So it was fun making picks … but not so fun to watch the results trickle in. Everyone’s talking about their brackets around Caesar’s Palace — lots of money being unofficially wagered as heads-up fans excitedly bemoan the upsets and sometimes gloat over the mental errors of others.

Gavin Smith: “How can you pick Howard to win a heads-up tournament?!? Pshaw!”

Um, I dunno, just a hunch? Thought he had worked through his game and had incentive to win? I was betting on uniforms. Below are the standings after the first round in the impromptu Pokerati bracket fun. Cali Jen, TBR, and I aren’t exactly representin’:

I think you still might be able to get in on the bracket action, fyi.

Rank Predictor Score Predicted Final Winner Completed
1 don essinger – 13 Allen Cunningham 2/29/2008 1:05pm
2 Scott – 13 Daniel Negreanu 2/29/2008 1:20pm
3 Taylor Larkin – 13 Huck Seed 2/29/2008 2:20pm
4 Kevin Mathers – 11 Daniel Negreanu 2/29/2008 12:32pm
5 champsampson – 11 Ted Forrest 2/29/2008 1:39pm
6 dan michalski – 9 Howard Lederer 2/29/2008 3:41am
7 California Jen – 9 Scott Clements 2/29/2008 9:43am
8 Randy Brown – 8 Phil Hellmuth 2/29/2008 12:12pm

Here’s where I’ll be continuing to follow the games tomorrow — even when I’m there, sitting a few seats away from CP‘s reporters in the rafters.

Yikes, of my final four, only one remains. Go Freddy Deeb!