott, Newman, Eric and I still in the hunt.
On Day 4, about mid way through the day, I was in a handfrom the button in an unopened pot with 8d-10d. I raised andgot called by the big blind. The flop came 10-9-7. He checked andI fired out a pot sized bet with top pair and open ended straight draw and he shoves all in. I should have gotten away from the hand right there. Why risk my last 65K (well below the average stack at the time) on what could be a draw (I could be dominated but I did not put him on a better 10 or two pair)? Well, I was right, it was even better for him, he was holding the ol’ 6-8 off suit. OMG! Great play by him and bad call by me. I regretted doing it now but felt I was ahead and he only had an 8 and was pushing on me on a draw as well. He had the 8 but, also the 6, ugh..oh well…maybe next year. Out in about 1100th or so (out of the 7,319 that started). That is six WSOP Main Events for me now. Two cashes, two Day 4’s, one Day 3 and one Day 2. Scott went out in about 900th or so and Newman about 800th. Good showings but not good enough and we were disappointed. Maybe we will all learn from this and do better next year. Eric S. cashed and then our very own Kenny went real deep, cashing in 276th place for about 42k!! Great job Ken, especially in your first WSOP event!
Throughout the course of the week, we agreed to a partnership with Blue Shark Optics (Manny and Monica…great people) to wear their glasses thanks to the Nose’s gift of gab (and boy can he gab). Also, we met Steve Soffa (another great, talented guy), the designer of this year’s WSOP bracelets and owner of Hardcore Watches http://www.hardcorewatches.com/. Steve gave each and every one of us from Fatty’s a beautiful Hardcore watch to wear and after an impressive showing by the group as a whole, he told us to KEEP them! Real nice gesture and I was honored to meet Steve. Very smart and talented man. Also, Norman Chad and I met each other four years ago at the Main Event and have been very friendly since. Norm is one of the main reasons ESPN poker is so popular and is a really great guy who genuinely cares about people. He remembers things I told him about me four years ago as if it were yesterday. Him and Lon, his sidekick, were following the Fatty Boys all the way and know our entire story.
So all in all, between the exposure the show got, our players, the very respectable runs guys made in their first shot out there, the contacts, sponsorships, media oppotunities and fun we had, the trip was a success, albeit, very stressful at times.
Upon returning from Vegas, I really did not plan on what I would do next, however, I decided to take Maria to Mohegan Sun for the weekend to play in the Summer Showdown Main Event there. It was an $1100 entry and we went wtih another couple, my good friends, Tommy (Newman) andJennifer. On day 1, Tommy got the most raw deal you could get when he got all his chips in the middle of the table with AA vs. KK and the guy hits his K on the river to knock him out, which sucked. However, he’s been on a sick run of cashes andas anyone who plays poker regularly knows, this will not be the last time he goes out with AA and is disappointed. He has many very good days ahead of him, as he is a very good tournament player. I was fortunate enough to make day two, which brought back 38 of the original 211 entries. As day two progressed, we got down to 27 players, I was in 27th, very short stacked and they were only paying 25. Thankfully near the bubble, I doubled up twice and grinded my way to the final table! As we got down to the final nine players, there was a lot of talk about ending a very long two days via an equity chop. My friend Dave Zeitlin, who won this event a year ago, was again at the final table and used a computer program that uses a formula to determine your equity in the tournament based on the number of chips you have left. Long story short, that is what we ultimately decided after much deliberation and I wound up getting $11,500. for an official 7th place finish. This recovers me mentally and financially from what the WSOP Main cost me to play, gives me and my backers more shots to crack a big one some day soon and most importantly, I feel like I am playing very good poker right about now. Something is going to happen soon….just a matter of when. If I continue to reach final tables or put myself in good positions to win these things, some day I will. I am confident that will happen.
So, I plan on heading to the Borgata on August 1st for the Double play tourney with Maria, as we celebrate our 12th Wedding Anniversary the following day, 8/2. I told her if I play on the August 1st (Day 1A), I am definitely off on the 2nd (Day 1B), so we can spend the entire day (poker free) together andcelebrate with a nice dinner that night. I then will head back to the Borgata on the 13th of September until the end of the WPT Main Event for the Borgata Poker Open. Subject to change, as always, but that’s the plan right now.
I want to thank everyone for their support while I was in Vegas and also at Mohegan playing the Main Event. It really does help knowing your friends and family are behind you and support what you do. For that, I am very lucky and very blessed.
