Believe it or not, they really expect me to deal while I’m here on the island. How possible? That’s what happened yesterday and today it’s going to be a lot worse. Today is day one of the main event. The word around the satellites is the final event will have 500 – possibly a few more. The UltimateBet BJ event has been running concurrently with our poker satellites and tournaments. The crew has been setting up the ‘stage’ for filming. Me and the Duo believe that they will use the same stage for both poker and BJ, however the sign on the display is advertising the BJ event. Here’s a little sneak preview (it’s set up in the pool area of the Radisson which means the Azurro restaurant is out of the picture this year):

I have seriously enjoyed being here. I can’t thank UltimateBet enough for bringing all of us here and affording us – me especially – an opportunity that I would otherwise never have had the remotest thought that this is/was a possibility. I spenta bit of time (30 seconds or so as that’s how fast things rip through my mind at times) reflecting on the events of my life and how, as a child traveling through the western half of the US, in the back seat of a car as we moved frantically from nowhere to nowhere, chumming the highways and by-ways on our journey of despair, who would have thought I would ever be on TV, dealing to and meeting people from all over the world, and spending my fourth year on a desert island paradise just off the coast of Venezuela? Definitely not me. But here I am. What a country the US is – all things really are possible when you live in the land of the free. Now if the land of the free would just lift the chains hanging over our mice and keyboards to internet poker, life would be the greatest of the greats.

I don’t have a lot of time because I’m meeting the Duo for breakfast before we hit the greenfelt to earn our keep. I want to throw up a few pictures and adding pictures to a post takes a hellery amount of time so if I run out of time, it will just be a continuation when I come back to throw up more news and photos. This cutie pie was at my table a few days ago in a satellite, he remembered me from last year. And when I sat waiting for a tournament to start, he was playing in another satellite and blew me a kiss…first one I’ve gotten since I’ve been to the island. I love this guy! I may even find out what his name is today.

Suzie Lederer, on the right, our x-swing shift boss at Bellagio and our fearless leader here on the island. She’s the top of the heap in my book. The lady on the left is Susan, a long time friend of Suzie.

Lisa Wheeler burning and turning in Aruba:

This is, of course, yours truly. Leg irons and all, being forced to deal. The Queen of the E/O title has been handed to someone else. I do believe I have around 20 downs in so far this year. Damn scary!

And on that note, I have to fly. Shower time! More later…and Bon Bini from Aruba.