Lee Davy sits down with Shannon Shorr to talk about his recent experiences at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Shannon Shorr hasn’t really sparkled into life at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) or has he?
Hendon Mob statistics can be misleading and there is more to life than poker. Shorr took the bold decision to miss a lot of events to instead invest his time in life experiences of a different kind, as he jetting to Brazil to enjoy the World Cup and this is why I have dragged him onto the show.
Shannon, before we start, commiserations on the US team going out to Belgium, how are you feeling about that?
“It was a little bit of a disappointment. Obviously, we are not supposed to win that game, but I am proud of our effort. They really played well in this tournament. They were exciting and fun to watch.”
How did you manage to get tickets for the World Cup?
“We obtained tickets on StubHub. We shopped around to get the best action and we really wanted to get the tickets before we flew out of Las Vegas, and they weren’t that expensive so that was nice.”
Were you worried that you would get ripped off?
“StubHub had some nice guarantees to make sure the tickets were valid so that was a big reason we went with them.”
Leading up to the event there was a lot of noise about accommodation being expensive, how did you manage?
“We rented apartments through Airbnb. We stayed six nights in Salvador and three nights in Rio. I always do a lot of traveling and air towards the side of using Airbnb because it’s less expensive and feels like you are actually living in a real place.”
There were also concerns regarding the safety of visitors—what was Shorr’s experience like?
“It was pretty safe, from our experience, even though I had a near pick pocketing experience. We was watching the USA v Ghana game in downtown Salvador, with this Brazilian couple who was hosting us, and they saw this guy with his hand in my pocket whilst I was cheering a goal. She pushed him away and he disappeared into the crowd.”
What were some of the highlights for you?
“We saw some really amazing views. Every city I go to I try to get to the highest point, look down on it and meditate on that. The views above Salvador and Rio will be locked into my memory and I will never forget that.
“The people who were hosting us took us to a house party during a Brazilian game. We got to mingle with their family and friends and eat and drink with them, which was incredible.
“The games were great. The national pride was amazing. We went to two games in Salvador and one in Rio. The Rio game was Spain v Chile and it was the craziest sporting event I have ever been to. The crowd was almost 90 percent Chilean. It was so wild.”
Shorr was not a big football fan prior to his World Cup experience. Has that changed now?
“I was thinking this morning, when I was watching the game, that I am getting a better understanding of strategy. I really respect the game, and TV doesn’t do justice on how good an athlete these people are. I am enjoying it.”
So will we be seeing Shorr heading to Russia for the 2018 experience?
“I think I am good on my World Cup experience. I don’t think I will be making that trip.”
