Her Name Is Rio And She Dances On The Sand

I got into Las Vegas successfully yesterday around 3pm. I caught a shuttle from the airport to my hotel (Gold Coast). I got settled in and since the first class service from DFW to LAS was only a snack (and I didn't eat breakfast) I was quite hungry. I had heard you get a $10 food voucher with your buyin to the WSOP so I made my way over to the Rio to get checked in and pick it up so I could eat.

I saw so many people that I am only used to seeing on TV that it was amazing. Everywhere I looked there was a poker pro here or there. Now I am not awed by celebrity but I have to admit that it was kind of neat to see people that you watch playing poker on TV in real life.

I got checked in and wanted to go check out the tournament area and I walk in and this is what I see.



I was pretty blown away at the size of the tournament area. Big isn't the word. Vast better suits it I think. I knew Jason was likely on the scene and I happened to spot him covering the $2000 NLHE final table for Bluff. I walked over and we chatted for a bit and I decided to then go take a shot at a single table satellite to get reacquainted with live casino poker (I haven't played live in a casino setting in about a year). This leads into the first interesting thing to happen to me on my trip.

I get seated with 9 others and sit in seat 2. Seat 1 is a lady that I know I have seen before but just can't quite place her. Uneventful play proceeds for about 20 minutes and she catches some mighty fine cards to bust 2 people out and has now become the big stack at the satellite. I have been in fold mode getting no better than A5o UTG which of course I folded.

Then I am in a hand and I hear a man walk up over my right shoulder and is chatting it up with seat 1. "Honey, how are you doing"??, etc., etc. At the end of the hand I just glance up and notice that the man is none other than the 2004 WSOP Main Event champion Greg "Fossilman" Raymer and that this lady is his wife Cheryl Raymer destroying our SNG. I shake hands with Greg and congratulate him on his continued success. I believe he has already cashed a few times at the WSOP this year.

Greg goes back to playing badugi cash game and I tell Cheryl I now know why Greg is so good. She is the shark! She tells me that this is her 2nd time to ever play NLHE. This information really doesn't bode well for me I don't think. I tend to sort of believe her but I definitely picked up on that she wasn't a true newb at this.

Anyways... she kills the table (busts me with KK vs 33 and I go out in 3rd) and wins the SNG. I congratulate her and Greg comes over and they hug and kiss and you can tell he is so happy that she had taken it down. I have to say that Greg and Cheryl are both class acts to no end. I wish them and their daughter the best.

Anyways I ended up playing one more $125 SNG and chopped it 3 ways and my take was 310 so I am up about $60 as of right now after 2 $125 SNGs. These $125s are pretty soft (save running into Fossilman's wife) and I am going to go play some more today and start getting siked up about the tournament tomorrow. I am also going to play in the $1/2$ NLHE at the Gold Coast if they ever get it up and going. I hear it is pretty soft.

Stay tuned and below is my ticket into Event 27. I will be at Table 133, Seat 1.