Top Pair Podcast 313: Behind the Scenes at the 2018 WSOP Main Event

Robbie Strazynski

Jul 18, 2018 Last updated Jul 19, 2018

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In episode 313 of the Top Pair Home Game Poker Podcast, Bruce Briggs and Robbie Strazynski talk about the behind-the-scenes goings on at the World Series of Poker Main Event. Bruce, from the viewer/audience perspective, has lots of questions for Robbie, with his front row seat/media perspective, the answers to which will surely intrigue the podcast’s home game fans.

Plus, some fun stories from Robbie’s extensive time at the felt over the past three weeks in Las Vegas and a One Outer that’ll certainly test the flexibility of your poker trivia knowledge.

Top Pair thanks their sponsors, J Design Cards, the Poker Notes Live mobile app, and Buy Bitcoin, for their support. Be sure to check ‘em out!

Show Time Stamps

00:23	Synopsis
1:07–48:41	How Ya Runnin?
	Bruce: Not much going on poker-wise in Salt Lake City’s home game scene during the summer. Been watching a lot of WSOP coverage on TV.
	Robbie: No home game play, but 80+ hours of poker over three weeks in Las Vegas and grateful to have won over $1,000.
3:50	The trick to buying WSOP-branded merchandise.
8:00	The most exciting $4/$8 mixed game of the summer took place after the LFG Podcast tournament, featuring Chad Holloway, Jamie Kerstetter, David Tuchman, 2017 WSOP Main Event Champion Scott Blumstein.
13:25	Robbie’s front row seat during the WSOP Main Event, working with Poker PROductions on the Player Bios team.
15:00	Bruce hadn’t watched the WSOP Main Event broadcast for about five years and decided to finally tune in again. He had been turned off by the “hoodies and sunglasses” types of players, but didn’t notice as many of them in 2018. Has there been an evolution in how players dress/behave?
19:15	Celebrities playing at the WSOP Main Event, Ray Romano and Kevin Pollak; blending in with everyone else.
20:32	How is seating at the feature tables decided? Who makes the call? Is it random? Do regular people have a chance of getting seated at feature tables or only poker superstars?
24:00	The integrity of the WSOP Main Event always takes precedence, even over the “production of the show” component for TV.
27:13	Do players have the right to say “no, I don’t want to be at the feature table?” There were rumors about Phil Ivey…
32:23	Shout outs to the great team of hardworking commentators, including Lon McEachern, Norman Chad, Ali Nejad, Nick Schulman, Maria Ho, Antonio Esfandiari, and Jamie Kerstetter.
35:29	How do they decide to break down the WSOP Main Event final table schedule into three days of coverage, from nine players down to a winner?
41:15	Shout out to new Poker Hall of Famer Mori Eskandani, for an excellent production.
42:40	Reflections on an incredible heads-up battle between Tony Miles and eventual winner John Cynn. Is the tournament structure too good for a recreational player to win again?
44:00	What the atmosphere was like in the Rio poker room during the WSOP Main Event heads-up battle.
50:00	One Outer – Poker trivia: If you’re holding a 10 and a 5 in your hold’em hand and can choose any cards you’d like on the board, is there any straight that you cannot make?

You can subscribe to PokerNews’ Top Pair Home Game Poker podcast on iTunes here, or you can access the RSS feed here. The PokerNews Podcast family of podcasts is now available on audioBoom.

Follow the show on Facebook and be sure to join in the conversation on Twitter at #PNTopPair.

Follow hosts Bruce Briggs @toppair and Robbie Strazynski @cardplayerlife, also available via email: [email protected]

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