Back to Work

The dinner break is over, and the players are back in their chairs. The bellies are full, the clock is running, but everything not exactly content right now.

Welcoming the players back to action, the staff announced the final schedule for the evening. We're going to play four more levels as originally listed on the structure sheet, but we'll stop at 18 players if we get there first. That word comes straight from the boss, Tournament Director Jack Effel.

With the number 27 being thrown around in the previous levels, a few of the players weren't particularly thrilled with the updated information. Daniel Negreanu, for instance, was at the airport in Las Vegas at 8 o'clock this morning, and this day has turned out to be longer than he anticipated. A small little wave of frustration passed through the tournament area as players vented their frustrations. It wasn't Negreanu who started the chatter, but he didn't hesitate to offer his opinion.

"Yeah, you know, he's right," Negreanu began. "I wouldn't have flown in, either. I wouldn't have gotten on the plane."

From across the room, Jesse Martin was standing up to air his grievance. "If you think it's going to be a short day, you prepare for a short day. If you think it's going to be a long day, you prepare for a long day."

Everyone's a little grumpy right now, but these things tend to pass. Negreanu's mood is certainly light. He was just involved in a pot, facing a decision against an opponent who had him a bit confused. Negreanu was being his talkative sense, and the floor cautioned him to be careful about disclosing the contents of his hand. "More bad news," Negreanu said, halfway-chuckling. "We're playing to 18 and you can't even speak English anymore?"

Fortunately for Negreanu, he's got plenty of chips to laugh off a couple extra levels.

Tags: Daniel Negreanu