Here I am at The Lovely Sort Of Commerce Casino (that’s the actual name), for a four-day stint at The WSOP Circuit Tournament.

At the lovely sort of Front Desk the lovely sort of Rudy checks in a very, very tired me after a long plane ride and not so lovely cab ride.

When I wake up in the morning in Room 621, I discover that the internet doesn’t work. Figuring I’m just having a Boomer moment, I call Rudy (who for some reason is still there) and he gives me some instructions, which I follow to a tee. Still no internet. Rudy tells me the problem might actually be the room not the boomer, so we transfer me to room 501. Internet is fine in that one.

So, I re-pack up all my shit from Room 621, and move it over. And I hit the gym to get in some steps. And then I hit the pool to get in some sun. And then back up to my room to hit the shower. And then I shower. And then I get dressed. No pants.

No pants!

I’ve got all the useless stuff in my toiletry bag that I will never use. I’ve got my used underpants and socks from last night. I’ve got my muffins, nail clippers, and fibre gummies. In fact, I seem to have transferred everything over. But pants. My two pairs of jeans have vanished. Well, not vanished really. I don’t think we need Angela Lansbury to crack this case. And just as well because, well, you know…

So, I played poker in sweatpants while arrangements were made to track down the traveling pants. And anybody who knows Rich Caplan knows that he never leaves the house in sweatpants.

And that’s why I lost.

Gave it a good run though. Came 78^th out 374 with 53 making the money. Once again, close but no armadillo.

It was nice running into poker celebrity Phil Laak, though. They used to call him The Unabomber, remember? Over 4 million dollars in career winnings and fresh off an almost 400k win in “The Legends of Poker Mega Millions” earlier this year. And by all accounts, one of the nicest guys on the planet. And I know this second hand. Phil’s significant other is, of course, the wonderful and talented Jennifer Tilly, blood sister to my most awesome client and pal Meg Tilly. So, I believe that makes Phil my client-in-law-once-removed. We’re practically mishpachah. Anyway, seems like a really good dude.

He insisted on taking this selfie with me. I begged him not to, but he literally twisted my arm, so I didn’t want to make a scene. I guess he thought it would be good for his career to have a pic with Virgil. Can’t blame the guy.

Fun fact. Phil holds the Guiness World Record for continuous poker play at 115 hours. The previous record was 72 hours. Gretzky’s record will be broken before that one. Respect.

Anyway, three more days of poker in lesser events. I’ll let you know if anything fun happens.