BJ Nemeth's Blog

Technically, this post is going up after midnight, but I'm time-stamping it at 11:45 pm CT so it'll probably fall on Day 4. I'm writing this late at night because the WPT final table didn't finish until nearly 2:00 am CT.

Today started earlier than expected when the fire alarm went off in the Beau Rivage around 9:00 am. I wasn't nervous (no smoke visible out the window or in the hallway), but I figured I'd follow the announcements and evacuate the building. I did spent about five minutes gathering my most valuable things (especially my iPhone and my MacBook Air) and packing a backpack. I even put on fresh socks as I got dressed. It took me about 15 minutes to evacuate from the 23rd floor, though I was leisurely walking down the stairs with an elderly couple so I could keep them company and allay their fears.

I heard rumors that there was an actual fire on the ninth floor, but it was a small one. I ran into some coworkers and poker players outside, took a few photos, and eventually went to my car in the parking garage to take a nap. The evacuation probably lasted about 60-90 minutes, and it threw off my plan for the morning.

I missed the live coverage of Apple's new product announcement while I was sleeping in my car, but returned to my room to learn that Steve Jobs released the iPad. I look forward to seeing in-depth reviews of it in the coming weeks, but for the most part, it's what I expected when I blogged my predictions a few weeks ago. Right now, it looks like I could do my entire job as a poker reporter with that tablet, and it's extremely tempting. I'm certain that I'll have one by the time the WSOP begins in late May. (I may be broke now while I take this road trip, but I'll eventually be paid for covering these WPT events.)

The price of the tablet is pretty unbelievable -- though I kept my price prediction broad ($400-$999) for a reason. With Apple pricing the entry-level model at $499, there's not much room for competition. Can anyone imagine one of Google's hardware partners selling a tablet running the Android operating system for $500? I can't. Apple can do things like that because they create the hardware, the software, and also control the iTunes store for content. The Amazon Kindle just joined the rotary phone and the VHS camcorder on the list of endangered technologies.

The Apple iPad won't be released for another two months, when I will be in the late stages of this road trip. So let's focus on the present -- the WPT final table. It was perhaps one of the least interesting WPT final tables I ever covered. It wasn't the players -- the players were all fairly interesting to me. But there were very, very few big hands. Hoyt Corkins managed to outlast the other five players to take the title, and I like Hoyt so I'm pleased with the result.

During the final table, Eric Harkins (poker photographer who owns ImageMasters) told me about an ice storm headed toward the center of the country around Memphis. That was right in line with my planned route, so I checked the weather reports and decided to fast-track my schedule for tomorrow. I'm going to skip New Orleans (and Louisiana) so I can make better time and hopefully get north of Memphis ahead of the storm. The storm may still hit me, but further north it'll fall entirely as snow rather than an icy mixture. To make things worse, Memphis is like Atlanta -- a Southern city that isn't equipped to handle a winter storm. I have no idea what to expect on Thursday and Friday, but I'll do my best to keep my options open, remain flexible, and do my best to keep safe and warm.

After four days in Biloxi, I'll be back on the road tomorrow for a pretty major leg of this road trip as I wind my way to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver and visit Alaska. But first, I need to get what sleep I can before waking up at 6:00 am CT.