WSOP Update #2 - Thursday morning
Thursday, July 7
Before the storm…
As of Wednesday morning, there were 5400 players registered. I walked by the WSOP area at 11:00PM on Wednesday night and there were people lined up (about 100) to get their player number. Will it sell out at 6600? Hard to say. It is going to be close. If I had to guess I would predict “just about but not quite.â€
The ParadisePoker.com reception
On Wednesday night I went to the ParadisePoker reception at The Palms (about a Vegas block from The Rio). Great event. Rob and Amber were there, but I was not able to get a picture. I only had my Treo and the room was simply too dark to get a good exposure.
I note that there must be an agency in Vegas in which you call and say: “I am XYZ Corporation and we need X number of hotties to wear our gear at an event.†There were plenty of well filled white tank tops at the Paradise reception. And, there are plenty of well filled t-shirts from all over the place, all over the place. Pay me and I wear you logo and hang out.
Also at the Paradise reception… Nick recognizes me from my poker reports (as serialized at Gutshot) last year. We had a great chat about poker. It made me feel good. Good luck Nick.
I left the Paradise reception at 9:40 PM. It was 98 degrees. Whew. Too hot for a run. About twenty feet in front of me a guy takes a COMPLETE, ugly, face plant on the sidewalk in front of me. I mean… ugly. He tries to get up and down he goes again. By this point I reach him and I am concerned that he is having a seizure of some kind. I lean over (he is still on the pavement) and ask: “Are you OK?â€
He replies: “Yes, yes. I’m fine.â€
I am still concerned that he is NOT fine. I am worried that he is having a seizure and it too embarrassed to ask for help. I ask: “Can I help you up?:â€
He replies: “No, no. I’m fine.â€
I’m still not sold. He does stagger to his feet. Now it is apparent to me that his is just REALLY drunk. He has been at a competing WSOP reception at The Palms. He has his swag bag and a belly FULL of booze. I ask him if I can help him get to the Rio and he says: “Shashah Madda Woopooh.†Sheesh. I hope, for his sake, he doesn’t play tomorrow.
OK… I give up. I wish him a good night and carry one. I head down a sidewalk to the left. He cuts across a lawn. About 50 feet down the street I run into him again. I am walking down the sidewalk on Flamingo. The drunk staggers up to a bus shelter and begins to take a leak. I think he thought he was hidden behind the bus shelter. But, his “business†was sticking between two panels of the bus shelter and he was urinating all over the sidewalk on Flamingo as hundreds of cars pass by. Sigh… I tried to help him. Only in Vegas, baby. Only in Vegas.
And… there is another guy in a kilt! I had a great chat with a guy from Scotland who, in preparation for the WSOP, bought himself a handsome kilt. I am not alone! We agreed to meet at the Tilted Kilt in the Rio on Friday for a glass of beer.
Hot Vegas veteran tip
If you have to walk from the Rio to the Palms, go out the buffet door at the Rio. Cut through the Gold Coast parking lot and through the Gold Coast Casino. You can get at least ½ way to the Palms without suffering through 100 degree heat.
Wandering to the WSOP area
Just before going to bed I wandered down to the WSOP area to check out the vibe. It’s a LONG walk to the Rio convention area. Most everyone that you encounter in this LONG hallway is involved in the WSOP in some way. As I wandered along at a leisurely pace I realized that I was developing “the hate.†I am starting to look at my fellow competitors with contempt. It’s not something a person does on person. And, it’s not actually personal in any way. I DO NOT make poker personal. But, I want to CRUSH my opponents. In the big scheme of things I think this is OK. I think I have the right mental attitude and I am ready to go.
Before the storm…
As of Wednesday morning, there were 5400 players registered. I walked by the WSOP area at 11:00PM on Wednesday night and there were people lined up (about 100) to get their player number. Will it sell out at 6600? Hard to say. It is going to be close. If I had to guess I would predict “just about but not quite.â€
The ParadisePoker.com reception
On Wednesday night I went to the ParadisePoker reception at The Palms (about a Vegas block from The Rio). Great event. Rob and Amber were there, but I was not able to get a picture. I only had my Treo and the room was simply too dark to get a good exposure.
I note that there must be an agency in Vegas in which you call and say: “I am XYZ Corporation and we need X number of hotties to wear our gear at an event.†There were plenty of well filled white tank tops at the Paradise reception. And, there are plenty of well filled t-shirts from all over the place, all over the place. Pay me and I wear you logo and hang out.
Also at the Paradise reception… Nick recognizes me from my poker reports (as serialized at Gutshot) last year. We had a great chat about poker. It made me feel good. Good luck Nick.
I left the Paradise reception at 9:40 PM. It was 98 degrees. Whew. Too hot for a run. About twenty feet in front of me a guy takes a COMPLETE, ugly, face plant on the sidewalk in front of me. I mean… ugly. He tries to get up and down he goes again. By this point I reach him and I am concerned that he is having a seizure of some kind. I lean over (he is still on the pavement) and ask: “Are you OK?â€
He replies: “Yes, yes. I’m fine.â€
I am still concerned that he is NOT fine. I am worried that he is having a seizure and it too embarrassed to ask for help. I ask: “Can I help you up?:â€
He replies: “No, no. I’m fine.â€
I’m still not sold. He does stagger to his feet. Now it is apparent to me that his is just REALLY drunk. He has been at a competing WSOP reception at The Palms. He has his swag bag and a belly FULL of booze. I ask him if I can help him get to the Rio and he says: “Shashah Madda Woopooh.†Sheesh. I hope, for his sake, he doesn’t play tomorrow.
OK… I give up. I wish him a good night and carry one. I head down a sidewalk to the left. He cuts across a lawn. About 50 feet down the street I run into him again. I am walking down the sidewalk on Flamingo. The drunk staggers up to a bus shelter and begins to take a leak. I think he thought he was hidden behind the bus shelter. But, his “business†was sticking between two panels of the bus shelter and he was urinating all over the sidewalk on Flamingo as hundreds of cars pass by. Sigh… I tried to help him. Only in Vegas, baby. Only in Vegas.
And… there is another guy in a kilt! I had a great chat with a guy from Scotland who, in preparation for the WSOP, bought himself a handsome kilt. I am not alone! We agreed to meet at the Tilted Kilt in the Rio on Friday for a glass of beer.
Hot Vegas veteran tip
If you have to walk from the Rio to the Palms, go out the buffet door at the Rio. Cut through the Gold Coast parking lot and through the Gold Coast Casino. You can get at least ½ way to the Palms without suffering through 100 degree heat.
Wandering to the WSOP area
Just before going to bed I wandered down to the WSOP area to check out the vibe. It’s a LONG walk to the Rio convention area. Most everyone that you encounter in this LONG hallway is involved in the WSOP in some way. As I wandered along at a leisurely pace I realized that I was developing “the hate.†I am starting to look at my fellow competitors with contempt. It’s not something a person does on person. And, it’s not actually personal in any way. I DO NOT make poker personal. But, I want to CRUSH my opponents. In the big scheme of things I think this is OK. I think I have the right mental attitude and I am ready to go.
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