Processing - Getting Started

All dealers planning to work the 2008 WSOP need to be processed by the Rio HR department by May 22, according to the memo I received. With some 900 dealers needing to be processed, it seemed to me that it was going to be a zoo at HR on May 21st. Also, according to the schedule, the first WSOP tournament doesn't start until May 30th but I see that satellite tournaments begin on May 28th. This means that there will be a lot of dealers in Vegas with nothing to do for a week. I suppose that is okay if you live there, but paying for a hotel for an extra week is going to be expensive. Not to mention that a week in Vegas with nothing to do could be a very expensive proposition, expecially for a Poker hobbyist.



I needed to be in Chicago to visit my daughter in April. I thought it would make sense to just make a three legged trip and stop by HR and get processed early. Not only would I avoid the crush but I would be able to check out some places to live. I don't want to blow everything I earn on a hotel room. Off to Vegas I go.



I have a map how to get to Rio HR. It's like, "Through the double doors, down the stairs, around the corner and past the vending machines." A room with the expected cubicle style desks around the outside and a few computer terminals set up to access the HR system. In the corner, hung from the ceiling is a television playing an instructional video of how to deal a poker hand. Hmm.



I sign in and the HR manager has me fill out a bunch of the expected paperwork such as my application for a Nevada Gaming license and I am directed to get fingerprinted at a station set up for the purpose. I can't remember the last time I was fingerprinted, but I bet it was twenty years ago and the process involved an ink pad and putting the images on paper. That is all gone now. Just put your hand on a little mini scanner and the image of the prints shows up on the computer monitor. (I am later informed that this "new" technology has been around since before the turn of the century.) I review a few things like payroll deductions and direct deposit and that's it. I am now an employee of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.



Now to find a place to live. There are some places in walking distance to the Rio, but I don't know if I want to be walking around in this area at three in the morning with a pocket full of tip money. One of the places, an inexpensive all-suite hotel a few blocks away recently made the news. Apparently, one of their long term residents was found attempting to manufacture Ricin nerve gas in his hotel room. It must be just the kind of a place to call home.

Some folks are planning to share a house and some condos are available, but the most interesting is the idea of a bed-n-beakfast. My prospective roommate, Tim suggested I check one out, The Chapman. It seems to be an inexpensive option and the B&B crowd is usually not the hell raiser type, so we can expect a nice quiet place to relax and get a little away from the casino environment.

When I headed over to the Chapman, I found a nice house in a residential area a mile or so east of the strip with seven bedrooms, each with it's own private bathroom and shower. Cool. There was a pool out back and even a little old lady who, I assume, will be fixing breakfasts. I like it. We will see if it works out.