Maybe its because the bed in my room is so comfortable...that when I am not at a poker table, I come up to my room and just crash.
Couple observations about this place:
They have put together a room rate which should greatly encourage players to show up and play this event. (unfortunately, not enough to attract the types of fields I'd have hoped for) They have two different types of rooms here. The standard room, which is going for only $35 a night. And the 'Summit' rooms, which are an upgraded suite-type room, with microvave, refridgerator and a little den area...and that is only $65 a night. That is what I have. And they are nice. Also included in our room is free internet, use of the gym, and two bottles of Fiji everyday! Hey nowwwwww!
They allow dogs in this hotel. Which is odd. But really cool. I see little dogs, medium size dogs and big dogs parading through the casino every day. Thats pretty cool.
The place is bustling on the weekends...or actually Thursday through Saturday. The rest of the time, it is a total morgue. Which is depressing.
The cash game here is soft. Soft like...like, a goose down pillow. Like butter left out on the kitchen counter. Like yarn spun on the wheel of a heavenly angel. You know that when I, Will Souther...sit down at a cash game, 5 times....in 8 days, and show a profit in 4 of those 5 sessions....and GOOD profits....+180/+320/-60/+720/+500...that the cash game HAS to be soft. Makes it hard to leave the table...but alas, I eventually get bored out of my mind, and grow tired of the ridiculous banter from the locals.
They have a situation here with the cocktail waitresses that they have at places like Ceasers Palace. They are union. And so what you get is some of the freakiest looking women you have ever seen. I just don't understand how that works. Why do you want to have a casino, where you have spent all this money on renovations...and then you have these scary women schlepping drinks?
Every night at around 8pm, during the tournament and from what I'm told, every other night too...they bring out this nice spread...buffet-style, for the poker room. Its always really good. And a nice gesture. I know all the players appreciate it.
My good buddy James Dunning, who I hadn't seen in awhile, is up here, residing here and the GM of the sports bar/night club Extreme...which on the weekends is full of what has to be Reno's hottest females...all between the ages of 18 and 23. He claims to NOT be 'hitting' any of it. Sure, buddy. And I never chat people up at the poker table!
My buddy Joe Cutler, like myself...has gone Oh-fer on the noon tourneys so far. But on the night that I won the first of two nightly's, he finished 5th. He should have done better...as he had a mountain of chips all night. This kid ran 10-8 into Joe's AK suited...hit the 8...and crippled Joe. Thats the only thing he has cashed...but hes been doing great online...up in the room! But then he took off for Vegas yesterday, to take care of some business for 4 days. He might be back to play the Main Event here on Saturday.
Comps. This place is great for comps. You have it all building up on your card...then you go to eat at one of the restaraunts or buy some stuff in the gift shop..and just present your players card. I have no idea how much I have earned...but I do know that they give you a hefty credit for every tourney buy in...so I guess I have more than I thought I might have. They have a nice steakhouse here called Charlie Palmer's that I had been wanting to try since I got here. So after busting early in the 7pm last night...I sat at the bar, watching the Oscars and chatting with some bartender who was very pleasant. I had a sushi roll, a ceaser salad, and a KC Ribeye, which was cooked perfect and tasted great! My total bill was $68. Boom! Comped. Nice! Left the guy $20 and retired to my room.
I have yet to visit, or use the gym. I find myself getting fatter and fatter and more unhealthy. Its making me nuts. I have GOT to get on top of that.
I am down to 2 pair of clean boxers. There is a laundro-mat somewhere near here, that also has an arcade and lots of other entertaining features. Think I am going to have to find this place. I still have a full week here.
My mother wanted for Squirrel and I to go to Orlando so bad, to meet up with her and my sister...who is going down there with the softball team she coaches...and taking her adopted boy Chase (who unbeknownst to me previously, is obsessed with 'Uncle Will')...that she bought me a plane ticket from Reno to Orlando. So instead of trying to figure out how to get back to Vegas...where my plane reservation had me flying out of to get home to Biloxi...I now will be flying out of here next Monday at 6am...bypassing Biloxi, and going straight to Orlando...where Squirrel will be driving to. We will only be there for two days...then get to make that 9-hour drive back to Biloxi. Wow.
Poker has been pretty hot and cold since Ive been here. I have YET to cash a noon tourney here...but keep getting deep. In the last two that I have played...one with 99 players on Friday and the other with 102 on Saturday, I finished 23rd in both. In the one...I lost over half my chips with AK vs. JJ...then after coming back after dinner with 8 BB's had to get it in with SOMETHING..so I chose J10...the wife's favorite hand, and ran into KK. Whooops. Then two days ago...I lost with AK vs. KQ. That one sucked.
The good news is that I'm tearing up the 7pm $120 tourneys. Two outright wins and a 4th place finish two nights ago. I won't go into a lot of details...mainly since I can't really remember them all. But I will say that to get through these fields is the ultimate mine field navigation. Some of the hands I have seen play out are laughable. Whats funny, is that the play here is so bad its perplexing. 95% of the time you think you know what they have...and then you get so shocked when you see what they actually DO have.
The difference between playing in those Main Events at the Venetian and later at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles is like day and night. It is two completely different styles of play. It goes to show just how different this game can be at times.
Here are the two victory shots..one with 91 players, the other with 105. I am now in the black for this trip...which feels very good. I would just like to cash a doggone nooner before this trip is over. And this week's bigger buy in tourneys should be interesting. On Thursday there is a $1k buy in...with $10k added! I am kind of almost expecting there to be like 22 players...which, with that added money...is just FINE with me! So while a win won't amount to any POY points...I'll take the solid payout! This has been a pretty bizarre year so far. 3 wins at IP in January. 2 wins here. 1 win at Venetian. 6 wins in two months? And I have a grand total of 122 POY points for the year! Pretty funny I think. I am wondering how many players will show up for Saturday's $2k Main Event. No idea at all. I just know that I want to make a nice lick before I leave.
Just got off the phone with her. She spent the day doing her taxes. Did them herself, using Turbo Tax. Shes all excited to have it done. I'm jealous, its one of the pressing things I have to take care of when I get home to Biloxi, and after last year's tax debacle, I am really NOT looking forward to it, AT ALL! I have no idea where I am going to come out on oweing money. I do have a ton of tourney buy in reciepts, and with the robbery, and finding out there is a casualty form you can get and apply to your tax situation, I might come out of it okay. I sure hope so. If I end up having to pay the damn IRS a bunch of money, that is going to be one big kick in the ass. Especially since I am just getting back on my feet.
So I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I might be ready to talk about who robbed us. I was asked by investigators to keep a lid on things. To not talk about it on Facebook and on here, especially. So I didn't, out of respect to their investigation. But now several weeks have gone by, and nothing has been done to help me. And now the police havent been responding to my inquiries as to what is going on, exactly.
Here is what is happening. And I will be very vague. I know who robbed me. How? A certain person, posing as my friend...who I knew and met through Rounder Magazine...spent the night at our house one night in late December. Claiming she couldn't get a hotel and needed a place to stay. Squirrel and I are very accomodating to people. Big mistake. While we slept, we were being 'cased.' Working with this girl were a team of 3 others...who at the time were staying at a nearby hotel.
These people had been, and are still are I suspect...under Federal surveillance for several weeks, as they have been terrorizing the entire Southeast pulling identity theft crimes. This girl got popped, and has been sitting in jail up in Birmingham for weeks. Well that was about the time she tried playing the 'innocent victim' card, having her girlfriend contact me...asking me to accept a call from this girl, who was in jail. I did. She gave me a big story about trying to warn me that I was going to get robbed. Mmmhmmm. Yeah, I'm just that stupid to believe this story. Basically she was trying to save her own skin. I was later told that she was heard telling her 'team' over a cell phone converstation as she left my house that there was a 'job' that needed to be completed at my house. Lovely.
The big picture, is that my case is very insignificant to the whole case against these clowns. And my chances of recouping what they stole from me is very slim. If and when they do finally move in on these pricks...and stick their asses in jail, then maybe, after they are convicted, I can file a thing called Victim's Restitution against them in civil court. The bad part, is that there is no way to prove how much was in the safe they stole. I could say there was a million bucks in there, right? I mean...my wife and I know how much is in there. Or was. I have also gotten reports that the scumbag drove up to Tennessee and paid cash for a semi-used black Tahoe. Gee...wonder where that cash came from.
I have this guy's name, his address and his phone number. I sent him a message on his Facebook, telling him I know all. I sent him a text message, too. He's smart. He never responds. He probably knows his phones are all tapped. He has a father who owns a big construction company...so I know there is money in his family. Why he would elect to go the 'Scumbag Crook' route in life is beyond me. What really pisses me off, is that I have a handful of buddies that live in Columbus, Ga...and are either current or former Army Rangers...and would storm this guy's house tomorrow if I asked them to, and get this guy. But with him and his buddies under constant surveillance, it would just put my guy's legal situation in jeopardy too. You can't just go nab the guy and torture him until he coughs up my money. Just doesnt work that easy.
So where am I? Sitting here watching nothing happen! Think maybe that is a little bit frustrating? So the solution is to just keep playing poker, winning that money back...plus some, I hope...and wait for the day when I can make something happen to get some kind of payback against this douchebag. Like a civil suit. Or testifying against him in court. Something, at least...that will make me feel better about the pain and suffering that he brought down on me and my wife.
There is a lot of buzz about the upcoming tournament that will be taking place at Harrah's in St. Louis. I think the dates are April 1st to the 15th. The whole region is really fired up about it. And the staff that is working here will be working that event. Jimmy Somerfeld is taking the killer structure they had up in Tunica last month to St. Louis. I was bummed that I wasnt able to play those tourneys up there...but (a) I promised I would go to Seattle and (b) I am done with Tunica forever! But going with him is Bill Bruce, who always does a great job...and guys like Chris Spears and Jason "Bozz" Boslough...two of my favorite floor guys. Jason, on his night off two nights ago....played the 7pm tourney, and with 4 left him and I had all the chips. It looked like we were going to get heads up, which would have been awesome..but then I ran my A5 suited into AA, held by one of the shorter stacks...and it crippled me. I was out two hands later, in 4th. Booooo!!! But Bozz ended up winning the thing! Nice!
Anyway, so I am pretty fired up for that St Louis event. It sounds like they are going to get a huge field for it. I've never been to St Louis, let alone play poker there. I just hope the rooms are affordable. I might drive over there...I don't think its too far of a drive from Biloxi. I'll have to look at it to be sure.
Today was a $350 at noon. I elected to sleep in. Anticipated a very small field. And plus, at 4pm is a pot limit Omaha hi/lo tourney...which I really want to play! The other night on Pokerstars...while Joe was finishing 2nd in the nightly $55 MTT with 1 rebuy and 1 add on, I played in this dinky little $3.30 PLO h/l MTT on Stars with 518 players. After being the low stack, with 3 BB's, with 27 players left...I ended up going on a late charge...and won the thing! For a whopping $392! That ended at 5 in the morning! But hey...it was fun, and it always feels good to win! Especially on Pokerstars!!!!!
That is all for now....I think. Just spent all morning sending out the announcements for my upcoming March Madness Bracket Pool, as well as the Squares Board for the NCAA Title Game, which was a real hit last year in the first year of doing it. I got 534 entries in my March Madness pool last year...at $25 per entry. Huge! I just doubled my distro list...so I think we might hit around 800 to 900 entries this year! Should be fun pulling all those checks out of my mailbox when I get home! Yikes! Of primary concern to me right now is whether my Washington Huskies are going to make it into the tourney or not. I see we finally showed up on ESPN's Joe Lunardi's Bracketology radar...as we closed out the season with 4 straight wins and now sit at 21-9. The problem is that the Pac-10 has just been so weak this year! I think if we make it to the Pac-10 Conference championship game we should have a decent shot of getting in. How bout just win the damn thing!??? Go Huskies! If any readers are interested in getting on my distro list for my pools, just shoot me an email at ThePoolMonkey@aol.com to request that!
Have a great week everyone!
MONKEY
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1 comment:
Funny Chris Spears story. A few years ago i went up to the then "Reno Hilton" where Chris was based out of and i over-heard him talking about some college football bets. I say "Chris, can you give me some games to bet." I don't normally bet football but he sounded like he knew what he was talking about. He writes down 7 college games and says, "Bet all 7 on one parlay ticket." I chicken out and split it 4 and 3. You know the rest....all 7 hit. LOL. best regards, LostInKinder.
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