If you haven’t read the beginning of the WPBT, please jump to the previous post. I semi started trying to put some things together but I ran out of steam. It’s extremely difficult for a vampiress to have to survive when the sun is out – even if most of the time is spent in a casino.
As more and more people flooded into the meeting area, I seriously began to search the crowd for Jason and Rachel. We hadn’t seen each other since the Clan Jam in March of this year. We’ve stayed in touch by email and had items to exchange with each other…plus they are just great people and I wanted a hug and hello. I found them. I got everything I was looking for and more. They are someone that everyone should meet and get to know.
I sincerely need to refresh and plant in everyone’s mind how impressed I was with the speakers. I have to admit that I missed most of Charlie Shoten’s address because he was a speaker last year and his time was spent mainly in rerunning last year’s speech… that entailed his vision and how/why he wrote his book. Please do not think I’m throwing in a negative here, I’m not. It was just something I’d heard before so after Barry spoke to us, (which was really great in the affirmation he gave bloggers on their writing, and his words on his contact with Charlie Tuttle were pretty damn emotional, and how he picked a goal when he played in a tournament, and plus the fact that he came when he would have liked to have been asleep, and a million other reasons), I skipped off to the Hamburger Palace. I was starving…a burger to go…a beer…and I was back. Seated and shoveling food in time to hear the remainder of Charlie’s speech and get ready for Michael Craig’s presentation done by Amy Calistri.
Amy’s a bonus in any group, great smile, great attitude, and easy to be around. It was my first meeting with her and the pleasure was all mine.
Kate Henderson had sent secret emails to all of us to pitch in on a gift certificate for Bill Rini for all of his hard work. I think everyone must have jumped at the chance, I know I did. Kate presented a gift certificate to a Scuba Diving Shop during a break in the speeches. Perhaps I have a picture of her somewhere in all the photos but I have no idea…
After the speeches were finished, most of the group was registered, and we were drawing for seats. I’m still at a loss for some of the names of people and I’m not embarrassed about it, just need a refresher from some of you as stated in my previous post. Jason was in the 1s in my game, Joaquin in the three seat, although I didn’t know his name until I asked Derek, (Pauly’s brother who was in the 9s next to me). Joaquin was so serious when the tournament started I wondered if he was having any fun…yes, I mentioned that to Derek.
The cards ran over Joaquin’s face during the half hour I was at the table. I stayed out of his way for the most part.
The only hand I won, I picked up 7-7, called the $50 BB and the 10s raised it to $300. The 6s called the raise, so did I. The Flop brought something like 8-7-3. The 6s checked, I splashed all my chips out onto the table, and then exclaimed, “Oh…did I just do that?” as I shook my head from side to side. It brought a laugh from Derek. The 10s thought about for quite some time and finally folded. The 6s folded. I showed the set of sevens.
My Button: Jason was UTG and raised to $300 (I think), Joaquin went all-in and he had everyone covered at the table. The 6s thought about it for a half a second, I looked down to J-J. Crap! I can remember thinking ‘the fix is in’. I looked at Jason and Joaquin and finally pitched. The 10s was the BB and he thought about it for a bit longer. He finally pitched. Jason called. The hands were turned up, Jason had K-K, and Joaquin had A-A. No help for Jason and he was out. The 6s had been dealt 4-4 and she would have flopped a set, I had J-J, and the 10s had 9-9. Crazy! Five pairs out in the hand and the smallest one would have drug all the chips.
The 6s in my game: Jaxia Kiley
The 10s in my game: Michael Preedin
I made it to my Button again, escaping a few hands that could have hurt me badly when I was in the blinds with Derek:
Kee-rist! I look down to J-J again. The blinds were at $50-100 and I believe I raised to $300. Derek raised me about the same amount. I figured it was either pitch or go all-in. I thought about it – but not for long. I went all-in. He turned over A-A. No…I’m not trying to figure the odds here but it strikes me, at times, how cyclic my cards run. No help for me and I had $150 left after the smoke cleared. I picked up 7-7, went all-in, Joaquin raised it, everyone folded, we showed our hands. He held J-J. Go figure! I was out. No headaches or stress, I promised everyone that I was going to hang out and be a nuisance.
That’s about the time I switched cameras with Jason and we just milled around the room, meeting now and then, gabbing, drinking a brew, listening to Tanya because she was rooting on some guy in the tournament that I didn’t know…and she was running cocktails. Nope…no idea on that either – we had an open bar and a cocktail server. Tanya did stop once to tell me that she was ‘wasted’ and she was so wasted that she cut herself off. She didn’t have to tell me, she kept leaning into my body as she talked…and then she was off, grabbing a drink for someone else.
Check out these two – I have no idea what their names are. But this is the typical poker faces one sees at the table on a regular basis.
*edit* This is Obie’s VIP
and Shane
But this little girl, I know who she is. Ain’t she beautiful?
She w-a-a-a-y outlasted her hubby, Jason. He was so proud of her play. And how do I know that? He mentioned it 30 or 40 times while we were playing $2-4 H in the poker room.
I got to renew hugs with Maudie. We were supposed to find time to chat about my up and coming adventure but as all things happen, it never happened. We had one last hug when I was leaving the building around 7:30 PM, promising to stay in touch by email.
My brain is falling into black…tired…getting sleepy…deep easy breath…WAIT! I have to put up these two pictures. Hysterical!
The Hammer!
and…
More tomorrow.