The November Nine and the WSOPC Biloxi

by Chad Holloway

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PokerNews recently flew me down to Biloxi, Mississippi to cover the WSOP-Circuit Main Event at the IP Casino Resort & Spa. The hotel and casino were impressive and I was happy to cover the event with my PokerNews teammate, Mickey “123md”  Doft, the best tournament reporter in the business. Jay “WhoJedi” Newnum was also there taking care of the WSOP website, so I knew I was in for a good time. Even though I was looking forward to being in Mississippi, the real excitement and place I really wanted to be was in Las Vegas for the return of the November Nine.

I followed along on PokerNews and watched the streaming feed on Saturday as Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi positioned himself to win the whole thing by claiming the chip lead. The hand between him and Matthew Jarvis was the sickest hand since the 2005 WSOP when Mike Matusow’s pocket kings ran into the pocket aces of Scott Lazar. There were quite a few sick hands that developed, mainly because everyone was playing so well. I think this year’s final table had the highest quality play in years. Unfortunately Mizrachi couldn’t win the title, ultimately finishing in 5^th place. Nonetheless, he has the series of a lifetime and his success will surely go down in poker history.

As for the WSOPC in Biloxi, the tournament itself wasn’t too exciting. T.J. Cloutier was there and cashed in 18^th place. The final table was also pretty wild. We went from nine-handed play to heads-up in 90 minutes, but then variance caught up and the final two players played back and forth for five hours. Ultimately the winner was Travis Lutes, who took home $95,253 and locked up a spot in the Circuit National Championship $1 Million Freeroll which will take place at Caesars sometime in May.

During Day 2 of the tournament, action ended early and we were able to watch the live feed of the WSOP Main Event heads-up match between Jonathan Duhamel and John Racener. I personally want Racener to win, but he started with a 6-1 chip disadvantage so we knew his chances weren’t great. Regardless, it was fun watching it with Doft and WhoJedi while enjoying a few drinks. Our cocktail waitress, named Blair and in my opinion the cutest server working at the IP, brought WhoJedi and I a steady flow of drinks. Her southern accent kept us amused as did her outfit, or lack thereof. Pretty soon we were feeling good and decided to play a little roulette. I rarely play anything in the pit, but we both managed to win a little.

Before I forget to say it, congratulations to Jonathan Duhamel on becoming the first Canadian to win the WSOP Main Event. This can only be good for poker and although I’ve never met him, I hear Duhamel is a really nice guy and will be a great ambassador to the game. I’m sure I’ll get the chance to write some things about him over the course of the next few weeks. Speaking of which, I have articles posted daily over at PokerNews.com, so check them out and let me know what you think.

As I write this, I have a day to spend in Biloxi playing poker before I fly out to Los Angeles for the NAPT event at the Bike Casino. I’ve never been to L.A. before and am looking forward to the trip. Unfortunately, I’m not going to have much time to see the sights. I might wake up extra early and pay a visit to Hollywood Boulevard though. I know if I don’t that I’ll regret it later. I’ll be sure to blog from L.A. about any and all exploits, and I guarantee there will be some.