Wiring money to the casino in Cannes was almost comically complicated and slow. The casino’s website listed an address to e-mail for more info, but I never got a response from them. I asked Jack Effel on Twitter and he gave me a different e-mail address which also went unanswered. Finally I found a third e-mail address buried in a 2+2 thread, and that person responded in broken English with some vague instructions that seemed to suggest I needed to e-mail a fourth person. I responded asking for clarification, concluding with “do I need to do X or do I need to do Y?” He wrote back a one-word answer: “Exactly”. I finally got the info I needed and submitted the wire transfer, but I haven’t gotten confirmation that it’s been received yet, so fingers crossed!

I drove from Vancouver to Seattle yesterday and am now getting ready to return the rental car we’ve had for the last two months and then on to the airport (flights are much cheaper and more frequent from Seattle than from Vancouver). I just got changed to a later connecting flight in Paris, but that’s only costing me a few hours.

The trip’s been a huge hassle so far but that’s mostly behind me now, and I’m really looking forward to what’s coming next! I actually fly into Madrid to meet my friend Nico (see Three Days in Madrid for our backstory), then I’ll spend a day with him in Madrid before we drive to Cannes. We’ll have a week in Cannes and then drive back to Madrid via Barcelona. Finally I’ll have two more days in Madrid before I fly back to Seattle and take a train to Vancouver (won’t need a car in the city). Sounds tiring just writing about it but I think it will be a lot of fun and hopefully profitable as well.

It’s been the same way on the road. Every year that I’ve played the WSOP, it’s been as a Stars qualifier, and I’ve also been among their players at EPT Barcelona and now the PCA. They’ve always had a great events team that’s friendly, flexible, and eager to go above and beyond to ensure that everyone has a great experience.

My flight for Nassau left early Monday morning, and on Saturday afternoon it occurred to me that I still needed to get cash from the bank. Well, I was spoiled in Boston by living just down the street from a flagship Bank of America branch that kept long hours. There were no branches open Saturday afternoon or anytime Sunday anywhere near me. Then I learned that Poker Stars would have a “bank” at the Atlantis where players could withdraw and deposit funds from their accunt. I withdrew some money last night, and it was a quick and easy process.

When I arrived  last night, I had two major concerns: first was how I could meet up with some of the people I knew would be here but whom I had no way of contacting, and other was how I could get a real meal  (the first I’d ahve all day) without paying an arm and a leg.

Poker Stars reception to the rescue! This was a two-hour affair with live music, open bar, and a full meal: salad, pasta, and two carving stations. This was well beyond what I was expecting from the “refreshments”{ they’d advertised.

Since I don’t play until tomorrow, I wantd to hit the beaches and pools today. However, I neglected to bring towel or sunscreen and feared highway robbery at the hands of the Atlantis if I tried to bring them here. On a lark, I opened my bag of Poker Stars SWAG and, buried amid some nice-looking shirts, was a small bottle of sunscreen.

Though not one to look a gifthorse in the mouth,  I couldn’t help but think how easy it would have been for them to provide a branded beach towel as well. But then I realized there was something inside of the small cooler they’d given us, and sure enough, there was a towel, along with a frisbee and an inflatable beach ball!

Sadly, the weather is less than ideal. It’s in the low 60’s and overcast, with a strong wind. Far better than it was in Maryland, to be sure, but not ideal beach weather. Get it on it, Poker Stars!

I stupidly managed to bring my laptop but forget the power cord, so I’m stuck making this crappy tiny post from the barely functioning WebTB-ish thing they have in the room.

But yeah, I’m here, just got back from a very nice Poker Stars reception where I ran into Shaundeeb, who introduced to a bunch of young internet players I previously knew only by screenname: Adam Junglen, MrBigQueso, FatalError, etc.

I’ll be playing Day 2B (Wednesday), and I’ll do my best to keep you posted. Hopefully I can get this laptop situation straightened out. Technically they have computers here I can use, but like everything here, they are gallingly expensive (the “nominal fee” for the fitness center is $15/day, which is also what I’m paying for this shitty internet.