From: Marc Gilutin Subject: [BARGE] Occupying Las Vegas: Marc's First (And Way Too Long) Barge Trip Report (Prologue and Part I prologue: The week's activities start with Wednesday night's Casino/Media Tag Team event, heralding the opening of the Bicycle Casino's Legends of Poker Tournament. Not so coincidentally, the defending champions of this event (from 2000... it wasn't played last year) were none other than Marc's Poker Pals, a team put together by yours truly. Since I didn't know up front that non-employees could play this year, the team was made up of Bike poker dealers Darlene, Albert, Kuni and myself, the Occupant of Table 21/ Seat 8. When word came down that non-employees were to be permitted, as long as the team captin was an employee, I asked "Downtown" Johnny Brown to join us, since he and I were heading off early the next morning for BARGE and he'd already been mentioned as a candidate for joining one of the media teams, if necessary. The Bike threw a great party, complete with open bar and a lot of great-looking food...still not eating. Teams from local, and not-so-local casinos, as well as all kinds of media...magazines, newspapers, Tv, and radio vied for bragging rights, some prize money, and the chance to name the charity to receive $5,000 put up by the Bike. M'sPPs didn't successfully defend but we did manage 5th place, a respectable finish against some very fine players and some who had never played before. Poker author/Escargot speaker John Vorhaus came down and joined up with the Viacom team, which he prophetically named "Viacom Dios" (they left rather early on...but thanks, John!) . Table 21 veteran Kelli Gates of the Mark & Brian Show also attended with some of the KLOS "sales scum".) So after the event and a good night's sleep, (Johnny and the lovely Val put me up overnight at the Brown House in Lancaster, already an hour closer to Barstow) Johnny and I headed off for the land of booze and fishies, Las Vegas. (to be continued) Part I: Thursday After a brief stop at the outlet mall (Man! Peg-watching is soooo much better when it's 100degrees out), we made it to Binion's. The rooms weren't yet ready (non-smoking, west side) so Johnny went out looking for a store and I went looking for Bargers. After a total wild-g00se chase/unintentional Binion's tour, I found the Blackjack tournament players, already playing the second round. Foldem was sweating/(running?) the thing and we had a nice chat. This is where Peter gave me some very valuable advice for anyone from California contemplaying playing poker in Las Vegas: R00l #1: "Don't play in any game where the aggregate total of the players' ages is >600." I'm already loving BARGE but more about rule #1 later. I complained to Foldem about the very long path I had to take to get from registration desk to the blackjack tournament; he offered to show me the s00per-sekrit Bargers shortcut back to the pocker room, an offer I gladly accepted. After a much shorter return trip (Thanks, Peter!) I found that our rooms were still non-existent so I went over and put my name on the Omahas, both hi only and hilo. A seat soon opened in the $4-8 Omaha Hi. I'd been Jonesing for straight limit omaha for a long time so I took the seat. I didn't see a lot of flops and neither did anyone else. Shortly, Foldem passed the table and admonished me for ALREADY braking R00l #1. A quick count proved he was probably right (but it was close.....I wasn't sure about one guy with dyed hair) so I tripped over to the registration desk and found that our rooms were ready. After a short unpack-the-bags-lie-down-but-who-are-you-kidding-Vegas-is-waiting, I buzzed Johnny's room and we were off to see the Bellagio (my first time). I found the Bellagio poker room attractive, thankfully smoke-free, but I didn't like the chairs (am I the only one?) I've never been one of those guys who commandeers an idle dealer's chair in California. I prefer the back support of one without wheels. But I got (sorta) used to it as I settled in to a decent $6-12 Omaha full-kill (sound familiar?) I went over to scope out the $20-40 before I sat down and a little later but didn't like the game either time. There were a couple of weak players in the $6-12, including one youngish guy who was drinking like 4/hour. When one of the other fishees busted out and the drunk's buddy took him to the bar, I left the local rocks to themselves, down about $75 (it happens) and headed over to sweat some of the many Argers playing NLHE at the Mirage. The place was mobbed...every table going....so I put my name on a few lists (Holdem and Omaha) and did some 'hello's. Eventually, the tourney tables started breaking and seats started opening. I found myself in one of the $5-10 Omaha games with not-one-but-two guys I know from Table 21. All-Knight Adam was at the other table so I yelled out what was to become standard Marc-Adam dilaogue all during Barge "How's the game, Adam?" He gave me the OK sign and I asked the floor for a transfer. (Some two hours later, "Mary" was called for a table change and I gigglingly told the brush that I rarely answer to that name anymore" and passed because our table had gotten considerably better (7 RGPers, two locals and one tourist lady in seat 10 who called only when she had four cards.) Stuck around there till the table personality changed and cabbed my way back to Binion's, having every intention of doing at least the Binion's beginning part of my first Craps Crawl. Announcements were made at Binion's Poker Room and a LOT of Bargers (over 100?) headed towards the craps pit. The leaders could not find a comfortable table and someone suggested there might be more opportunities in the casino's east side. We walked over there but couldn't find a space to accommodate us (If you were Binion's, wouldn't you have two tables worth of Craps Crew ready and waiting for these R00lerz? I would) and it was decided to skip the Horseshoe and move on. My brain was sure this was a good idea but my knees won the arguement and I bade all a good time and headed back to the PockerRoom. Signed up for a few games and sat down to sweat Bill Chen, Russ F, Warren Somebody and Chieu Tran playing RedBird Chinese Poker. Cocktails were ordered and, while I'd promised myself to behave myself, eating-wise on this trip (continuing the medically-supervised fast I've been on since January), I ordered a Jack Daniels w/diet coke back (not really permitted on this diet but...damn, I'm at Barge!)and witnessed, I think, why Russell said he won't be playing CP with the "BigBoys" anymore (see his trip report)...personally, I think he was just a little unlucky and a lot tired. After Russ left, I debated buying some red chips and joining the fun but realized that I too was in need of rest and said my goodnights. More to come. Thanks for reading. Marc From: Marc Gilutin Subject: [BARGE] Occupying Las Vegas: Marc's First (And Way Too Long) Barge Trip Report, Part II: Friday Friday: Down the elevator, Past the poker room, where I notice Betty Tanenbaum at the same table she was at when I went to bed last night (WTG, Betty! More on this soon.) I wander up to Benny's Bullpen to say 'hi' to some of the Poker Pals I hadn't already run into on Thursday. Only one event I am less likely to play at Barge than Stud: that would be a Stud Shootout, where you have to r00l at short-handed stud, which I'm pretty sure I don't. Picked up my 'Bargerobilia' from Patrick (Great job, Patrick, as always!) and loaded my saddlebags with some of the free booty offered at the desk (Thank you, Pokerstars...Thanks, Paradise!) Got to match up a few more faces with nicknames. Finally ran into /david Huberman, who told me how much he has missed the socal home gamez (Not as much as we miss you, David!). Now the Stud tourney's starting and I'm off, down the escalator to meet Johnny Brown to head over to the Orleans $23 High Noon Omaha. Here's me on the down escalator...and, over on the 'up' one is the afformentioned Betty, coffee in one hand, bottle of water in the other, pretty sure she's fast asleep in the standing position. (One of many great images I will always keep of my first Barge) Johnny and I grab a Starbucks across the street and we're off to the Orleans. Nobody told me the walk from valet to the Poker Room is more than I've walked in many years but the new, meaner, leaner me somehow manages. It's only later we find out there's self-parking just out the back door from the Poker Room (oh well...excercise is g00t!). The buy-in is $20 but, if you pay $23, the extra $3 goes to the dealers and you get a bonus of T50 chips. (I'm hoping this is the toughest decision I have to make all day) My opening table is well-stocked (here, fishee, fishee!) Here's a sample: Early on, I have 4,5,10,10 s00ted and it's call, call, call to me so I limp along too. Flop comes 2,3,7 rainbow. All check to me so I bet, representing A,4. Plenty 'O Calls. Turn brings a K. Checked to me, I bet, losing a couple and there are three of us. River's a 5 and I'm in way too deep to back off now. Check to me, I bet, hoping they're 'smart' enough to know I have a wheel. Middle guy thinks long and folds (I am certain no one hears my deep sigh of relief) Loose-all-along-lady thinks a while and finally calls (Sh*T!!!) "I missed", I say, "Pair of fives...er.....tens". "That's good", her reply (WOOHOO!!!!) I think I'm chip leader now. Well, the rebuy/add-on period comes and goes and my T250 is now up around T1,400 and I decide not to rebuy. Soon after the break, my own personal Poker Heaven breaks and I am shipped off to, you guessed it, Table 21 (No, it was seat 1). My stack never gets very tall and I eventually find myself playing $300-600 with T1025 in chips when a loose/aggressive player raises pre-flop. I make it 900 with my A,3,10,10 double-s00ted. Folded to him, he asks my remaining count, I oblige, and he puts me all-in. His hand out-classed mine when the flop, Q,J,7 hit his QJ heavy. IFTIIGHN (I failed to improve and I go home now) Trek back up front to grab a cab (Johnny had busted out earlier and gone on to meet a couple of his old Vegas buddies). The walk bothers me even less this time; I'm thinking this weight-loss thing has already helped my health (WOOHOO!) Taxi back to the 'Shoe to relax a bit before the symposium. Stop upstairs to see who's still in the Stud (Randy Collack busts out...I think 5th just as I arrive) Back downstairs to see Sopranos' Michael Imperioli Steven R. Schirripa in the soon-to-be Chowaha pit chatting with an old Binion's marketing guy and, I'd asume, the dreaded Ms B. I assume the actors are there because, as I read on RGP, they're making a Stuey Ungar movie. Since one of my table 21 guys "knows more about Stuey than any man alive" (true) , I wait and, eventually go introduce myself and tell them both what a big Sopranos fan I am (also true). Then up the elevator to get rid of yet another smoky shirt (It is for this reason alone that I hate Binion's pocker room) In the room I ponder: " Vegas TV really sucks" and, I think, get a 10 minute nap. Now, to wander over to my first symposium. First, it turns out to be much, much more than a "wander"...in fact I'm wishing I'd found someone to split a cab there but I make it (without sitting down or stopping once...YAY) The room is not yet open but there are already some Bargers hanging. I grab a comfy chair in the Belair Room lobby. Across the room are JP, Andrew Prock and (sorry, can't remember) playing CP on the floor. I call out, "Hey, guys. If you deliver my hands over here, I'll be your fourth." (Ya know that feeling where you raise all-in and your opponent's chips hit the pot before yours? All their ears perked up and they were ready to move the "mountain to Mohammed" immediately. "Just kidding. I'm saving my luck for Spencer's room". They seemed genuinely dissappointed that this fishee had, at least temporarily gotten away. Our room is now available and in we go. Lotsa folks. Good-looking food (I had brought one of my little diet-choco-drinks which I consume to take the edge off) but I do get me some red wine. I had promised myself to be good, eating-wise at Barge but didn't want to be sober the whole time. It was then that I made one of my best BARGE decisions...to offer Socal-wise-men Ploink and Jerrod some additional $$$ for investing in the Calcutta. (I've been to Calcuttas before but really didn't know the field.) They accepted me and we done g00t (more on that later). After the Calcutta, I am too late to join the $20 No-Limit Freeze-out that has broken out on the floor but I watch Bill Chen r00l. Going on 9PM so Russ Fox and I limp over to Zorak's room (any "Punish the Limpers" jokes?) There are 14 of us for the first-ever Barge Chinese Poker event. EVERYONE is so generous as to guarantee me, my knees, and my back a seat at the only real table (the other two 'tables' are the floor and the bed...YOU GUYS R00L!!!!) I would've had to pass if I had to get down on the floor...you were so unselfish (Hey! Waita minute..maybe the key was contained in that last word "unselFISH" These guys would've stood on one leg to get ME in the game, lol. I was the first one down to short stack, having made a bad laydown (surrender) and misplayed one key hand, but I managed to hang on and NOT be the first one out (Thanks, Andrew). I go all-een a few more times and finally hit the skids. I have now been deflowered , having lasted much, much longer than that first time...so many years ago (TMI, Marc!) Gavin, my personal Chinese Poker Idol, and I do a small save when his chips get low but he doesn't cash either (He remains my idol) Back to the 'Shoe. I sign up for a few games. Am offered a hug (which I take) and a $10-20 Lowbah game (which I don't...too many smokers) from Marcy the Brush, who used to work with me at the Bike so many years ago. End up in a $4-8 Omaha game (surprise!) with Randy Collack and Frank Brabec. It was great finally getting to know these two guys a little bit. Small win and want to get some sleep (I know that's frowned upon at Barge...sorreeeee) before my first oFISHal Barge event, Saturday's NLHE. Thanks for reading. (to be continued) th'Occupant From: Marc Gilutin Subject: [BARGE] Occupying Las Vegas: Marc's First (And Way Too Long) Barge Trip Report, Part III: Saturday Saturday Ah...the big day. My first O-Fish-uhl Barge event. An $80 tourney with a $500 field. Over my head.......... much? But they don't know about BOB! I have an assistant Gamb00ler cleverly disguised as a bust-out gift. Like I'm ever gonna need a bust-out gift. Mine's going to Marcy the Brush, filled with chips, when I win thetourney. Excuse #1: We're ten-handed and I'm in seat 6 with no room behind and (most important) Jaeger on my immediate left with a box of Krispy Kremes! We haven't played a hand yet and I'm on FOOD TILT! He must've had a scouting report...seen the game films....this would be a problem if I WERE eating. But not having any solid food since January.....I coulda mugged the guy! He offers. I pass. Ancient history. If he had a dozen hot dogs from Nathan's....I might've done some damage. But Bob and I have work to do. We're at the immediate left of the PPBB (Paradise Poker Bounty Boy). I've tried but can't remember who it was the night before that said the PPBB's table should be the first to break...Randy, was that you? But what seemed fair at the time now seems ....well......very fair. Never had a shot at him, or anyone else for that matter. But our table was no bargain...except maybe for me..and I was glad we'd be breaking soon. Bob and I are soon moved to a new location. An end seat at least...with empty spaces behind...more room for Bob and I to make our move. Personal Chinese Poker Idol Gavin is at the other end of the table, aggressing the shit out of it...building a nice stack. Mad Mary's on my left; two fellow virgins on my right. And then there's Bob. Up to now, Bob has just been the guardian of my stack, silently standing by, ready to jump on any intruder. We finally start to get a few hands to play...Bob says he hopes it's not too late. We discuss strategy and, upon agreement, Bob pushes all the chips in the pot. Bob and I r00l, going all-een three...four times...and we're still standing. Well, actually Bob's standing, I'm sitting. (For those who are curious, there's a picture of Bob and me at Zbignew's web page under "Virgin Occupant" at: http://zbigniew.pyrzqxgl.com/trip/20020805lv.html ) But, alas, stack is way under par and we're looking for an opportunity so, with $975 in front of us and the blinds soon going up to $200/400, it's folded to us in the SB and Bob pushes 'em all in with A,6 of spades (no-brainer). Mad Mary's on my left and calls way too quickly for my taste. I open my cards and she shows A,Q offsuit. No sixes on the flop (one spade, I think) and running queens on the turn and river (can't call it 'runner-runner' if she's already ahead, can I?) and Bob (SOB!) is meeting his new owner and IGHN. "Take good care of Bob, woncha Mary?" She promised to give him a good home and I went to take the loozers survey (no offense, Rachel, but most of the people there had just busted out of the tournament and probably felt like I did.) But here's the positive: While filling out the survey(whose purpose I still believe is to help Rachel and her posse play poker against me at some future time), I watched her show a strange card game called Sets to everyone who showed any interest. OK, so I spent an hour over there playing the game, getting hooked enough that 3 copies that I ordered Sunday night on the web have already arrived at my home (Thanks, Rachel! Did I win the drawing?) By now, Johnny has also busted out (came in sixty-something in his first NLHE event ever. Nice going, Johnny!) This event's still got hours ahead so we hit the down escalator Johnny going off for some lunch and me settling in at the $4-8 Omaha, plus a rack and a half and I'm now freerolling the hotel...the tourney....the taxicabs.......WOOHOO (my only losing session was at the Bellagio. Must've been the chairs cause I play g00t!)! Late afternoon now...Johnny's back from lunch and I ask if he's going to join the Omaha game. "Actually, I was thinking of having a couple of beers at Glitter Gulch". "Isn't that a 'girly-bar'", I ask (knowing full the answer). "Yeah. Ya wanna come with me?" "Give me 5 minutes to drop my stuff in the room" and I moved off to the cashier and elevator faster than most of you have ever seen me move. Up to the room, trading in yet another all-too-smokey shirt for a fresh one. I dropped off my Bag O' Tricks and the vast majority of my bankroll. Didn't want to go on Temp-Peg-Tilt at the titty bar. "Free admission" the sign says. So the two glasses of wine and two bottles of beer we ordered (minimum) immediately cost close to $40 bucks but I'm on vacation, dammit and next year, I'll be there for TITS. (snip the ugly details but let's just say the first call I made back in L.A. Sunday was a "Peggy-call", whom I hadn't seen in a couple of months ;-) We stayed till the booze and all the singles were gone and it was time to see if I could walk back to Binion's. Two glasses of wine within an hour on my way-too-empty stomach...Oy! Glad it wasn't far and I wasn't driving. Back to the 'Shoe, there was a CP game and I needed to sit down and stop the world from spinning without doing any more gamb00ling (for the moment) Sweated David (or was it Dan, Dean, Doug...sorry!) with the ponytail (one more nice guy I met this week). After watching for awhile I did my Barge good deed for the day..I leaned over in D Ponytail's ear and tell him he has a tell.. "A what?" I learned this from some old CP players at the Bike and felt, generously, like sharing... "Every time you're putting a full-house in back, you grab three cards together...then two", I told him.". Anybody who's watching knows you have a full-house and can act accordingly" He admitted he'd never thought of that and thanked me. Watched a bit more and realized I'd better try to grab a few z's if I was to play my first O-Fish-al Chowaha game when the banquet ended. Vegas TV hadn't improved and I sorta fell asleep for a bit. (My editor says this is running long [YaThink??]so I'll do Saturday Night and final thoughts in Part IV) Thanks for Reading, th'Occupant From: Marc Gilutin Subject: [BARGE] Occupying Las Vegas: Marc's First (And Way Too Long) Barge Trip Report, Part V: Saturday Night/Sunday and Change of Address Form Sender: barge-admin@barge.or Saturday Night/ Sunday First, something I forgot to mention that happened Friday night. I was playing $4-8 Omaha with Randy Collack, Nut-Z and others when, from the HORSEL table, Foldem catches my eye holding a white chip up in the air (I feel not unlike a trained seal but I snap to attention, not knowing what to expect). He then launches the chip in my general direction and I manage to catch it ( a skill you never lose when you've been a Dragon Room floorman) and signal my (confused...after all, I'm a virgin) thanks. "Random toke" someone says. Seems like a good idea to me. But I can't just send the same thing flying back to Foldem. In retrospect, I guess I should've 'paid it forward'...sent one flying towards someone else but I didn't. Instead, the next time I was out of a hand (this took awhile), I grabbed 4 chips, walked over to Peter's table, standing between the dealer button and small blind positions and, after the button called, so did I. No cards/ No Seat...a 'drive-by call' (have I coined a phrase...?) I'm not sure whether the whole table was Bargers..... I did get a couple of funny looks ( goal accomplished) But I digress...back to Saturday night.... When we last left the Occupant, he was trying to get a bit of rest before the Saturday night festivities...to lie down a second and get some of the Glitter Gulch dizziness out of his already-light-from-fasting-and-drinking head. I had skipped the banquet. As much as I love Linda Johnson and am impressed by my new Poker Pal, Steve Lipscomb, I wasn't paying $43 to watch other people eat. I'll just relax a bit, maybe play a little more +ev Pocker while I wait for the 11 O' clock hour...the return of all those who went to the banquet....and the ultimate Un-o-FISH-al event- Chowaha. Don't get me wrong. I've played Chowaha before...in the Socal Home Gamez. But it didn't get wild...or particularly zany. And I never made it to anybody's room to play it at Escargot though I did try to get it legalized at the Bike (BTW, only 5 1/2 months to Escargot 2003!) But all the stories I'd heard...the straddling, the re-straddling....the capping...the re-capping....the Hu-Man-i-Ty! Fortunately, at least two Poker Pals (Thanks, Jerrod...Thanks, Peter!) have promised to put me on the sign-up list which would be circulated at the Banquet. So now it's...dunno...8:30, 9 O'clock and I'm in the first only-fair-not-great Omaha game at Binion's since I got here Thursday. I'm a little stuck, a little queasy, and, for the first time since I arrived in Las Vegas, the guy on my immediate left lights up a cigarette. Bzzzt! Enough for me. I picked up my chips and moved over to the relative fresh air of all the deadspreads of future Barger games, listen to the dealers' anticipatory remarks and even explain Chowaha to a couple of newbies. Finally, the revelers start arriving. I hear talk of how funny the Carnac routine was. Sorry I missed it. Brushperson Dawn sets up a microphone in our little section and starts calling names for various games. I'm in the first group called for Chowaha (YAY!) and go lock up the two seat .....comfort and room for my magnificent chip castle. I make a quick discovery...with all this drinking and straddling and capping, the table's shaking too much for any major building (and the entire casino seems to tilt towards the north anyway). Nobody's doing much architecture at our table and Stephen Landrum's building the "F"ing Taj Mahal of Chips at an empty table neaby (Great, going, Steve!) My vote for Binion's Employee of the month and why: Dealer Joe comes to our table, pretty much the first one who didn't have to be told how to deal Chowaha. Now, I haven't seen a "toke the pot" hand yet but this particular one, it's very small and someone suggests it. Beth wins...maybe $40.... and splits it with Joe. The chips make a nice sound dropping in his Toke Bucket but they don't stay there for long. Joe deals the next hand and, when UTG fails to straddle he says "What kind of lameass game is THIS?" (or something to that effect) and reaches into his hard-earned tokes and straddles the blinds himself...$4....$6....$8....! I don't know about any of the others but "JOE GETS US!" (Now there's a T-shirt I would wear proudly next year) Well, now we've played for more than an hour and I still haven't won my first hand. Mike "we are not worthy of your brilliance" Chow meanders by the other end of the table and, after giving him a one-man wave, I lament about not yet winning a pot. "Play any two cards", he suggests ("Use the force, Luke.") "Thanks, oh mighty one", I reply and look down at American Airlines (Perfect!) I bet, raise, whatever...all the way to the river, making a big show out of Mike's advice and..they held up (WOOHOO! Remote-Toke to the inventor). Meanwhile, I had brought some giveaway booty and visited some other tables...not all of them seemed ready for this but those "must-drink" guys....they were ready...I auctioned off old ESCARGOT spinners and Winning 'O the Green hats, with the proceeds going to my favorite charity- the dealer. Played on for awhile, actually working my way back to even.( Was there anyone in the building I forgot to toke?) and finally ran out of steam around a-quarter-to-I-don't-know-what and said my goodnights and was off to bed. Sunday morning To save my faithful chauffeur, "Downtown" Johnny Brown from going a hundred miles out of is way to drop me at the Bike (he woulda done it...no problem), I had asked Marc "the other Virgin Marc from Socal" Kolstad if we could cahpool home and he'd generously agreed. Checked out and sat down at an empty pocker table to wait for Marc. I was offered a seat in the only game in town but declined (a first?) Now Marc comes by on his way to check out and I tell him I'll meet him by valet. I've got just one more thing to do. I still have a few hats left and I don't want to take them back to Los Angeles. So I'm over to the live game, whip out the hats and in my best carney-pitchman voice: "Players. A once in a lifetime offer. One of these hats to whomever gives two bucks to the dealer!" They were gone in sixty seconds and so was I. Marc and I had a great (and just about traffic-free) ride home. One particular trip highlight: Knowing I wasn't eating, Marc actually asked if I'd mind if he stopped for some much-needed sustenance. It's these random acts of kindness....things like this....like the Chinese Poker Tournament where they guaranteed me a seat in one of the four real chairs in the room....These are the reasons I LUV YOU GUYS! The rest of the trip was great, though I would've liked a couple of quarter-pounders and a large fries, SOB!). Marc had me to the Bike by 1:15. After downloading my stuff from his car to mine, I stopped in to say hi to the Poker Pals at Table 21. Marc Gilutin (Change of address alert! ) Please send all future correspondence to: Occupant Table 21/ Seat 2 Bicycle Casino 7301 Eastern Ave. Bell Gardens, Ca 90201