WSOP Wednesday #1
The trip down
I have arrived in Vegas and checked into the Rio. Excellent…
Couple of notes from the trip down. There is a 9:30 flight out of Minneapolis to Vegas. The NORMAL thing is to take the 11:30 flight, but today things went click and I was able to make the 9:30 flight. I rushed to the gate and made it in time, but it was full so I had to wait for my original flight. Definitely worth trying for future trips. Get through security and customs ASAP and get to the gate and see if there is space. Having missed this flight I did, as usual, get my lucky head shaving in the barber in the airport. It was Gayle again (same as June 2). I promised the $10K tip if I win.
On the flight I watched "Ray" for the first time on my portable DVD player.. I have always been a huge fan of Ray Charles. The movie is superb. Although, it was slightly embarrassing to have tears rolling down my cheeks on a full flight to Vegas. Choked up twice and the second time both eyed welled over. Oops. Very manly. Mostly, though, big grins because Ray's music always makes me smile.
I am Mr Lucky
I am already running hot. At the baggage claim my bag is the third one off! Where is Ralph and the luggage bet when I need him. I head out to get a cab. There are 20 stalls. You stand in line and then a guy tells you which stall to go for to get your cab. I get stall number seven! Natural! Better yet, Vegas is 99 degrees. Stall 9 shade, stall 8 shade, stall 7 shade, stall 6 full sunshine! I get the last stall in the shade. Woohoo.
Taxi driver would like to try a poker tournament but they are all “too expensive.†I tipped him $30 and told him to head to the Orleans and give it a try. I know his face. If he wins the WSOP next year, I will give him a call.
Traction
In the interest of positive thought, I extended my reservation at the Rio through to the end of the series. And, once I got to my room I completely unpacked and moved in. I want to make life as mundane and relaxing as possible. My room at the Rio is excellent. I am trying to think of it as an apartment for this next ten days. I don’t want to be digging through my suitcase snifffing socks and underpants trying to figure out which ones are clean. I want to go to me “clean gotch†drawer. The other perk about staying at the RIO is that I have my own little oasis away from the chaos of the WSOP area. In June, when we were at the Orleans, we could not escape to our own little place. This is good. I don’t have to wait in line for the bathroom. I have my own bathroom.
Last year when I was here at the WSOP I was EXCITED. My first trip to the “big one.†I was pumped. The adrenaline was running high. This trip I would describe my state as “calm and prepared.†I look forward to playing poker tomorrow. The fact that it is the WSOP big one is not too important right now. It will be a game, more or less like any game. A game I have spent years preparing myself to play. In fact, looking back on last year, I would say that the field was, overall, weak for day one and two. On day three the “density of foxes†became noticeable. I expect the same this year.
Luck is, in the short term of a poker tournament, going to matter. The biggest thing is, I think, your seat and table draw. Tomorrow I am at table 12 seat 2. I like that. But, I don’t yet know how lucky or unlucky I have been. If this is one of the last tables to break, that’s lucky. I will get to play a long session against the same opponents. Are there any gunners at my table or are they all weak tight? If there are gunners are they on my left? In many ways, this is one of the most important exercises of luck in a poker tournament. What is my table? Who is at my table? Where are they relative to me? In this regard it will be interesting to note what the effect of early registration will be. I am the 147th player to register for ANY WSOP event this year. Will tough, world class pros have also registered early? I hope not. My hope is that wealthy recreational players are the first to register. We will find out tomorrow.
What to do… what to do…
Bob and his wife Teri are also at the Rio. I delivered the beaver and new TCP swag to Bob. Time for a little nap and then supper. I am off to the ParadisePoker.com party with Bob and Teri, and Survivor's Rob and Amber (There is also a Playboy Playmate but I cannot recall her name or her month). The only real decisions facing me for the remainder of the day are: where to eat this evening and whether or not to wear the kilt to this evening's party.
I will probably pass on the kilt since trying to walk even one block in a wool kilt, blazer, and tie in 99 degree heat just seems… well… death by kilt.
Tomorrow morning I will go for a run (indoor on treadmill) and then post more final thoughts before getting underway.
I have arrived in Vegas and checked into the Rio. Excellent…
Couple of notes from the trip down. There is a 9:30 flight out of Minneapolis to Vegas. The NORMAL thing is to take the 11:30 flight, but today things went click and I was able to make the 9:30 flight. I rushed to the gate and made it in time, but it was full so I had to wait for my original flight. Definitely worth trying for future trips. Get through security and customs ASAP and get to the gate and see if there is space. Having missed this flight I did, as usual, get my lucky head shaving in the barber in the airport. It was Gayle again (same as June 2). I promised the $10K tip if I win.
On the flight I watched "Ray" for the first time on my portable DVD player.. I have always been a huge fan of Ray Charles. The movie is superb. Although, it was slightly embarrassing to have tears rolling down my cheeks on a full flight to Vegas. Choked up twice and the second time both eyed welled over. Oops. Very manly. Mostly, though, big grins because Ray's music always makes me smile.
I am Mr Lucky
I am already running hot. At the baggage claim my bag is the third one off! Where is Ralph and the luggage bet when I need him. I head out to get a cab. There are 20 stalls. You stand in line and then a guy tells you which stall to go for to get your cab. I get stall number seven! Natural! Better yet, Vegas is 99 degrees. Stall 9 shade, stall 8 shade, stall 7 shade, stall 6 full sunshine! I get the last stall in the shade. Woohoo.
Taxi driver would like to try a poker tournament but they are all “too expensive.†I tipped him $30 and told him to head to the Orleans and give it a try. I know his face. If he wins the WSOP next year, I will give him a call.
Traction
In the interest of positive thought, I extended my reservation at the Rio through to the end of the series. And, once I got to my room I completely unpacked and moved in. I want to make life as mundane and relaxing as possible. My room at the Rio is excellent. I am trying to think of it as an apartment for this next ten days. I don’t want to be digging through my suitcase snifffing socks and underpants trying to figure out which ones are clean. I want to go to me “clean gotch†drawer. The other perk about staying at the RIO is that I have my own little oasis away from the chaos of the WSOP area. In June, when we were at the Orleans, we could not escape to our own little place. This is good. I don’t have to wait in line for the bathroom. I have my own bathroom.
Last year when I was here at the WSOP I was EXCITED. My first trip to the “big one.†I was pumped. The adrenaline was running high. This trip I would describe my state as “calm and prepared.†I look forward to playing poker tomorrow. The fact that it is the WSOP big one is not too important right now. It will be a game, more or less like any game. A game I have spent years preparing myself to play. In fact, looking back on last year, I would say that the field was, overall, weak for day one and two. On day three the “density of foxes†became noticeable. I expect the same this year.
Luck is, in the short term of a poker tournament, going to matter. The biggest thing is, I think, your seat and table draw. Tomorrow I am at table 12 seat 2. I like that. But, I don’t yet know how lucky or unlucky I have been. If this is one of the last tables to break, that’s lucky. I will get to play a long session against the same opponents. Are there any gunners at my table or are they all weak tight? If there are gunners are they on my left? In many ways, this is one of the most important exercises of luck in a poker tournament. What is my table? Who is at my table? Where are they relative to me? In this regard it will be interesting to note what the effect of early registration will be. I am the 147th player to register for ANY WSOP event this year. Will tough, world class pros have also registered early? I hope not. My hope is that wealthy recreational players are the first to register. We will find out tomorrow.
What to do… what to do…
Bob and his wife Teri are also at the Rio. I delivered the beaver and new TCP swag to Bob. Time for a little nap and then supper. I am off to the ParadisePoker.com party with Bob and Teri, and Survivor's Rob and Amber (There is also a Playboy Playmate but I cannot recall her name or her month). The only real decisions facing me for the remainder of the day are: where to eat this evening and whether or not to wear the kilt to this evening's party.
I will probably pass on the kilt since trying to walk even one block in a wool kilt, blazer, and tie in 99 degree heat just seems… well… death by kilt.
Tomorrow morning I will go for a run (indoor on treadmill) and then post more final thoughts before getting underway.
Comments
There is a good photo of the Paradise hostesses in which I made the two 6 foot beauties squat to that I would look taller. But, it will be emailed to me so I can't post it either.