From: NolanDalla@aol.com
Subject: My Favorite BARGE 2000 Story


In a week absolutely filled with thrills and great stories, I had a hard time 
deciding whether or not I should sit down an try to capture some of the 
ecstasy of the BARGE 2000 experience.  Typing a story from memory and posting 
it to the BARGE mail list after the fact just doesn't seem to do justice to 
the many hilarious experiences.  I echo the phrase that seems appropriate 
here, "You just had to be there yourself to understand."

But here's one absolute gem of a story, one-hundred percent factual, that 
occured on the night AFTER Barge 2000:

It's Sunday night.  Marietta and I have four more days to kill in Las Vegas 
before returning home (I know, what a pain in the ass -- being stuck in Vegas 
four extra days).  Since there's nothing to do in Las Vegas in the evenings, 
we decided to hit the poker room at the Bellagio (not one of my favorite 
places, by the way which may be the subject of a separate post).

All the games are jammed full.  Lengthy lists everywhere.  The earliest game 
I can get in is a $8-16 hold'em game.  I sit in the four seat and Marietta, 
in her customary loving way, plays the role of "sweater," sitting right 
behind me (this way, she can see bad beats first-hand and won't have to 
listen to them later).  The game is comprised almost exclusively of tourists 
with a smattering of locals.  It's a freindly game.  Laughing.  Talking.  
Drinking.

The woman sitting next to me is a local.  She is roughly mid-50s, with 
peroxide blonde hair, well-dressed, and from what I can tell, a serious poker 
player.  We talk about the game up in the top section, where within only a 
short distance, Doyle Brunson, Chip Reece, and Jennifer Harmon are feasting 
on an unsuspecting victim in a $1500-3000 game.

In the middle of the conversation, the woman turns to Marietta and I, thus 
begining the following exchange:

WOMAN:  If you wanted to find a good game, you should have been down at the 
Horseshoe last night.
ME:  What do you mean?
WOMAN:  There was this wild poker group called BARGE.  It was a bunch of 
computer people loaded with money.  They were drinking and playing every hand 
to the river.  They played any two cards.  They were terrible!
ME:  (Nudging Marietta and trying to keep a stiff upper lip) Oh really?  What 
happened?
WOMAN:  I sat in a $10-20 hold'em game.  (Woman goes on to tell bad beat 
story about how one of the BARGERS played a shit hand that scooped a huge 
pot, taking down her set).  They were awful!
ME:  So, how did you do?
WOMAN:  I dropped two racks.  But if I caould have stayed up all night, I'm 
sure I could have gotten it all back and more.  They were just playing every 
single hand.  And most of them had at least a thousand dollars in front of 
them.  There was a $4-8 game at the next table (refering to chip castle 
contest) and the white chips were stacked up to the ceiling!  It was 
ridiculous! 
ME:  Well, if they were such bad players, how did they get all those chips in 
front of them?
WOMAN:  I don't know.  You know how rich those computer people are.  Money 
means nothing to them.
(At this time, Bruce Kramer, Russ Rosenblum, and Fitch are milling around and 
I can see them getting ready to approach)
WOMAN:  (tells another bad beat story about how a 3-5 snapped off her pocket 
kings)
ME:  Well, it sure sounds like there was some great action.
WOMAN:  As bad as they played, they were very nice.  I mean, they were 
reallly a lot of fun.  Of course, every one of them was drinking a beer and a 
shot at the same time. The cocktail waitress must have made a grand.  So, 
most of the room was totally bombed.
(At this moment, Kramer, Rosenblum, and Fitch approach and we all get up to 
leave.  In a load unassuming voice, one of my coherts says "Are you going 
back to the Horseshoe?  Suddenly, the woman turns white.  As I place stray 
chips in the rack, the woman seems to be able to barely speak.  She points 
and says......."Y.....y....y.......you?"  I give her a wink and a slight nod 
and announce that I hope to see her at next year's BARGE.


Nolan Dalla