The day before the Main Event reminds me of the day before Christmas from when I was a little kid. There is definitely a sense of excitement and anticipation for what tomorrow holds. Throughout the day, I observe that my thoughts consist less and less about things not pertaining to the Main Event. By the time I climb into bed here in another couple of hours, it will likely be all I’m thinking about and essentially remain that way until I’ve been knocked out. I think this focus is a good thing; and for me, knock on wood, it seems to manifest itself with no effort required in this particular tournament.

It’s undeniable that a profoundly life changing experience is in store for some people over the next several days, nine of them in particular. This year, it appears about ~5,900 people will be chasing that dream. Two years ago on the eve of my first Main Event, shaniac said something to the effect of, “it’s just another stupid tournament,” after I shared a sense of anxiety about playing in the event. It’s not often I have to disagree with Shane as usually he makes good sense just about anytime he pipes up, or at least so it seems, but in this case, I’d have to disagree. There is definitely a mystical aspect of the Main Event that grips you and doesn’t let go until your dreams of multi-million dollar glory are definitively erased for the year.

I haven’t done much the past few days since arriving in Vegas. Earlier today, I saw Public Enemies which was disappointing but not terrible. Before bedding down for the night, I’m either going to watch a movie in my room or enjoy some quiet relaxation at the Venezia pool.

A few people have expressed interest in receiving updates from me during the tournament. I think the most efficient way to dispatch such updates is through status updates on Facebook. Actually, Twitter is probably even better, but that site brings out the grumpy old man in me who wants to wait as long as possible before caving in, creating an account, and thus being one of “those people” who use the headache-inducing verb “Tweet” on a regular basis.

So with that said, if you’d like to track any updates I have from the Main Event, add me as a friend on Facebook. For anyone who cares to know, I’m in the Brasilia room at table 249 tomorrow.

Lastly, if you haven’t seen it already, check out how Phil Hellmuth made his entrance into this year’s Main Event. Say what you want about Phil, but I absolutely love him and envy his level of shamelessness.