AimlesslyChasingAmy

I had the best intentions of writing in my blogs daily, hanging out with my friends, writing some articles, playing a little poker, taking photos for the WSOP, and tackling a number of side projects along the way.  Until the WSOP started, I was only failing on a few fronts.

I did get to sneak in a little poker and scored my first final table at Binions last week.  I did get to hang out with some of the poker boyz and other internet players that were in town.  And I finally closed a deal on a project that has been in negotiation since February.  But since the WSOP started, I suspect all bets are off for my maintaining a schedule that resembles anything regular or planned. 

As I walked into the Rio and strolled down the long hallway to the tournament area on Friday, I got the eerie feeling that I had never left - that the 2005, 2006, and 2007 WSOP have all been one long continuous assignment.  If I felt that way, I can’t imagine how the players felt, shuttling from one poker event to the next, week after week - and now arriving at their new home for the next seven weeks.

If Day One had a theme, it was the cards.  Harrah’s had chosen new cards (pictured above) for the WSOP from their card supplier and sponsor.  With in the first hand, there was a dull roar of concern accross the massive ballroom.  By the third hand, Mike “the Mouth” Matusow burst into one of his famous rants, I beleive starting with “You’ve got to be shitting me…..”  He only vocalized (at a louder volume than most) what most of the room had been thinking.  The problem, as you can see above, is that it is very difficult to identify the card values - the worst issue manifesting itself between the sixes and nines.  Harrah’s has been replacing the decks, and hopefully it won’t be too long before the silly cards are up on ebay grabbling a profit for their historical and short-lived debut in the WSOP.

Day Two’s theme was numbers (and associated waiting).  Event #3 had a record field of 3000 players and seating hundreds of alternates.  Because of the enourmous registration lines, the event started over an hour late - and many of the alternates (pictured above) waited well over an hour more in the crowded hallways before they were seated.  I suspect many waited in line for far longer than they got to play.

Each day will bring its own story.  And I suspect with the first WSOP bracelet to be awarded tonight, the stories will be less about logistics and more about the game and the great players that prevail.  (The picture on top is of former hockey player Greg Mueller, one of the nine players heading to today’s first final table).