Best for Last

It was difficult for me to choose where to start my trip report.  A majority of my weekend was spent losing money.  As much as I know and understand that losing is a part of the game, I still hate it.  I still let it affect my demeanor, and the last thing that a bunch of my friends want to see is a broody Blood.  I try to pack away the disappointment into a small container and throw it out with the other garbage that accumulates in my head, but I’ll admit that at times it’s very difficult to do.

I didn’t tilt, but I didn’t play particularly well either.

Timing is everything in life.  And in poker.  For this trip, the timing was perfectly bad.  I’d been running well the last few months; in fact, I was at all-time bankroll highs prior to my trip.  I knew a bad stretch was coming, but was hoping I could extend my run of good play and good cards for just a few more days.  To quote Anthrax’s I’m the Man:  “Not!”

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But rather than lament the bad, I’ll focus on the good.  For there was good, and for my last remaining hours in Vegas playing poker, it was great.

If you ever go back and read my very first post on this blog, you’ll see that I discovered poker blogging through two outstanding people and their own respectively outstanding blogs.  Iggy had placed some text ads on Wil Wheaton’s site and through that one simple action, my poker playing career was forever altered.

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On Friday night, I stopped by the MGM poker room prior to dinner and saw two familiar faces at a $1/$2 NL table.  Wil was playing poker with Paul Phillips.  I’m not sure the rest of the table knew with whom they were playing, but I sure did.

Wil was out of a hand at the time I arrived, so I tapped him on the shoulder and introduced myself.  He seemed genuinely interested to meet me and we spoke for a bit – his personality pretty much just like I imagined it would be.  I waited for Paul to finish the hand he was in and did the same.  Paul gave a sly look towards me, most likely wondering who this jackhole was bothering him at the tables.  When I mentioned my online moniker, a spark of recognition lit his face and we exchanged a few pleasantries.  Not one to linger and be a bother, I thanked each of them for their time and made my way to dinner.

I thought that would be all the interaction I’d have with the more famous bloggers for the weekend and was more than happy to have been given the opportunity to say hello.

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The highlight of my weekend was a $2/$6 spread limit table at the Excalibur.  They opened the table just for us and it had a lineup of players that made the game the most enjoyable time I’ve ever had in Vegas.

Here are some of the players that sat down for a night of Vegas Hold’em, wheel spin prop betting, and dealer tokes that had every dealer eyeing our table with envy.  (Except for that pregnant dealer who I mistakenly clocked in the eye.  Apparently she never heard of the Maudie/steel chair incident.)

Gamecock
Chilly
Otis
G-Rob
Wil Wheaton
BadBlood
Marty
Hank
Biggestron
Absinthe
PokerGeek
April
Heather
Michael Craig – author of The Professor, The Banker and The Suicide King

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I’ll write more in depth about that game and most everything else; but for now, I’ll just say thanks to everyone I saw again or met for the first time on this latest trip.  I’m worn, my bankroll’s torn, but yet again, it was another great experience.

Coming up:  Hi/lo split Excalibur prop betting, getting on “Wheaton’s list,” working out with Joaquin, WPBT tourney recap, lowest of the low, STEAK!, pre-tourney speeches, and mmmmmmm…..Jaxia ;)