WSOP at the Rio

After successful start to my week and a little cash injected into my bankroll I fell asleep with a smile on my face and a feeling of contentment.  It was such a great way to start my week and it has only motivated me to continue to work hard and bring home the bacon.

Speaking of which, I made Mischa and I a great bacon and egg breakfast yesterday morning with a side of perogies for my friend.  I should have known that any man with the last name Hrziwnatzki would want some perogies at every meal.  Trying to find them at the grocery store was a challenge however as a female staff member responded to me with " you want a pair of what?"   hahah   no mam, PEROGIES.  I was trying to think of a way to describe them to her and it was harder than I ever imagined.  I'm not sure if it was my Canadian accent but there was some serious charades and Pictionary going on in an attempt to communicate.  After a while we discovered them tucked away in the corner of the freezer next to the ice cream?  

Mischa walked over Caesars Palace with me only for us to discover the tournament I was hoping to play was sold out.  It was a heads up tournament and there was a limited number of spots.  Chalk that up to a noobie mistake as I should have pre- reg'd the day before.

With a few hours on our hands, Mischa and I decided to head over to the home of the World Series of Poker , The Rio.

Walking down the long halls to the convention centres that house this massive tournament series gave me a nervous feeling.  This series attracts 10's of thousands of people each summer and the size of the facility was very overwhelming.  When we first stepped foot into these famous rooms you could feel the intense energy.  Mischa is not a poker player yet he still looked at me with a blank look on his face as we couldn't believe the scale of what we were looking at.  The sound of thousands of players clicking there chips, resembled a field full of crickets and would have challenged the ability of any noise cancelling headphones.

I decided to play a 10pm tournament which runs a little different than most.  Since it starts so late, the blind structures enable you a few hours of deepstack play and then it literally turns into a shove fest.  Around 35 big blinds deep, I picked up pocket AA in middle position in the third level and wound up getting it all in pre-flop.  I got called with pocket kings and the board ran out with four hearts and he took down the pot with a king high flush.

I was a little disappointed but I tried to keep in mind of how well I did the day before.   I took a deep breath , shook the man's hand, wished the rest of the table good luck and came home and went to bed.

Tonight a musician that Mischa and I grew up with is playing a show in here in town.  His band have been touring Europe and the U.S over the last 6 months and it is a great coincidence that he happens to be in town while we are here.  They are touring with Metal legends Fear Factory and both Mischa and I are on the guest list and have backstage passes!  

In a few minutes i'll be heading back to the Rio in an attempt to qualify for Sunday's bracelet event.

Thanks to everyone who has been sending me emails and messages.  Having the support of people you care about goes a long way in making this intense challenge a little easier. 

take care

CF

Melting in the desert sun

Big kisses to everyone back home

Analysing the schedule at Caesars Palace only to find out the event is full

I think I can I think I can I think I can

Sizing up the competition at the WSOP.  I felt like a pro having a photographer (mischa) snapping shots of me prior to playing

Save a spot for me at the final table this weekend guys!