So much for all the hype surrounding these ‘’professional'’ poker players eh?

A 27-year-old businessman from Kansas City, with the unassuming name Grant Hinkle, earns a WSOP bracelet the hard way by coming out on top of a 3,929-player event. This will go down as the largest preliminary event and the fourth longest tournament in WSOP history. Just the kind of hype the 2008 World Series of Poker tournament needs eh?

This was Hinkle’s first-ever cash won at a major poker venue. Hinkle joined the $1,500 No-Limit Hold ‘Em Tournament which was the 2nd event in the 2008 WSOP tournament. Although Hinkle previously had no plans of entering another event, with $831,462 in prize money, he now plans on entering the main event.

‘’I have always wanted to play the main event,'’ Hinkle enthused. ‘’It’s just a dream come true.'’

The marathon tournament took 53.5 hours to finish. Although the final table was supposed to be reached by the end of Day 2, play was stopped at 5:30 am after a majority vote from the 18 players left standing took place to stop play.

On the third day, it would take six more hours before a final table of nine could be reached.

Hinky sealed his victory in heads-up play against James Akenhead when he moved all-in on a stone-cold bluff with 10, 4 of diamonds pre-flop. Akenhead called with A,K and got killed when…

Read More » Largest Preliminary WSOP Event won by an Amateur

What to do if you’re a big-time poker pro stuck just outside of Louisville on Halloween? You grab a couple of the guys covering the WSOP Circuit event, rent a limo, and go find a party. Jason Kirk was along for the ride:

"It?s almost a cop-out to say that Chris was the life of the party, but when a phrase lends itself so easily to the reality of the situation you kind of have to go with it. He traded hats with the Lead Pimp (and eventually ended up in his pimp coat and bling), found a cane that became a dancing accessory, handled a never-ending procession of pimped-out admirers with ease, handled a similar procession of ho?s with an easy smile, and from time to time disappeared dancing into the rest of the bar."

Read More » Halloween With Jesus

It’s Tuesday, so you know what that means… No, we’re not talking crab leg night at the Chinese buffet, we’re talking about new episodes of the World Series of Poker on ESPN. This episode is the last of the "circuit events," this one the $10k Circuit Championship from Harrah’s Atlantic City. Dancing like drunken monkeys for your pleasure tonight: Mimi Tran, Erick Lindgren, and Jesus Ferguson, among six others vying for top honors.

Read More » WSOP 2005: Norman Chad Lights Up Your Tuesday