Date: 2009-07-01
Author: Lawrence S.
The 2009 World Series of Poker is underway and many WSOP first-timers will be making the trek to the Rio in Las Vegas to try to achieve their poker dream. In any normal poker tournament, it is easy enough to go to the venue, pay your registration fee, sit down at your assigned seat, and play. With an event as big as the WSOP, it is not always so simple. This week, I present a few tips to make your experience at the world’s largest poker festival an enjoyable one.
Transportation
If you don’t stay at the Rio, you are going to have to get there somehow. If you stay at the Gold Coast or maybe at the Palms, you could probably hoof it, but anywhere else and you really need to snag a ride, especially because the Rio is across I-15 from even the closest hotels on the Strip. Even if it wasn’t, the walk between casinos is always longer than it appears and it will almost always be in 100+ degree heat.
Personally, I prefer renting a car. Traffic on the Strip stinks, but Las Vegas is actually very easy to navigate and there are plenty of back roads to travel on in order to avoid the Strip. If you don’t want to drive yourself, I recommend just shelling out the money for a taxi. It is the quickest and easiest way to get from your hotel to the Rio. You can try one of the shuttles from other Harrah’s properties, but with those, you are at the mercy of their schedules.
Parking
I made a major mistake for about a week the first time I attended the WSOP. I drove into the front entrance on Flamingo Road and parked in the main parking garage for the casino. What I forgot to do was bring running shoes and a stopwatch because parking there would have given me ample opportunity to get in my daily workout. Little did I know that the parking deck was completely on the opposite side of the property from the convention center, where the WSOP actually takes place. If you have bad knees, asthma, sweat easily, or are easily distracted by a craps table a la T.J. Cloutier, making the trek through the casino will not be enjoyable.
Instead, either drive past the main parking garage to the back of the property where the convention center parking lot is, or enter the lot from the rear entrance on Twain Avenue. There’s still a good chance that you won't park incredibly close, but it will still be a lot closer than the alternative. Plus, as soon as you enter the building, you’ll be at the WSOP.
Attire
I am not here to judge how you dress from a fashion standpoint. Your personal clothing statement is up to you. What I am here to tell you, however, is that in order to compensate for the egg-frying heat outside, the Amazon Room (the main room for the WSOP) will be freezing. You won’t like wearing long pants in the sun in Vegas, but once you have been inside for a while, you will be happy you did. I advise bringing some sort of long-sleeved shirt or sweatshirt along, as well, just in case. You know, I kind of sound like my mom when I used to go to movies when I was a kid. “Be sure to take a sweatshirt with you! Those theaters can get cold.”
Potty Breaks
If you are sitting in a chair for hours on end, consuming the occasional beverage, you will inevitably have to use the restroom. Now, I’ll admit that I have not been to the WSOP in a couple years – two children under three years-old and a wife who works kind of limit my travel opportunities – and I know the restroom situation has improved, but I still do not recommend waiting for the scheduled fifteen minute break to head for the head. There are just too many people flocking to too few facilities. Instead, either just take a few hands off and just go or get out of the room a hand or two before the fifteen minute break begins so that you have a head start on most of the field. Just pray you don’t get Aces when you are gone. Oh, and visit the restroom before you start playing, even if you don’t think you need to (another piece of advice from my mom).
Eating
My advice here is similar to my advice just above. Don’t plan on having time to have a proper meal during breaks, even the dinner break, if you just leave your seat when the break starts. Again, there will be tons of people heading to the various restaurants and food stands at the Rio.
One thing I did was have someone who was not playing get to a restaurant before the dinner break started and grab a table. That way, the only time wasted is the walk to the casino. Alternatively, just have a friend bring food and the two of you can just find a place to sit and relax. Another thing I did on occasion at the dinner break was actually leave the Rio altogether and head over to the buffet at Gold Coast. It’s not the greatest food in the world, but it’s a very short drive and a fast, yet long enough to be a little relaxing, meal.
Those are the basics. Essentially, the idea with all of them is to maximize your time, minimize your effort, and make your non-poker time as stress-free as possible. You will have enough things to worry about at the poker table.
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