2011 World Series of Poker

Event #58: $10,000 Main Event
Event Info

2011 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
ak
Prize
$8,715,638
Event Info
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$64,531,000
Entries
6,865
Level Info
Level
43
Blinds
1,200,000 / 2,400,000
Ante
300,000

These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty

Level 11 : 800/1,600, 200 ante
Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander

We just walked past Table 312, where sits Jason Alexander and Jonathan Frey, among others. On our way past, Alexander threw his hands up in the air and stared over in our direction. He has shades on, so we couldn't immediately tell if he was looking at us directly. He did the motion again, though, following us around the table with his eyes.

"Where were you?!" he finally spoke up. "Two good ones over here already."

A quick check on Alexander's stack sees that his day has indeed started off well. He began play with 167,000 chips just a half level ago, and he's already turned that into about 285,000, making him the biggest-stacked celebrity left in the field.

While he continues to gain respect for his prowess on the felt, it's Alexander's other passion that he's best known for. Born in New Jersey with a full head of hair, Alexander initially had his heart set on being a magician. He soon realized how hard it was to pay the bills making little red balls disappear under plastic cups, though, and he made a fortuitous switch to a career in acting. He writes, he sings, he tells jokes, he produces and directs, he's won a ton of awards, and he's played one of the more memorable characters in television history, Seinfeld's George Costanza. Still, more than a decade after the show's final episode, we still very often hear people asking "George!" for his autograph in the Amazon Room. Even the dealer at Table 312 was asking him, "Do you ever see Kramer?" as we walked past.

If any of the mainstream celebrities have a chance to win a gold bracelet, Alexander may well be the best bet. He won a season of Celebrity Poker Showdown, and he finished 10th in the Ante Up for Africa event in 2007. This appearance today marks the second time in three years he's made Day 3 of the Main Event, and he's got some fighting chips to work with over there, too.

Tags: Jason Alexander