While I enjoyed watching all of the sanghoki 2004 Main Event’s over the past several weeks I can’t help but like the sanghoki 2003 a bit more. I believe ESPN’s coverage of this event was actually a bit better but save for Marcel Luske and his antics (which I actually found entertaining) this year just seemed…. well… kinda sorta Blah! Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy it and parked my fat @$$ in front of the tube every Tuesday but it just didn’t make me as excited as the 2003 event did.

Anyways… Just some random thoughts on the event…

1. Whoever thinks a fight between Josh Arieh and Phil Hellmuth would end up in a bunch of hair pulling and someone getting scratched raise your hand. That’s what I thought!!! What a baby! I actually find Phil’s personality enjoyable at times and totally believe he acts that way on purpose. Kinda sorta filling the role the poker world has given him. But this guy Josh is a freakin’ whiny baby that is a @$$hole to boot. Thank God he didn’t win but he still took home 2.5 mil which is still a bummer.

2. Screaming at the table more than once should be considered bad etiquette. Boy I wish Raymer would’ve jumped up and screamed like that girlie man Mattias Andersen when he knocked the swede out. However, I did find it one of the better moments of the event when Raymer allowed Mattias to put on his “lizard eye” sunglasses. That was classic.

3. By the way, is anyone (as Raymer said they would) rushing out to pick up a pair of sunglasses like he was wearing at the event?? I didn’t think so!

4. Even though I knew how the event played out I sure do wish David Williams would’ve taken the top spot. He just seems like an all around good guy to me. I may be wrong but he just seems that way. He was easily my favorite player of the event but only by a hair over Marcel Luske.

5. Dan Harrington without a doubt has to be the best all around no-limit player of the last 10 years (and arguably of all-time). He has won the sanghoki (in 1995) and made it to the final table 2 times by getting through the 2 largest fields the event has ever seen. He actually said it best after I think Al Krux got put out when he told Al just getting to the final table was a larger feat than actually winning it 10 years ago. I truly believe this to be true.

6. Word is they are expecting 5000 to 6000 people for next years event. This in my opinion is ridiculous but what can you do. Maybe increase the buyin to $25,000? What about $50,000?? They have got to do something different because of the popularity explosion of poker. How about a lottery pull of some sorts for 3000 seats or something. I just don’t know.

Just wanted to post a few things that popped in my head this morning on my way to work. Hope I did/didn’t waste your time too much depending on how you look at things.