Little Miss Time Management never seems to keep up with everything and the pages in Table Tango reflect that.  Nothing has gone up since I ventured out with the statement that I was going in to watch the November Nine at the Rio.  I did go.  I didn’t stay long.

As in years past, my media spot was in the press box at the Penn & Teller Theater.  It’s a shitty location to try to see anything from other than the tops of the heads of the spectators and press seated below – and the big light bars that wrap around everything and obscure any part of the final nine table/players/action.  There are a couple flat screen TVs in that area that zoom in on the action but…

And it’s always cold as hell up there, like trying to hang out in a dimly lit icebox with chairs and a table.  The internet connection was slower than molasses also.  And in years past there were 20-30ish media people up there, this year there were about 8 when I packed up and left.

The theater wasn’t that crowded either and there was no line waiting to get in when I left.  I think the ESPN time delay live showing killed the livliness of the event.  Just sayin…

It was early, I picked up my son Darian and the Riot and we went to eat, after I took them home, I went back to the comfort of the condo that Gary and Marie so graciously allow me to stay in when I hit town.  They were up, watching football games on one TV and the 15-minute delay of the WSOP November Nine on another.  I took a bottle of wine and went to their condo.  It was great.  We visited, I got a great look at all the table action, it was toasty warm, the company was fantastic, and we watched until I ran out of steam and headed off to sleep.  They were down by three players — I think — when I left.  Marie stayed up and watched until they got to heads-up.

The following day we went to The Orleans and played $4-$8 limit hold’em with a 1/2 kill.  It was a blast.  One of the dealers used to work at Bellagio, Susan, and she came through my table.  I lost, won one small pot, played very few hands and when I did raise once, 14 players came over from other tables to call.  I didn’t even pay off on the river when the 2nd 7 hit, I had an overpair, but just the way his lips started flapping I knew he had a 7.  He was funny and I ribbed him as much as possible.

They have a high hand of the hour that starts about 2 p.m. and the little hispanic guy sitting on my right said he won it back to back one time (you have to play the hour to collect) and still lost $500.  I loved playing with him.  I got to see his hand once when he showed me that on a flop of K-Q-3, he didn’t make anything with A-9 by the river and had to fold.  Damn!  Bad beat kiddo!  He was cheerful, on the donation trail, but I took the wrong turn and left loser and had a great time doing it.  It’s the first time I’ve played live in almost a year.

So Marie and I hit the buffet and went back to their place to watch the final two play off for the WSOP Main Event championship.  The zoom on final hand was incredible and Ryan Riess got my vote for not trying to hide his emotion as he waited to see if he was the new champion.

The following day, the 6th, we went to breakfast and I was heading for home.  They have no wifi access other than smartphone access so I pretty much ‘unplugged’ for two days, that was worth a million or so in my book.

I have no noteworthy pictures to add to the pages here other than an incredible sunset I took a few nights ago.

I haven’t been back to the WSOP.com due to time constraints but hope to start playing there again by the weekend.

And there’s a new View from the Box up, with more on the way.

Back soon…I hope.