Woo Hoo! Finally, a win in the desert!

Now, hold on for a second...this might come as a shock...as much to you as to me. I had to confirm it by going into my top drawer and making sure there was 5k laying in there!

Why? Because, for I think the first time in my poker life...I honestly have ABSOLUTELY NO RECOLLECTION of what happened last night after we got into the money...which was at 7 players! All I know is that I won...and did not chop, the nightly at Aria....FINALLY...after bubbling that damn thing (or finishing within 4 of the money) 5 times out of 9 times played.

Oh...first things first...to JELLY...who keeps leaving messages here that I am not ABLE to post...if you simply email me at ThePokerMonkey1@aol.com...I will answer your questions...I promise. There is no need for you to get ugly and call me names...trust me, there is a reason behind what you are upset about. And after I explain it to you, I think it will make sense. Fair enough?

Before I get into the poker 'doings' yesterday...a few things I have to get off my mind.
I am currently watching 'Legally Blonde' on TBS. I really like this movie a lot.

It is 12:35pm. I will NOT be playing a nooner today. I would like to thank Excedrin for making Excedrin Migraine...the greatest headache/hangover medication ever invented. I woke up at 11:35 feeling like I had an axe buried in my skull. I took an E.M. and now, just one hour later...almost feel good enough to hit the pool.

To the people who, while walking through the casino in large groups...decide its a good idea to just stop...and completely block the entire path that people are trying to walk through? Often times with baby strollers and/or coolers on wheels? I say to thee...GET A DAMN CLUE! Move the hell out of the way! People who like to walk spread out...sometimes three and/or four wide...and not allowing people to get by you? Try this....try walking single file...so the rest of us who have somewhere to be can get by you!

We've discussed this one before...and will do so again. Elevators. They are like subways...if you've ever visited or lived in New York. When you are boarding the elevator, folks...you stand the hell out of the way, and let the people get off first...then you can get in there. If I have to fight my way past people and their luggage to get out of the elevator one more time...I swear, I am just gonna start trampling some mothereffers!

There is another one...and its a big one...but I can't remember what it was. It might come to me later.

Back to the poker shenanigans.

So at noon I went to Nugget and played the PLO H/L tourney. I got there in Level 3 just as I planned. I was at an action table. So I'm glad I was late. My day was a total rollercoaster. I would go from 10k to 18k. Then from 18k to 9k. From 9k to 22k. Then back down to 5k. Back up to 15k. It was making me nuts. I kept getting rivered by clowns who would stay in, heads up...and chase a low...only to hit a miracle gutshot, or runner runner flush to scoop the pot on me. We got down to four tables....134 played...and I end up getting it in with AA2J...and lose to A5QJ.  I left the Nugget at 6:15pm...went to my hotel and changed out of the 'Bad Luck' outfit...into the 'Run Good' outfit and made my way to Aria.

I arrived on time. Total of 74 people played...which was a good number for their nightly. Early on I would gamble...guy raised, I called with Jh9h. The flop came Qh8h6c. Nice. He led out 750. I flatted. Turn was another 8. Non heart. He bet 1500. This was my chance to try and take it down. I raised to 4500. He went all in. Shit. Well...I only left 2k behind. Looked like an early night for me. I called. He turned over AA. Ooops! River was the 4 of hearts! Yeah baby! Knocked him out and was on my way! We had a really nice table actually. Had a nice guy from Wisconsin to my left...and the person on my right kept changing...I would felt two of them.

We had one total schmuck at the table...sitting in the 1 seat. Pale skinned, and sporting a ridiculous mohawk...this was that asshole who liked to constantly show bluffs, then lean back with this smug look on his face. The whole table hated this guy. I was intent on busting his stupid ass. He kept sucking out on people with shit...and would actually take the chip lead on our table. Then I figured him out. His tells were pretty obvious. So on a board of K-Q-6-5-8....and me holding 6-7 in a four-way pot...he bets 600 on the flop...which I called. Everyone else folded. Turn....I check, he checks. River, I check, he bets 1500...I raised to 4000. He folds. I show a 7. I could feel him seething. He sat there and continued to donk off chips. Then...he tries to steal a round of blinds....at 600/1200...he raises to 4700 and leaves 3800 behind. I look down at AJ...look at the stack behind me in the blinds...and being careful not to get myself in a spot I raise to 7500....and leave about 40k behind...making sure I can still fold if one of the blinds jams all in. They dont. He has to call...with 4-7. Nice hand punk. I flop two pair...and his ass was grass. Peace out jackass!

Our table broke a little bit after that. I was drinking Pinot Noir last night. I do remember when we got in the money...I remember because I busted two players on the same hand with 8 left...which put us in the money. Finally...my ARIA cherry was broken. CUE the Red Snappers! I had three others drinking them...and am pretty sure we must have had about 5. I honestly remember NOTHING about anything that happened at the Final Table as far as hands...who finished where...nothing. I remember that the floor girl, who's name of course I just forget...was awesome. I'm almost positive I tipped her $100 and the dealers $200. And I remember that after winning I got the chips from the dealer so I could take a picture...then completely forgot to take the picture. Whoooops! Oh well. I don't know what it is about everytime I get down to the bottom of the bucket on my bankroll (at least what I'm carrying on my person) I always manage to snap off a decent score to get back some HOPE!

Frank Kassela came by when we were down to three tables. I had just been in 'Iveys Room' talking to John Robert Bellande...a guy I have know since I met him with my buddy Chad Brown down in Aruba about 5 years ago. Last year...when I was flying back from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic...I got bumped to first class and was flying with JR and David Williams and his mom and we were playing  cards on the flight. He was back there playing the big 400/800 mixed game they spread back there. I didn't see anyone else I recognized. But its always funny when you walk back in there...they all stare you up and down...as if to ask..."who the fuck are you and what do you want?" then when one of the players stands up...and greets you, they all go back to whatever they were doing. People are stupid...especially the pretentious ones.

So Frank came in search of a big game I guess. We talked a bit about my Rio situation. He still hasnt had a chance to talk to Jack Effel, but it might not even matter. Frank still insists he isn't a 'star' in the poker world and probably won't have any pull. Thats what I love about Frank...he is so damn humble. He did have his bracelet on him...NOT wearing it, but in a little bag that he was carrying. He let me check it out...and Bonnie, our dealer who used to work at Ceasers and Venetian...wanted to see it, so I showed her and the rest of the table. They all thought it was pretty cool.

I think maybe Frank brought me some good luck last night. Thanks Frankie boy!

So when I finished up winning the nightly, I did something that is VERY out of character for me. I sat down at the 2/5 game...which looked very soft. I think that maybe I might be erring when I sit down at 1/2 games...because I was shocked at the ease in which I was taking pots off of people in this game. I could sense genuine fear in this people everytime I entered into a pot. And I was able to Jedi MindFuck people into paying me off when I over bet for value on the river...it was sick. I bought in for 1k...and cashed out for $3200 in about 1 hour. Yes...I managed to GET UP and LEAVE when I was up. It was a great night! Then I went one step further...I made the decision to NOT drive. I knew I was too shitfaced to drive. So as I was cashing out...there was a guy there at the window...and we started talking...he was staying at Venetian and was about to grab a cab...but instead I got him to drive my car! So he saved the cab fare, and I saved my life...and maybe someone else's. It was either that or I was going to take a cab and come back for  my car later. Whoever you were dude...thanks!

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there! Okay...its tomorrow! Whatever, I don't figure I'll be posting tomorrow, so I will just cover it today!

USA got screwed yesterday after making a HUGE comeback from a 2-0 deficit at halftime...but then England tied later...so that was huge. And after all, we SHOULD have lost to England...so I guess that makes everything about right. A win against Algeria and we are IN the knockout round! Go boys!

AH! I remember what I was going to tell you guys now! And yeah...this IS a big one. And a lot of you are guilty of it...and its time that we put a stop to it. Not sure why, but poker players are VERY bad about this:

INTERRUPTING!

How many times are you standing there on break...having a nice conversation with someone...and from out of nowhere, some guy walks up and just starts blabbing something...maybe a bad beat story, maybe something about how many chips he has...some guy at his table that is pissing him off? Am I right? Am I the only one who notices this and is severely annoyed by it? Well, I am very conscience about it. When I walk up to two people talking...and want to talk to one of them, I will simply stand there, honor the fact they are talking, and wait for them to finish. Usually they will stop talking, and engage me in conversation without me having to say a word. That is the proper way to do this, folks. STOP WALKING UP AND JUST CUTTING IN! Its fucking RUDE! From now on...anyone who does that to me...I'm just going to stare back at you...blankly...and just start repeatedly saying to you...."really? really? really? really?"

Wow...I think I am about done with this entry. I've got a lot of people hitting me on AIM and Facebook, who know how much I have been struggling on this trip...congratulating me. That feels good. And thanks to those of you who have kept me from killing myself with your encouragement the last couple weeks. It really does matter to me. Some of your 'friends' tend to just shut you out and totally avoid you when your running bad...and I guess I understand that kind of. But you really find out who your 'real' friends are in times like that. And to those guys...and gals...I say THANKS. I know who you are.  :)

I hope you all have a GREAT weekend!!!!  Think I will mosey on down to the pool and work on my tan! Ive earned the right to NOT play poker today, I think!

Monkey