WSOP 2010 The Final Countdown -- Angle Shooting High

As the November Nine prepare to take to the felt, bringing to an end the WSOP 2010, Rebecca McAdam relives her favourite memories from this year’s Series.

The $1,000 Seniors Championship appeared mid-WSOP schedule and as it was obviously just for those the far side of 21, for many it was one of those tournaments to by-pass on the road to the main event. To be honest, I didn’t think anything of it beforehand myself, but I now know that was just ignorance.

Going down to the Pavilion to do my daily winner’s interview, I was accosted by cowboy hats, bolo ties, zimmer frames, tortoise shell rimmed glasses, and splashes of blue rinse and puce-pink lipstick. It was in such contrast to the oversized-headphone-wearing, bejeweled crowd that it almost felt like some sort of weird dream.

On stage, all the living members of the Seniors Poker Hall of Fame were being photographed around the Golden Eagle trophy, which lists the event’s winners and is passed on each year. “Oklahoma” Johnny Hale, the “Elder Statesman of Poker” had made his traditional roll call before start of play, which included a moment of silence for legends no longer with us like Stu Ungar and Benny Binion.

The many powerful images of history and tradition surrounding this event had a deeply humbling affect on me, as did Harold Angle, the eventual champion. The 78-year-old was old enough to be some of the players’ father and as he made his comeback from just 400 in chips on day 1, he did not stop until he held that trophy surrounded by his extended family. The man knows nothing about online poker or even computers for that matter, but with charisma and grace had beaten a record-breaking field of 3,142 players.

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