Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 18:51:53 -0700
From: "Steve Watanabe"
Subject: [BARGE] My 2006 Barge Trip Report

2006 Barge Trip Report

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
a tale of a fateful trip, that started in a sleepless
haze along a lit up strip,
five drunken guys set out that day for a 72 hour trip...

I had convinced my wife's cousin Matt to sign up for Barge
this year and was kind of worried as the event struggled
to find a home.  But eventually Chuck and Peter did their
magic and we were on our flight from San Jose to the
poker Mecca.  Matt plays poker full time online, made it
to day three of the main event, and I've seen him five-tabling
the $2000 NLHE tables on Party, so when, on the plane,
I asked him how big a roll he brought with him, and he
answered 200, I assumed 200K or 200 buy-ins, but it turns
out it was $200.  I inform him that he's going to spend
more than that on drink/dealer tokes and he replies that
he'll start low and move up as he doubles up.

We land and Matt says that he's going to cab it to the
Plaza via the bank.  I'm going to wait for Oliver who's
arriving a half hour later.  Monte, who arrived the day
before, is going to pick us up and we're going to meet
John, who flew in earlier, at the Venetian.

Two hours later Oliver arrives.  Aiyah, airline bad beat #1.
It did give Monte and I a chance to catch up on kids and life.
Monte became a father 9 months ago.  I still give him a hard
time...before his son was born he honestly thought a
case of diapers from Costco would last a newborn an entire
month.  For those who've experienced it you know you're
lucky if it lasts a week.

We finally make it to the Venetian and sit in a 3/6 game.
On one of the first few hands the floor throws a solid gold
card protector into the middle of the table for the winner
of the next pot.  Of course all of us want it and everyone
sees the Jack, eight, three (rainbow) for one bet.  I have
J6 and after Monte bets, I raise.  It is folded to a late
position woman who cold calls two, and Monte also calls.
The turn is an Ace and Monte bets while exclaiming "new
leader".  I raise, the woman calls two bets again, and
Monte folds.  The river is a nine and I check and the woman
checks.  I show my second pair, shitty kicker and she shows
nothing.  Monte says he had 89 and would have made two pair
on the river.  I tell him he shouldn't have said anything
on the turn as it was a giveaway that he didn't have the
goods.

Soon the table fills with more Bargers and we have foldem,
Oliver, Monte, me, Peter C, Bullburt, and some young "pros"
and we have a typical Barge fun game.  Unfortunately
the game breaks when the Stud tourney begins.  One of the
young pros comments as he's leaving that it's "time to
play serious poker".  Uh, weren't you already doing so
Mr. Rock?  I move to a 1/2 NLHE ($200 max buy-in) and
more than double up when I turn a boat and check it and
the river makes my opponent a straight and we get it
all in.

We were originally staying at the Plaza and had moved to
Caesar's when Barge moved there.  When it moved to the Palms
(at least in concept) we decided to stay at Caesar's (and
cancelled our Plaza reservations).  When Barge moved to
the Venetian we decided to go back to the Plaza...only for
$100 more.  Hotel bad beat!!!

Friday morning came too soon and the five of us made it to
the Venetian only a few minutes late for the start of the
TOC.  All of us were out before the Symposium and so we
decided to check out the Wynne poker room.  The room there
pales in comparison to the nice roomy Venetian poker room.
I sit down at a 1/2 NLHE table and have built up my stack
when this hand occurs.  A couple of limpers and I raise
to $12 from the button with 85o and only the BB calls.  The
flop comes 8 5 3 rainbow and the BB bets $20.  I raise to
$50 and he goes all-in for $58 more.  I put him on an
overpair and call and he shows his set of threes.  I play
goot.  I later manage to get it back when I flop the nut flush
and check the flop and turn and we get it all in on the
river.

Saturday morning also arrives too soon and we are only slightly
late for the NLHE tourney.  The five of us have a last
longer bet and settle down to play some cards.  I play
short stacked the entire time and make it to the final four
tables where I get to see Dave F's one-outer where he
spikes the case Queen to make quads and beat the set of
aces.  Shortly later is the hand that busts the same Dave
when he and the other tall stack go to battle in a JT vs
A<little> showdown.  I don't think either party played
the hand well and bust shortly after.

Matt and John are still in the tourney so Monte and I head
to check out the Caesar's poker room as we have a few hours
before the banquet.  The Caesar's room is packed so we head
to Harrah's instead and sit at a limit table.  We manage
to keep the 80 year old cocktail waitress busy as we
constantly were ordering drinks.  At one lull in the game
I had finished my drink and Monte had a full one.  I was
seated next to him and pointed at a sign on the wall behind
him and asked him to read it since my eyesight is going.
He turns to read the sign and by the time he turns back I've
slurped down 2/3 of his drink.

We head back to the Venetian to pick up the rest of the
crew.  Matt has managed to finish 12th and so we each have
to pay up the last longer.  After the banquet
which featured a very entertaining talk by Phil Gordon we
decide to skip the post banquet games and head to the
Nugget downtown.  We had a car and wanted to get near our
hotel before all of us were too "tired" to drive.  We
stop by the Golden Gate for an after-banquet snack and
soon thereafter are all seated at a 3/6 HE game.  Normally
John and Matt play NLHE exclusively and Monte, Oliver, and
I prefer limit, especially when at Barge so we exchange
the normal "No limit monkey"/"limit monkey" banter.

Needless to say this was a ramming jamming game where
straddles were the norm, betting blind common,
as were 5-way caps preflop.  The locals were licking their
chops as they viewed all our chips.  We ended up busting
one guy who had started with over $300 and another one
left the table as he said that agreeing to cap the betting
preflop *blind* was coercion.  The long island ice teas
we were slamming might have helped things along.  I guess
we've progressed from the old vodka/cranberry "health"
drink days.

A sampling of the hands that I can remember.

Capped 6 ways preflop,..., river a 2.  The betting
completes and Monte starts loudly quacking.....
QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, and then shows his quad
twos.

John, who is nicked named "action dan" as he plays so tight
he squeaks, calls the straddle cold, and when it comes back
to him, he caps the preflop betting.  I comment that in
order for John to do this he has to have aces.  The flop
has an Ace, six, three and there is a round of betting.
The turn is a six and it checks around.  On the river a
rag comes and some (me?) bets into John and he raises.  I
call and get shown rockets....duh!

Before we know it it is 4am and we all call it a night and
another successful Barge.  I do end up with another airline
bad beat as the Southwest check-in was over a hour to snake through
the 1 mile line.  Luckily the security check was 30 seconds
and the plane ride back was uneventful and ahead of schedule.

Thank you to Peter and Chuck and the Venetian for making
Barge happen this year.  I'm already counting down towards
the next one.

-stevew