I agree that the Sands wasn't an absolute armpit as it has seemed in the past. I actually didn't get sick despite spending a week there. I made sure, tho, that I was there at 1pm Sunday to assure a n/s room for the week. I've had some in the past that were labeled as such and still reeked.

The biggest problem with the smoke isn't the casino proper which can by and large be circumvented by advanced elevator strategy, but the whatever % of the players who smoke immediately outside the door. Everytime that the door is opened, one is assaulted with the smell. This is particularly strong for those playing in "row 1" of the expert section given their 3-5 meter proximity to the Zyklon-B dispensary.

The thing is the same % of smokers are probably prevelant at every tournament, but the effect is minimized it seems at every other tourney. This may be attributable to the geography of other sites or airflows or it may be that people are empowered in casinos to engage in smoking behaviours that are otherwise considered socially unacceptable. The latter phenomenon definitely exists as I can attest to from playing years of poker. So now that I've ranted, here's a possible positive contribution. Just have the players step down to the casino proper to smoke in between games. It's one flight of stairs/short ride. The distance is probably comparable with what is considered s.o.p. at other tourneys/ restaurants/airports/places of work/well you get the picture. I think this would go along way to enhancing the tourney experience for the shermans(little s)/silent sufferers of the world. And I don't think it's asking anything of smokers that isn't asked at every other tourney. Flame away.

Last Modified 2/22/01

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