Las Vegas 2010 Here I Come

My return to the desert for another shot at poker fame and fortune in 2010 is official.

Departing Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Departs JFK (NYC) 7:30pm, Arrives LAS 10:43pm
Delta Air Lines Flight # 1029
New York, NY to Las Vegas, NV


Returning Sunday, June 6, 2010
Departs LAS 7:00am, Arrives JFK (NYC) 2:59pm
Delta Air Lines Flight #198
Las Vegas, NV to New York, NY


The plane tickets are bought. I originally looked for JetBlue of course -- easily the most comfortable, roomiest, generally best experience one can have with an airline -- but the times are just not great for me on either end. JetBlue could not get me out of New York City on a direct flight to Vegas on Tuesday the 1st anytime late in the day, and I am not planning to have to take a fourth day off from work that week just to be able to be in Vegas by early Wednesday morning. And coming back home, again JetBlue had a morning flight but not nearly as early as the one I will be on via Delta. As much fun as these trips have proven to be every year, I know that come Sunday I will really be missing Hammer Wife and my beautiful kids, and since in four annual trips to Vegas since 2006 I have yet to sleep a wink during my last night in the desert, the plan this time around will just be to pull my usual all-nighter on Saturday night, get on a plane very early on Sunday morning, close my eyes, and wake up on the runway at JFK, in plenty of time to be home for dinner and to spread some cheer among the people that really make me happiest in my life.

So, the plan will definitely be to play in WSOP Event #8, $1500 buyin no-limit holdem at noon local time on my first morning in Vegas. I'll get in fairly late at night on Tuesday, but several factors will help ensure that I register in time to actually be admitted to this event this year as opposed to last year's snafu (that ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me poker-wise). First, this year I'm heading out at the very beginning of the WSOP, so there will be less demand in general for the tournaments than there is likely to be near the end as the Main Event approaches and people are feeling the squeeze of their last chance to play for a coveted bracelet in 2010. Second (really this is a corollary of the first point), this year I will be playing during a weekday, and in one of the first of what are known at the Rio as the "donkaments" -- the $1000 and $1500 buyin tournaments, which are the lowest buyin available for any event at the World Series of Poker. Last year, the big problem that caused my planned WSOP event to sell out early was that it was a Saturday, and it was the very last donkament of the 2009 WSOP, so everyone who wanted one final shot at poker immortality came into town after work that Friday for their last great chance. This year, none of that should be an issue and I expect little trouble registering on Tuesday night for the Wednesday event.

Lastly, I am planning to stay at the Rio on my first night this year, just to make things even easier on myself. Last year my brother was already in town at the MGM Skyloft so I headed over there first to drop off my bags and clean up after long plane ride across the country, but this year I'm going to be arriving a day ahead of my brother so for my first night I will plan to get one of the nice Rio suites, which -- despite all the bad things I've heard said about the rooms there -- are actually quite nice if you are willing to upgrade a little bit. So rather than landing at 10pm, heading to the MGM, catching up with some friends, doing some shots, etc., and then eventually finding my way over to the Rio at 3am like last year, this time I'll plan to head straight to the Rio after I land, check in but then head right downstairs to get in to WSOP Event #8 with what I imagine will be little trouble or hassle. Famous last words I know, but that's the plan.

What I do after Wednesday is still very much up in the air. One of the reasons I picked this particular week is that, if I want to, I can play in the $1500 nlh donkament on Friday in WSOP Event #12 as well if I so choose. As it gets a little closer I will figure out if there are other tournament series in town at the time that I might want to play like the Venetian Deep Stack from last year.

For now I'm just excited to have the flights officially purchased, and I'll be calling the Rio later today to reserve a suite for around $80 to take care of my first night's accommodations in Sin City.