The final furlong

Summer is officially here. Well, for me it is anyway. Today is the first day of my three and a half months summer holiday. Having just finished doing 6 exams in college yesterday, its fair to say Im delighted to have this break. I plan to squeeze a lot in poker-wise over the next while with the pinnacle being a trip to Las Vegas for the WSOP.

Yes, the never-ending saga continues. The latest edition in this incredible story is a much more favorable one I'm glad to report. Since my sensational throw out of the WSOP, Dom (5starpool) has been busy trying to form a syndicate of backers so that I can indeed travel to Vegas this summer. I cannot thank him enough for this work as it has given me a warm ending to an all together forgettable tale. The syndicate is comprised of some reliable friends and a few new faces alike. When the plans are finalised (they are 90% there) I will thank each member individually for their support. I hope I can reward your commitment with a huge score in the Main Event.

I finalised my travel and accommodation plans for Vegas today. I am flying out on the 22nd June and returning on the 13th July, three weeks in all. My flights are with Aer Lingus from Dublin to LA with a connecting flight to Vegas. For the two weeks of the WSOP I'm staying in the Gold Coast. I chose it both for value and for its proximity to the Rio. They wont however let me stay more than 14 nights (as hard as I tried). I'm not sure to the exact reason why this is but methinks its a policy that will keep fresh gamblers coming in regularly. After all If you are there for more than 14 nights your propensity to gamble has surely diminished significantly.

My accommodation plan for week one has changed several times. I'm using the week to play some tourneys, play plenty of cash and overall acclimatise with Vegas before the WSOP starts on week two. The South Point was my first choice. Again great value but just a bit far out being 8 miles from the Strip. I was looking for somewhere more central. My second choice was the Monte Carlo. It seemed reasonable and was near the action being beside the Bellagio, Ceasers etc etc. There is a lot of construction going on beside the Monte Carlo however and my search continued. Nicky posted on boards that the Venetian was deadly and that their poker rate cuts a significant amount off the price. Indeed it did and now at only $250 dearer than the Monte Carlo for the week I decided to settle. I plan on playing some of the Venetians Deep stack tourneys while I'm in Vegas so I think I have made the correct choice in staying there.

The Gold Coast for weeks two and three should be an ideal spot for the Series as it's on the doorstep of the Rio. A lot of the Irish lads are staying there like John, Chub etc so I will have plenty of opportunities to discuss hands after (rather than during) play each day. It seems like a grand hotel even though its cheap in cost. Sure it even has a bowling alley for gods sake.

This will be my second time in Vegas, having gone last November for a week. The gentle chill of Winter will no doubt seem a distant memory when I arrive this time around. The soaring temperatures should prove interesting to say the least but then again you can always just park yourself in the casino. I plan on running a blog every day during my stay so that those back in Ireland can experience a taste of my adventure from afar.

More laterz.