WSOP 2007: Lee Watkinson

We spoke with Lee Watkinson a few days before the $10,000 championship event of the World Series of Poker.

Cardplayer: How has the Series been for you?

Lee Watkinson: It's been kind of dry, I have been bubbling like a hot coke on ice. I have bubbled five times within seven places of the money. This is my last event ($1,000 no-limit hold'em with rebuys) before the main event. I actually made the worst play of the World Series in this event. I misread my hand, I thought I had a 4-5 and flopped two pair against pocket kings. I knew the guy had a big pair. He moves in, I call, and throw them over and I have 3-4. The 3-4 was suited and there was one of the suit on the flop and it came runner and then the king of that suit on the river, so that turned out to be my best play of the Series so far.

[Lee did make the money in this event, his second of three cashes in this year's WSOP.]

CP: What has Harrah's done right and wrong with the WSOP this year, and what can they fix for next year?

LW: I would like to see them move the players off the rail a little bit.

[We are standing watching the $10,000 pot-limit Omaha tournament that is down to 10 players and has spectators literally less than a foot away from the final table players.]

LW: Like in this Omaha event, players are trying to look at their cards and the railbirds are talking. That guy there in the yellow shirt, he was talking so much earlier that I had to ask him to hold it down and he did for about a minute and when I asked again, he looked at the table and asked if he was bothering anyone else. He left when I called the floor but his buddy stayed there and talked on about me calling the floor for no reason.

Fans on the rail will actually say things like "Man I would have played that hand" when you muck your cards. It's just not a good situation. I mean these guys are playing for a million dollars, and after 12 hours of play anything can irritate you and throw you off our game.

CP: How have you felt about the schedule?

LW: I would like to see more of these $1,000 rebuy tournaments and less of the $1,500 events. A $1,000 rebuy hits all of the players. The player who wants to play for $1,000 can play; those who want to go for $10,000 and the players who want to play for $40,000 can do that, too.

CP: Good luck in the main event.

LW: Thanks.

UPDATE: Lee Watkinson will play today at the final table of the 2007 WSOP main event with a shot the at the $8.25 million and the most coveted bracelet in all of poker.

UPDATE: Watkinson finished eighth in the main event.