From: "kevin"
Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2009 22:16:04 -0500
Subject: [BARGE] Un's Trip Report

14 Hours of BARGE=20


PREBARGE
I wasn=E2=80=99t supposed to be at BARGE this year. My daughter=E2=80=99s t=
eam was playing in the National tournament for 18 & under Fastpitch softbal=
l. I don=E2=80=99t know why they call it softball =E2=80=93 there is absolu=
tely NOTHING soft about it. I took one in the leg one time and I had an imp=
rint of the laces for about a week. The tournament began on BARGE Tuesday, =
with the Opening Ceremonies and ran until BARGE Sunday. I got stuck on a wo=
rk project Tuesday-Thursday so I was unable to be there to support her. Alt=
hough it=E2=80=99s certainly not an excuse on the level as say, being calle=
d to serve in Afghanistan, it was an easy decision for me. I think it=E2=80=
=99s pretty much universal that father=E2=80=99s should support their daugh=
ters. It=E2=80=99s a rule even on Planet Scottro.

I was able to attend Friday=E2=80=99s 8am game by sleeping Thursday night f=
rom 11pm-2am, waking up, showering, packing and making the four hour drive =
(5 with the time change). I arrived in time to see the 1st inning of 7. Alt=
hough they played well, my daughter=E2=80=99s team lost and was eliminated =
from the tournament. As a backup plan, I had booked a flight to LV for Frid=
ay evening, but due to traffic problems on the drive back from Indiana, I w=
as unable to get to the airport on time. Consequently, I called Southwest t=
o see if I could get a Saturday flight. My daughter handled the paperwork w=
hilst I was on the phone. She read me the confirmation number and I gave it=
 to the Southwest rep. I was able to get on a 7:25 am flight. Now I am full=
y aware that getting up at 4:30 in the morning is a sin for poker players, =
but I decided to do it anyway and risk the wrath of the pocker gods. Meanwh=
ile, my daughter was perusing the paperwork and commented, =E2=80=9CThat=E2=
=80=99s just sick. You get to fly to Vegas for $2.50??=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CYes, but I also have to pay $2.50 to fly home, so they actually ge=
t double the revenue,=E2=80=9D I said.

Later that night I tried to sleep but was unable to do so. My body clock wa=
s already set to BARGE time, so even though I wasn=E2=80=99t yet in Las Veg=
as, my brain still was programmed to bypass the sleep subroutine.=20

I arose about 4:30am, showered, etc. and headed for the airport. I arrived =
in what should have been plenty of time (airports are not usually very busy=
 that early on a Sunday morning). I was walking toward the shuttle bus when=
 it occurred to me that I may have left my sunglass in the car. While I don=
=E2=80=99t often wear them at the tables, they are a necessity for driving =
in LV.  I couldn=E2=80=99t find them in my car, so I rechecked my backpack =
and DING, there they were. As a result, I just missed the shuttle bus. Not =
to worry, as they come about every 10 minutes or so. No need to hurry =E2=
=80=93 the airport is generally not that crowded at this hour on a Sunday m=
orning.

I catch the next shuttle and enter the airport on the lower level. Riding u=
p the escalator, I am horrified to see all of the people in line. WTF? On a=
 Sunday morning? I go outside and decide that even though there are long li=
nes in curb-side check-in, this still is the way to go. I check my bag (abo=
ut 25 minutes before departure) and offer a nice toke to ensure that my bag=
 makes the flight. The offer is accepted and I am assured that my bag will =
travel on the same flight with me to LV.

Next stop =E2=80=93 Security Checkpoint A. LOOK AT THE LINES!! OMG, no way =
I=E2=80=99m making this flight and I know that there are no seats available=
 on any other Southwest flights that day. Oh, I forgot to mention that I al=
ways fly free to BARGE, thanks to Southwest=E2=80=99s Rapid Reward program.=
 There has been a policy change at Southwest however. One used to be able t=
o travel on any flight. Now, they only reserve a limited number of seats fo=
r the freebie. I=E2=80=99m totally screwed. To add insult to injury, I fina=
lly realize that it is Saturday, NOT Sunday. What a donk. I=E2=80=99ve got =
to slow down and stop working so hard.

I decide to try anyway, and go through Checkpoint A. I=E2=80=99m waiting to=
 get to the x-ray machines when some Crazy Asian Gamb00ler Lady comes runni=
ng by screaming that she=E2=80=99s only got 10 minutes to make her flight. =
People graciously let her through. Should I try this too?

About this time I notice that the line next to me splits off in to two line=
s, but no one seems to be going into the second branch, which is to my imme=
diate right. Well, as Yogi Berra said, =E2=80=9CWhen you get to a fork in t=
he road, take it,=E2=80=9D and while I was beyond the fork, I decided to ta=
ke it anyway, and slipped under the ropes to hop in the new line. Meanwhile=
 the lady at the fork was still standing there waiting, about 20 feet behin=
d me. I guess she never heard of Yogi Berra.

Thanks to Yogi I get through security and check my ticket=E2=80=A6Gate B18.=
 ARRGH. The last gate. Bad Beat number infinity + 1 for the day. I jog/spri=
nt to the gate and am about 100 feet away when I hear the announcement that=
 all passengers on my flight to LV should be on board. The door had not bee=
n closed, so I am able to board. Amazingly enough, someone else arrives lat=
er than me. Resigning myself to the fact that I will have to sit in a middl=
e sit next to some big fat guy who hasn=E2=80=99t showered in a week and ha=
d 4 burritos for breakfast, I=E2=80=99m excited that in 4 hours I will be i=
n LV attending the Barge I was almost certainly destined to miss. I was abl=
e to find an aisle seat next to a young couple. We had some pleasant conver=
sations, and I offered up some advice, as neither of them had ever been to =
LV as adults.


LAS VEGAS
Arrive LV 9:25am local time. Bag arrives 9:34. At car rental facility 9:41,=
 Binion=E2=80=99s 9:58. Valet grabs keys 9:59.=20

=E2=80=9CHey, you=E2=80=99re late=E2=80=9D, the Valet says.

=E2=80=9CWhat?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CYou=E2=80=99re 4 days late. Hurry up, the tournament is about to s=
tart.=E2=80=9D Amazing.

Enter tournament area 9:59:44.  I had phoned my nephew-in-law Matt Murray (=
who would later win the Playboy thingie substituting for James Kittock aka =
Leslie=E2=80=99s husband). Matt told me that there was a seat available and=
 I asked him to tell Peter or Nick or Mick (or preferably all three) that I=
 wanted it. Upon arrival I am informed that no seats are available, but Bru=
ce Kramer (aka ADB Big Boy)=E2=80=99s wife wants to sell her seat in the SO=
 event that begins at 11. Nick allows me to enter with the condition that I=
 play nice. I think what he meant was that when one of the ladies who knows=
 absolutely nothing about poker calls my naked bluff with her A-K, I should=
n=E2=80=99t cry like a baby. I agreed, and made a plan:

Round 1 =E2=80=93 Play =E2=80=9CNormally=E2=80=9D
Round 2 =E2=80=93 Play with one card exposed
Round 3 =E2=80=93 Play with both cards exposed
Round 4 =E2=80=93 Play with both cards exposed, look at my opponent=E2=80=
=99s cards and advise opponent as to the proper play.

As I=E2=80=99m finalizing this plan, the room explodes with applause. I see=
 Sharon Goldman standing on  a chair, bowing. As former Cubs announcer Jack=
 Brickhouse might say, =E2=80=9CThat=E2=80=99s that second straight consecu=
tive time in a row=E2=80=9D that Sharon has busted out first in the NL even=
t. I find Peter Secor to pre/post pay all of the ADB last longer wagers, an=
d he asks me what my table number is. I tell him that I was informed that t=
he tourney was sold out, so I didn=E2=80=99t get a seat. =E2=80=9CNonsense,=
=E2=80=9D he says and walks with me over to Nick=E2=80=99s table.

=E2=80=9CSharon just busted out. Gets some chips and give Un her seat,=E2=
=80=9D Peter said.

=E2=80=9CI don=E2=80=99t have a problem with that,=E2=80=9D says Nick. No o=
ne at Nick=E2=80=99s table protests either, and as I walk away I could swea=
r I heard laughter and some low volume discussion containing the words =E2=
=80=9Cdead money=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CThere=E2=80=99s always a chair for t=
he suckers.=E2=80=9D=20

I=E2=80=99m overjoyed to be playing in the No Limit event. I hadn=E2=80=99t=
 even registered for BARGE! Of course, Peter collected not only the entry f=
ee, but also the registration fee. Naturally I bitched about paying the reg=
istration fee (all poker players bitch at parting with money) but it was al=
l just an act. I wouldn=E2=80=99t have it any other way. Heck, I should hav=
e been charged a late fee too!


Highlights from NL:
I make an all-in re-raise preflop with 5-7 (but they=E2=80=99re s00ted)! Pa=
tti Beadles 4 bets and the original raiser calls. The original raise shows =
something like K-9 or K-T and Patti shows 8-8. No one has knocked me out of=
 more tourneys that Patti, and it appears that she will add yet another not=
ch to her handcuffs as the flop comes 8 -x-x. Deep down inside, although ma=
thematically crushed, I still have hope. You see, I was pretty sure that I =
recognized this particular dealer from one of my latest Poker Stars tourney=
s, and when the turn showed a 6 and the river brought a 9, I KNEW for certa=
in it was him. He is famous throughout the world for dealing runner-runner =
straights, at least one component of which is always a gut shot.  So, with =
a 9 high straight, my 5-7 held up. Heh.

Our table breaks and I get moved David Kluchman=E2=80=99s table. David and =
I became friends after exchanging numerous email prior to his first BARGE i=
n 2008. When I say I was moved to David=E2=80=99s table, I don=E2=80=99t si=
mply mean the table at which he was playing, I mean DAVID=E2=80=99s table. =
He was r00ling. He was raising preflop with a high percentage of hands, yet=
 not so frequently as to frustrate his benefactors into calling or re-raisi=
ng. I planned on re-raising him the next time he raised my blind (my BB was=
 his button). I must have had a tell, because the next time I was BB, every=
one folded to me.

On the next orbit, David did open raise from the button. The SB folded and =
I immediately re-popped it. I had A-Ks (good plan eh? I forgot to tell you =
about the part where I was going to catch a Group 1 hand the next time Davi=
d open raised). I won the hand and David slowed down, although not for long.
My dear friend Len G was also at the table, and must have been getting pure=
 trash. I tried to goad him into action by commenting on his play. Some exa=
mples:

=E2=80=9CDoes your husband play poker too?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m trying to figure out which happens with greater freque=
ncy, you playing a hand, or Oprah going jogging.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CLen, maybe Santa will bring you a hand for Christmas! Why don=E2=
=80=99t you wait.=E2=80=9D

It was all meant as fun, but Len politely (well politely given the situatio=
n) informed me that not all of the players were as observant as me, and it =
would be best if I don=E2=80=99t point out things of which they may not be =
aware. I think he had just raised preflop and won the blinds. I told Len th=
at it was not my intention to alter any of his potential victims=E2=80=99 p=
lay, and conceded that comments may have actually done that. Len accepted m=
y apology. Once again Len, I=E2=80=99m sorry. I was only trying to tease yo=
u. I never considered that it might have an overall effect on the game. I p=
romise not to do it next year (as long as you promise to play a friggin=E2=
=80=99 hand once in a while. NOW GO HOME AND GET YOUR SHINE BOX).
=20
Seriously, I do feel bad about it, Len. It won=E2=80=99t happen again.

I eventually bust out when David wisely calls my T-T with his 8-8. Just lik=
e at my previous table (when I risked my tournament life against Patti=E2=
=80=99s 8-8=E2=80=A6.I hate the phrase, and the next time I hear =E2=80=9CR=
isking his tournament life, I=E2=80=99m going to vomit in a bag and send it=
 to the announcer)=E2=80=A6.anyway, oh yeah, just like before an 8 came on =
the flop but this time we had a different dealer who obviously did not know=
 to make amends for his egregious error, and failed to help me on the turn =
and/or river. I HATE guys that don=E2=80=99t know how to deal!

As penalty for his ways, I bombarded David with the many (ok 2) McDonalds f=
igurines that I had received as bust out prizes. I also presented him with =
my old license plate bearing the symbols AKQJ 11.

Rumor has it that Paul White (aka ET) has the plate AKQJ10. I busted out so=
mewhere in the around 76th. Not intending to participate in any tourneys, I=
 had previously made a Last Longer with Goldie whereby in order to get paid=
, he had to outlast half the field. Since he was still in action, I went ov=
er and paid him. I wish Quick would return. I=E2=80=99ve won all of my Quic=
k bets. Speaking of which, the idea was brought up that we should provide a=
 stack for Quick and blind him off, thereby allowing him to once again acce=
pt Quick Bets.


One consequence of not registering for BARGE is that when they slip you in =
to the No Limit event (Thanks again Sharon for busting out with amazing spe=
ed), you don=E2=80=99t get to be part of the Symposium. I missed that, but =
I also left town with about $500 more than I would have had I been there an=
d bought some horses. IFSATG.

Usually, I am partnered with Leslie Walker. We got randomly assigned as a p=
air a few years ago, and Leslie played extremely well, so we made a pact th=
at we would always be partners and have a generally made a deal to swap 10%=
 equity. (Naturally I cleared all of this first with her husband James, so =
that there would be no misunderstandings with respect to my gentlemanly int=
entions). I didn=E2=80=99t get to see her this year until the tournament wa=
s well under way, and even though I was short stacked, Leslie said that our=
 10% swap was still on. (I=E2=80=99ve actually conned her into thinking tha=
t I am a better player, so she probably thought that she was getting the be=
tter deal there).=20

Last year, at the CHORSE tourney, Leslie wore a plastic pink tiara. Given h=
er personality, she didn=E2=80=99t really seem to fit with Team PMS. She=E2=
=80=99s more like Princess Charming. Sounds like a much better nickname tha=
n =E2=80=9CI loves hoes=E2=80=9D dontcha think?


The Banquet
I used to think I was funny, then I heard Nick speak. Nick, you were awesom=
e and had me splitting a gut. Well either it was you or the food from the s=
nack bar. We cannot thank the organizers enough. Nick, Peter, Mickdog you g=
uys are terrific. Chuck, I know you=E2=80=99re still in action behind the s=
cenes. Peter =E2=80=93 what a fucking warhorse you are. Root canal infectio=
n and all, Peter still worked his ass off to ensure another Best Barge Ever.

For all of you newbies, you cannot even begin to understand what it takes t=
o make BARGE happen. Even before BARGE 2K9 officially ended, our fearless l=
eaders were already preparing for BARGE 2K10. Think, if only for a second, =
about the amount of effort that goes in to organizing a single no limit tou=
rnament. Now multiply that by 4 or 5. Negotiate contracts with a host casin=
o, get a room for the symposium, get a room for the banquet, provide food o=
rders, get a speaker, organize reindeer games, deal with registrations, lat=
e registrations, (and non-registrations - guilty), prize funds, entry fees,=
 craps crawls, etc. etc. etc. Why, just the aggravation that *I* put them t=
hrough by showing up, unregistered, getting a seat at the banquet AND a sea=
t in the No Limit tournament. I know that there are others who provide assi=
stance/services behind the scenes too =E2=80=93 Patrick Milligan comes to m=
ind immediately- but none of makes BARGE what it is happens with a great de=
al a sacrifice from our organizers. THANK YOU GUYS. You=E2=80=99re the nuts.
Doyle was an awesome speaker. Here=E2=80=99s a guy who has absolutely nothi=
ng to gain by giving up his time and energy to come and talk to us. Plus he=
 signed autographs early and stayed late so people could get photos and mor=
e autographs. Thanks also to Nolan for all of his fine work (as usual).

=E2=80=83
Reindeer Games
I played 3-6 dealer=E2=80=99s choice. This included games like Oklahoma and=
 half Mississippi Stud/half Badugi. I made a huge mistake folding my T-T-T-=
6-6 to Russ Fox (aka Messenger of Doom)=E2=80=99s board of A-A-A-5-5. This =
was discovered when Russ called out his 5 high Badugi.=20

=E2=80=9CThat=E2=80=99s not a Badugi, Russ. You  can=E2=80=99t use pairs.=
=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m not. I have 5-4-2-A.=E2=80=9D

WTF? You have 4-5 showing, not 5-5? So you don=E2=80=99t have a full house?=
 Bastid! I suppose if I=E2=80=99m going to throw away a pot, it=E2=80=99s b=
est that it=E2=80=99s only half a pot, even if we did cap the betting on th=
ree rounds.

I roamed around the room and chatted with many friends, but certainly misse=
d many others. BARGE just cannot be done right in 14 hours.


Sunday
Matt, Ashley, Caryn and Tyler stayed over, so I hung out with them after Ma=
tt won the Playboy thingie. Later I am informed that the tournament is NOT =
at the Playboy mansion, it=E2=80=99s at Binion's. The trip to the Playboy M=
ansion is optional. Damn, lucky for you Matt that I didn=E2=80=99t know tha=
t fact in advance. It=E2=80=99s the only reason I didn=E2=80=99t play.=20

Played some video poker and got r00led. So many 1 card draw to a Royal, so =
little payouts. Quads? LMAO. This machine must be using a 39 card deck. The=
re are no quads here.


Monday (I think it was Monday)
Whilst playing more video poker at the Four Queens (jackpot is >$1200 on a =
quarter 10/7 DB machine) I get a phone call from a frantic Dan Goldman:

=E2=80=9CUn, is that you?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CYes, who is this?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CIt=E2=80=99s Dan Goldman. Listen, were having a bunch of people ov=
er tonight for a party, and you=E2=80=99re the guest of honor. Neither Shar=
on nor I had your cell phone number, so I had to post to the BARGE list in =
the hopes that someone would see it and reply. Can you make it?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CIt=E2=80=99s not a party like the one Patti invited me to several =
years ago in San Francisco, is it?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CHmm, I=E2=80=99m not sure, but I don=E2=80=99t think so.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CYou don=E2=80=99t have a dungeon in your house do you?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CUm, not that I know of.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9COK, it sounds safe enough. I=E2=80=99ll be there=E2=80=9D.

Realizing that I did not ask for directions, and being too embarrassed to c=
all back, I went over to Binion=E2=80=99s and asked for directions to Dan=
=E2=80=99s house. Of course, one of Binion's poker hosts had the informatio=
n I wanted.

When I arrived at the Goldman residence, many people were already there. I =
saw my old friends Kenny Chei, Terrence Chan, Richard Brodie, Nick Christia=
nsen and Bart Simpson among others.(Nick I=E2=80=99m definitely going to ch=
eck out Lon Bronson=E2=80=99s All-Star Band).

This was going to be a great party! A bit later I wandered around the house=
 only to discover two people intertwined on a carpeted bedroom floor. My he=
art raced and quickly looked around for Patti. =E2=80=9CGET OUT. IT=E2=80=
=99S A TRAP,=E2=80=9D I thought. It turns out that it was Terrence Chan and=
 someone else (who I never introduced myself to. Sorry, I=E2=80=99m usually=
 not that shy or rude). They were doing some martial arts thingie and when =
Terrence successfully cut off the blood supply to her brain, she passed out=
, eyes rolling back in her head. Terrence assured us that she would be alri=
ght. I took him at his word, not wanting to stand too close in case Terrenc=
e shouted, =E2=80=9CNEXT!=E2=80=9D

The food and the company were both excellent. I had some great conversation=
s with Kenny, Nick and Bart. Thanks to everyone for organizing this get-tog=
ether, preparing such a wonderful meal and making my BARGE last another day=
! Dan and Sharon, you know I love you both. Bree, yeah, ok you too! As for =
your very generous offer Dan, I may just take you up on that someday.

Later that night (at the Monte Carlo NL) my AA actually sucked out against =
QQ when the board came 5-5-T-J-7. Imagine that! Aces holding up. Who woulda=
 thunk it? I still had to wonder though, how could he call me with that? Do=
esn=E2=80=99t he know who I am?

The next day whilst playing VP at Main Street, I noticed two uniformed gent=
lemen rolling out an ATM. =E2=80=9CDid you hear about (mumble mumble)? They=
 had a rigged the ATM machine and someone was stealing people=E2=80=99s PIN=
 numbers.=E2=80=9D I couldn=E2=80=99t help but wonder if this had been repo=
rted to the LVPD Police Department.

I r00led on the flight home as it was only about 1/3 full (making it 2/3 em=
pty for those of you who are mathematically challenged, MARLIN).

What I won in poker I probably lost in video poker. What I experienced in j=
oy will last me until next BARGE, when I will see you all again, and we sil=
l share wonderful times, swap stories, and catch up on each other=E2=80=99s=
 lives.

At some point in my evolution as a poker player, I realized that poker is n=
ot about cards; it=E2=80=99s about people. The cards have almost nothing to=
 do with it. At some point in my evolution as a person, I realized that BAR=
GE is not about POKER. Poker is merely an excuse we use to get together.


In =E2=80=9CThe Death of a Hired Man=E2=80=9D Robert Frost writes, =E2=80=
=9CHome is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take yo=
u in.=E2=80=9D For me, especially this year, BARGE is where, when you get t=
here, you find hundreds of people not only taking you in, but also holding =
the door (and their arms) wide open in anticipation of your arrival. My 14 =
hours of BARGE 2K9 was, as always, a great experience. I am sad that it=E2=
=80=99s over, but filled with joy knowing that in less than 360 days we sha=
ll all come together once again to eat, drink, swap stories and be merry.

Finally, I would like to say goodbye to my two dear, departed friends Don P=
erry and Steve Nissman. Don was part of the original Virgin class (1999). I=
 will miss his humor, and his friendship. If only I had one more chance to =
look up and see Don coming over to the empty seat at my table, carrying his=
 baseball cap upside down, filled with Chips. I never could beat that guy.


Steve and I had several interesting chats over the years. He was one of tho=
se guys who was willing to listen, even though your viewpoint may have been=
 completely opposite of his. He engaged in meaningful, intellectual discuss=
ions without letting his emotions dominate his reasoning. I remember Steve =
as quite the stud player, and I know I was going to have a problem when he =
was at my Stud Shootout table a few years ago. No way could I go toe to toe=
 with this guy and survive.=20

When a critical moment arrived, Steve had an Ace as his door card, I raised=
 him on 3rd street, not once but twice. When 4th street brought him another=
 Ace, he bet out again and again I raised him. This time he only called. On=
 fifth Street, he checked and I bet. He called. On 6th street, more of the =
same, check, bet, call. On 7th street, he checked, and made a painful face =
when I bet. My board showed absolutely nothing. Nada, squat, all rags. =E2=
=80=9CKevin, I can=E2=80=99t see what you have, but I know what it is. Nice=
 hand,=E2=80=9D and he folded. My hole cards matched my exposed cards. Not =
in the sense that any of them were pairs, but in the sense that they too we=
re nothing, nada, squat, all rags. I had King high. I never showed him.

My point is not that I managed to outplay Steve, but rather it is meant to =
be a testimony to his ability as a player. Steve was sure that I had a comp=
letely concealed full house. How else could I be betting with what appeared=
 to be nothing? There are not many players against whom I could actually pu=
ll that off, but I knew that Steve was one of them. He was a great player, =
capable of thinking well outside the box =E2=80=93 just as he was willing t=
o do during the course of any discussion. Steve and All-knight Adam were su=
ch good friends that I once called Adam =E2=80=9CSteve=E2=80=9D, I saw them=
 together on so many occasions that I sometimes got them mixed up as indivi=
duals. Adam has lost a great friend, as has the entire BARGE community. Ste=
ve, you will forever be missed, but you will continue to live on in the mem=
ories of so many of us.=20


Thanks again to all of those people, both named and unnamed, who not only m=
ake BARGE happen, they make it great. I=E2=80=99m looking forward to 2010, =
and the BEST BARGE EVER!

-Un

Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2009 22:29:48 -0500
Subject: [BARGE] Un's Trip Report - Brief Addendum

Where else besides BARGE can you encounter a floor man walking through the
tournament area, announcing (like a ballpark beer vendor), "Toke chips. Who
needs Toke chips?"

I also forgot to thank the staff at Binion's. I first attended BARGE in 1999
when it was held at the Orleans. Lots of BARGE veterans were saying that the
Orleans just didn't get us. I didn't understand at the time. I loved BARGE
and thought the Orleans did a good job. In future years, when BARGE was held
at Binion's, I came to realize how much the poker staff made a difference.
The effort they put forth, their generosity, attentiveness, support and
outstanding attitudes are unsurpassed. Just as BARGE wouldn't be that same
with our organizers, it also wouldn't be the same without Binion's. Walk
into Binion's anytime between now and next August, and if they don't
recognize you, just mention BARGE, and you'll see the smiles on their faces.
Many of the dealers wear their BARGE pins year round. Binion's is our home.


TO THE BINION'S STAFF - THANK YOU SO MUCH. You guys and gals rock.

-Kevin Un