What do you get when you cross a Star Trek convention with a Gamblers’ Anonymous meeting?  The Pokerstars Carribean Adventure.  It was packed with nerds who love to gamble.  The hotel lobby was the scene of much nerdy action.  

The lobby was the only place on the compound with a strong wireless connection, so you had continuous online poker amidst serious fanfare:

I also witnessed my first ever ‘Magic: The Gathering’ game in the lobby (picture courtesy of thepokerdb.com):

And what happens when you put a bunch of gambling-crazed teenagers with big bankrolls in the same hotel lobby?  I didn’t personally witness this, but apparently they get drunk and flip a coin for $25,000 per flip (pics courtesy of thepokerdb.com):

Incidentally, the Asian kid in these photos is “Genius28,” the same kid who was autoshoving in the 2-5 NL game at Turning Stone, described towards the bottom of this blog entry.  His coinflip opponent was a kid who calls himself “Action Jeff,” who has a dual reputation in the online poker community as a stone-cold killer and a douchebag.  They are both obviously somewhat crazy.
In Atlantis action beyond the lobby, here are some shots of Janeen and I being tourists:

 One notable development on this trip that I’ve yet to mention is Janeen’s first exposure to the poker wives/girlfriend’s club.  While I was busy playing the main event, Janeen was engaged in conversation with Lily Mizrachi, a.k.a. “Mrs. Grinder,” and the wife of Ralph Perry.

  
Unfortunately for Janeen, a poker wife/girlfriend’s reputation is inseparable from her husband’s.  So by the time the wives of the reigning tournament player of the year and a player with several million in documented winnings were through asking about me, Janeen had been thoroughly humbled.  Mrs. Grinder and Mrs. Perry nevertheless allowed Janeen to participate in the conversation, which included their wisdom on how to keep your poker playing husband from straying while he’s on the road and which tournament locations were the most kid-friendly.  I’m sure Janeen felt the same competitive undercurrent that pervades friendly conversations amongst the actual players at these events.  And I’m sure neither Mrs. Grinder nor Mrs. Perry were terribly disappointed to see my limping over to Janeen on the rail after I busted.
Our Caribbean Adventure wrapped up with a party on the final night, where Janeen took these two pictures:
Me with Pokerstars Manager Lee Jones, the man allegedly responsible for every bad beat ever dealt on the site:
 

And me with Humberto Brenes.  Who’s the shark now, Humberrrrrtoooooo?!
 

That’s all for now.  Back to the grind.