Event #1 Final Table - Will It Get Any Better Than This?

The first final table of the 2008 World Series features an incredible lineup with famous faces and top professionals. There was a waiting line for fans to get in to watch the final table, and the Milwaukee's Best balcony bar was nearly packed to capacity.

I removed my media pass for a while so Maria Ho and I could watch the action from the stands. (For those who don't remember, Maria was the deepest-finishing female in last year's Main Event.) Curiously, it was the first time since 2004, that I watched a WSOP final table from the stands rather than Media Row, and it seemed like an entirely new experience to me. Instead of focusing 100% on the action and getting every bet and card suit accurate, I could relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

As you'd expect, there were quite a few recognizable faces in the audience, including Linda Johnson (rooting for Mike Sexton?), Erick Lindgren and Gavin Smith (rooting for Chris Bell?), and Allen Kessler (rooting for Kathy Liebert). When I first noticed Allen, I wondered who he managed to swap points with -- he has an uncanny ability to get some top players to swap percentage points with him. Not sure how he convinces them, because it doesn't seem like the greatest return on investment.

I also saw Jen Creason for the first time in months -- she was the original Pokerwire girl, and is still the best chip counter in the world. (Too bad she's retired.) Creason was rooting for Andy Bloch, her former (and perhaps future) fiance. She was sitting next to Heather Borowinski, another former Pokerwire girl (now working for Full Tilt). Everyone seemed surprised to see me in the audience rather than at my usual spot in Media Row.

When I asked fans in the packed audience who they were rooting for, the most common answer was "Kathy Liebert." (Maria Ho was rooting for her too.) Liebert may not get as much press coverage as the younger female players, but a lot of fans really like her.

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