Viva Las Vegas — part one

I stood in my hotel room, and looked out the window across The Strip. On the TV behind me, CNN showed Hurricane Ivan’s terrible fury, and I spent a moment sending some mojo to Florida. Twenty-six stories below me, tourists swarmed around in the late August heat, and I marked the incredible difference a few thousand miles makes.
I picked up my cellphone, and dialed. I got a machine, so I hung up.
Damn.
My phone rang before I could get it back into my pocket.
“Hello?”
“Hi, it’s Daniel. You just called me?”
“Hey, Daniel, it’s Wil Wheaton.”
“Hey Wil! How are you?”
“I’m good, man,” I said. “I’m in town today and tomorrow. You want to grab a beer or something while I’m here?”
“I’d like to, but I’m actually getting ready to leave for Los Angeles!”
“Damn. Well, next time, then.”
“Yeah,” he said, “Where are you staying?”
“The Venetian,” I said.
“That’s a nice place.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t have a poker room,” I said.
“Just go across the street to Mirage, or down to Bellagio.”
I started to involuntarily pace around my room.
“Whenever I hear someone talk about the poker rooms in The Mirage or Bellagio,” I said, “the story usually ends with the same words that end everyone’s Tequila-in-college story: ‘With god as my witness, I’ll never do it again.'”
We laughed together.
“I’m pretty sure I’ll get killed there,” I said.
“Nah, you’re a good player,” he said. “What limit are you looking to play?”
I was a little embarrassed to say it out loud. “Well, it’s probably micro-limit to you, but . . . 3-6 or 4-8?”
“Oh yeah. You’ll do great at either place.”
I drew a steadying breath. “Okay. Thanks. Have a safe trip across the desert.”
“Thanks. If we leave late, I’ll call you and we can grab that beer.”
“That’d be great. Bye.”
“Bye.”
And so it was on the advice of Daniel Negreanu that I picked up my iPod, grabbed a bottle of water, and headed across the street to The Mirage.
In the last eighteen months or so, I’ve studied more than at any other time in my life, and my game has improved dramatically. I’m pretty confident when I sit down at at low-limit table, and my log book has been in the black for most of this year . . . but I was terrified as I walked across The Strip. Despite Daniel’s friendly encouragement, I was certain that I was going to get killed at The Mirage, until I remembered something I heard Phil Hellmuth, of all people, say: “If you think you’re going to lose, you’re going to find some way to lose, consciously or otherwise. You’ve got to go in there expecting to win.”
Good advice. I resolved to play my best: the only person who was going to beat me was me. I imagined the theme to Jaws, as I walked through a faux rainforest and into the casino. I slowed down and looked through a surprisingly smoke-free room, across an armada of slot machines and saw “POKER” hanging from the ceiling about a hundred yards in front of me. In my imagination, a needle scratched across the Jaws record. My palms got sweaty, and my legs felt heavy. I was about to lose my nerve.
Tomorrow: Part Two

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48 thoughts on “Viva Las Vegas — part one”

  5. very nice presentation…
    Looking forward to the continuation!
    Ivan sucked btw!!!!
    So did Jeanne!!!
    But Florida is still here 🙂

  6. I’m very excited for part 2. Should we take bets on your winnings? I watched THE COOLER last night on Net Flix so I’m definitely in the mood for some Vegas drama!

  7. I think if you can call Daniel Negreanu on tne telephone for a drink, you’re a pretty good player. 😉
    About the only person I can call for a drink in Las Vegas is my mother… and she wouldn’t know her snowmen from her big slick.
    Hope u did well at the Mirage…

  8. Holy Crap, a poker story where I actually know who you’re talking about! Hubby and I watched Duke win the WSOP on ESPN a few days ago and now I want to learn to play. How soon until we see you play on the world series? 🙂

  11. can’t wait to read more… but I’ll hafta… heading to Vegas tomorrow through Friday…
    haven’t played poker in all my trips there since I turned 21 back in ’89. [got hooked on the pace of craps and one-on-one vs. the dealer ’21’.]

  13. Ack, the suspense! I love a good cliffhanger…
    I also caught the tournament where Duke completely got into Hellmuth’s head. That guy sure does a lot of talking. I wanted to tell him to sit down and play the cards. Loved it – I want to learn to play too!

  17. The Mirage was smoke free?? No way. That’s incredible!
    And… awwwwwwwwwwww finish it!! Darn you Wheaton and your Cliffhangers!
    🙂

  18. Incidentally, I hate the title of this blog, but I was in a hurry to get it posted. When it’s all said and done, if anyone has a good idea for a different title, I’d love to hear it.
    Winner gets . . . uhm . . . a huge prize*
    *actual prize will be neither huge, or a prize.

  19. Jeez, when I read things like this, it really makes me want to FIND the money to buy your books. You have a real talent at writing Wil. Keep it up. 😉

  20. How about “Fear and Loathing…well, maybe less loathing than fear”.
    Great, now “The Gambler” is running through my head. Thanks, Wil!

  21. bwaaaa haa haa ha haaaaaa
    I love a good juicy poker story.
    And when you’re sitting down at The Mirage or Bellagio, just remember, they’re not the boss of you!

  23. Wil,
    Suggested titles:
    “…know when to hold ’em” or
    “know when to fold ’em” or
    “know when to walk away” or
    “know when to run…”
    Whatever you are going to do, do it quick; you’ve got LESS THAN 24 hours to do it
    Waiting for my HUGE PRIZE.
    Freeman 🙂

  24. DOH WIL! I was in Vegas (from Kansas City) from this past Thursday until today (Monday). I lost some good money in the Mirage playing some poker. I should probably have stayed at the blackjack table I was winning at the night before…or gone over to the Bellagio.
    Bryan

  25. For the title, how about just Being Wil Wheaton? Some of your other post titles had nothing to do with the post, and you’ve always been one hell of a Wil Wheaton. To me, at least.
    If it’s got to stay in the poker vein, then Siegfried and Roy were no match for my pocket rockets

  26. Argh!!!! Wil, this reminds me when I was visiting my dad one summer. One night we watched the season finale of TNG… “Best of Both Worlds.” I swear to God, I have never been so angry to see the words “To Be Continued” in my entire life. My dad and I must have yelled at the screen for a good five minutes before calming down and moving on.
    Reading your entry today reminded me of that special moment I spent with my dad when we both went completely apeshit over the agony of waiting to see the end of a terrific story.
    Thanks for that, Wil! 🙂

  28. Thanks for the mojo our way, 4 hurricanes is starting to wear thin.
    What kind of poker? I’m incredibly addicted to Texas Hold’em, but alas, I’m definitely not good enough for Vegas. Hope you won!

  29. Yay! Poker with Wil! One of these days, Wil, you need to write something like Wil Wheaton’s Super-Duper Sure-Fire Bet-The-Farm Winnin’ Guide to Texas Hold-‘Em…whether it was good or not, it’d sell a million copies. And no matter whether people won or lost, they’d still wind up laughing their asses off, just from the way you write.
    (OT: Man, that “Please enter the above code to post your comment” code is starting to look like one of those serial numbers you see on the back of stereos that always takes so long to copy down onto the registration form…)

  33. Ha! This is great, when you first say you called up Daniel, I thought to myself, how cool would it be if he’s talking about Negraneu. Very sweet. But Wil, as a friend, you gotta convince him to start wearing the hat again, or get a haircut. That doo is giving poker player s bad name 🙂

  34. [obvious]Fear And Loathing[/obvious]
    If you think about it, at this point, that’s what you’re essentially doing. Walking in scared out of your wits, loathing the fact that, yes, you might lose.
    And of course, it doesn’t hurt that it’s the title of that Johnny Depp flick about Tim Leary…

  36. I HATE IT WHEN YOU DO THAT! (nobody likes being kept in suspense)
    Oh and this is great, Viva Las Vegas spinning round in my head ready for a 3 hour Psychology exam, can you feel the pressure!?

  37. ACK!!! You stopped your story at a place that kills me! I want to know what happened, how you played, etc.. I’ve got to wait till tomorrow?!?

  38. Will! your killing me! i cant wait another 24 hours for part 2! do you think you could post part two around 4-5am tomarrow morning? that way i can read it right when i get to work at 8:00!:) (im on the right coast)
    great opening wil! keep it up

  39. Title idea:
    “Sharks in the oasis”
    I was inspired by the mention of the Jaws music, and The Mirage, and card sharks, and…. you get the picture.
    Waiting anxiously for part 2.

  40. Wil, how about, “O, Aces in the Mirage” for an alternate title?
    Looking forward to part II, along with 39 other commenters so far.

  41. You have such a way of telling a story. I have just ordered your books because for some reason they don’t carry them in bookstore here in South Carolina. I can’t wait for them to come in.
    Looking foward to the conclussion to your adventure. I am totally hooked, tell me more.
    Sending Southern Thoughts, Cyndi

  42. Just a correction – Fear & Loathing wasn’t a Johnny Depp film about Tim Leary, Eric. It was an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s book by the same title. Thompson, not Leary. Incidentally, Thompson has said he thinks Leary got it all wrong. At any rate, Fear & Loathing is WAY too obvious for the title. Of course, I have nothing pithy and witty to add.

  43. I’m patiently waiting for today’s blog….Wil where are you? …..strumming fingers on desk….
    Wil need that next part….need to know you won!
    LOL!
    birdie

  44. AAAHHH!!!! Another Poker serial – I don’t know if I can take it! I end up thinking about these things all day long. Wheaton, you better get these out in a reasonable amount of time!

  46. Whoa.
    You know Daniel Negreanu. OMG. How cool is that? Gah. Beyond cool.
    Excuse me as the Poker fangirl grins in awe.
    Wow. So, now when will we get read the rest of the story? Huh? When?

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