Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2012 18:27:48 +0000 (UTC) From: ADB Howler Subject: [BARGE] =?utf-8?q?Howler=E2=80=99s_Barge_2012_Trip_Report__Part_1?= =?utf-8?q?_of_5?= Howler=E2=80=99s Barge 2012 Trip Report=20 Part 1 of 5=20 Day 1,Tuesday =E2=80=93=20 Sue and I arrived as planned, about three in the afternoon. We called Dave = Lawful to let him know that we would be there soon. =C2=A0 We went to the r= oom and relaxed a bit, before heading over to Binion=E2=80=99s . =C2=A0 We = got to the card room and saw many of the regular Barge minions.=20 Dave was seated in a 3-6 game, I think it might have been HORSE. =C2=A0 I s= aid my hellos to all the folks, and grabbed a drink, of course. =C2=A0 A 4-= 8 high/low Omaha game was just set to begin. =C2=A0 Playing with Bargers is= always fun, it=E2=80=99s worth he price of admission just to sit in.=20 I played OK but had more fun talking and joking around, at one point I got = so loud, a local asked me to tone it down. =C2=A0 I played until the Lowbal= l tourney started, around seven o=E2=80=99clock, racked up my dollar chips = and was ready to play like a rock.=20 I wanted to do well this time, as Lowball is a game I love, but last year I= got so low that it was either fold or shove. =C2=A0 I caught some hands ea= rly on and built up my chip stack, in fact I think I made best hand in 3 ha= nds back to back to back.=20 A couple of footballs later and the night began to fog; I lost a couple of = big hands, playing hands that were the dog. =C2=A0 I managed to rein it in = and got moved to another table, hanging on to the sides of my chair, just t= o remain stable.=20 Fich was at the table with me and I was talking it up. =C2=A0 Telling every= one how happy I was to see that they showed up. =C2=A0 At one point during = the tournament, I guess I wouldn=E2=80=99t let up, So Fich went over to my = wife and asked, =E2=80=9CCan=E2=80=99t you get him to shut the fuck up?=E2= =80=9D=20 I don=E2=80=99t remember exactly how, but I made it to the final table. =C2= =A0 I made my way over to it as best as I was able. =C2=A0 I continued my i= nebriated ramblings with other players just the same, until Fich knocked me= out in 8 th from this tournament Lowball game. =C2=A0=20 Congrats go to Fich for winning the tournament and having patience with me,= I Love to talk and love to play as you can plainly see.=20 I had fun and played well, which was my goal from the start, but I have one= last word of wisdom from Tuesday I must impart. =C2=A0 Lowball is a game w= hich is closest to my heart, so always play it like, oh hang on , <= burp>, =E2=80=A6=E2=80=A6=E2=80=A6=20 Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2012 19:08:09 +0000 (UTC) From: ADB Howler Subject: [BARGE] =?utf-8?q?Howler=E2=80=99s_Barge_2012_Trip_Report_Part_2_?= =?utf-8?q?of_5?= Howler=E2=80=99s Barge 2012 Trip Report=20 Part 2 of 5=20 Day 2, Wednesday =E2=80=93=20 I would be remiss if I did not say, that I got 3 bust out gifts on Tuesday.= =20 Regaling our daughters of Barge exploits to a greater and lesser extent, bu= t teaching them to play poker well, has always been important. =C2=A0 Makin= g it to Barge when they turn 21, to this they seem hell bent, but making th= em into degenerate gamblers was never our intent.=20 My daughter Christine flew in today and we picked her up around noon. =C2= =A0 Bright eyed and bushy tailed she was but that will change soon. =C2=A0 = She wanted to see the Luxor and visit the Chris Angel store, but alas it wa= s closed so we went to the casino floor.=20 We played a little here and there and decided to eat lunch, the caf=C3=A9 a= nd the Luxor has good food that doesn=E2=80=99t cost much . =C2=A0 We went = back to Main Street and cleaned up before, we went over to Binions to gambl= e some more.=20 We took her to the poker room to introduce her to Barge, everyone was reall= y nice and we sat down to recharge. =C2=A0 We had a drink, we gambled a bit= but then it got late, and we went back to our room, sleep at Barge is grea= t.=20 More on my daughter Christine, as her story is not over.=C2=A0 Wait until d= ays 4 and 5 when I explain why she was hung over.=20 Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2012 15:27:59 +0000 (UTC) From: ADB Howler Subject: [BARGE] =?utf-8?q?Howler=E2=80=99s_Barge_2012_Trip_Report__Part_3?= =?utf-8?q?_of_5?= Howler=E2=80=99s Barge 2012 Trip Report=20 Part 3 of 5=20 Day 3, Thursday =E2=80=93=20 Thursday we did nothing except play video poker and slots all day. =C2=A0= =20 Sue did good and Chris was fine, I however couldn=E2=80=99t make a dime.=20 7 o=E2=80=99clock rolled around and it was time for 6 game, 5 of them I kno= w but my play in deuce to seven I have only myself to blame. =C2=A0=20 The structure seemed fast as bust outs came early, I tried to stay afloat a= nd not get to squirrely. =C2=A0 It must have been obvious that in deuce to = seven I was weak, the only hand I played in cost me big so the future looke= d bleak. =C2=A0 I made a few hands and lost many more and busted out early,= a lesson I paid $75+20 for. =C2=A0 I have my work cut out for me as I did = with lowball, study and play this year, now bring on the Craps Crawl!=20 Bingo had announced the day before, that Chris was a craps virgin which has= mystical qualities he swore. =C2=A0 We collected the crawlers and began ou= r trek; we ended up at Main Street hoping to supplement our payroll checks.= =C2=A0 Along the way Bingo, with grace and charm, regaled us with the lege= nd of the Golden Arm. =C2=A0 It is said these r00lerz can hold the dice for= an hour or more then off we went to the craps table dreaming of a big scor= e.=20 We find a table which is pretty much empty; I leave Chris with Bingo as he = is the craps Cognoscenti. =C2=A0 I buy her in for $100 and say have fun,=E2= =80=9D I will come back in a while to see what you have won=E2=80=9D. 20 or= so minutes pass and the crowd has thinned out, I walk back to the table to= see what all the yelling was about. =C2=A0 I ask Chris what happened and s= he said with a smile I rolled a 7 my first roll and then I crapped out. =C2= =A0 She said that Bingo had asked where I had gone and Chris told him I had= been off playing. =C2=A0 Bingo then said =E2=80=9CHe left you with me? Tha= t=E2=80=99s just bad parenting!=E2=80=9D=20 She played a little more and worked her stack down to $50 and she decided t= o stop but God help me she thinks Craps is nifty!! =C2=A0 Nothing can beat = a trip with the family; from Florida to California we have seen plenty. =C2= =A0 But there=E2=80=99s something about Vegas during the Barge time of year= . Seeing it for the first time through your child=E2=80=99s eyes is truly s= omething to revere.=20 Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2012 17:22:33 +0000 (UTC) From: ADB Howler Subject: [BARGE] =?utf-8?q?Howler=E2=80=99s_Barge_2012_Trip_Report__Part_4?= =?utf-8?q?_of_5?= Howler=E2=80=99s Barge 2012 Trip Report=20 Part 4 of 5=20 Day 4, Friday =E2=80=93=20 Friday will be a day for Chris that will live in infamy as she has become p= art of the mystical Barge history.=20 The TOC is the tournament I love, the structure, the games and unlike No li= mit which has become for me just fold or shove.=20 I want to win this damn thing, I have final tabled 5 times. =C2=A0 I just c= an=E2=80=99t get over the hump but that=E2=80=99s the way it goes sometimes= .=20 I start out well winning several hands in the first couple levels, and was = going along fine until stud8 hit me like a Tasmanian Devil. =C2=A0 I starte= d out low and 5th street gave me a high, I looked at my opponents up cards = and thought I would die. =C2=A0 I made a low on 6 th street and I thought I= was free rolling, there is now way I can lose didn=E2=80=99t even think ab= out folding. =C2=A0 The betting, which had been sane, went through the roof= on 6 th street much to my disdain. =C2=A0 Knowing where you are at in any = poker hand is a most import bit of information, which in this case, I didn= =E2=80=99t have. =C2=A0 I probably should have mucked;=C2=A0 can=E2=80=99t = think of a worse position to be in not knowing that you are fucked.. I pres= sed on with the hand and saw it through to the river; I go home now, as I l= ost both high and low. =C2=A0 Stood up thanked the table and went off to th= e bar to pollute my liver.=20 We hung around Fremont Street and Chris found the boots of beer, she bought= one and drank it with great 22 year old cheer. =C2=A0 Her mom and I said, = =E2=80=9CBe careful, don=E2=80=99t over imbibe but you are 22 and we wouldn= =E2=80=99t begin to prescribe.=E2=80=9D =C2=A0 We stopped and got some food= , Sue got a chocolate covered banana and we wondered back to the poker room= to eat and take in the Barge panorama. Fich came along and we talked and l= aughed, then he said something that made my daughter gasp. =C2=A0 For those= of you who know Fich, he rarely works blue, but at one point h e said to m= y lovely wife, =E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99ll give you $10 to eat that banana exactl= y the way I tell you to=E2=80=9D =C2=A0 We laughed till we cried and them i= t was time, to head up stairs to the symposium, to miss it would be a crime= . =C2=A0=20 I helped with the auction, the bids were a flowing, at one point someone bo= ught a player without even knowing. =C2=A0 I grabbed Russ Fox and his partn= er for 80 dollars, what a small price to pay in this room full of scholars.= =C2=A0=20 Karaoke was next and oh what a blast, singing and drinking and just general= acting like an ass. =C2=A0 My daughter came with us, having downed another= boot. =C2=A0 I could see that she was tipsy a fact no one could refute. = =C2=A0 The Barge virgins bought her a double Jager, and I warned her not to= mix, but she downed the licorice drink faster than you could say Nikki Six= x. =C2=A0 Peter dropped off a Kamikaze, and I had one just the same, what h= appened next to Chris, she has only herself to blame. =C2=A0 She spilled mo= st of her drink on her mother, as she swayed back and forth, and I will bet= dollars to donuts she takes our advice henceforth. I left for the stage to= sing with other Bargers, belting out our faithful version of =E2=80=9CIf I= had a million dollars=E2=80=9D. =C2=A0 As I left the stage I looked to the= table, but Sue and Chris were gone, I looked around a little bit and then = I came upon, my wife standing in the doorway to the women=E2=80=99s lew and= she told me our lovely daughter had just began to spew. =C2=A0 Like any go= od father, I stepped in the door, I said =E2=80=9C This is cool, I have nev= er been in a women=E2=80=99s bathroom before!=E2=80=9D =C2=A0 There she was= , my tiny daughter; the liquor was taking its toll, as she squatted down wi= th her head stuck in the toilet bowl. =C2=A0 I held her hair, and rubbed he= r back as she made noise most severe, for almost 2 hours this went on until= finally her puke was clear. =C2=A0 On come the dry heaves, and with them b= rings painful convulsions, I think it=E2=80=99s the body=E2=80=99s way of p= unishing you with those worthless air expulsions. =C2=A0 I pick her up and = carried her out and get her to the door, we try to go down the stairs but n= ow we both fall to the floor. =C2=A0 Sue grabs the elevator, we slowly begi= n or descent, I look at Chris and in her eyes I see she is completely spent= . =C2=A0 I carry her across the street and as we head to our hotel, another= wave of puking comes on her like the hounds of hell. =C2=A0 She makes a mo= ve towards a railing that is minding its own business close by, =C2=A0 I tu= rn her towards a palm tree, she buries her head in the pot and lets it fly.= =C2=A0 Finally, we make to the room, a three hour trek at least. =C2=A0 Sh= e pukes a couple more time in the toilet, getting rid of the alcohol beast.= =C2=A0 We put her to bed and she passes out I think is was around two. =C2= =A0 Sue and I look at each other and =C2=A0chuckle both saying =E2=80=9Cwel= l, this is new=E2=80=9D. =C2=A0 It was time for me to get some sleep as Chr= is and I play at 10 today, and I have a feeling that getting Chris up and m= oving will be no field day.=20 Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2012 18:42:23 +0000 (UTC) From: ADB Howler Subject: [BARGE] =?utf-8?q?Howler=E2=80=99s_Barge_2012_Trip_Report__Part_5?= =?utf-8?q?_of_5?= Howler=E2=80=99s Barge 2012 Trip Report=20 Part 5 of 5=20 Day 5, Saturday =E2=80=93=20 =E2=80=9C10 o=E2=80=99clock is the No Limit! =E2=80=9D I exclaim, as Sue an= d I try to roust Chris from her drunken, sleeping, hangover shame.=20 It gets to be a quarter to eleven when we finally get Chris ready, to embar= k on her first live tournament =C2=A0 but she is still not feeling steady. = =C2=A0 She is white as a ghost, can=E2=80=99t keep anything down and I can = only imagine her head feels as big as the Jack in the Box clown.=20 I call Dave Lawful to let him know we are coming, and he says =E2=80=9CTake= your time no big deal, hey =C2=A0 let me tell ya something. We had our fir= st bust out on the very first hand. Chuck lost with AK to 66, on a board th= at looked like AK was grand.=E2=80=9D =C2=A0 The guy caught the remaining s= ixes to knock Chuck out, But If I know Chuck, he took it gracefully without= a doubt.=20 We took our seats but it was obvious Chris was hanging. =C2=A0 She looked t= he part of a person who took it too far the night before and for whom the b= ell was clanging. She sat quietly in her seat, not knowing what was in stor= e, and even picking up her cards seemed an insurmountable chore.=20 I went to my table which was a ram and jam fest, I caught no cards, played = no hands, the table seemed possessed. =C2=A0 It was always a bet and a rais= e to me, so of course I couldn=E2=80=99t play, I=E2=80=99ll wait for a big = hand and make these maniacs pay. =C2=A0 I waited and waited until my stack = was way low and decided to make a stand with AT, which blows. =C2=A0 I rais= ed all in and got called by Jacks, the flop brought nothing, fuck I=E2=80= =99m out, RATS!!!!=20 Chris on the other hand had a great day, she busted Sharron and helped crip= ple Dan, I knew she could play. =C2=A0 Chris went very deep and I thought s= he would cash, but 32 nd was the furthest she went, not bad for a kid who t= he night before made one hell of a splash.=20 The banquet was fun and the first time Chris got to eat, It was the first t= ime all day she wasn=E2=80=99t white as a sheet. =C2=A0 Karina was cool and= her speech was right on the mark. =C2=A0 I can=E2=80=99t wait to see you b= eat those dorks on Poker After Dark!=20 I helped set up the reindeer games and paid out the Calcutta pool, said my = goodbyes and headed back for the hotel to rest, relax and retool. =C2=A0=20 Randy pointed out just now that Stub8 is not a TOC game, I was rushing thro= ugh writing my trip report, I fucked up what a shame. I know what is in sto= re for me so start the abuse. =C2=A0 Just chock it up to an ADB=E2=80=99er = trying to channel Dr Seuss.=20 Peter, and Bree, Nick and Chuck, Mickdog, and Nolan. Mr =E2=80=9CWhat the F= uck!=E2=80=9D Sharon and Dan, and many more I love just the same, and to th= ose of you I have neglected to name. You folks are the reasons we come ever= y year. The poker, the laughter, and the irreverent cheer. =C2=A0 Even thou= gh we don=E2=80=99t see you but once in a while, when we do see each other = it always brings me a smile. And when I die and move on to something much l= arger, I will always, always cherish my time as a Barger. =C2=A0=20