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Random WSOP Observation #16: The Rubdown

Created By: Ed Sevillano Posted in: WSOP Blog, Tournament Trail
2009 Jun 16
Peter Jepsen

The masseuse has been a WSOP staple for years. Some of these players can't seem to go one second of the day without a masseuse on their back.

It must make showering quite a production.

Phil Ivey is one of the worst offenders. One time we witnessed Phil Ivey get a massage for the entire day from start to finish.

This isn't such a big deal, but the girl was massaging his knee cap. Not his calves, not his thighs; just the knee cap.

At two dollars a minute, we estimate that this knee cap treatment cost about a thousand bucks - plus tip.

We spoke to a masseuse and asked her what the smallest and largest tip she ever got was. The smallest was a not so surprising $0 USD. The largest was $1,000 for a full day massage.

For the massage aficionado like John Juanda, Chau Giang, and Roland de Wolfe, the massage bill for the entire series can stretch into the tens of thousands.

As we type this Chau Giang is about $240 into a massage from a man with very burly forearms and let's just say he's loving it!

Comments

6

  1. massage rules

    2009-08-09

    wow. and I thought an offering of a beneficial therapy is a nice service for those glued to a crappy chair leaning over for hours. guess I was mistaken.

    what happened to gratitude and respect?

    it's too bad you didn't get to know some of these therapists. they are genuine wonderful people who are called to this profession to serve & educate people. thanks for degrading something so beautiful 'poker brate'.

    many of the therapists have so many talents that don't even get noticed or displayed in this environ, but they come here to provide a wonderful service. They also spend their off season working in environments that are meant to destress & create a healthy body, with a myriad of techniques & skills. Which, I might add, they add to their 'tool box' each year.

    Phil Ivey is healthy & vibrant and chooses to take care of himself with massage and I'm sure living clean as well. And if massaging his kneecap for 12 hours benefits him, then who are you to judge. Maybe he had an injury and they were breaking up scar tissue. Some of us 'therapists' take this job seriously and see the benefit and are there to give to those who see it too.

    Cut us some slack. And rethink your judgement. I don't happen to enjoy poker, but I wouldn't slam it like you did to massage here.

  2. massagegirl

    2009-08-07

    I do agree that there are too many girls but that's not our fault. The company always overhires and the majority of them don't know what the hell they're doing. You can tell which ones are good because we don't have to walk around and look at you. And trust me "poker brate" nobody is desperate to massage you...it's just our job. And we don't make 2$ a minute either and the majority of the players are cheap and don't tip much.

  3. zyg0tic

    2009-07-09

    "I really hate doing this"

    At $2 a min, plus hefty tips, I think they're loving every second of it.

    Also, who are they getting in the way of? do you play standing up? Are they trying to climb over your chair?

  4. poker brate'

    2009-07-09

    Wayyyyy too many girls just roaming around getting in the way and for the love of god, it just seems desperate them looking at me with a glimpse of hope some of them as if to say, " yes, I really hate doing this but, please I beg of you to get a massage from me" I feel sorry for them. It used to be sort of a novelty or something nice. Now, more of a real nuciance and extremely overdone. Cut back half of them and would still be too many.

  5. zyg0tic

    2009-06-17

    I think I just fell in love with that massage girl.

  6. wilt the tilt

    2009-06-16

    Massages at the tables seem so douchey

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