From: "Mike McBride" To: Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 21:04:03 -0600 Subject: [BARGE] Howler's Trip Report First of all, THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR MAKING THIS BARGE A GREAT ONE!!!! Now.... My first day at Barge was spent at the BCC tournament at Timmer's house = ( thanks for the hospitality). We played a single table NLHM satellite = format and Russ Fox and I were the first ones out.( my hands are still = sore from shuffling!!!) Oh Well, it was a very competitive game and = Scottro wound up winning the thing with Patrick coming in a close = second. Fun time and thanks to the BCC for a great year. I had fun = helping with the chip set. Tuesday.... Not much poker but a great time was had by my wife and I when OZ met us = at the Luxor for Sushi. OZ your council on tilt is greatly appreciated = and has been put into practice...THANKS!! =20 Skip to Wednesday the limit holdem tourney. I spend most of the day = just slightly below an average stack and find that my first time playing = a limit holdem tourney is quite fun. I was lucky enough to sit a few = hours at the same table as Andy Bloch. What a player!!! I learned a = bunch by just watching him and was able to abscond with a few pots when = he was in. (Andy, your a class act and great player... Good Luck on the = WPT next year.) I made it to the final table as the smallest stack = along with one of my poker group buddies Aaron Rich who busted 7th, just = feeling lucky to have made it that far. I played well I thought and was = able to get down to three players with Tiger on my left and ADB Fich. = These guys are tough and great final table players. Tiger made one of = the best lay downs I have ever seen when I happened to flop trip 5's and = he had AQs with a board that contained a Q (I guess that is why I busted = third!!!) Anyway, great fun and congrats to Tiger for second and to ADB = Fich on his win in this and his finish in the TOC tourney. A funny thing happened on the way to the Cashiers Cage. Found out that = they don't see many $1000 yellow chips in Binions. I went to cashout my = 3rd place finish and was able to only cash the 4 red chips I had. The = Cashier saw my yellow chip, stared at it, got really close to it, = crinkled his nose at it (I couldn't have gotten a better reaction if I = had crapped on the counter) He says I cannot cash this yellow chip = here. I must go around to the cage near the Craps tables to do it. So I = hump my fat ass around to the other cage. I place the yellow chip on the = counter. The Cashier saw my yellow chip, stared at it, got really close = to it, crinkled her nose at it (I couldn't have gotten a better reaction = if I had crapped on the counter). She says she has to call someone to = verify this payout. Now, mind you, I have just finished playing about 7 = hours of poker. I have not eaten since 0600 that morning, Beth, Shelly, = my wife and a few of my poker buddies are waiting for me to go and eat. = I have been at the cages for about 40 minutes when this cashier tells me = that I need to find someone from Binions to verify that this is a real = chip and that can it can be cashed. Tony to the rescue. I find Tony = from Binions and he walks me over to the first cage and I am paid mucho = pronto!!! Thanks Tony. =20 We eat a nice dinner with Beth and Shelly and have a great time before = the CHORE tournament. CHORSE... Fun, lots of drink, lots of talk, lots of jokes, lots of chips....bust = to early. Note to RMO... we need to figure this game out someday!!! Thursday... Thursday was a slow poker day. I went to the Mirage to see the White = Tigers with my wife and got roped into playing a $25 Satellite with 7 = other Bargers (Talk about negative EV for me!!). Well, two of the = NON-Bargers managed to duke it out for first. We got r00led!!! :-) = This is also the day that Kevin Un informs me that he will no longer = provide me with anymore poker tips as I seem to put them to good use. = Anyway, thanks to Kevin he always makes these trips to Barge a Blast!!! = By the way Kevin, GROWN A PAIR YET!!! :-) After mucho video poker and some live, I make it back to Binions LATE = and find Scottro finishing up a LATE session and he asks if I would like = to go eat. I said yes so we went over the Nugget and got his roomie = Sean and went to get some "dinner" and the cafe. Scottro, Sean and I = were taking about our poker games over the past year when all of a = sudden Scottro and I notice that Sean is doing a great impression of a = BARGE BOBBLE HEAD DOLL as he is trying to keep from falling asleep at = the table. Sean decides that he will finish his milk and go to bed = rather than wait to order food ( which has taken at least 45 minutes = already). Scottro and I have a great visit!! it is now about 0500!! = Oh crap, TOC tourney in 7 hours. I make it back to my room and try to = go to sleep. I get about three hours before I wake up to the sound of = my wife asking the question "You gonna play in the tourney today!!, it's = 1100." Friday the TOC... I make a pretty good showing and bust out 31 out of a pretty healthy = field. I find that my best games are Holdem and Omaha...... NUFF = SAID!!! I go straight to bed and sleep until 1000 the next morning. = Congrats to Kelly Felder, another poker group buddy, who finished 11th, = his highest finish yet. Saturday No Limit Holdem..... I got very lucky and won this one the year before so I feel pretty good = about my play. I never really got started and never had more chips than = the original 1000. I get moved to the best seat in the house, THE ONE = "JESUS" JUST VACATED A FEW MINUTES BEFORE!!.. I manage to make a stand = in late position with pocket 7's ( Scottro you DOG!!!) I make a = standard raise and get called. The flop comes 2c Tc Th . I figure I am = ahead so I push all in. I get called from the BB and Chuck W. turns = over Qc Kc. O.K. he has outs but I am ahead and I still have = re-draws.... but a Queen comes on the turn and IGHN. I find Ploink and = he also busted out with pocket 7's so we decide to find Scottro to KICK = HIS ASS!!!. Scottro shares with us that in order to have pocket 7's = work, you need this ring he is wearing. ( I think the ring came with a = free bowl of soup and a whistle but I didn't see it up close ;-) I feel = I played well with what I was dealt so I go to the party/banquet feeling = O.K. =20 The Banquet.... Thanks to Binions for all there hard work and providing a great meal. I = was very surprised to receive a framed chip set of my chips from the = BCC, as Scottro would say YOU GUYS ROCK!!! The NLHM Final Table.... Guess what.... Those Colorado boys just won't go away. Another poker = group buddy, Tony Corral, manages a great 4th place finish and we party = later on. CONGRATS TONY!!! The RMO will be back in force for Barge = 2004. Games of Chance.... I drop a rack in the No drink HORSE game. I have no excuses, I sucked, = plus I was the only one drinking.....heavily. I drink most of the night = away and leave "refreshed" in the morning for my Colorado Home.. Barge = 2003 come to a close for Howler!!. My vote for the best Barge 2003 Personality........Drum roll = please........North Shore Mike McManus. My Canadian friend and all = around great guy!! Mike, you helped make Barge 2003 a memorable one for = me... Take Care and see ya at ESCARGOT!! My thoughts.... I can't wait for Barge. I can't wait for Barge...I can't wait for Barge = .... My thanks.... To the RMO.. Tony, Kelly Dave and Bill. You made this trip the best so = far To all the organizers Peter, Chuck and Mike, the sponsors and the Barge = Community. I really think this group is the best.. To Binions. A great host Casino and Great People...Nolan was a wise = choice. =20 To Nolan, they couldn't have picked a better person to promote poker and = Binions. My advice, focus on the History that surrounds Binions. Best = of Luck!! =20 My wish... For Barge to live forever because,after all, it is the synergy that = makes Barge what it is!!! My apologies... For anything or anyone I have insulted, tripped over, fell on, bumped = into (Andy Prock), forgotten to thank, forgotten to tip or forgotten to = mention...It is entirely my fault. Till Next Year... God Bless Howler ________ Thanks to PokerStars, Paradise Poker, and Quiotix Technologies for their generous sponsorship of BARGE 2003.