Now that the WSOP is in the record books, we want to know what the players made of it all – the highs and lows, bad beats and good times, and the most crazy, wild, and surprising moments that happened this summer.
Writer of the Emmy-winning Weeds, Matt Salsberg is also a former WPT Paris champion and WPT POY. Follow Matt on X/Twitter.
What was the best experience you had at the WSOP?
The best one is usually when you go the deepest, and I did have a few pretty deep runs this summer at the WSOP. The deepest was in the online $1K 6-max event where I made the final table and got sixth for $30,000.
It was fun because I knew a couple of the players in the last few tables based on information shared with me about whose screen names were who, but I may have been more anonymous to others.
I knew LA reg Derek Kwan was left, along with Kevin Eyster, both of whom have a history of getting the best of me. I ended up outlasting Kevin, but Derek finished one spot higher than me.
I was curious who the Canadian flagged player was – PecheMortele, which means Mortal Fish, and he ended up winning. It turned out to be none other than the legend Mike Watson, who, of course, is one of the best in the game. So, I didn't feel too bad losing to him as opposed to some random, mortal Canadian fish.
Interestingly enough, this event ended at 2am and was on my day off from the Main Event between Days 2 and 3. It probably messed me up being awake that late and ultimately ruined my Main run because I was fatigued on Day 3. I ended up making a couple of huge mistakes and busting late afternoon, which is, of course the worst day of the year. This time around it was neutralized somewhat by the final table the night before.
How could the WSOP be improved?
I think the Horseshoe room is dreadful. It's very unhealthy having to walk through the very smokey casino to get to it, and if they can somehow figure that out, it would go a long way toward improving the experience.
It's really sad, depressing, and inconsiderate to repeatedly expose people to carcinogens. I wish it were back at the Rio or in a space that was more pleasant and inspiring, as opposed to what feels like the pits of hell.
I was shocked at how inexperienced some dealers were there, too. Getting All American Dave back would be a huge improvement, too, as the food situation at this venue is particularly poor with regard to healthy options. They should do away with the parking gates, too, during the summer. Getting in and out of that structure is brutal.
What was the craziest thing you did or saw while in Vegas?
I was deep in the Venetian Seniors event with two tables left and was kind of hungry. The guy next to me was eating the Salisbury Steak from Grand Luxe and raved about it to the point where three others were also eating it and raving.
I declined and then busted 12th, and then those four guys ended up in a five-way chop, so from now on, I'm only ever ordering that when deep in an event at the Venetian. Science.
I also saw a homeless man doing one-armed pushups at 2am on the curb outside the Horseshoe and was very jealous of him.
Additional image courtesy of PokerStars
