World Poker Challege

I fly to Reno tonight for the World Poker Challenge (WPC) at the Grand Sierra Resort (GSR) for the next couple of weeks. DeepStacks University is sponsoring the series. DeepStacks is the on-line training site fronted by some of the new young guns and a few of the better known pros: Mike (the Mouth) Matusow, Michael (the Grinder) Mizrachi, Tom (old guy...lol) McEvoy, to name a few. They expect some big fields, and as a result some big prize pools, due to the "names" attending. I expect the same. It'll be a nice change to have some larger fields, as the last couple of years we've seen tournament entrees decrease, and in an effort to increase entrees entree fees decrease. Just about every series has had this happen, with the exception of the WSOP and a couple of the other bigger events out of the USA. This economy has stripped a lot of people of "disposable income", and that's where a lot of the entries used to come from, and where a lot of a professional poker players income comes from.

I've got a good feeling about this series. A few people have a piece of me, and that's always encouraging. I'm happy to have them have a vested interest in my performance, and I take it very seriously. I know the money isn't large amounts, but that isn't what motivates me when someone has a piece of me anyway. I'm motivated by the personal relationship and the confidence in me.

A few words about the Grand Sierra Resort. It's a 70's ish place and to say it's a bit on the dumpy side would be kind. Opened in 1978 as the MGM Grand, it went through a series of owners before it was bought in 2005 by an investment group that named itself the Grand Sierra Resort Corp. It's been in receivership since 2008, when that ownership defaulted on loans to JP MorganChase. Frankly, not much has been done to upgrade the place in the last ten years. The rooms for players in the tournament are $30/night (with the $10 Nevada tax thrown on top...bah). As someone once said about the GSR "You get what you pay for, and probably less." True dat. But the price is right so I'll stay there except for the 2 free nights I have at the Peppermill. I'll go back and forth to keep my expenses low. I workout on the road everyday, so the work out facilities are important to me. The "Health Club" would be better called a workout room. Most of the equipment is either dated or slightly functional. One of the elliptical trainers has had the same squeak for the last 2+ years. It's like an old friend I look forward to seeing now....lol. Several of the restaurants are good though, especially Charlie Palmer's (great steaks and seafood), and the wine bar 'The Reserve' is good although a little expensive. Another good thing about the GSR is that it has a Starbucks in the Lobby. For me, a big plus. Nothing worse, after playing poker all night, then a crappy cup of coffee in the morning. Poker staff is good, and Charles Williams runs the tournaments and poker room very well. For every $100 in tourney entry fees you get $2 in comps that are good at any food place in the GSR, except for Starbucks...

I'll be giving updates this series at every break on my twitter account @BrunoWolfe. I'll also post on my blog daily. There's always a lot going on at every series, and with the "names" coming for this one I expect even more.