Vegas, baby!

I just touched down in Vegas. I started this blog to keep track of my adventures in poker, and this summer I will be working the World Series of Poker at the Rio, my first major tournament. I had came out several times earlier in the year to enquire about dealing in tournaments as I wasn't ready to move from Houston yet. In March I made my way to the very first audition for WSOP dealers and got hired. I've been getting a little work since then and have been practicing and studying, but I fear that I have a whole lot to learn and am more than a bit anxious about this adventure.

I had to make getting here a lot harder than it should be. Somehow, I had in my mind that I was flying out on the 23rd, but when I logged onto Southwest Airlines website to print my border pass on Tuesday, much to my chagrin, I learned that my ticket was actually for Monday, the 21st. Damn. Well, at least I have some credit to use, if I need to get back. A friend sold me a buddy pass and I was able to get scheduled for a Saturday afternoon flight, but I had to screw that up as well. It seems that holiday travel is alot more time consuming than I had expected. I showed up at 3pm for a 4:10 flight from Hobby and spend nearly an hour waiting on the curb in the rain with my bags. Note to self: go inside next time. Well, by the time I got to the porter, he said there was little chance I'd make my flight (or at least the bags) and he told me to wait for a customer service rep. After 15 more mins, I made my way inside and barged to the head of the line. I was graciously given a 5:15 flight, but then I got searched at security (some idiot put a can of aftershave in my carry-on) and by the time I got to the gate, they said that there was little chance I would be able to make it through the whole flight and would probably have to deboard in Austin as the best they had was standby on one leg. Shit. They offered a non-stop at 8:45pm, so I took it gleefully and went back to the apt to chill a bit and pick up a few more things. I tried to keep myself occupied with Soduko on the plane, but had two 12-year old boys flying alone in my row. They made quick friends and had tickle wars and pillow fights the whole way. Sleep was not an option. After landing, I realized my rental car reservation was screwed up, so I had to fix that and take a few shuttles to the Sahara, where I will be staying for a few days until I can find a room to rent.

Over the next few days, I will add some introductory information and work on the format for this blog, hopefully add a few bells and whistles.