Dan and I hit the Orleans on Saturday for their first NLH event. I made it about 3 1/2 hours before trying to run over Q-Q with 9-9 and I was out. Dan made it about 7 hours. Tomorrow we are going back to give the LH event a whirl. For the first time in a long, long time, I’ve actually settled down and decided that I would devote a day to playing poker. It was very enjoyable. I have a lot to learn in the NLH tournament arena but really didn’t feel badly about any hand I played and the way I played it.
During my time at the table I met a young man named Benji – he was sitting on my right – and we had the opportunity to visit a bit about some of the name brand players. He was particularly interested in Stu Ungar, having seen the movie. I did not see the movie but I did read the book. I told Benji that I never had a good experience with Stu, totally true. Benji was the first to leave our table and he was in town from CA to celebrate his birthday. Hope he had a great one.
When I left the Orleans – late in the evening – I stopped by my local pharmacy to pick up a prescription. I normally stop on graveyard after a shift at Bellagio.The late night pharmacist plays poker and we usually jabber about what’s going on in the poker world. This time I was about six hours early for his shift.
A young man went for my prescription and then asked me if I’d changed insurance (hell yes),I told him I had signed up forCobra. Apparently my paperwork hasn’t reached Sierra Health yet and he wasn’t sure what to do. Another young man took charge. He was looking up my info and asked me how I liked retirement. Nothing registered. I thought he was asking me because he knew my insurance had changed and I looked old enough to retire. I think I said something like, “If’s fine,” as I went on about Cobra.
Then he said something else (can’t remember what) and it started to dawn on me like a speeding bullet. He told me he was a ‘blog stalker’. That was a lot of fun. We jawed for a few minutes about ‘Behind the Noise’ and he wanted to know if I’d be keeping up the blog. Absolutely. It just won’t be filled with future dealing tales (I hope). But it could be filled with lots of past dealing tales and new adventures in playing poker and life. Err…um…I will be dealing the Turks and Caicos trip if Suzie is going and it’s still on.
On the Vegas front, the WSOP is winding down. There are no women left standing – Marie Ho was the last – and that means if I get my butt in gear, I can play the ME next year. I will,I will.
It’s ranging about 109 to 112 everyday and it’s just brutal. I want to stay cozied up in the coach 24/7 but there are things to be done. Just going out and getting into a hot vehicle, making a stop somewhere and coming back out to a hot vehicle is enough to make me physically ill. I’m starting to yearn for that trip up North. Soon – very soon.