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An Epic! - A semi-live TR showing the opportunity of a lifetime (5/24-7/7)

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by Adam, May 24, 2015.

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  1. Adam

    Adam Creepy Vegas Friend

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    My Trip Report

    So as per my pre-trip thread here - https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?119927-TR-with-a-difference-6-weeks-(!)-in-Vegas-May-25-July-6-LIVE!

    I am about to start the opportunity of a lifetime. Well, I say about to start, I've already started. I'm sat in a $17 a night hostel typing the opening post to this TR having taken my positioning flight already.

    Positioning flight? All shall be explained...

    This all started, believe it or not, less than 7 weeks ago, and on a very important day. My 30th birthday, April 8th. Because I am an idiot committed to my job, I had already booked a week off over Easter to go play poker at the APAT World Championship of Amateur Poker so ended up going back to work on my 30th birthday. On my lunch break I was browsing Twitter at my desk and saw an advert linked from a journalist friend, which basically said that the official website for the World Series of Poker, http://www.wsop.com, were still looking for Live Reporting Staff for the upcoming series. Prospective applicants were asked to email a resume and cover letter. So, initially as a laugh, I spent 20 minutes rewording my CV, typed a quick cover letter, emailed to the email address given and thought nothing of it. Got home, told my wife Julie, and we had a laugh about it.

    I'd completely forgotten about it when a week later, I had a reply from the Head of Digital Marketing at Caesars Entertainment. He'd liked the look of my CV and asked me to send him some links of previous work I had done. So I did. At this point I still wasn't taking it that seriously, and when he said he wanted me to do 2 reports to test me, I did them having just woken up at 6.30am in the morning, before getting dressed and going to work. However, they were taking it seriously, and I had a reply literally first thing in a Las Vegas working day saying "we are very interested and want to offer you a contract, are you interested?"

    I, naturally, said yes but that I had noted that in the negotiations, Caesars didnt pay any expenses/travel/accommodation. They said that this was reflected in the contract offer. So I went home and discussed it with Julie. We worked out the amount I would need to pay for a flight, the cost of accommodation for 6 weeks, the amount needed to cover my expenses at home (bills etc), and the amount needed to cover expenses in Vegas, along with a decent wage for me as I would be leaving my current role for it (which was due to finish soon anyway, I do a lot of short term freelance work in the Healthcare industry as my day job). Having worked this out, both Julie and I came to an abnormally large figure and thought that it would be too much.

    36hrs later, the contract appeared, with the total amount offered being 120% of what we'd come up with. She turned to me and said "go". So I accepted.
     
  2. Adam

    Adam Creepy Vegas Friend

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    This left me 5 weeks to book flights/accommodation/vehicles, along with find money to cover me for the first few days, and pay for the stuff I needed to buy over here. Needless to say, it has been a bit tight!

    The accommodation was easy. I wanted somewhere Off-Strip that had cooking facilities and didn't charge a Resort Fee, so it was either a condo or one of those Extended Stay places. Needless to say, the budget didn't stretch to a condo, so I booked myself into the Crestwood Suites of Las Vegas on Flamingo Road. The room has Cable, a fridge, a cooker, laundry facilities and most importantly, I can't go downstairs and chuck a hundy into a Video Poker machine when I'm bored, so I'll save cash that way. Total cost for 6 weeks? $2000 all in pretty much. It would be cheaper but I actually have to leave on the 18th June, stay in a hotel for 4 nights, then go back on 22nd June cos they were fully booked for the EDC weekend. Those 4 days are costing me nearly $500, so it's really only $1550 for 39 days.

    Flights, on the other hand, were a bit tougher. From the UK it is £700 ($1000) direct rtn from London to Vegas. However, 40% of this is down to UK taxes, which are the most ridiculous in Europe. So I had a look at nearby countries. Dublin to Las Vegas, with one change in London (so basically the same plane I would be getting on anyway) was £412 ($600) rtn. All I needed to do was fly to Dublin from my local airport (Liverpool). Cost of that flight on Ryanair (low cost carrier)? £35 ($55). Hence, the positioning flight and my current location! I had to stay overnight as the flight leaves Dublin at 8am tomorrow morning and I couldnt get to Dublin and back out in the same day, so I booked the cheapest hostel!

    So...I leave Dublin in 13hrs, spend another 12hrs flying to Vegas and land at 3pm tomorrow. Straight through immigration, pick up the car ($900 for 6 weeks with all insurances (no excess), can't beat that) and off to Walmart to stock the fridge!
     
  3. asti

    asti Tourist

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    Have you not got any visa issues? You cant work in that field using the visa waiver scheme (or are you not telling them?)
     
  4. cha4zz

    cha4zz Tourist

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    Pretty cool story, I actually looked at some of the opportunities offered by the WSOP when I came out of university, will be pretty interesting to see how it gets on. I'm coming over for an event anyway in 10 days so countdown is on for myself now!

    I've found it cheaper to fly to LA, stay a couple of days in LA and then drive to Vegas. Who did you fly out of Dublin with, as that's a pretty good deal you've got.
     
  5. queentata

    queentata VIP Whale

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    Interested in following this to see how it goes.Hope it works out great for both of you.
     
  6. sybgal

    sybgal VIP Whale

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    Hope it is a totally wonderful experience for you! Good luck and looking forward to your posts....
     
  7. BeeeJay

    BeeeJay President of The Red Lobster Hostess Satisfaction

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    Very exciting opportunity Adam!!!

    glad you will be in town and we will possibly have a chance to catch up!
     
  8. Lvfun23

    Lvfun23 Low-Roller

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    Very cool. Hope you are covering An event with me at the final table! Good luck. Looking forward to your TR!
     
  9. dvandentop

    dvandentop VIP Whale

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    Wow pretty cool So are you going to be doing daily reports on wpt website?
     
  10. Adam

    Adam Creepy Vegas Friend

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    AFAIK I'm ok. Quite a few Brits do this.
     
  11. Adam

    Adam Creepy Vegas Friend

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    Booked it through Kayak, flying with Aer Lingus then Virgin, so pretty damn impressed with the fare!
     
  12. Adam

    Adam Creepy Vegas Friend

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    Wsop website not wpt :)

    I'm doing certain tourneys so not in every day!
     
  13. Adam

    Adam Creepy Vegas Friend

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    It's 7.15am BST and I'm sat in Dublin Airport Terminal 2 waiting for my next flight. This one is going back to London where I have a quick change and then off to Las Vegas.

    Hostel wasn't too bad, for a bunk bed it was comfy and managed to get a good 6hrs, definitely needed when the plan is to land in LAS at 3pm after being up for 17hrs, and stay awake for at least another 6hrs before crashing at about 10pm. I do this every time and without fail always wake up at 2am the next morning. Here's hoping for some run better this time!

    Downloaded Tapatalk to hopefully make this easier to write so let's do this. See you in 15 hours, Sin City.
     
  14. Corinne

    Corinne Low-Roller

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    Have a wonderful time Adam. Sounds like it's gonna be fun. Get some 10mg slow release melatonin from Walgreens when you get there. Take two. You may make it through until 6am then. Works for me.
     
  15. Adam

    Adam Creepy Vegas Friend

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    I might just do that. Need to go to Wal-Mart anyway so will pick some up.

    On the final flight now waiting to take off. This one's only 10 hours long...better charge up the phone! Sadly no WiFi so next update will be when I land.
     
  16. BackInVegas

    BackInVegas VIP Whale

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    Best of Luck to you on this crazy adventure.

    Have a blast and contact your wife often.

    Definitely tell us some of the funny and unexpected things that you see and hear about. Just don't tell us any of the details that Caesars doesn't want leaked.
     
  17. TomTWI

    TomTWI Custom Title

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    Great adventure good luck. Is your wife coming over while your there?

    TomTWI
     
  18. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Looking forward to this one!
     
  19. Adam

    Adam Creepy Vegas Friend

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    I will definitely be trying to contact my wife often...this will easily be the longest we've been apart since we met 7 years ago.

    Been such a crap day today once I landed. Had to wait for AGES for the rental car (although did get a sweet deal - booked an economy, slipped the lot attendant $10 and got a Dodge Avenger) and had a brainfart thinking that I could pay for my hotel when I checked out...nope. So at one point I didnt have a hotel. Managed to negotiate a deal where I pay 10 days now on my CC (just about had enough on there lol) then pay the next 14 days when I get my first check.

    Somehow then ended up meeting the weirdest dude I have ever met who is also staying here, kinda creepy. Managed to ditch him and hit WalMart. Brainfart number 2. My room is the most basic - and its basically a furnished apartment. So no pillows/duvets etc. Had to go buy all that stuff myself (which is ok, I spent <$50 so still saving and I can take some of it back with me!)

    The one advantage of this is that it is now 8.15pm and I am still awake...and could go another hour or two, here's top hopefully getting a normal sleep pattern straight away!
     
  20. Adam

    Adam Creepy Vegas Friend

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    Sigh. Fell asleep around 9pm and woke up twice - firstly at midnight then 2.30am. Couldnt go back to sleep the second time so am literally sat in my room waiting for the sun to come up.

    It was such a crap day yesterday that I was having second thoughts about the whole thing. Will probably feel better once I chat to the wife.

    I'm pretty open and honest and this will be a warts and all report, so apologies if you're not into that.
     
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