On Saturday, July 3rd following the PocketFives.com Party at a Masquerade Suite at the Rio, the Off Topic Party will play out from Ghost Bar across the street at the Palms. The PocketFives.com Party will run from 7:00pm to 10:00pm PT, with the OT Party following from 10:30pm to 2:30am. Longtime PocketFives.com member Shawn BigGunXGundrum sat down with us to preview this year’s party and recap the last five years of life in the Off Topic forum.
The price tag per head for the OT Party is once again $150. Gundrum explained what party-goers should expect: “We’ll have an open bar and bottle service. The $150 also gets everyone into the other clubs at the Palms, like the Playboy Club and Moon. We’re not going to have food this year because it’s Fourth of July weekend and they wanted me to guarantee double what we had last year. Any extra money will be spent the next night at the Voodoo Lounge.”
PocketFives.com members have been submitting RSVPs in earnest in a thread in Off Topic. Among those already registered for the event are Joe LatestLines2Ward (pictured), Brandon PittProduct Krug, Jeremiah Believer82Vinsant, veteran contributor and forum moderator mhoddi, and longtime community member ChocoThunder. Gundrum told PocketFives.com that he’s hoping for around 65 people. He added, “We call it the OT Party, but everyone is invited. Last year, we had Doyle Brunson, Chris moorman1 Moorman, and Andy Black.” When Brunson shows up, you know it’s a party.
The OT Party at the WSOP has been a staple for the last several years. Last year’s festivities included blackjack tables and photo opportunities with Brunson’s scooter. Gundrum explained why the event has been such a resounding success over the years: “A lot of us met each other back in 2006. In 2007, it was a big hit at the Voodoo Lounge. We had such a good turnout and did a great job putting it together that people expect a certain standard. We pick a different place every year and everyone gets excited. Within OT, we run different contests all year, so it keeps everyone interested.”
Gundrum is nearing the completion of his Executive MBA at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He’s a busy man: “I work full-time, travel, and then go to class on the weekend.” He is also the father of two and will soon head to Germany in the days leading up to the OT Party across “The Pond” in Las Vegas. As such, Gundrum is looking forward to relaxing in sunny Sin City: “I just really look forward to going out there and hanging out with people.”
Gundrum signed up for PocketFives.com in February 2005, the site’s second month in operation, and has been an active member of the community ever since. What’s changed over the last five years in Off Topic, if anything? “One of the biggest things is that there are people I don’t recognize. Back in 2005, there were 30 or 40 core members and we all knew each other. We’ve done a good job of keeping it tight-knit, but every day, there’s someone posting that I don’t recognize. It takes a long time for people to get accepted now.”
His leadership on PocketFives.com has not gone unnoticed. PocketFives.com co-founder Adam Small (pictured) shared his memory of the first time Gundrum dropped by the site: “He heard about a post on our site that was calling out his poker game and came to defend himself. It turns out that the post criticizing his play was one of the greatest things that ever happened to P5s, as Shawn has arguably been the most valuable member of our community since arriving in 2005. His continuous hard work to organize events and contests, contribute on the boards, and donate his time and money to the community in other ways has been appreciated by countless P5ers over the years.”
PocketFives.com veteran Scott steely Wyler (pictured) added, “Gundrum is definitely OG because when I made hats for the guys that I gave out at the first P5s Party at Imperial Palace, he got a hat. If you are orange hat material, you are a real veteran.”
Visit the thread in Off Topic for more information on the 2010 WSOP OT Party.