Vegas Baby!

I received numerous requests for updates on my trip, so I have decided to keep a blog of my Vegas adventures. Over the next 4 weeks, I'll be playing in ~6 events of the World Series of Poker, hitting a bunch of area golf courses, and mixing in some good old Vegas fun. Mostly I will be writing about my poker experiences (an advanced apology for those of you who aren't poker fans - I will probably end up going in to quite a bit of detail about hands and situations that I find interesting throughout my trip), but I'm sure I'll throw in some golf, partying, and celebrity sighting posts along the way!

I arrived in Vegas late this afternoon, and following a bit of hassle with baggage and my rental car, I made it to my condo. It is far more than I could have hoped for! Immediately upon walking in, I was reminded of how much more you can get for your money when you are not in NYC. Just for kicks, I took some photos of the place...

Living room:

Bedroom:
View from the balcony:
The condo community seems cool - it has a decent pool, and a couple of big lawns, and there were quite a few people out this afternoon barbecuing, playing sports, playing with their dogs. Mostly I've seen young people and a few families with young kids, so it should be a fun place to hang out.

This evening I headed over to the Rio, home of the WSOP, to complete my registration, a very simple process. I also had a chance to catch a few hands of the events that were going on today, and I watched as two top pros (John Phan and former world champion Carlos Mortensen) went at each other a few hands in a row. Both are very colorful characters, so all of us spectators were quite entertained. It is likely, if not inevitable, that I will find myself seated with one or more pros at some point this month, and after witnessing the aggression that some of them play with, I can only hope that I will be able to maintain my focus and play the best I can.

I have been anxious to get started with the poker, but I am also a bit nervous to be playing such large stakes. I used to play games where I would routinely find myself in pots well over $1000, and rarely thought twice about it, but somehow the WSOP has an entirely different feel. I imagine it will be slow going early on for me tomorrow when I play my first event, but hopefully I'll settle in quickly.

That's all I've got for tonight - time for a good night's sleep. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to post about the first of my poker successes!