Sam Silverman started the adventure of a lifetime for any poker player, when he won the Atlanta Poker Club Main Event 2013! This win provided him with
a $10,000 entry into the 2013 World Series of Poker. Sam
joined a total of 6,352 entries,
with a prize pool of
$59,708,800. We interviewed
Sam about his WSOP Las Vegas experience.
How did you feel when you arrived in Las Vegas?
Honestly…a little anxious and nervous when I first arrived. After all, I was going to play with the best.
Had you ever played poker at a casino in Las Vegas?
No, I hadn’t.
How did you feel walking into the Del Rio and seeing the mass of players?
My excitement and anxiety went up! There was lots of buzz and activity…lots of excitement.
2013 WSOP PROCEDURE: The WSOP Main Event started on Saturday, July 6. The entries are divided into 1A, 1B, and 1C, and 1A was Saturday, 1B Sunday, and Sam started in 1C on Monday at 12:00 p.m.
Imagine yourself playing with this many tables. 
To give you an idea of how play progresses,
players begin with 30,000 in tournament chips and all Levels last 120 minutes. Breaks occur after each level and lasts 20 minutes. Play continues on days 1A, 1B, and 1C until the completion of level 5 on each day. LEVEL 1 is 50-100, LEVEL 2 is 100-200, LEVEL 3 is 150-300, LEVEL 4 is 150-300 with a 25 ante, LEVEL 5 is 200-400 with a 50 ante. Dinner break is after 3 levels of play each day and lasts 90 minutes.
How did it feel to be at your table surrounded by all those people?
As soon as the action started it wasn’t a distraction. It was unusually quiet and everyone was focused on their table. The concentration was on the players at your own table. I was at Table 1 Seat 7, and at Seat 4 was Vanessa Selbst (the top-earning female tournament player of all time, with over $7M in prize money) 
What was the play like at your table?
Vanessa was very aggressive, and my table never got broken up. We had players join our table but we were never broken up. I was pretty intimidated.
How would you describe your play?
Played in position and really good hands. In one hand I limped in with A,9 and the flop came 9,9,A…turn nothing…and I bet on the turn and everyone folded…darn. None of my pocket pairs hit the board and it seemed that every pocket pair Vanessa had hit. She is not only a great player but she was having luck to go along with it.
What is the hand you will never forget?
I was big blind and Vanessa raised pre-flop and I called. I had A,10 of clubs…the flop is 8C, AD, 4C. I now have top pair and the nut flush draw. Vanessa bet around 4 or 5,000 and I called. Turn is the QC…She bet, 7,000 and I raised to 20,000. Vanessa took a good while to think, and then she went all in. I only had about 20,000 left and I called her. I felt I had her beat at that point and knew that she had me covered in chips. QD on the river…and she was holding pocket 8s to give her the boat. It was 11:15 p.m. Vanessa said she didn’t think that I was that strong…that I was just trying to represent the flush. I felt kicked in the gut.
How was your overall Las Vegas experience?
My experience was phenomenal! A highlight was meeting the various players, and I met Jeff Blau from Atlanta a couple of hours before the tournament and we connected. I met a lot of nice people and it was a great experience! Vanessa was a gracious person and an aggressive and good player, and I enjoyed playing against her.
The entire trip was great! I’m forever in debt to the Atlanta Poker Club. Jason Spry and Erin Hall took great care of me and were very gracious and supportive. I’m thankful to the entire Atlanta Poker Club community!
Thank you Sam for representing the APC with such class! There is always next year!
