Vegas Stories: WSOP and 4th of July 2008

I cannot decide if exposure to the lifestyle of the rich and famous is a good thing or a bad one. This is a question I ask myself every time I return from a conference or a "vacation" to visit friends I have made through the online gaming industry, such as my trip to Vegas last weekend. I am pretty positive I know the answer. It's f'n fabulous. Don't me wrong, I love my simple life back in South Boston, complete with two roommates and a bedroom without a window, but experiencing a weekend in Vegas where money isn't an obstacle is quite enjoyable too. Let me take you through my journey.

Day 1.
In celebration of their 29th birthdays, Bluff Magazine's Eric Morris and his twin brother Todd hosted an elaborate lunch for their friends at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab in Caesar's Palace. Lucky for me, my plane touched down just in time for lunch so I was able to participate in the crab cake, oyster, and peanut butter pie celebration. Not so lucky for me, I forgot that this crew really enjoys making scenes in public, for example, everyone around the table starts clapping and cheering as you return from the ladies room. Morris brother scenes in public are a weird cross between being funny and annoying- its kind of hard to explain until you are the target of one of their little episodes. Following our three hour lunch, even though I "strongly dislike shopping", we wandered through the Forum Shops and I purchased more articles of clothing than anyone else in the group. Hate it when that happens.

Night 1.
At long, long last I was reunited with my British twin, Michelle Orpe, Sky Poker presenter and Purple Lounge sponsored poker player. Maybe I shouldn't flatter myself here...I'm not exactly her twin in the physical sense, but we do make one fabulous pair when we meet up throughout the world during online gaming events and long weekend getaways. We began our evening together on the roof deck of PURE, the venue for Everest Poker's WSOP party. After getting up on stage with the entertainment and seducing the crowd with our bongo drum skills, we left PURE and met up with Unibet's Erik Good Looking, affiliates Michael H., Ole and Seigel, and several others from the stylish Scandinavian crew for some typical Vegas clubbing. Michelle and I finished off the night at Tryst and stumbled back to her room in bare feet because walking down the strip at 4am in bare feet seemed like a great idea at the time.

Day 2.
I should leave this paragraph blank because I did absolutely nothing on this day. Nothing except lie in bed, eat room service and chat with Michelle in her room allllll day long. It was brilliant! Best day ever.

Night 2.
I finally met up with Adam and Kelly, a couple I fell in love with from the moment we met at CAP Spring Break Miami, and the reason why I came to Vegas in the first place. I enjoyed an amazing dinner at RM Seafood with this fabulous pair and their interior designer, complete with extravagant cocktails, appetizers and entrees done to perfection, a very expensive bottle of wine, and finished with espresso martinis and chocolate soufflés. We spent the rest of the evening at Foundation Room, a secluded and elegant members-only club on the top floor of Mandalay Bay which Adam and Doug from Doc's Sports belong to. As an added bonus, Dermot, one of my very best friends from childhood, and several of his friends were able to join us for the night. Everyone hit it off pretty well, I must say. I love when my dual lives collide.

Day 3.
One of the beautiful things about having good friends who live in Vegas is spending some time off the strip and staying at their enormous house. I felt like a millionaire for 48 hours and enjoyed every minute of this fantasy world experience. To get in the spirit I even treated Adam to lunch...so what if we went to the Cheesecake Factory and the bill came to a grand total of $25? The remainder of the day was spent in Adam's pool, where we floated around in 90 degree water and shared some online gaming industry gossip while listening to satellite radio. You know, the usual.

Night 3.
I love team Bodog. This should come as no surprise considering I have spent large amounts of time with Bodog people, including Calvin who has just recently disappeared off the face of the earth. This time around Adam and I joined the Bodog crew in their WSOP player lounge for drinks followed by a night of bowling at the Rio. I think we all agree that our bowling skills were better than anticipated, but in comparison to Midds, we're all terrible. She is the best bowler on earth! Charles from Wicked Chops Poker is a pretty close second though.