We’re halfway through the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), which wraps up on July 17th at the Rio in Las Vegas with the final nine runners in the Main Event. Camped out in the Nevada desert is UB.com pro and PokerRoad personality Joe Sebok.
Poker News Daily: Tell us how your WSOP has gone so far.
Joe Sebok: I’m playing a lot less poker than I normally do because I’ve been trying to handle the UB.com and PokerRoad duties as well. I’ve played about 10 events of the first 40. So many people who are in poker media have been around since 2005. Now, everything we do out here is business-oriented rather than partying and going crazy.
PND: Do you have any sort of playing schedule mapped out from here?
Joe Sebok: I just check the schedule ahead of time and then play. I’m happy with how I’ve been playing even though I don’t have a lot of cashes. I’ve been taking beats in the middle of Day 2s. If I feel like playing one day and don’t have a lot going on, I’ll hop into a tournament. This year, if I don’t feel like playing, I won’t.
PND: You Tweeted that your Father’s Day gift for Barry Greenstein would be a WSOP bracelet. Have you been rooting him on?
Joe Sebok: I hope he gets one. He’s had a super rough Series so far and doesn’t have a cash. He’s played in so many events too. We’ve been talking on PokerRoad about how a lot of people aren’t doing anything this year. The more established pros like Barry Greenstein, Annie Duke, Chris Ferguson, and Howard Lederer have been pretty quiet.
PND: What were your thoughts on the final field of 27 for the WSOP Tournament of Champions, which begins on Sunday?
Joe Sebok: There are a definitely a lot of people that should be in that aren’t. A system like that boils down to popularity. I don’t think that field comes close to featuring the best No Limit Hold’em players in the world. The voting was restricted to bracelet winners, but there are a lot of better No Limit Hold’em players who didn’t make it. Everyone knew going in that it was going to be a popularity contest, however.
PND: What are your thoughts on how the UB.com pro stable has fared so far?
Joe Sebok: It seems like it’s been pretty quiet. It seems like all across the board it hasn’t been a WSOP for big names. Everything is redeemed with one tournament, though, so it’s never over until it’s over. It is surprising that none of the big names has blown up. We’ve been saying on PokerRoad that every year, these fields are going to get bigger and tougher. All of these kids coming in are not like we were coming in. These guys have been playing for longer and they’re so much better.
PND: Do you see “Poker2Nite” being renewed down the road? We know it’s currently on hold.
Joe Sebok: It definitely could happen again and things can always get picked back up. I’m definitely not ruling it out and we loved doing it. You just take it with a grain of salt and there are always so many opportunities out there. I think ultimately these shows boil down to conversions. In most other poker shows, you can win your way on, so it provides a mechanism to sign up for the site. I still think “Poker2Nite” is a great show. It provides something to the poker community that people really enjoy.
PND: How have the PokerRoad shows been going from Las Vegas?
Joe Sebok: The shows have been great. Joe Stapleton had to step back to do the “Big Game” for PokerStars, so we brought in Jeremiah Smith and they’ve gone well. I thought that bringing someone into the fold would take time, but he’s taken to it like a fish to water.