Jeff Haney is a reporter for the Las Vegas Sun newspaper. He’s been on the scene at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event and will, along with a throng of fans, return to the Rio on Monday night. Play between Ivan Demidov and Peter Eastgate will kick off at 10:00pm local time and continue until one man is $9.1 million richer.
Poker News Daily: Describe the mood in the Rio on Sunday, the first day of Main Event play.
Haney: In the morning, there was a ton of energy and excitement. The final table was held inside the Penn and Teller Theater, which is a nice venue. When I arrived on Sunday morning, there was an extremely long line of fans waiting to get in. It included friends and family of players as well as poker fans in general. It stretched down the hall and around the corner. Overall, there was a lot of energy and anticipation.
PND: Did the crowd remain as large at the end of the day?
Haney: It was still a packed house or close to it. As the night wore on, during one of those short breaks I would walk outside. When I walked back in, there was still a line of people waiting to get seats. There was a demand from start to finish. Normally at an event, if people get knocked out, they drift away. That wasn’t the case here. It was just about full to the very end.
PND: Were the knockouts and play in general what you had anticipated?
Haney: It was mostly the way I expected, but with a few minor stunners. Most of the knockouts were routine. When Chino Rheem got knocked out, he had the best going into the hand with A-K against A-Q. The other ones were standard. The huge one outer against Scott Montgomery made everyone gasp. What matters to players are their percentages going into pots.
Overall, it was about what I expected. I have been to a number of final tables of big tournaments. You never know what to expect. Once in a while, you’re surprised because of a quick finish. Once in a while, play is drawn out. This final table started off slow, but picked up towards the end.
PND: Talk about attending the event as a member of the media.
Haney: There is a big difference between being a fan and being a part of the media. It’s a job. You have to be totally professional in every way. You’re there doing a job and it’s enjoyable because it’s a cool event and you get a front row seat. If you’re into poker, there’s a lot to be said about having a front row seat to something historic.
PND: What do you expect in terms of play between Peter Eastgate and Ivan Demidov?
Haney: As is the case in any poker tournament, the blind structure is high in comparison to the chip stacks. As long as they play at a reasonable pace, it will move along. I don’t expect an enormously drawn out affair, although I would be surprised if it was over quickly as well. Both Peter and Ivan deserve to be there. They are accomplished players. Their peers think a lot of them. They deserve to be playing for the World Championship.
PND: What have fans at the Rio said about the WSOP pushing the final table back until November?
Haney: There have been a range of opinions. For a lot of people, it hasn’t sunk in yet because it’s the first year that they’re doing it. The only people who had strong opinions against it are some of the old school traditionalists. They would argue that poker is meant to be played from start to finish with no break. You hear guys saying that you don’t stop a marathon after 25 miles and then come back and sprint to the finish.
A number of different people, including Ivan, have suggested that some kind of a break is good. It lets people regroup, gather their thoughts, and fly out their family members. They’ve said that maybe we should have a break, but just not quite as long.
