Cocktails!
Okay, so it's no big secret that Limit Hold'em isn't exactly the most exciting game of the bunch, but it seems the game is so dull and robotic that it's driven many of the players to start drinking, and some of them quite heavily.
Earlier today when the players in Event 12: $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em were awaiting the draw to be released, Brett Richey was seen chatting with a few of them, beer in hand. This was around noon today. We're not sure how many drinks Richey has had, but we can tell you that when he showed up at approximately 9:40 PM tonight in this event, he was quite lubed up. He's continued to drink and have a good time at his table. No one said fun in poker was a bad thing, right?
While Richey's cocktails may be flowing in with a smile, Jason Mercier is seated across the room and doesn't look too happy. Earlier in the day, Mercier played in Event 12 sporting a LeBron James Miami Heat jersey. He's since removed the jersey and only has on the shirt that was under it. What's more is that Mercier has readily had a few drinks in front of him. Maybe to ease the pain of the important loss to the Boston Celtics tonight or maybe because Limit Hold'em can just be too boring to do anything else but drink. Either way, he's still sharing some laughs, mainly with the player on his left, Rep Porter.
Sam Grizzle is another player who's tossing a few back tonight. Heck, he's been throwing drinks back since the beginning of the Series. Men "The Master" Nguyen is right up there with Grizzle in the drinks-consumed department. Just now, "Cocktails!" was the cry from the back of the Orange Section in the Amazon Room and it was from Nguyen. When the server got there he promptly ordered two Coronas.
Another player in the field is quite drunk, to be honest. In fact, on the recent break when the color-up happened, he mistakenly gave away about 7,000 worth of chips to the dealer. The tournament staff had to verify where the chips came from and who they belonged to on video surveillance before returning them to the player. That player seemed fairly sure the chips weren't his at first, but then when the tournament staff came back to give him the chips citing what they say on the cameras, he was adamant that they were indeed his.
This same player was also recently seen wandering between the tables and having a good few laughs with some of his neighbors in the event when a dealer waiting to push out another dealer accidentally bumped into him. Well, the player really bumped the dealer. The player tossed his arms up and seemed drawn back. He was ready to have a joke with it and said, "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I'm a married man, you gotta watch where your hands are touching!" He then pointed towards his crotch area and motioned a bit. "You can talk me anywhere, but there! I'm married, let's be careful here."
Numerous others in the field have alcoholic beverages in front of them and the spirit of the tournament is a light and fun one. When you can only lose one more bet most of the time, a few drinks never hurt anyone.