(Semi-Metaphorical) Rain in Las Vegas

It rained this evening in Vegas. I always feel like I should report this. It happens like five times a year and always shocks the hell out of me. The rain adds another coat of seductive apocalypticism to the city. Tonight it felt even more like zombies were going to spill out of Caesar's Palace and start marauding Las Vegas Boulevard than it usually does.

I want to get out of here before the apocalypse arrives. The poker world is both more exciting and more terrifying than it has ever been. No matter the degree of truth to this Brandi/Captain Tom scandal, it certainly shows how scummy things get when you combine truckloads of money with publicity with questionable characters such as Brandi and the certifiably insane Dutch Boyd.

High-level poker seems to attract a generally genial and astute collection of diverse minds. But it doesn't discriminate against the criminally active. The siren song emanating from Las Vegas and the now potent media trailing the big buy-in tournament circuit is alluring to those who crave money and attention, whether they be keen gamers, desperate parasites, or both. I'm increasingly wary and aware of these characters, who make travelling the circuit a little more uneasy.

Uneasy is the operative word.

Paul and Amber have been nothing but nice to me on this trip. I've stayed the whole trip in their beautiful home, for free. I've been driving Amber's car to and from the Bellagio almost every day. I don't have any idea how to repay them or even show my appreciation: I am a stranger in the land of Paul's New Life.

A (not entirely unexpected) gulf has grown between Paul and I since The Megascore, and we no longer have that much in common. Certainly there has been no change in his (or my) disposition or affability - he's still the nicest guy I know, the best cardplayer, and the most satisfying competitive foil. But Paul is now a rich guy who lives in Las Vegas. It's easier and more poignant relating to the other young pros.

I don't envy Paul's New Life as much as I expected to. I don't think the upheaval he's had to experience can be underrated, and neither can the inevitable detachment to friends like me. It's a pretty incredible thing to have your life change like that, and the aftershocks haven't finished yet. It will be interesting to see where we all stand when the earth stops shaking.