FULL TILT POKER BLOG

#103 – Prisoner of the Bellagio, Part II – My Gilded Cage

Posted by Editor | Filed under Bellagio, Doug Dalton, Jack McClelland, Prisoner of the Bellagio

[When I am adventuring, this is usually some kind of lag between when (a) things happen, (b) I write them down, and (c) I type them up for the Blog. Sometimes I'll be giving you my contemporaneous notes of what's happening, and sometimes a summary of what happenED, written later. Without getting too crazy with dates and times, I'll try to make it clear when things happened and when I wrote them down in my notebook. Those dates may differ slightly from the posting date.]

This was written at 10:30 AM Friday, April 6. It’s not being posted until April 7, just before noon.

As a means of clarifying any potential conflict of interest, I must disclose that Doug Dalton, the director of poker operations for MGM Mirage, gave me a deal on the room. The poker rate, which has some pretty modest strings attached, is $146 per night, $219 on Friday and Saturday. (If this makes the rajahs at Full Tilt happy, it will likely not make much difference. They are picking up the tab for this adventure, and my expense reports are so bloated that I almost HOPE they don’t notice an unexpected discount for the accommodations. That would mean they are paying attention to my expenses, which is the worst thing that can happen to someone in my position.)

During my interminable – well, it was just under a half hour, so I guess it was “terminable” – wait, I heard one of the desk agents (I’d call them “clerks” except I’ve been bought off by the management) confirm a guest’s nightly rate: “… and for Sunday that will be $319.” I wish my stupor had ended moments before so I could hear from the mass of guests are paying for the EXPENSIVE nights here.

So guess what? The Bellagio is a beautiful property and Dalton and tournament director Jack McClelland run great tournaments under excellent structures. But that’s a given. The Bellagio is clearly one of the premiere properties in Las Vegas and Dalton and McClelland have more experience and a greater reputation to uphold than anyone in tournament poker. Being a poker player, I’ll naturally find fault in ridiculous places, but freebies or not, the Bellagio and its poker room are first class.

I just heard from Roxana by cell. It was tough to hear from background noise but it sounds like Ted Forrest is going to L.A. to play Larry Flynt’s game but he’s going to be around today. She’ll call me with Ted’s availability by cell later on.

I have a lot going on. I want to play the Wynn tourney at noon. (Or maybe Bellagio’s Friday $1,000 tournament, if it’s going on right before the Five Star.) There’s Ted and Roxana. Jennifer Harman said she’d be around and 3 PM was the best time to call. David Grey said he’s be in town this weekend. Mike Matusow said he’d today, probably meaning I’ll call him. I haven’t reached Eric Drache yet but I’ll try to reach him if I get a chance. Plus I want to talk to Doug Dalton and Jack McClelland.

And what “business” to transact with all these folks? I need some things for the BLUFF piece about cash games at the World Series (and new Andy Beal stories). I don’t even know what those things are, much less how to get them.

Last thing before I get started. I almost forgot to write that my room, nice as it is, doesn’t have great “window access.” It faces north, with a dead-on view of the pride of Caesars Palace, the Augustus Tower. (It also faces the less-prideful Biggest Shed I’ve Ever Seen, a Caesars edifice that is 3 stories high and at least 40,000 square feet.

Odd thing, though, about the Augustus Tower. Out my window at night, it looks dark, almost like it’s been abandoned. I wonder what the wizards at MGM Mirage Design had to pay to create THAT effect.

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