I arrive in Vegas around 10:15am PST and make it to Luxor around 11:45 after securing a rental car for the week. I can't check into my room until 3pm, so my mom (who I chose to accompany me for the trip) and I head to the Rio to register for the WSOP. I'd be at Table 69, Seat 7 for my opening table and would be playing on Day 1b (July 8th). After registration, we head over to the WSOP convention that the Rio is hosting. Bodog, Party Poker and Bluff Magazine all have pretty big exhibits and I end up filling a bag with tons of free stuff - poker magazines, card protectors, etc. After a couple hours at the convention, mom and I head back to Luxor and check into Room 5-356 in the East Tower of the resort.
Around 6:30pm, I wake up and take the tram from Luxor to Mandalay Bay to attend the PokerRoom.com Party.
The set up of the party is really high-class and upon my arrival, I'm handed a glass of champagne from PokerRoom's Ari and Vanessa, who are both in their mid-twenties and from Sweden ('nuff said). After meeting some of the crew who work behind the scenes at PokerRoom, all 50 of the Team PokerRoom.com qualifiers are asked to form a line to introduce themselves on a microphone. I'm one of the last to introduce myself along with Jim Davenport, who says "some of you might be a little pissed at me, but I'm looking forward to meeting you guys." Turns out, Jim is "JDTrojan3" from the Main Draw tournament, the guy who everyone (myself included) berated for playing too slowly. Once the introductions are over, Jim finds me and introduces himself personally. It was a little awkward given some the things I said to him in chat during the qualifier, but Jim and I laugh it off and find that we share a lot of the same interests. He seems genuine and down to earth and his girlfriend Kim, who is a writer for People magazine, is just as nice as he is (more on Kim in blogs to come). Soon, we are joined by Dave "NIWSYAWLAI" Williams (pictured center) and John, whose goes by "TFunk" (pictured left). Both have thick Canadian accents and end up being two of the guys I hang around with most during the trip.
Dinner is served and all of us take advantage of the open bar. Around 10:30pm, I'm pretty buzzed when the folks at PokerRoom wish the Team good luck. They tell us to check in with them often during the tournament, as they will be posting live updates on their web site on all of the Team PokerRoom.com players. I exchange room numbers with Jim and Dave before I head back to the Luxor and pass out for the night.
I wake up at 10:15am and decide to head over to the Rio to check out Day 1 of the World Series of Poker Main Event. Harrah's offers a shuttle service to the Rio (since it's off the Strip), so I walk there from Luxor (which is damn far) and grab some Chipotle along the way. I arrive at Rio just before noon and can't believe my eyes when I walk into the room where the tournament is being held. There are thousands of people - players, spectators, tournament staff and media alike. ESPN cameras are roving the tournament floor and many are huddled around the defending World Champion Greg Raymer's table. To my surprise, I find Team PokerRoom.com member "Abruptor" sitting with Greg, who would later go on to bust from the tournament holding pocket Kings to Raymer's pocket Aces. Suddenly, the chances of having a professional seated at my table seemed much greater to me despite the record number of entrants (5,619) in the tournament. In total, 560 players would get paid with a $7.5 million dollar prize for first place, along with the coveted WSOP gold bracelet.
At 2pm, I meet up with Jim and we head up to Vanessa from PokerRoom's room to get our gear to wear during the tournament. We end up with a PokerRoom.com hat, hoodie, polo and 2 t-shirts. Afterward, we head back down to the convention and meet "The Flying Dutchman" Marcel Luske! He offers us some advice and says we "don't have to win the whole tournament on the first day." Marcel couldn't have been nicer as we shake hands and take off. Jim leaves soon after that and I kill time at the Rio by playing a couple hands of Pai Gow. I'm up $50 after two hands and head to the cashier to exchange my casino chips. When I turn around, TJ Cloutier is standing there waiting to cash in chips of a much higher denomination.
TJ is an intimidating presence (he is HUGE in person) and tells me he plays the WSOP on the same day as I do. I wish him luck before my mom calls and picks me up for dinner at Ellis Island. I order the $4.95 steak dinner (which is not on the menu) and barely finish half of the massive plate of food. Still, it was a great "last meal" before the WSOP and mom and I stop at Target afterward to pick up some snacks (Gatorade, Nutri-Grain bars, etc.) to keep in my bag during the tournament. Rumor has it that the food lines at the Rio are ridiculously long while the food itself isn't all that great.
Since tomorrow is the big day, I keep things low key and spend the rest of the night hanging around Luxor. I relax by the pool and play a quick donkament at the poker room with a few of the guys from Team PokerRoom.com before it's time to head back to my room. Needless to say, sleep proves to be a difficult task. There are so many "what if's" running through my mind that I can barely devise a game plan or strategy for the tournament. I really don't know what to expect. All I know is that playing in the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event is going to be one hell of an experience.
To be continued...
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