Daniel Harrington talks with another player at his table during the 41st annual World Series of Poker Main Event on Tuesday at the Rio.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.
Sun Coverage
A young man at the World Series of Poker walks up to poker veteran Dan Harrington and pats him on the shoulder as a show of appreciation.
For the 64-year old Harrington, who won the 1995 World Series of Poker Main Event, this is a common occurrence.
Many of the players at the World Series of Poker have Harrington's seminal series of books on tournament-poker strategy, entitled Harrington on Hold'em, to thank for their careers.
There is, however, a downside to this attention. Because so many people are familiar with Harrington's texts, they have a good idea of how he plays.
"People have more awareness of what my normal strategies are," Harrington said. "I have to vary them a little more to make it neutral. I might be inclined to raise in certain positions more now or do it less."
Harrington was one of 1,489 players who showed up Tuesday to play on the second starting day of the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event at the Rio.
Harrington has found much success at the Main Event as he fought off large fields in both 2003 and 2004 to make the final table in what ESPN commentator Norman Chad called "the greatest achievement in World Series history."
Although he doesn't play in as many tournaments anymore, Harrington said the Main Event was one he couldn't miss.
"If you want to talk about tennis, this is like all the Grand Slams rolled up into one," Harrington said.
Harrington was down to about 20,000 chips out of the starting 30,000 after six hours of play Tuesday. He was one of many professionals who chose to start the Main Event on its second of four starting days.
Other long-time professionals at the Rio on Tuesday included Gavin Smith, Tom Schneider and Blair Rodman.
But the day largely belonged to one of the youngest pros in the field, 21-year old Dan Kelly from Potomac, Md. The World Series held a bracelet ceremony during the first break for Kelly, who won the prestigious $25,000 six-max no-limit hold 'em tournament for $1.3 million Saturday night.
Dan Kelly holds up his championship bracelet during an awards ceremony at the 41st annual World Series of Poker on Tuesday at the Rio. Kelly won the $25,000 no-limit hold'em six-handed tournament for $1,315,518.
Kelly managed to stay focused enough to run his chip stack in the Main Event up to nearly 80,000 after six hours of play.
"I always watched this on TV when I was younger," Kelly said. "This is my first year, so it's really exciting for me."
Youngsters have captured the Main Event championship in each of the last two years. Denmark's Peter Eastgate became the youngest player to win it in 2008 at 23 years old, before 21-year old Joe Cada shattered his record last year.
It would surprise no one if Kelly, who started playing online a few years ago, made a deep run this year. Two other up-and-comers in the field Tuesday who got their start in the online world were Andrew Lichtenberger and Jay Rosenkrantz.
Rosenkrantz turned a minimal deposit into multi-millions online. Litchtenberger captured a World Series of Poker circuit championship at Caesars Palace in March for $190,000.
"There's still a lot of good older players, but I think kids are starting to play at a younger age," Kelly said. "They have the advantage of playing on the Internet and growing up with the Internet."
Canadian medical student Phil Dwek, center, dressed as Batman, watches as players at his table finish a hand before a break during the 41st annual World Series of Poker Main Event on Tuesday at the Rio.
Professionals weren't the only players commanding attention from spectators. Phil Dwek, a recreational player and medical student from Toronto, stole some of the spotlight by showing up in a Batman costume.
Dwek said he settled on Batman because the costume shop sold out of Captain America outfits.
"It makes the whole tournament a lot more enjoyable," Dwek said. "My whole table is so serious of an atmosphere."
Dwek could afford to travel to Las Vegas and buy in to the tournament because he decided to skip out on a medical review course. After six hours of play, Dwek was slightly above average in chips.
Among the chip leaders at the dinner break of Day 1B were television poker regular Phil Laak and online superstar Phil Galfond. They were both nearing 100,000 chips.
Carnival lasts all year at the Rio. With a float occasionally passing overhead and dropping beads while feathered dancers fire up the gamblers below, the Rio tries to keep its 120,000-square foot casino jumping with excitement. Special Brazilian mixed-drinks are also served throughout the casino. The hotel suites tend to be larger than similar priced rooms on the Strip and many offer excellent views with floor to ceiling windows.
The Rio offers some quality shows like "Penn & Teller" and "Chippendales." Many come to the Rio for the nightlife at the VooDoo Lounge, located on the 51st floor, or McFadden's Irish Pub on the casino level.
Others come for a bit relaxation at the Rio Spa or pool area and still others come to shop at the hotel's 60,000 square feet of shops. In each of these endeavors, the Rio attempts to make the experience a bit more fun and spontaneous.
The Rio also offers guests a variety of dining choices from all-American food at the All-American Bar & Grille to Gaylord India Restaurant for something a little spicier and even Carnival World Buffet for the indecisive.
Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer for live updates from the Main Event.
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