Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 21:32:06 EDT
From: Barry Goren
Subject: A day in the life Barge 2006.Long Version. Thanks Peter,
	Chuck and everyone

Try to realize it's all with in yourself no one else can make you change 
and the time will come when you see we're all one 
and life flows on within you
and without you
 
 
Hi everyone,
FLashback: Reno March 2003. Somewhere in the middle of an Asya wetdream (  
National Bridge, Wpt Poker and National Ballroom Dance championships all at the  
same time) . Asya and I  hanging out at the bar and with a drunken Murray.  
Asya keeps telling me I should come to Barge this year.
Fast forward : Las Vegas 2006 Asya still telling me I should come to Barge  
this year. Murray still drunk . Somehow I manage to signup before the deadline. 
 Asya makes plans for us to go to Okada at the Wynn for dinner and Sake (  
definitely NOT in that order)  Wed night. So with Ben we ate and drank (  not 
necessarily in that order) and somehow I managed to wake up in time for  CHORSE 
the next morning. 11 AM should be barred in LV. There really is no use  for 
it. I definitely didn't notice  when I agreed to let Asya find me a  team!! She 
mentioned that I was on a team with Regis and Claudia. So when I  arrived at 
10:45 I started to check out nametags and finally found Claudia and  that found 
me Regis( until then the only Regis I had heard of was Philbin so I  was a 
tad surprised). Our team was anywhere from 3 to 9 depending on who  showed.Not 
surprisingly we were the LEFTOVERS. In the last minute it  was determined that 
I would play O/8. I never really got to meet all of my other  team members. 
Hopefully that happens at some point. The most interesting part of  the Chorse 
was when I invited myself into the Chinese Poker between rounds.  Playing 20 a 
point with JP , Gavin and Bill was not a financial success .  What impressed 
me was when Gavin found out I was 91st in the main event he  immediately wanted 
to discuss the hand I went out on. That suited me just fine  as I have really 
not been able to put it out of my mind. Gavin convinced me that  I had 
misplayed it ( the only hand I could go broke on the entire tourney)so all  of you 
who came up and congratulated me on my finish know in your hearts that I  am 
overrated!!! Chinese poker was a major success as I managed to get out with a  
mere 400 dollar loss. 
Next day TOC. Start time 10 AM .
Woke up, got out of bed ,dragged a comb across my head.
 If 11 AM should be barred you can only imagine what I think of 10 AM  . I 
try and think of rhyme or reason for this starting time and it dawns on  me . Of 
course!! These times are designed for folks who haven't gone to bed yet.  It 
all makes sense. Never played Stud before but discovered it is a really easy  
game if you just keep making boats.For those of you who thought I had a set  
that hand , it was really 2 small pair. Got learned by Quiet  Lion later on 
that 2 small pair is the biggest trap hand in Stud.  So my Stud game is overrated 
too!! Work my chip stack up to 5800 only to  discover that Stud is a really 
hard game when you don't make boats. Down to my  last 1400 in chips. New player 
on my right . It's Murray. Still drunk. Possibly  hungover but that would 
suggest sleep.I remind him of the time we met in Reno.  Table agrees that drunk 
and Murray are redundant. He promptly felts me 2  hands later when his Q9 
suited holds up against my pocket aces in Holdem. Return  at 4 for the Symposium. 
No one told me that this was code for Calcutta. Chuck  was nice enough to let 
me pay at the door. Thanks again!! I convince Asya to let  me buy in to her 
pairs. This costs me a mere 212. I KNOW WE ARE GOING TO GET  THERE!!! I prove 
overrated once again as Bill Chen's syndicate pays 130 for me  and Ms. May ( no 
not the centerfold) thinking they were stealing. Instead of  shorting myself, I 
go and buy back 25% but in the only good move of the Holdem  tourney I dump 
it into our syndicate holdings. 
Next morning 10AM  NLHE table 4
I look around and see such names as Action Bob . TyeDye Michael is on my  
right . I recognize JP from Chinese Poker and Phil ( overrated ) Gordon sits  
down at the last second. He wants to know about my last hand in the main event.  
Did I get my money in good? Was straight 50/50 after the flop I had Jacks with 
a  Diamond Against KQ of Diamonds and a 4 flush. As Gavin pointed out , I 
didn't  have to go broke. Action at the table starts out fast and furious. Raises 
and  reraises all over the place. I notice that JP is involved in most of 
this.  Michael is getting in his fair share of raises as well so I decide to 
flatcall  him on the button with 73 of clubs. Action Bob comes along for the ride 
from the  BB .Pot is 475.  flop comes J62 with 2 clubs . I pick up a vibe from 
Bob as  he checked. I think Michael musta picked it up too cause he thought 
and checked  as well. So I checked. Turn came a 7. Bob leads for 275. Michal 
folds .Still  suspicious. I just call. board pairs Jacks. and we check it down. 
Bob shows 75  of Diamonds ( Another great read by me) We chop. A few hands 
later 2nd  position I pick up AK clubs. as JP is on the button and Phil is in the 
BB I  figure one of them will probably make a play at the pot if there is a 
ton of  dead money so I limp 2 callers and JP makes it 175 to go as expected. 
BUT Phil  calls out of the SB. This is unexpected. I think he has a medium 
pair. So I  reflect back to a reason Phil Laak article ( if he isn't a barger he 
sure oughta  be) where he was on a bluff and he zenned into his mind that he 
had the nuts  hand . So I imagined I had pocket aces. Gave the right amount of 
hesitation  before reraising to 775. JP ,as expected, went away but what I 
hadn't taken into  account was Phil's Tee time . He thought a moment , shrugged 
his shoulders and  pushed in with pocket 10s for a total of 1425. I am thinking 
to myself hcycM!  wt! Can't you read a guy with pocket aces??? You are so 
overrated!!! How would  dinner have gone if you had lost THAT hand Phil? BTW what 
did you shoot? well  after that hand I picked up , in succession, AK , QQ, JJ 
. Couldn't survive  that. Got a horrible beat on the last hand when Bob raised 
and JP reraised. I  pushed ( I would only do this  on JP) and JP woke up with 
QQ which held up.  Not realizing I was supposed to give a bust out gift , I 
left the table , found  Asya and she told me about this tradition. I was at a 
loss of what to do. Then a  brilliant idea struck me !! I gave JP my toke 
chips!!! I will have a better  gift next year. BTW how come I needed to remind 2 
tables to toke the chip runner  with the toke chips? Thanks Phil , for a really 
funny evening. You did good.  Except all that self promotion was a waste on 
us. We KNOW how overrated u r.  Then. The highlight of BARGE for me. My run 
through the excellent field of 16  for the Roshambo championship of Barge. I won 
my first 3 matches 10-8,  10-9, 10-9 . Called a clock on Perry and Asya as we 
were done and they were  at 3-0!! Met Perry in the finals. Knowing that Perry 
would try to get into  my head , I resorted to the Bill Walsh playbook and 
scripted my first 10  plays. Also knowing that nothing beats rock I figured Perry 
would play me  for a lot of rocks so I decided to try reverse psychology and 
bring out a lot of  scissors .Unlike the 49ers  This led to a fast 6-3 down BUT 
I won the  psychological war as Perry commented to the crowd that my game had 
no  paper!! I was now in his head!!! I won the next 5 straight and made it  
9-7 and I beat him with a well timed paper at the end. It's not about  the 
money!! It's about the BRACELET! I then met some friends for a real  dinner (Real 
food. I hope no offense. Was planned) . Did bring Josh back  and we sat down 
to play Chowaha.We had a great time!! Josh will be a virgin  next year. Key 
swing hand . I 1 outted Chris's nut full house to make Quads on  the turn after 
about 5 grey gooses around 6 in the morning:). I had a great  time!!! You might 
notice some severe gaps in the story as I wasn't totally  prepared for Barge 
( I live in LV . Life goes on) Hopefully next year I won't  live in LV and I 
can have a much better time!!!. Thanks again to everyone , the  Venetian, 
especially Chuck and Peter. AND Phil . That took ALOT of work on all  your parts.
Not used to doing homework Peter ( never ever did it in school) but it's  the 
least I can do:)
 
 
When you've seen beyond yourself then you may find peace of mind is waiting  
there
And to see you're really only very small as life flows on 
Within you
and without you
Barry Goren ( No longer a virgin)