Perhaps the Main Event Isn't a Lottery After All
The World Series of Poker Main Event is sometimes referred to as a lottery. But really, there are more than a few differences -- as perhaps was just demonstrated in the previous level in a hand between David Bach and Joe Moize.
Bach related to us details of the hand during the break, one which he described as one of the more memorable he's ever played. His opponent, Moize, had won his way into the Main Event not via a satellite, but a scratch-off ticket. That's right. The 73-year-old farmer from Hurdle Mills, NC won a trip to Las Vegas and entry into the ME via the North Carolina Lottery.
According to Bach, Moize had told the table he'd never played poker before prior to playing his final hand today. Of course, the way his final hand went, others might've suspected as much anyway.
The hand began with the 2009 $50K H.O.R.S.E. champion limping in from the cutoff holding 
and both blinds coming along, including Moize. The flop came 
and it checked to Bach who bet just 200. Only Moize called. The turn was the case , and Moize bet 1,000. Bach raised to 3,500, and Moize called.
The river was a 
-- no flush was possible -- and Moize checked. Bach, suspecting Moize had a queen and would not be able to let it go, bet big -- 12,000. To Bach's surprise, Moize announced he was reraising. "Make it 18," he said, not realizing that wasn't enough to reraise. Moize only had about 23,000 left, and so it all went into the middle. Bach happily called with his quad aces.
Moize's hand? 
.
It appears fairly certain that unlike in the lottery, Moize probably wasn't going to be winning here.
Kind of a win-win, though, as Moize and his wife have gotten to enjoy a free trip to Vegas, while Bach enjoyed a healthy addition to his starting stack. He now sits with about 55,000.