The hallways surrounding the Penn & Teller Theater at the Riohave been bustling since just after 8am this morning. From media anxious to find their seats and set up for a long day to poker fans, including multitudes of friends and family members of the November Nine, it was a gratifying site for all of the Harrah\’s, ESPN, and WSOP folks who made this into a big production.
The theater itself is set up beautifully, with the media set up in two different sections. Pokerati happens to be in the orchestra section, which is directly in front of the stage. Sounds great, except that there is a big Milwaukee\’s Best Light barrier set up around the final table, making it impossible for us to see any of the action that doesn\’t appear on the big-screen televisions. Would be nice to see it live and catch some of the table talk, but I\’m not complaining about my velvet couch and the company of my fellow media reps.
Excitement in the halls, though, began to turn to frustration when long lines of people were being told that the theater was sold out. Granted, it was first-come, first-serve for seating, but I\’m not sure if the November Nine relayed that message to their friends. Those inside the theater, however, did not lack for energy, despite the numerous delays that put the start of the final table at approximately 45 minutes after originally scheduled. The media and players were probably more restless than the fans, likely because the fans were already dippin\’ at the bar and not considering the fact that this could be a v-e-r-y long day/night.
