Friday, June 10, 2005
Free Katie!
Day 2 post just isn't coming along quickly enough. Here's a link for Pauly.
Free Katie Holmes! Check out the message board and the thread "Facts about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes"
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Free Katie Holmes! Check out the message board and the thread "Facts about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes"
Liverpool is in
For JoeSpeaker, before I post Day2.
Liverpool allowed to defend Champions League title.
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Liverpool allowed to defend Champions League title.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Day 1
It was sometime early Monday morning, 3am-ish, when it finally hit me again why I enjoy these gatherings. Sitting around our suite which Maudie dubbed Casino 2351, I found myself sitting off to the side. I was watching a group that included 4 of the bloggers I've been reading for more than 18 months along with others I've discovered since starting this crapular site.
There were people discussing writing, and others talking poker. Some of us where trying to find the bottom of a half gallon of soco while others where trying to figure if they were supposed to 'pass' to the left or the right.
Somewhere along this time I realized I was gonna have one fook of a time writing this one up.
This trip wasn't the huge ass bender seen in December. This was much more of a low key, spread out affair with different experiences.
~
Day 1 - The Battle of the Green Blinky Light, MGM Madness, and Sunrise in the Poker room
After the way USAir treated me a month ago on my trip to Key West, I shouldn't have been surprised when we started having problems Thursday afternoon.
The regularly scheduled boarding time arrives and everything is going as planned. The princess is sitting in the back of the plane and I'm near the front. She's already boarded when they stop loading people into steerage.
Not only do they stop loading people, they start taking everyone off the plane. Not a good sign but USAir couldn't be bothered at the moment to let us know what was going on. Once everyone was off the plane they tell us there's a little blinky green light in the cockpit that refuses to light, nevermind blink. Since this is the single most important blinky light in the known universe AND they couldn't be bothered to stock this most powerful part in Philly, we were forced to wait for another flight to bring the talisman north from the land of Charlotte, NC.
3 hours, 2 soft pretzels, and 1 completed novel later, they announce that the plane from Charlotte has landed and we can begin re-boarding. They promise that it will only take 5 minutes to replace. yeah.
Fast forward another hour, sitting on an un-air conditioned plane next to a screeching harpy, the captain informs us that the part never made it on the plane from Charlotte. I'm guessing the bigwigs at USAir couldn't be bothered to check on that while the GODDAMN PLANE WAS IN THE AIR.
ok, breathe.
Their solution was to take a green blinky light from another plane and install it in ours. It really only took the 5 minutes to replace. Why they didn't do that 3 friggin' hours before, I'll never know. But I guess it's no surprise they're in bankruptcy.
I only mention that story for two reasons. One, I missed the first event of the trip. Hanging out with a bunch of people gnashing on raw fish in the middle of a desert. Two, I was late for the mix game at the MGM.
As soon as we landed, we began receiving phone calls from various bloggers. Yes, we were in Vegas, no weren't at the MGM yet. After standing in the craziest taxi line ever, we made our way downtown to the lovely Plaza Hotel Casino.
My first thought walking in the door was "Good Lord, what is that smell?" I've read it being described as old cabbage, old feet, or just plain old people. No matter, the addle brained gentleman at the front desk eventually handed over the keys to the suite we were sharing with the McGrupp's Pauly and Derek (aka Casino 2351). Other people have mentioned problems with their rooms but ours worked out perfectly.
We decided on a quick change and a dash to the MGM. The adrenaline was still pumping when we found the MGM poker room which more resembled a night club then a card room. I wasn't able to find anyone playing and no one recognized the out of place hippy walking around.
No one bothered to tell me that when Felicia arranged the mix game that the MGM was setting it up in a private room upstairs overlooking the sports book. Sweet.
I met everyone quickly and offered up the excuse for my tardiness when it hit me. I was completely sober and that needed to be fixed.
4 or 5 doubles later and I was in a proper frame of mind to continue with the meet and greet. Just off the top of my head (and I'm sure I'm missing people), I was quickly introduced to Human Head, Gracie, StB, and Scott. There were others but my brain is fried and re-fried.
Finally, -EV gets the MGM to spread another mix game downstairs and it quickly fills. Sitting around the table at various times were Halverson, Drizz, -EV, Chad, Maudie, AustinMatt, Scott, and a couple of really confused strangers who didn't realize we were all acquainted with each other.
-EV almost required everyone to live straddle UTG and we even started using a rock. I can't recall how long we played. I drank many shots yet only received one warning from the cardroom manager for language. Pretty f#@$ing impressive for me. Of course, she was standing right behind me at the time.
Halverson already wrote about one hand that had me tilting when he beat me playing in the dark. What he didn't mention was that was the first time it happened. Two more times at the table I would be crushed by bloggers playing in the dark. All with suited cards, all hitting their flushes.
After the third time, I realized my chips could be put to better use at the bar. I gathered them up and headed for the sports book. The bartender had the bottle of soco out before I even had a chance to ask. I ordered up a round for however was there and was very happy when he let me pay with chips. Pretty much the only time that day I was able to get something back after counting out a stack of chips.
The MGM treated us very well and I definitely give them a big thumbs up.
Here's where the memory gets a little 'wobbly'. I'm not exactly sure when/how we went from the MGM back to the Plaza. What I do remember is walking through the Plaza casino (man, that smell is really apparent after spending time in a proper casino) and finding Scott sitting at a two-deck blackjack table all by himself.
Now that just wouldn't do. I grab a seat, shot, and smoke. For the record, I absolutely suck at blackjack. We were bullshitting and having a grand ol' time when someone comes up and mentions that they've started up a new NL game in the poker room.
What the hell, I can't see straight, I've been up for 24 hours, and I'm still ordering drinks. Why not play some NL with real players looking at my stack like fresh meat.
Another big blurr and we push our chips around to different players. God knows what time it is but there are only two tables running. Scott and I find a smooth way around the "no smoking at the tables" rule. It seems that the no-smoking sign was sitting just a few feet behind our seats. It was really easy to lean back and keep the cigarette beyond the no-smoking sign and still slide forward to the table when action was on us.
Eventually my drunk-ass busts out losing a two-outter to G-Rob (but not before crushing the Eva's AK with A9) and I decide that playing craps when you're the only one on the table is a great idea.
It's not really that great of an idea.
HDub takes my place at the NL table and it finally occurs to me that something odd is going on outside the casino. I can see traffic moving down the street but they aren't using their headlights. The sun wasn't coming up. The sun was up in full force.
I made a snap decision. If we're going to be up at this time, might as well feed the hungry. McDonald's egg McMuffins and McGriddles went around the horn. But something must have happened while I was gone. The mood had mellowed a bit and I could see the end.
Apparently Iggy had put a dealer on tilt. Not a player. I've heard several different variations, all crazier than the last. The table finally broke and we took the express elevator to the suite.
8:30am pacific. 11:30am eastern (aka, MY time). I had been up for 30+ hours, endured a horrible travel experience, drank a countless number of shots, and I was staring at the mountains for the first time.
I decided it was finally time to get some shut eye. In my mind, the next day involved spending many hours at the Rio sweating the WSoP players (of course, in reality it was only a few hours away).
I found out later that I would need to lock my door when crashing for the night to prevent any further party fouls. Then again, if any more pictures of me SLEEPING appear with a caption hinting i was PASSED OUT, then i'm just going to have to release that series of pictures with Pauly, the banana, and the stuffed spongebob pillow we had to throw out, and let those speak for themselves.
~
Day 2 highlights.....
|
There were people discussing writing, and others talking poker. Some of us where trying to find the bottom of a half gallon of soco while others where trying to figure if they were supposed to 'pass' to the left or the right.
Somewhere along this time I realized I was gonna have one fook of a time writing this one up.
This trip wasn't the huge ass bender seen in December. This was much more of a low key, spread out affair with different experiences.
~
Day 1 - The Battle of the Green Blinky Light, MGM Madness, and Sunrise in the Poker room
After the way USAir treated me a month ago on my trip to Key West, I shouldn't have been surprised when we started having problems Thursday afternoon.
The regularly scheduled boarding time arrives and everything is going as planned. The princess is sitting in the back of the plane and I'm near the front. She's already boarded when they stop loading people into steerage.
Not only do they stop loading people, they start taking everyone off the plane. Not a good sign but USAir couldn't be bothered at the moment to let us know what was going on. Once everyone was off the plane they tell us there's a little blinky green light in the cockpit that refuses to light, nevermind blink. Since this is the single most important blinky light in the known universe AND they couldn't be bothered to stock this most powerful part in Philly, we were forced to wait for another flight to bring the talisman north from the land of Charlotte, NC.
3 hours, 2 soft pretzels, and 1 completed novel later, they announce that the plane from Charlotte has landed and we can begin re-boarding. They promise that it will only take 5 minutes to replace. yeah.
Fast forward another hour, sitting on an un-air conditioned plane next to a screeching harpy, the captain informs us that the part never made it on the plane from Charlotte. I'm guessing the bigwigs at USAir couldn't be bothered to check on that while the GODDAMN PLANE WAS IN THE AIR.
ok, breathe.
Their solution was to take a green blinky light from another plane and install it in ours. It really only took the 5 minutes to replace. Why they didn't do that 3 friggin' hours before, I'll never know. But I guess it's no surprise they're in bankruptcy.
I only mention that story for two reasons. One, I missed the first event of the trip. Hanging out with a bunch of people gnashing on raw fish in the middle of a desert. Two, I was late for the mix game at the MGM.
As soon as we landed, we began receiving phone calls from various bloggers. Yes, we were in Vegas, no weren't at the MGM yet. After standing in the craziest taxi line ever, we made our way downtown to the lovely Plaza Hotel Casino.
My first thought walking in the door was "Good Lord, what is that smell?" I've read it being described as old cabbage, old feet, or just plain old people. No matter, the addle brained gentleman at the front desk eventually handed over the keys to the suite we were sharing with the McGrupp's Pauly and Derek (aka Casino 2351). Other people have mentioned problems with their rooms but ours worked out perfectly.
We decided on a quick change and a dash to the MGM. The adrenaline was still pumping when we found the MGM poker room which more resembled a night club then a card room. I wasn't able to find anyone playing and no one recognized the out of place hippy walking around.
No one bothered to tell me that when Felicia arranged the mix game that the MGM was setting it up in a private room upstairs overlooking the sports book. Sweet.
I met everyone quickly and offered up the excuse for my tardiness when it hit me. I was completely sober and that needed to be fixed.
4 or 5 doubles later and I was in a proper frame of mind to continue with the meet and greet. Just off the top of my head (and I'm sure I'm missing people), I was quickly introduced to Human Head, Gracie, StB, and Scott. There were others but my brain is fried and re-fried.
Finally, -EV gets the MGM to spread another mix game downstairs and it quickly fills. Sitting around the table at various times were Halverson, Drizz, -EV, Chad, Maudie, AustinMatt, Scott, and a couple of really confused strangers who didn't realize we were all acquainted with each other.
-EV almost required everyone to live straddle UTG and we even started using a rock. I can't recall how long we played. I drank many shots yet only received one warning from the cardroom manager for language. Pretty f#@$ing impressive for me. Of course, she was standing right behind me at the time.
Halverson already wrote about one hand that had me tilting when he beat me playing in the dark. What he didn't mention was that was the first time it happened. Two more times at the table I would be crushed by bloggers playing in the dark. All with suited cards, all hitting their flushes.
After the third time, I realized my chips could be put to better use at the bar. I gathered them up and headed for the sports book. The bartender had the bottle of soco out before I even had a chance to ask. I ordered up a round for however was there and was very happy when he let me pay with chips. Pretty much the only time that day I was able to get something back after counting out a stack of chips.
The MGM treated us very well and I definitely give them a big thumbs up.
Here's where the memory gets a little 'wobbly'. I'm not exactly sure when/how we went from the MGM back to the Plaza. What I do remember is walking through the Plaza casino (man, that smell is really apparent after spending time in a proper casino) and finding Scott sitting at a two-deck blackjack table all by himself.
Now that just wouldn't do. I grab a seat, shot, and smoke. For the record, I absolutely suck at blackjack. We were bullshitting and having a grand ol' time when someone comes up and mentions that they've started up a new NL game in the poker room.
What the hell, I can't see straight, I've been up for 24 hours, and I'm still ordering drinks. Why not play some NL with real players looking at my stack like fresh meat.
Another big blurr and we push our chips around to different players. God knows what time it is but there are only two tables running. Scott and I find a smooth way around the "no smoking at the tables" rule. It seems that the no-smoking sign was sitting just a few feet behind our seats. It was really easy to lean back and keep the cigarette beyond the no-smoking sign and still slide forward to the table when action was on us.
Eventually my drunk-ass busts out losing a two-outter to G-Rob (but not before crushing the Eva's AK with A9) and I decide that playing craps when you're the only one on the table is a great idea.
It's not really that great of an idea.
HDub takes my place at the NL table and it finally occurs to me that something odd is going on outside the casino. I can see traffic moving down the street but they aren't using their headlights. The sun wasn't coming up. The sun was up in full force.
I made a snap decision. If we're going to be up at this time, might as well feed the hungry. McDonald's egg McMuffins and McGriddles went around the horn. But something must have happened while I was gone. The mood had mellowed a bit and I could see the end.
Apparently Iggy had put a dealer on tilt. Not a player. I've heard several different variations, all crazier than the last. The table finally broke and we took the express elevator to the suite.
8:30am pacific. 11:30am eastern (aka, MY time). I had been up for 30+ hours, endured a horrible travel experience, drank a countless number of shots, and I was staring at the mountains for the first time.
I decided it was finally time to get some shut eye. In my mind, the next day involved spending many hours at the Rio sweating the WSoP players (of course, in reality it was only a few hours away).
I found out later that I would need to lock my door when crashing for the night to prevent any further party fouls. Then again, if any more pictures of me SLEEPING appear with a caption hinting i was PASSED OUT, then i'm just going to have to release that series of pictures with Pauly, the banana, and the stuffed spongebob pillow we had to throw out, and let those speak for themselves.
~
Day 2 highlights.....
- hurting at the Rio
- Clonie Gowan isn't exactly 'midget-ish'
- the worst. buffet. ever.
- a nice quiet evening with the wifey
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Tommorow I'll start posting about Vegas.... I swear. I've been in a coma since returning (dead leg again in the capper stall)
Highlights of Day 1
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Highlights of Day 1
- eating McD's breakfast on the second day without having slept the first day
- private MGM poker room
- blackjack with The Fat Guy
- all night, no limit, "yeah, I know that's a no-smoking sign" poker
