“Lucky Bastard”
Diary of a Poker Enthusiast/Addict...
Day 1c
Landing at McLaren Airport tired and excited after the eleven hour flight to be met for the first time by a chauffeur holding a board with my name on it was an absolute joy. I cannot count the numerous times I have scanned the expectant faces as I exit Passport Control and Customs only to realise that their expectation was directed to other weary travellers.
Being a grounded and lightly packed voyager I carried my bag to the boot(trunk)of the Lincoln Town Car Limousine and I was whisked to The Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in quiet and cool air-conditioned luxury. After having checked in I found Nigel Blower in the Ladbrokes Players Lounge and we planned the evenings activities. Mark Sallis was arriving from Derry the same evening and although we wanted to go big in Vegas on our first night we hit the wall just before midnight and retired to our suites for a well needed nights sleep. Needless to say I awoke at 04:30, which is usual for me on the wrong side of the Atlantic, although I did manage to doze until 07:30 before getting up to greet the day properly.
With two full days before my first days play I was able to enjoy the welcome party at The Voodoo Lounge that evening to the full and had a restrained 03:30 finish to allow a gentle pool/sunbathing session the following day. It is 110-120 degrees in Vegas at the moment and a lush dry heat that is not akin to relaxing in a fan assisted oven. Walking in direct sunlight is not an option so for the first time in my life I am quite happy to take taxis everywhere, who would have thought it.
Anyhow enough of the preamble, I am now writing to you after my Day 1c yesterday(5/7). Once play had finished at 00:45 we had a couple of sharpeners in the i-Bar before we heading off to the Wynn to join a few of the poker great and good who were partying hard. I crawled back in at 07:30 for a few shots of Yukon Jack, post match analysis, general strategy session and putting the world to rights chat with Mark my close friend and newly appointed manager.
Having deliberately skipped the important information from yesterdays play in order to build the tension, I am pleased to inform you that I am through the first day. Each day’s play consists of five two-hour sessions with a twenty-minute rest break and a ninety-minute supper break between sessions three and four. It is a twelve and a half hour day and although many of you may do those on a regular basis it is not in my normal repertoire of day-to-day activities...!!! My current chip count is a respectable 45,450 about a third of the way down the field, which is where I wanted to be. However, I was aiming for between 60-80k, which would still have put me in the third decile but would have given me more protection from any monster stacks that I may be drawn against on Day 2. Right, I promise, ‘No more Poker Talk’ because as I type I can just see your eyelids dropping and your head nodding down as you progress towards blissful sleep.
Day 1c
