Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:23:05 -0600 From: Joe Long Subject: [BARGE] ChipRider Trip Report Another fantastic BARGE. This is a unique experience in the poker universe, I wouldn't miss it for the world. I didn't care for the format of the Tuesday tournament so I flew to Vegas Wednesday. Arrival time of 5:35 is plenty of time to make the Lowbah tournament at 7pm, right? Well, flight is late. Just miss train to terminal, so walk instead (beat the next train there). Bag comes right away, so head to shuttles. Took a shuttle to downtown to save on cab fare -- mistake! It stopped at several casinos on the strip on the way downtown, I arrive just in time for the tournament with no time to check into my room first. Lowball tournament uneventful, go out somewhere about halfway. I bought some shot glasses with a Colorado motif in the Denver airport to give as my bounties. Go from tourney to karaoke -- lots of singing in groups, dancing, buncha folks having a great time. Dan Goldman does a great "Mr. Cellophane" with half the room helping. Despite late arrival, got to do a song -- I was afraid I might bring the room down doing a CW song ("Help Me Make it Through The Night") but no way was that group going to be brought down. The free booze was a plus too, but I have a low tolerance for alcohol so I gave two of my tickets away. Played a little 4/8 HORSE after the karaoke, dropped about 50 bucks. Thursday, CHORSE. The Golden Nugget has a nice poker room, but small and cramped. Joined a 3/6 game to pass the time while waiting for my turn in the box, then didn't see the game change and missed the first hand of Crazy Pineapple. Faced a tough lineup. I still increased my stack every time I was in the box, though -- but not by enough, the team finished a bit down. Dropped about 30 bucks in the 3/6 game. Thursday pm, 7-stud shootout, the event I cashed in last year. Pro "Quiet Lion" at my table (who won the Lowbah event), along with other tough players. Didn't quite repeat my cash, though. Got down to three of us left at my table, I was second in chips, but the short-stack survived while my stack shrank. When I made my stand I came up short and went out. (BTW, Gavin Smith took 4th in this event) Then I went and played some Dealer's Choice and cashed out up a hundred. Friday, TOC tournament. This is a great tournament, three games and fairly deep stacked. Couldn't get much happening for me, though, and I went out just before the second break. Richard "Quiet Lion" Brodie made his second final table in this event, finishing 5th. Saturday, the NL Hold'em tournament. We only start with 2,000 in chips but the blinds are kept low for the first few rounds, so we get some depth. I don't get much in the way of cards, get up a bit, down a bit. I had a hand where I missed the flop completely with AQ, but made a continuation bet. I fumbled with my chips and when I put the bet out my hands were shaking. After everyone folded there were a couple of comments about my "tell" that I had a strong hand -- I loved that. I eliminated Fellknight with my 99, but he'd already been crippled on a previous hand. Eventually, I was down to only 1,000 in chips with the blinds getting stout and I pushed with pocket tens, got called by QJ, and a queen comes on the turn. At this point a ten on the river is useless to me, it will make the other player a straight, but a jack will give me a straight, so I have three outs. It doesn't come, though, so IGHN. I joined a 3/6 Dealer's choice game that turned out to be 15/x. A couple of players were capping it preflop almost every hand. I won my first two hands, then announced that I was going for the "hat trick" and won my third hand as well. Alas, that was the last of my good fortune, and I left the table down. The reindeer games! My favorite part of BARGE. I joined one of the Dealer's Choice games. During the night a few locals/tourists came and went -- some of them shellshocked, a couple of them caught their hands and were up some. At one of the earlier DC games a drunk clueless player sat down, and when he got up to make a pit stop one of the BARGErs said that taking his chips was like clubbing a baby seal. I played until 5am, made a nice profit and secured an overeall profit in the side games for the week. An early flight out Sunday made for an easy time at the airport, and a typical Southwest flight home. Already planning for next year. -- Joe Long aka ChipRider