I went to the Magnolia Room, where the event is being held, to check things out for this morning's Day Shift. The room is now finished and it looks magnificent. I overheard several dealers and players saying it was one of the best big tournament set-ups they'd seen.
Here are a few shots from the room:
This morning, there were only a smattering of players because the first real event doesn't begin until Thursday. Today, the players are warming up with a little cash game called a Sit N Go. These games are quick, usually no longer than 90 minutes.
Because the players are still arriving, there were a lot more dealers than needed this morning. I noticed that all the dealers looked very expectantly for their chance to be in the box (dealing at a table). But in the meantime, there was a large mass of them sitting around and waiting. To be honest, it's an odd sight seeing so many folks standing around dressed in gold casino shirts. Almost looks like a convention of Motown backup singers.
After checking out the room, I got lunch and then went to the hotel for a nap before reporting back tonight. The anticipation is killing me!
Notes:
- I got a roommate! His name is Bob and we met the first day I was in town. We've become fast friends and when his roommate didn't show up either, they put us together. Bob is a unique fellow. He's tall, tan, and has dark hair. But he was born and raised in Scotland and has quite the accent. For you movie fans, he sounds exactly like Robert Shaw's Quint character from the movie Jaws. Kinda looks like him too.
Bob's been trying to teach me to speak what he calls the "Queen's English." You don't say "hey, buddy" you say "see YOU, Jimmy!" Anyway, the more I am around him, the more I am starting to sound like him.
Here is a photo of Bob dealing at the World Series of Poker to the legendary Doyle Brunson.
Doyle Brunson and Bob
- CUSHIONS! One of the big problems the dealers are having to manage is that the tournament did not provide special chairs for the dealers. This means that the dealers are sitting at the same level as the players at the table. The problem with this is that a dealer must be raised above the table so that they can pitch the cards over various objects and be able to reach for chips and cards.
Therefore, as soon as yesterday's orientation meeting finished, the dealers all ran out to Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Big Lots, etc. to find black cushions to sit on and raise ourselves higher. Only problem is that there isn't much available. Most of the cushions we found are too thin to do the job, so dealers are buying multiple cushions and using tape, velcro, or string to tie them together.
It is quite the sight seeing people walk around with big cushions under their arms. It's a cumbersome problem.
As for me, I found a very thick, but way too large black throw pillow. The thickness is good so I grabbed the yellow pages and found a local seamstress. She managed to cut ten inches of fabric off two sides and when I got it this morning it was perfect!
