I took hundreds of photos last week, and it took me several full days to sort and process them all. I’ve already sent most of them out to the people who were at the party suite, but I figured after all that work, I should post some of the highlights to my blog to get some traffic out of it.
It’s also a convenient way to let everyone who was there see a lot of the photos at once. (For most people, I only sent them the photos that they were in.)
SCENES FROM THE WPT FINAL TABLE
I already wrote a post about the action at the final table, so it’s time for some of the action behind the scenes.
Left: Sabina Gadecki poses with Alex Outhred (left) after his fourth-place finish.
Right: Sabina’s first-ever WPT interview was with Season 4’s Player of the Year, Gavin Smith, and they reunited for a photo op.
Caption: Morgan Machina, Gavin Smith, and Fabrice Soulier were all on hand to watch the final table. 
Left: WPT Hosts Mike Sexton and Sabina Gadecki
Right: Sabina’s secret weapon — green socks. From now on, if you can’t see her feet, you’ll be wondering ...
Caption: When she accepted the job as WPT hostess, Sabina didn’t think fans would be asking for her autograph, but she happily obliged them all. KARAOKE NIGHT AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES
We had a large group step out of the party suite last Tuesday night to take on karaoke night at the House of Blues. Our self-appointed lead singer was the WPT’s jack-of-all-trades, Paul Hannum (seen here at right). I’d say he did a fine job, but to tell the truth, I have no idea. It was very loud, and I was too busy laughing and taking photos. But he had a large group of back-up singers, only some of which you see in the photo below. These were the least embarrassing photos I could find.
Caption: I’m going to let this picture speak for itself, because I can’t remember which song they were “performing.” MORE PHOTOS OF GAVIN WITH WOMEN WHO ARE HOTTER THAN GAVIN — AND ANDY BLOCH
Here are some more photos for my upcoming series on Gavin Smith. Unfortunately for Andy Bloch, his picture probably won’t make the final cut.
Caption: Pokerwire Amanda (left) and Pokerwire Heather (right) take turns kissing their favorite reigning WPT Player of the Year.
Caption: Bren (left) and Pam (right) can’t resist Gavin’s charms either.
Caption: Andy Bloch is considerably less excited than the others. THE PARTY SUITE AT MANDALAY BAY
Morgan Machina, Robert Shipman, and Pam Elliott hosted nightly parties in a suite near the top of the Mandalay Bay. There was an open bar, plenty of food, plenty of people, and usually a poker game going on in the corner. I don’t have photos of everyone who was there, and I’ve edited out anything that might be too embarrassing (which is most of the photos). So this is all I’m willing to post for the general public.
Caption: I call this photo “Hubba, Hubba, Hubba” — Maya, Evelyn, and Jean. 
Evelyn Ng has the coolest bling in poker. Others have championship bracelets, expensive watches, or good luck charms, but I still prefer Evy’s. It’s her own personal logo (a stylized capital E with a crown) done up in diamonds. On the other hand, I probably have the lamest bling in poker — my old Navy dog tags, with a gold letter B charm that I bought in the Middle East. But my bling is much cooler now that it’s been worn by Evy and Sabina. 
Caption: Evelyn Ng (left) and Sabina Gadecki (right) show off my “bling” — my dogtags.
Caption: Steve Lipscomb and Kat Kowal of the WPT stop by the party suite after another successful final table. 
Caption: Evelyn Ng, Mark Gregorich, and Jean Gluck 
Caption: Joe Sebok and Jean Gluck. “If this is how I’m treated by a ‘Friend of The Circuit’ (FOTC), I’d hate to meet an enemy.” 
Caption: Joe Sebok somehow manages to be on offense and defense at the same time.
Caption: Maya, Patrik Antonius, and Jean Gluck.WHO’S GOT COOLER POKER DEALERS THAN THIS?
My favorite poker games are the home games. The stakes are real, but you’re playing for bragging rights as much as for money. And mocking each other’s play is part of the fun.
But how many home games have dealers like these?
Left: Jean Gluck shows her wicked dealing chops, with a freshly shaved Jeremy Firth in the background. I know I caught Jeremy mid-blink, but Jean looks too good to not use this photo.
Right: Jeremy looks much better in this pic, taken moments later. And no, he didn’t model his haircut after Patrik Antonius.
Caption: Danny Egelhoff (left, Producer of “The Circuit”) and Scott Huff (right, host of “The Circuit”) watch Evelyn Ng deal the flop. Notice that Scott still hasn’t given Evy her Bling back. 
Caption: Evelyn Ng shows her secret dealer weapon: Alex Henriquez. Alex was her personal ShuffleMaster, giving her freshly shuffled decks to keep the game moving. 
Caption: Danny Egelhoff (seated, left) drags a large pot while his backer, Bluff’s Jason Kirk, cheers from behind. Dealer Evelyn Ng doesn’t appear too impressed. PHOTOS OF BJ WITH WOMEN WHO ARE HOTTER THAN BJ
It’d be a shame if I spent a few years of my life as a poker photographer, and never got any photos of myself with the beautiful women of poker. So here are a few personal favorites from the past week. The next time this job seems difficult, I’ll have to remind myself to browse through this section.
Left: My turn in the spotlight with Jean Gluck
Caption: Evelyn Ng lets me wear her Bling. 
Caption: Kat Kowal and I take a photography break during the final table. 
Caption: A self portrait of me with Pokerwire Amanda
Caption: Sabina Gadecki with her unofficial official photographer. THE PARTING SHOT
I’ll wrap this up with the same photo I opened with. It’s one of my favorites from this week, but I can’t remember who took it. Evelyn? Scott? Or was it Joe Sebok, with his acrobat-like dexterity?
Caption: Jay “WhoJedi” Newnum, BJ Nemeth, Jean Gluck, and Joe Sebok __________
Coming Soon: An interview with outgoing WPT hostess Courtney Friel.
As always, feel free to leave me comments below.
BJ’s Poker Blog: Party Photos
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
More Party Photos From the WPT Mandalay Bay
