Tape-delay of "The Sequestrium" allows Wong an instant replay

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - The decision to broadcast some World Series of Poker tournaments via Web cast on a one-hour delay has been a hot topic of discussion at the Amazon Room at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino.

Controversy aside, one of the unintended consequences of the one-hour delay is that it allows players at those tables to watch an instant replay of their final hour at the table.

Suey Wong, who finished seventh in the $1,500 No Limit Hold'em tournament that was held today, did just that. After he busted out of the tournament, he joined about two dozen spectators to watch a few hands of the tournament outside the media room.

"The thing that I find most interesting is watching the hole cards as reality versus what I thought they had during those hands," Wong said, noting that his own estimates were generally quite accurate.

Wong watched as Erica Shoenberg flat called from the small blind with 8-6 suited. He pushed all in with J-J, and even though he was there when she folded an hour earlier, Wong openly rooted for her to call.

"Call!" he yelled at the screen. "How can she not call?"

He instantly won over the fans watching, and they seemed to be rooting for him, even though they knew that he would soon be eliminated.

"Who ended up knocking you out?" one spectator asked.

"He can't tell you until it's been aired," joked one member of the media, referring to the WSOP's policy that bars bloggers from reporting "Sequestrium" results until after they have been aired on the www.worldseriesofpoker.com broadcast.

Wong is an acupuncturist from Madison, Wis. He plays poker as a hobby, but notes that Madison is a tough place to play.

"Phil (Hellmuth) was from Madison," said Wong. "We've kicked his ass around the block a couple hundred times. Madison's got a very tough crowd. If you can make it there, you can make it just about anywhere."

Today's final table was Wong's first WSOP cash. He appreciated the support of the fans watching the tape-delayed broadcast, and hoped that one day he would make a final table held on the ESPN set.

"I would rather be with the crowd," Wong said. "You get a lot of friends that come by, and that's a lot of fun."

Wong, meanwhile, left before his final hand was broadcast. While it may have been fun to relive parts of his first WSOP final table, there was no point in watching your A-Q run into A-K to end your tournament run.