14 Dec
Nothing says Vegas like buckles, bracelets
The object will be the same — stay in your seat — in two distinctly different televised tiffany jewellery championships being contested this weekend in Las Vegas: the Professional Bull Riders World Finals and the final table of the Main Event at the World Series of Poker. USA TODAY’s Gary Mihoces contrasts the two:
Category
PBR
Top money
$1 million bonus to world champion
Victory trinket
Gold buckle to world champion
Venue
Thomas & Mack Center on campus of UNLV
Key hand
Riding hand (the one you hold on with) or free cufflinks hand (the one in the air)
Footwear
Boots and spurs
Headwear
Cowboy hat or bull-riding helmet (optional)
Playing surface
Dirt
Chips
What bulls leave on the ranch
Inside TV view
Camera in the chute
Catchy names
Splatter, Savage Shaker, Unabomber money clips (all bulls)
Test of time
Stay on the bull for eight seconds
Overseas
PBR Australia, PBR Brazil, PBR Mexico, PBR Canada
Books about the sport
Fried Twinkies, Buckle Bunnies, and Bull Riders, by Josh Peter
Category
WSOP
Top money
$9.15 million to winner
Victory trinket
Gold bracelet to winner of Main pendants Event
Venue
Penn & Teller Theatre at the Rio hotel/casino
Key hand
Cards you’re dealt
Footwear
Loafers, flip-flops, sneakers, whatever
Headwear
Poker icon Doyle Brunson wears a cowboy hat, but he didn’t make the final table this earrings year. Ball caps (typically with online poker logo) are standard
Playing surface
Felt
Chips
What a poker play wants in big stacks
Inside TV view
Hole-card camera
Catchy names
Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu and Phil “The Unabomber” Laak (a few of the top players already eliminated)
Test of time
Last session in July began at noon and ran until about 3:30 a.m.
Overseas
World Series of Poker Europe
Books about the sport
Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker, by Chris Moneymaker
