Diary Entry of the Day:
“Harrah’s put me in the Rio for the final, but because I’m out here a week early, I’ve decided to stay in the Wynn initially. I won’t be boozing while I’m here until after the final. I want to be both physically and mentally prepared, which means I’ll try to exercise every day, go down to the gym, play some tennis and play a few rounds of golf.
Now that I’m here it’s all beginning to sink in. The last few weeks I've really had time to think about the whole thing. I didn't see the 2008 final, but I decided to watch it recently and it kind of made me realise that this is actually happening to me. I'm excited, but definitely a little bit nervous. I don't feel pressure though and won't have any issues in that sense, I don't really have a problem with pressure or anything when it comes to playing.”
Interview Recap of the Day:
In an amusing interview with Neil Channing, Black Belt Poker caught up with James on Day 6, alongside Karl Mahrenholz who, at this point in time, was also battling away in the Main Event. During this encounter, James and Karl discussed their progress in the event as well as committing sacrilege by tossing the Black Belt Poker patch on the floor. No respect.
Hand of the Day:
We were midway through Day 6 and James was going along nicely with over a million in chips with blinds of 10,000 and 20,000 and a running ante of 3,000. Phil Ivey, who would ultimately be sharing a lot of table time with James, kicked off proceedings with a raise to 55,000 from middle position. James made it 162,000 one seat along with Kh-Kc.
Despite taking on the man the general consensus believes to be the world's greatest poker player, it was unknown entity Herbie Gelman who provided the action, moving all in for a total of 490,000 from the big blind. Ivey ducked out of the way and James, of course, made the call.
With Gelman revealing As-Ks, he was in need of a bullet to spare his tournament life, but the flop was an emphatic Kd-Qs-3d. The 5d turn sealed the deal and following an academic Ac on the river, Gelman was gone. James, however, now had 1,600,000, and was in commanding shape as he continued to make his presence felt amid notorious company.
Quote of the Day:
During an interview with Bluff Magazine: “When something comes into my life that I’m interested in, I’m really determined to be good at it. It was the same with pool. When I started I was a really bad player, but two years later I was number 15 in the UK.”
Trivia of the Day:
As well as shining at poker, James is also somewhat of a pool whiz, and used to play tournaments across the country. He first played poker at the age of 21, when some of the players at his local snooker hall developed an interest in the game.
Result of the Day:
James’ sixth biggest win came on June 6, 2008 in one of the Bellagio Weekly tournaments, just one week after his dramatic near bracelet miss. The event was a $1,000 No Limit Hold’em freezeout, and James finished second for a total of $24,330. Also making the final table was Londoner Richard Stanley, who James knows from previous encounters at the now defunct Gutshot Club.
Day 7 diary