I was hoping to play the Venetian $2,500 today, but when I came home from the Rio yesterday I feel asleep nearly instantly around 10PM. I woke up at 1AM and, as a result, couldn't fall back asleep until around 7AM. I decided to pass on the Venetian and set my alarm to wake up in time for the Bellagio $2,000 at 2PM.

A glance around the Bellagio confirms this was definitely a good idea. There's almost no young players here and the only guy I recognize is friend and 2+2 poster 'mikej' who has flown in from California for a few days of tournaments before he goes back to school and being legitimate. We agree to swap 5% and with the field strength today, I like both our chances. Unfortunately the Bellagio elects to start us out 11 handed and still has no dinner breaks or a stoppage of play until a second day - you have to just play right on through. My first table is full of unknowns and we get under way with a 20,000 stack at 25/50 blinds and 40 minute levels.

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I arrive at the Rio well in advance for my 2pm start time. I’ve drawn a table with Raj and my friend StevoL, though ours will be one of the first in the breaking order.

At the beginning very little happens. A fair bit of the table is short stacked and players are moving in preflop and occasionally getting called. The only slightly interesting pot I play is with Raj, when I flat call his preflop raise with TT and take the pot on an 8 high turn. Our table breaks and we begin drawing very close to the money.

Approaching the money I find KK in the BB and online player ‘Mr. TimCaum’ raises on the CO. The button calls and after the SB folds I squeeze to 25,800 with about 70,000 behind. TimCaum goes into the tank and asks how much I have then after I tell him elects to fold. The button folds as well and I regret not making it about 3,000 less, since it would afford him more room to squeeze.

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Somewhere around 11:30 in the morning Watts and I realize that nobody with a car is going to play the $5,000 No-Limit event today. We don’t have enough time to call a cab and get there anywhere close on time, so we’re forced to be dicks to Tom (LearnedfromTV) and wake him several hours before he needs to be up. Tom agrees to help us out and sleep walks his way to the car.

Fifteen minutes later we’re walking through the Rio just in time for the tournament. Watts has already bought in so I grab a copy of ‘Bluff’ and get in line at the cage to get access to my box. I’m standing behind my Australian friend Emad Tahtou and chatting about the event while WPT winner Shawn Buchanon is behind the curtain (which does not cover the entrance very well at all) getting access to his box. The line is perhaps 10 people long with Emad and me at the front. As we’re chatting Full Tilt Poker pro Greg Mueller walks into the curtained area and begins chatting with his friend Shawn. Emad (who’s friends with Greg) starts playing around and giving him shit about cutting in line. A minute or so into this banter a guy further back in the line speaks up towards Greg:

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