Event 1: Big Names In the Back

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Mark Wahba (Cleveland, OH) 2-time Borgata Open winner and 2012 Spring Open Leaderboard winner is seated in the very back corner of the Poker Room.

Mark Wahba & Phong 'VIP' Nguyen

He's sharing the felt with Phong 'VIP' Nguyen (Bristow, VA) who finished 3rd in the 2012 Spring Open $400 Big Stack NL event ($11k) which is one of the events that Mark Wahba won ($32k).

So these two have some experience playing against each other.

Today they're being entertained by another player who calls himself "Dear Leader" from Pyong Yang, North Korea (he looks nothing like either Kim Jong-il or Kim Jong-un).

'Dear Leader' displays his tournament 'strategy'

He's on his fifth beer and said "This is my strategy" as he proudly showed me the empties.

***  Update:  Dear Leader has busted out, so I guess that strategy did not work out for him.  His empty seat has been filled by Pofuk Ying (Highland Park, NJ) who finished 2nd in the $200 Deep Stack NL event during the 2012 Summer Open ($19k).