The Main Event's Almost Here!

The World Series of Poker Main Event starts tomorrow! I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m excited. This is the biggest event in all of poker, with this year’s first prize being…well…nobody knows yet, but it should be frockin’ huge! The poker boom is still going strong in Vegas, judging by the fact that more than one of this year’s WSOP events sold right out – including the $1,000 “stimulus special” tourney.

Sponsors are really getting into the Main Event, too, albeit in not-so-great ways. Jack Link’s Beef Jerky will give you $100 worth of product if you show four Jacks during the ME. Whether your hand wins or loses, you’re getting some beef jerky. This could be awesome in some situations, but, you know, not others.

I’m waiting to see a quad Jacks versus royal flush hand; the guy who loses with the awesome-looking Jacks is going to be so pissed if he isn’t in the money yet. Because nothing adds to the agony of a horrible beat quite like being handed a big bag full of beef jerky while you’re vacating the seat that you just lost because of some donkey. “Gee, thanks for coughing up ten thousand dollars, pal, and it really sucks that you’re going home with NOTHING! But here...have some meat snacks.”

On the other hand: if I were playing the ME and found myself losing my seat with quad Jacks, I could always call up Sasquatch and have him help me get some sweet, sweet revenge.