The Great British Summer

Ain’t it great? Seriously. This weather is making it really hard to think about leaving the UK for nearly the entire summer. I’m off to Vegas on Sunday for the World Series and although I’m really looking forward to it, I’m conscious that I’ll be leaving all my friends in Brighton behind to enjoy the seaside without me. I’ve really loved having a chance to catch up with people over the past month since the EPT finished up. I’m struck again how anti-social this job can be when we spend so much time away. So many birthday parties missed, always the last to hear the big news. Thankfully, I have really good friends who cut me some slack for being away so much.

I’ve been watching the goings on in Vegas from home this past week; following all the various status updates, blog entries and twitterings. We’re only one week into the Series and I’m seeing from my removed vantage point in the UK just how much people are struggling with the atmosphere there already. Working at the WSOP is incredibly hard work – very long hours doing an often thankless task, sometimes surrounded by very objectionable people. The journalists and bloggers see EVERYTHING and it can be soul-destroying to watch players being disgusting with dealers or just acting like nasty specimens. It’s not the majority but there is a very loud minority of people who give poker a very bad name. Vegas can be a really lonely place and hearing people’s stories about their Vegas-burnout makes me feel very lucky to have good people to be with when I’m there.

All that being said, I am really looking forward to getting there and seeing my friends from the poker circuit. I’m staying with a girlfriend who very kindly is letting me crash at her apartment for the first few days while I kick the jet lag and get ready to play. I’ve still not decided how many events I’ll play as I want to see how I feel when I get there but I can’t wait to head to the Rio. I’ve got so many amazing memories from last summer in Vegas and can’t wait to make some more this year.

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