BARGE
Trip Report Part 4
So
I have just won the Barge NLHE tourney.
Whenever I play in a tournament (poker,
or bridge for that matter -- I've played
tournament bridge for over 20 years) it
takes me about a half-hour to get "UN-hyped."
First, of course, the various forms are
filled out. I get a nice WSOP suede jacket
(albeit size XL -- the smallest they have!).
And a W-2G with a bunch (over $4,000)
in chips. (And yes, I did tip although
I was assured that the Barge tips were
adequate.)
So
I go to the main cashier's cage to get
a check for my winnings -- I don't want
to carry that much cash around. I'll give
you the dialogue as best I can from memory:
Me: "I'd like a check -- I just won this
in the Barge poker tournament."
Cashier: "A check?" [has quizzical expression
on her face]
Me: "Yes, a check."
Cashier: [to male cashier working at the
back of the cage]: "Can we do a check
for someone?"
Five
minutes pass as the two cashiers -- the
only two working in the cage -- talk to
themselves at the back of the cage about
how to write a check.
Meanwhile,
a line begins to form behind me of people
wanting to cash out their winnings.
Cashier:
"There's nobody here now who knows how
to write a check. Would you take cash?"
Me:
"When will there be someone here who can
write a check?"
This
sort of conversation goes on for several
minutes, but, eventually, they tell me
that someone in the next shift should
know how to issue a check. In the meantime,
the chips go into a box. I'm also paid
(by Chuck Weinstock) my 25% share in myself
in the Calcutta. First prize in the Calcutta,
by the way, was about 15% less than the
actual first prize. Still, it was a good
$32.50 investment.
I
dump my ADB shot glasses in my room --
and this brings up a disappointing aspect
of the Barge NLHE tourney this year. VERY
FEW PEOPLE GAVE OUT BOUNTIES!!! I thought
it was a Barge tradition -- when you're
knocked out, you give the victor a small
prize (mine was an Orange County, California
pin -- pre- bankruptcy). Come on people,
we can do better next year. I only received
two -- from the two ADB'ers I knocked
out: Fich & Bingo.
Anyway,
I come back downstairs, get congratulated
by everyone in sight (thanks to all of
you), and head over to the Nugget with
Jerrod. The banquet was great, especially
Tiltboy Perry's insertion of the "extra"
slide into Phil's presentation. Give Phil
credit, he handled it with remarkable
aplomb. During the tournament Andy Latto
told me that if I came in 3rd in the NLHE
I'd win Best All-Around Player (which
I did) and I got a nice trophy. Thank
you.
Getting
to the Banquet early I sign up for 4/8
CHOSEL (after the banquet). I decided
against Chowaha because, well, because
I'm too thrifty to donate in a game I
don't know. What a mistake. Instead of
one game I don't know, we start with a
game I thought I was learning -- Crazy
Pineapple. I quickly donate $75 to Jerrod.
Others, too, donate to Jerrod -- he's
up at least $200 in CP. I also raise (that
didn't work), call (that didn't work)
and call some more (really bad). Folding
worked OK, though.
So
around midnight I decide to get my check.
As best as I can, here's the conversation:
Me
[to cashier]: "I put some money into a
box from a poker tournament I won here
today. I'd like a check for that." The
cashier is different from the one I spoke
to at 7:00pm.
Cashier:
"A check?" [Quizzical expression on her
face]
Me:
"Yes, a check."
Cashier:
[looks to back of cage] "Can we issue
a check?"
The
cashier goes to the back of the cage and
talks to a man in a suit who I hope is
a manager who knows how to write a check.
A couple of minutes later they come to
the window, I repeat my conversation,
and they agree that I can have a check.
It takes 20 more minutes, including a
trip to my room to retrieve my W-2G, but
I finally get my check. The good thing
was that I missed most of the stud high
round in the CHOSEL game!
I
do nothing more in the CHOSEL game, and,
around 2:30, cash out, and get some sleep.
The next morning I take care of some personal
business, and sit down in a 4/8 O8 game.
Foldem is on my right so it's a good game
(actually, Peter's a pretty good O8 player
but the five locals who are seeing most
every hand aren't). I take some money
out of the game (enough to offset my nearly
$200 loss in the CHOSEL last night), and
Bill Chen, Jerrod, Andy and myself go
up to my room (apparently the cleanest/neatest
of the bunch) to play some cheap rubber
bridge. Bill Chen has already mentioned
(in a post) the hand where my partner
(I think Andy) opens 1S and Jerrod overcalls
2NT (showing both minors). I'm looking
at 8 clubs, AQJxxxxx. I innocently pass.
I think Andy ended up playing 4S -- a
poor contract I put him in because I thought
the opponents could (and as it turns out,
they would) make 5D. I also get to play
Chinese Poker for the first time. I'm
not too fishy and lose just $3.
I
head over to the Orleans (with Bill &
Jerrod) to play in their Sunday night
TOC LHE qualifier. First, I have dinner
with a good non-poker playing friend (and
his wife) at the Orleans coffee shop.
I don't take many notes during the tourney
(I guess I'm noted out). I do sit next
to Chris Colby who doesn't get many cards.
I go out when my AK loses to AJ. I reraise
the AJ (from my BB). The flop, though,
looks good for me but isn't: KQT. The
turn is a K (making it worse for me).
I can't see myself getting away from this
hand but I'm basically done when it's
over. Jerrod, by the way, ends up cashing
in this tourney as do Patti & Dieter,
I believe.
So
we head back to Binion's. I sit down in
a 4/8 O8 game that breaks. But as I sit
down a 2/5 PLHE game begins with Phil
Hellmuth, Mike Laing, and two others I
don't recognize. Bill Chen soon joins
the game. I'm sitting right behind Bill
who quickly takes chips from Phil & Mike.
Then comes the hand (I'll repost what
Bill has already posted in a condensed
version): Phil raises (QT), Mike reraises
(KJ) to $165. Bill says, "I hope I have
aces," then looks and moves all-in. After
some hesitation, Phil calls; after a lot
of hesitation, Mike calls. Bill wins the
pot and quits the game!
After
that hand, Mike has one $1 chip left (he
was using it to protect his hand) and
wants to gamble with it against Phil.
Monday,
I play some Omaha-8 while waiting for
Jerrod and Ploink (who along with Gerry
& Gillian had a r00ling Craps session
and won $1200! at the Las Vegas Club).
The player on my right buys in for $150
and manages to lose it in 28 minutes playing
every hand. I, unfortunately, get 28 minutes
of garbage during that time.
We
have lunch at Landry's (still good), drop
off the Mazda, and head home to Orange
County.
One
other vignette I didn't bring up was the
water. Some of you who stayed at Binion's
may remember a note that said that the
water in the West Tower Rooms would be
off for repairs one morning. Well, I caused
that (sort-of).
Wednesday
morning, I get up and turn the shower
on. I try to lift the lever so the shower
comes out of the shower, rather than the
tub, but it won't work. So I call down
to the front desk and within 1 minute
an engineer appears (good job, by the
way, Binions). About fifteen minutes later
he's replaced the tub faucet and the shower
works. I thank him, but we're then both
hit on our heads by a drop of water. We
look up and notice a large rust stain
on the ceiling -- where the metal plate
is. So the engineer loosens a few bolts,
but then a lot of water starts dripping
down. Major water leak from 519 into 419.
I get a new room, one without water leaks.
Enough.
I had a great time at Barge. Even if I
hadn't won money in non-Barge activities
and even if I hadn't won money in Barge
activities I had a blast. This was my
third Barge and, by far, the best. I could
add up the moneys won but who cares! I
come for the same reason that most do
-- the people. I'm lucky enough to live
in a poker heaven (Los Angeles) where
I get to, on a regular basis, interact
with some great people -- the players
in our local home games. I get to play
in games filled with people who apparently
don't care about winning and are happy
to donate to us poor, downtrodden Orange
County residents. Put simply, Bargers
are the best. If you've considered coming
to Barge but haven't because of [fill
in the blank], you need to try an ARG
event. Barge is the biggest, but I hear
that Marge (in Biloxi this fall, 11/8-11/11)
is just as good.
I want to thank everyone who came up to
me and congratulated me -- but I think
that might have been everyone at Barge!
So I'll thank all of you, because without
you I wouldn't have had such a good time.
Russ Fox
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