2007 WSOP - Strokes, Meth, Fights and More!!

When the WSOP takes place, you can bet that there will be plenty of “characters” present. This year is no exception. And if there’s one thing that characters are good for, it’s generating lots of colorful stories. So let’s pause from the usual WSOP synopsis and take a look at some of the more interesting events which have taken place in Vegas over the past 22 days.

PAUL CLARK - DIE HARD

Paul “Eskimo” Clark (pictured) is a Vietnam vet with a love for cards. In fact, he’s been making a living at them for decades, as his three WSOP bracelets can attest to. But this year’s event has been particularly hard on him, as he has collapsed at the table on three separate occasions..

The last two times were earlier this week while playing $1,500 Razz. And both times, Clark held the chip lead. On the most recent occasion, an EMT checked him out and Clark refused to leave the table.

Kenny Johnson, an old friend of Clark, confirmed that the episodes were all the result of mini-strokes, and that Clark has had half a dozen in the last 6 months. During one collapse, Johnson also revealed that Clark had fractured his foot, but he refused to get treatment and miss the tournament.

Clark would later finish 4th in the event, earning $31,186 in the process. Here’s hoping that some of that money goes towards medical bills.

VINNIE VINH - MISSING IN ACTION

Throughout the tournament, Vinnie Vinh has been mysteriously disappearing for several days at a time. On one occasion, he failed to show up for day two of an event….when he was the chip leader!

In fact, he has finished two tournaments this year in 20th and 22nd place, both while not bothering to show up for the second day (many thought he would be found dead in his hotel room). This has led to speculation about various drug habits, with the favorite rumor involving crystal meth. While that is unconfirmed, the one thing for sure is that something incredibly unusual is going on in the life of Vinnie Vinh.

BILL CHEN - THE COLOR OF MONEY

Event #21 had a controversy, as Bill Chen negotiated with an opponent to give him 25 % of his earnings in the event in exchange for Chen moving on to the next round. He even called the tournament director over and had him verify what was going on. The deal was approved.

Unfortunately, it’s against the tournament rules to make deals with other players, and Chen, a brilliant mathematician and published poker author, was eventually disqualified. Along the way, a lot of pros seemed to take exception with the behavior, despite the fact that such deals are made all the time. It’s just that they’re normally not made with the tournament director’s knowledge.

You have to at least give Chen credit for being up front and honest.

VANESSA ROUSSO, CHAD BROWN AND AARON BEEN - READY TO RUMBLE

There was some sort of drama between poker eye candy Vanessa Rousso and frequent 2+2 forum contributor Aaron Been. The details are mostly “he said, she said,” but generally revolve around one or the other acting like an ass at the table. Rousso reportedly left the game nearly in tears (but details are once again sketchy).

Later, Rousso and boyfriend Chad Brown passed Been in a hallway, and Brown wanted an apology from him. When Been declined, Brown wanted to fight. Been also declined that offer and walked away. Let’s hope Brown got some extra special sex for his primitive display of masculinity (insert Tim Allen grunts here).

The 2+2 Forums have a thread dedicated to the incident (over 60 pages long), with comments by both Rousso and Been. Brown would have responded, but he was busy fending off a saber-toothed tiger and inventing fire.

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2007 WSOP - Strokes, Meth, Fights and More!!