by Mad Harper

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This is Alan Resh's second WSOP and it's going considerably better than his first. In 2005, he was out only four hours into Day 2. This year he's on Day 5 with over a million in chips. He said: "Yup, I'm gradually moving up the food chain."

His day started in spectacular fashion. On the second hand, he's dealt Queens. He calls a $40,000 raise and, after a raggedy flop (which both players check) and nothing on the turn, Alan bets $200,000 which the other guy calls. When the river brings nothing as well, Alan shows his Qs and the other guy mucks - topping Alan's stack up another $300k or so.



The 59-year-old property developer from Virginia Beach, Virginia has only been playing poker online for two years. He was a PS qualifier last year as well and thought he'd get some practice in before the main event by buying into a $5,000 Short-Handed No Limit tournament. It was the first time he had ever played in a brick-and-mortar event and he found himself next to Scotty Nguyen.

Alan, a Vietnam veteran, said: "I was sitting there telling him everything, my whole life story, so he was getting all the reads on me. But I was an amateur. I didn't know." The next thing that happens is Phil Hellmuth joins the table. Alan has no idea who he is and in the very first hand is dealt 8T against Hellmuth's Kings. But Hellmuth is slow-playing them and when the flop comes down 679 (giving Alan the nut straight), Hellmuth bets $1,000 which I call. The turn brings another King and Hellmuth goes all in. I call, and he's out."

As Alan is a nice guy, he went over to say a few nice words to Hellmuth and commiserate. He was stunned when Hellmuth started swearing his head off at him. Alan said: "I was just standing there. I couldn't believe it. But Scotty called over to me and said: 'Come here Alan, and sit down. Let Phil get back to anger management.'"

Alan first learned poker when he was kid, playing with his friends at their various houses. He said: "We'd play every weekend, taking each other's allowances. I was the worst. I played every hand. You can't win if you play every hand. I had to get a paper route to keep in the game."

Today, Alan is hardly playing any hands - and the ones he does play, he wins.

Update: Alan was eliminated after running pocket queens into pocket aces. Resh came in for a raise to $60,000 and was re-raised to 200,000, then pushed all in for 180,000. No queen came on the board and Alan was out.