2+2 China Olympics Trip

[fatgirl_lover]

there is no harm in planning the trip early guys

[ESKiMO-SiCKNE5S]

AT NIGHT GO TO ANGEL BEST NIGHTCLUB EVER

[PekingMan]

Yes, 2008..not this August. 445 days and counting down...

The ticket situation is far from clear now. Soon there will be a lottery for all ticket events--applications are due by sometime in June. Supposedly only Chinese citizens or foreigners living in China will be able to participate in the lottery (not sure if this can be gamed). Also, I am sure blocks of tickets will be set aside for travel agents etc but how this will work is not known to me.

For some events, tickets will be nearly impossible (opening ceremony, track and field, table tennis). Other events will likely be easier. For the difficult events, it is not clear how easy it will be to scalp tickets. My early guess is difficult and expensive. The demand for opening ceremony tickets is probably 100x the supply.

That being said, it will likely be an amazing time to be in Beijing (even if you don't go to a single event.) It promises to be a unique and fascinating two weeks. China and Beijing have an obsession with making the games a success that can hardly be communicated to those who do not live here. (Something like USD $40bb has been spent on stadiums and infrastructure to prepare for the games.)

In addition, there is a growing Beijing poker scene. Our tournaments and cash games are increasing in both frequency and number of participants. We now have a space with tables and dealers. The players are mostly foreigners (poker has not yet really caught on in China yet, but the day is coming). The games are clean, fair and honest and run at a speed and professionalism of most casino games (I recently played at the Gutshot in London during a business trip and the Beijing games are both for higher stakes and are better run). Gambling and poker are illegal in China--but if done in private (especially given it is mostly foreigners playing) we don't believe there is much legal threat or other worries (robbery, etc) surrounding the game. If a group of 2+2ers are coming in 2008, we could have some serious games.

In a previous post, I offered to give my advice on nightlife in Beijing to any 2+2 who will be here during the games or any time. Many of the other regulars in the game would offer similar as well. PM me to discuss if interested.