My WSOP Blog 2009 Day 1

My plans for this trip are; arrive on 2nd June and play 3 x 6 handed events and any others I fancy if I get busted early, up until the 11th June when I need to get back in England. Return to Vegas on 24th June and stay until the end of main event or when I get busted. Well that’s the plan anyway!

I arrive in the lounge at Virgin where my mate Greco is having breakfast with a few other British pros, we have the standard, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs and exchange a bit of banter about where everyone is staying and then head for the plane, I have booked Encore it is meant to be fantastic. I have booked to sit next to Grec’s thought we could have a good old chin wag about poker as I haven’t seen him for ages, wrong!

Boy can he sleep, I’ve watched 3 films and he’s snoring his head off (lucky sod). We are getting ready for landing and Grec’s asks “what you doing today” as we get there about 2pm and my response was well I think I will chill out at the hotel get some nice food and sleep so as I am ready for tomorrow’s tourney. “yeah your right so am I” he says. We all leave the airport and go our separate ways.

I check in to Encore wow what a gaff; I get asked would you like a tour of the hotel sir? Na just show me my room, after all I am going to chill, eat and sleep remember?

As soon as my bag is unpacked and I swallow nice chilled beer from fridge, I am off! Taxi to the Bellagio I remember there is a $1k tourney every day at 2pm with buy ins until 5ish.

I am like a kid in a sweet shop, you wouldn’t think I’ve been here more than 25 times.

I buy into the tourney look for my seat and low and behold on the next table Greco, ha-ha we have a good old chuckle and crack on. Well the tourney gets 84 runners, we both make final table, I win it $24k in the posh and Grec’s comes 5th what a result, luvvly jubbly.

It is now 4am, we are both at the Rio to buy in for the first tourneys we are playing, as mine starts in 8 hours, and there are whispers of tourneys being sold out.

I was more worried about not waking in time and missing registration.

Lets hope tomorrow is much of the same.

Ian Frazer