I'm baaaack!

No longer a rookie, but probably a little rusty. When I left last year I figured that having had the experience, I wouldn't want to return. Things change. I wasn't able to leverage my WSOP experience into a regular job back in Tampa. I dealt a few charity tournaments, but couldn't catch on to anything regular. When the WSOP invited me to deal this year, the thinking was that if I wanted to deal in the future, I should probably keep my hand in it and keep my experience relevant. The toughest part is being away from Lillian and home for six or seven weeks.

This year I again have some very nice acommodations, but in a different place. The Chapman BnB is no longer taking guests, so this year I am staying on the south side. The couple that owns the house lives in the master suite on the main floor while they rent out the three bedrooms upstaires. The place is neat, clean and located in a nice middle class kind of neighborhood. According to Google Maps it should take me 11 minutes to get to work. How? My friend and fellow dealer Barry put me in touch with the person he rented a car from last year. Barry drove from Tampa this year and didn't need to rent a car. So now I bop around Vegas in a 15 year old beat up Miata at about half the cost of the cheapest rental I could find at the airport. It runs. Tires are good and the A/C works. It has a tiny little oil leak but I think it will get me through the series.

Work starts today, May 26, 2009. Opening day. Only satellite tournaments and Live Action cash games today. The $500 Casino Employee Poker Tournament starts tomorrow to kick off the World Series of Poker. I decided to work rather than play in it. Maybe next year.