WSOP 2001
For those of us who consider ourselves to be not only hard-core fans of the game of poker, but also lovers of cinema as well, 2001 was an extraordinarily exciting year. After all, ever since 1968, moviegoers had been titillated with the prospect of what life would be like in the future, based upon Stanley Kubrick's classic "2001: A Space Odyssey."
I vividly recall seeing it for the first time at the Ziegfield Theater in New York City. I think I was the only member of the audience not tripping on acid at the time, which is why I found the movie sso utterly boring. However, as the years passed I had several opportunities to revisit it and finally got what it was all about. The voice of the HAL-9000 computer begging not to be unplugged certainly ranks as one of the most poignant death scenes in all of cinema history. And, I could not help but wonder, how would the real year 2001 stack up compared to the science fiction version?
Well, as we all know with the benefit of hindsight, life in the United States turned out to be pretty much exactly the way that movie predicted it would be. Even now, I can hear those chimpanzees banging against the black monolith in my garage in an orgy of primitive religious frenzy.
But even that was nothing compared to the thrills and nonstop excitement that characterized the 2001 World Series of Poker. To many of us who had been following the tournament for a number of years, it seemed remarkable that the game of poker, rather than die out with the turn of the millennium, only continued to grow in popularity. It was more and more an international scene at Binion's casino, with competitors showing up from a number of countries I never even heard of. In fact, I am pretty sure there were some fictitious nations listed on the roster.
The bottom line is that it was an absolutely huge field in competition for the WSOP title that year. In all, a staggering sum of 613 entrants found themselves seated at the main event. When you calculate each individual times $10,000, it becomes pretty obvious that there was a whole heck of a lot of money - not to mention pride - at stake. We are all expecting great things and we were not disappointed.
I will say this, however: it was a thrill unlike few others to see the emergence of a brand-new world champion at the 2001 WSOP. Carlos "El Matador" Mortensen established himself as one of the most impressive players on the professional circuit. He was able to garner the bracelet and $1,500,000 as result of his wily and tenacious play. He's still out there on the scene, of course, doing his thing, but as far as I'm concerned 2001 was his moment in the sun as a champion.
by Arthur Crowson
