/ Matthew Pitt / 11 February 2012 / Leave a Comment 
I had to steal this off Google!
For the past week I have been confined to the four walls of the Casino Di Venezia, the oldest operating casino in the entire world I'll have you know, reporting live on the World Poker Tour Venice Grand Prix Main Event
I am writing this blog entry sat on an acid green ergonomic plastic chair at the far end of Marco Polo airport in Venice, around me are scores of people all panicking about missing their flights despite the fact, like me, they have turned up to catch it two hours before the baggage drop opens.
Just a two tables away from me is a young couple who appear to be in the advance stages of foreplay, possibly in preparation to join the exclusive "Mile High Club," I just want to drop my suitcase off and start my journey home. I'll be stopping off at Schipol airport in Amsterdam where I have a 90-minute layover before boarding another iron bird to Manchester, then a train to Dewsbury and finally a taxi home.
You see for the past week I have been confined to the four walls of the Casino Di Venezia, the oldest operating casino in the entire world I'll have you know, reporting live on the World Poker Tour Venice Grand Prix Main Event. Here I watched a Russian guy by the name of Rinat Bogdanov essentially fold his way to €229,800, which actually winds me up. During the 11-hour final table I was able to see the holecards and let's just say when the WPT production get around to editing the footage for the TV show they are going to have plenty of gaps to fill. Boring does not even come close to describing the drivel I had to watch and watch on a 30-minute delay.
The highly sexed couple have left, probably to purchase some condoms or have a knee-trembler in the toilets.
The tournament as a whole was, I thought, great with some real characters in it. Of those who entertained me during my 12-hour stints it was Marcel Bjerkmann who kept me smiling the most. Bjerkmann is known as p3rc4 online and is basically a complete nutcase in all senses of the word. Not only did he have one of the massage girls rubbing his back and stretching him all over the place like a budget WWE show the entire time he was sat at the felt, literally, he played like a total lunatic and it was really fun to watch. He did get a little out of hand at one point and the tournament directors were having a hard time not giving him a penalty per round but I think secretly they were disappointed to see him bust out in 12th.
Another player who impressed me was the American Jason Wheeler. I've seen Wheeler on a number of the stops I have covered for various outlets but I have never had the chance to speak to him, but during the dinner break of Day 3 or Day 4 a conversation started naturally and it was refreshing to see how down to Earth he is and how he seems to really have his head screwed on. After our half hour chat I was hoping he would go all the way or at least make it to the final table but he was the unfortunate soul who burst the final table bubble when his ace-queen couldn't hit against pocket jacks.
What Is Venice Like?
So what is Venice like I can hear you ask. Well I honestly do not know because I hardly saw any of it due to the long hours in the casino and the fact I had a lot of other work to do whilst staying on the historical floating city. I've not even taken the lens cap off my camera, I literally have no snaps of Venice at all on my phone except two of the TV screen in the tournament area that is showing the payouts and they will be deleted by the time I board my plan in around two hour's time.
What I can tell you is that I will be coming back again at some point and doing the whole touristy thing with the Mrs that is for certain. I have never been anywhere like it ever, it really is unique. Walking home late at night and sometimes in the early hours of the morning I never felt threatened or as if there was any danger. The streets void of card and roads for that matter were not the home to gangs of youngsters who are prepared to beat you to within an inch of your life just to steal a cigarette instead they were almost empty, quite, with my only company on the journey back to my hotel being one of my colleagues or the occasional person heading home themselves wrapped up like they were in Siberia.
I described it to a work mate that it felt like I was on some sort of movie set, like it wasn't real to some degree, but beautiful nonetheless. Many of the buildings look derelict from the outside, plaster has eroded, paint has peeled off exposing bare bricks but inside the buildings burst into life and are so full of character. I'm really disappointed that I didn't have the chance to go into some of the churches and iconic buildings of the city but like I said a paragraph ago I will certainly be heading back to Venezia sooner rather than later.
The highlight of the trip was not actually anything to do with Venice but a man from Bradford, West Yorkshire. Anyone who is into magic will have heard of the name Dynamo, well he was hired by the WPT to perform at a private party. I've watched with amazement his tricks on TV but always thought there was some camera trickery involved but when you see him in real life, stood there inches away from you it really is something else. He's a very talented man indeed.
EPT Copenhagen
What's next for Pudding then? Well I am back on the road in little over a week's time because I have been asked to cover European Poker Tour Copenhagen for PokerNews. I've never been to any of the Scandinavian countries before except for passing through bother Copenhagen and Gothenberg airports so I must admit I am quite looking forward to jetting off there but not so much at the prospect of flying EasyJet for the first time. I think I fly on Sunday but if I am entirely honest I cannot remember, my brain turned to mush by the 19-20 hour days I have been awake for this past week.
It's hardly surprising then that this post here contains no poker exploits from yours truly because I have not played a single hand all week but hopefully I'll able to play a few tournaments over the next seven days to make up for that. I won't be playing tonight though because there is a bottle of wine with my name all over it! This is the first European tour I have done that hasn't seen me pissed up at some point and feeling like I want to cut my head off the following day and I must admit I feel better for it but tonight I want to chill out, get some claret down my neck and have a massive sleep in my memory foam sporting bed.
I think I'll leave it there because I'm touching cloth at the moment, the turtle's head is appearing whatever you want to call it, maybe just I need the toilet would be suffice but I'm not one for the mincing my words am I.
Until next time, thanks for reading and good luck at the tables.
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