WSOP 2001 - Rafe's Highlights

From rafe@CS.Stanford.EDU Thu Nov 22 10:27:17 2001
Date: Sat, 19 May 2001 17:45:17 -0700 (Pacific Daylight Time)
From: Rafe Furst 
To: Tiltboys 
Subject: Re: deafening silence...


On Sat, 19 May 2001, John Kullmann wrote:

> 
> so?  is phil _still_ celebrating 24 hours later such that
> he can't give us at least a few of the highlight??

We partied late into the night and then Phil and I caught flights back to the
Bay Area and he is getting some stuff done that he needs to do.  I'll give you
a few bullet items that will be teasers for stories at the game this week...

o Phil wins a seat into the main event via a $220 super satellite with no
  rebuys and a very exciting finish where Phil almost gets knocked out on the
  bubble.

o Rafe wins a single table satellite on the night before the main event, saving
  him $8K for the entry into the main event.

o Rafe and Phil calling off their long-standing $10K *overlay* bet on who makes
  the final table of the WSOP first and instead swapping 20% of each other.

o Phil not letting Paul Swiencicki buy 10% of him before the main event like he
  (Paul) bought off of Rafe.

o Meeting up with Phil, Rafe, Andy Bloch, Paul Phillips, and Bruce's friends
  Rich and Frank during he breaks to compare chip counts, table textures, and
  discuss strategies.

o Listening to Layne Flack give us advice after night 2 in exchange for free
  beers, and telling some hilarious stories, including losing $25K to Ted
  Forrest the other day while watching and betting on the action in some 
  porno movies.

o Rafe busts at 10:30pm on Day 3 after a tough day with Negreanu on his left
  and Hellmuth and Tony D at the table.  57th place, 12 out of the money, but
  better than 556 other entrants in his first WSOP appearance.

o Phil lasting 3 full days and making it in the money with chips!  Phil plays
  lights out, picking up over $100K in chips and putting himself into great
  position to make the final table by stealing as the other players were too
  afraid to go bust in 46th place.

o On Day 4, Phil mucks KK preflop as Hellmuth goes all in with AA.

o Having all our friends and family calling and cheering for us the entire 5
  days and having people fly out to watch the final table and celebrate.

o Phil manipulating the media into building the final table up to be a battle
  of the "Good Phil" vs. the "Evil Phil".  Then during the final table, leaning
  over to Mike Sexton who is doing a play by play for some show and asking him
  to refer to Phil Gordon as the "tall Phil" and Hellmuth as "the short Phil",
  sure to tilt Hellmuth.

o This American Life (my favorite NPR radio show) producer, Ira Glass, loves
  Phil and Rafe's stories of Roshambo and other high stakes propositions.  As
  we are wrapping up the first of several interviews we demonstrate a
  proposition bet when I say to Phil, "I bet you we don't make it on the air."  
  Phil counters, "You're on for $750 to $500".  Later Ira's assistant tells me
  I'm going to lose my bet, to which I tell her that I know because I
  proposed it figuring it would lock us onto being on the air.

o Phil starts off the final table by pushing all in over the top of a Hellmuth
  steal attempt and shows a Q-2 offsuit, saying "you ran over me yesterday,
  but you are not going to do that today."  Hellmuth doesn't say anything, just
  raps the table twice and purses his lips.  This starts a flurry of activity
  as all the other players start playing back at Hellmuth as well.

o Phil listed as "Professional Tiltboy" in his bio

o Discovery Channel telling Phil they want to do interviews in Tahoe with him
  because he's by far the most interesting personality at the table.

o Professional poker stakehorses telling Phil that they want to stake him in
  the big games at the Bellagio.

o At the first break Rafe asks one of the pro players (forgot his name) who is
  doing commentary on the final table if notices any patterns or trends in the
  flow of the game, to which he replies completely unprompted, "I like the way
  that kid in seat 1 [Phil G.] is playing, I think he's going to win it".

o Phil getting asked to sign autographs by fans during the breaks.

o Hellmuth busting out 5th, Gordon still alive!

o Phil taking 4th place at the WSOP and receiving a $400K check!!!

o Rafe making $80K for doing nothing but sweating (more money than everyone in
  the tournament except for the nine at the final table).

o Rafe flies back to Palo Alto on same flight with Hellmuth family (who
  happen to live here) and works the angle for Rafe, Phil and maybe other
  Tiltboys to each take a shot at him in a publicized match (either heads-up or
  full ring) with him on his ultimatebet.com site.  I'll try for Wednesday
  night during the game!  Oh, I also set the hook in Hellmuth's mouth for
  losing money to me and Phil G. in golf this week at Stanford.  I guess we'll
  have to hold an auction for that 4th spot...

--Rafe


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