Checking Out the WSOP

Yesterday, I took a trip over to check out the setup for the WSOP, try my hand at some satellites, and register for the Stimulus Event. The crowd at the Rio was right small due to only cash games and satellites running.

The Scene at the Rio

When you first arrive to the convention center, the first thing you will notice upon walking in is the typical covered red carpet entry. This has a mist blower operating that tries to help cool you off a bit. This year, cardrunners.com has a ton of sponsorship adds displayed and you will see this upon walking in.

Once you get inside and hang a right, you see a long hall with monitors and signs welcoming you to the WSOP. They play past heads up matches on big screen monitors and by the time you are there a few days, you will get your fill of watching Moneymaker, Raymer, and the rest win their Main Event title.

Otherwise, the halls are pretty much standard for the WSOP. Nothing is really that much different from the last couple of years. Maybe that will change as we get deeper.

Brasilia

Brasilia is the place for satellites and non-bracelet tourneys this year. However, unlike last year, they are using the entire room. I haven’t counted the number of tables, but there are a lot this year. I wound up playing two satellites in the room. I finished 4th in one and 6th in the other.

The first game I was relatively card dead, but found some spots to get chips. I was knocked out when I moved in from the button with K-10 and the big blind woke up with A-K. The blinds were high and I was short.

The second game, I had nothing to speak of. I lost a chunk of my stack when I called a short stack with A-10 and they woke up with A-K. Then the last hand, I was short and pushed from the button and the same player decided to call with K-J. Of course, I had K-3 and was stealing. Again, the blinds were high and I was short.

I wish I could say that I was “playing bad” in either of those games, but playing bad would have required I get at least some cards. It’s hard to not play good when most of your hands contain a 2 or two cards lower than 8. I’m not complaining actually. I have been running pretty crappy since I got here. Hopefully, my “run bad” will run out quickly.

Amazon

The Amazon Room is its typical sea of tables. Not much was going on yesterday in the room as only two cash games were running. I happened to run into Nolan Dalla, the media director for the WSOP, and we chatted a bit. The room actually wasn’t completed when I visited. The lounge and final table areas were still being built. The big crowds really shouldn’t start until Thursday, so they had time.

Stimulus Event

I went to the registration line to signup for Event #4 and was actually surprised to see the room somewhat busy. There was a line of about 6 people in front of me, about 8 behind me, and every window full. Yesterday was a great day to come in and register for events as once the regular crowds start coming in, registration will likely be a zoo.

I will play in the Stimulus Event on Saturday and I will start in the Brasilia Room at table 189, seat 7. The goal is of course to win as with any tournament. For starters, I want to make it out of Day 1 with a reasonable stack. Of course, I will come back and let everyone know how I fared.

I took some pictures at the WSOP but there is something about their lighting that does not agree with my camera. Outside pictures are great, so I will leave you with a shot of the Rio. I plan to play a small nightly H.O.R.S.E. tourney at Green Valley Ranch tonight. I have final tabled the tournament two out of three times playing it.