From: Chuck Weinstock Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2012 21:09:20 -0400 Subject: [BARGE] Chuck's BARGE 2012 Trip Report [Warning: this is very long and probably boring with virtually no poker = content.] I left Pittsburgh on the Monday afternoon of BARGE week, flying = Southwest Airlines to Chicago and on to Vegas. I had enough time at = Midway to pick up a wholesome lunch of an Italian Beef sandwich at Gold = Coast Dogs and a Chicago Mix (carmel corn and cheese corn) at Nuts on = Clark. The flight to Las Vegas left full and on-time. It was on this = flight that I experienced my first bad beat of the trip in that I was = *supposed* to be flying with Un but his BARGE participation got delayed = a few days due to work issues. I had to put up with a quiet seat mate = instead. I had not intended to rent a car because Un was planning on doing so. = When he told me he would not be able to make it on Monday I did some = shopping and found that the least expensive car I could rent for BARGE = was an Enterprise premium class car at about $186 all in. When I showed = up at Enterprise at about 5:30pm the person who showed me the cars said = that all he had in premium class was a solitary Crown Victoria and that = if I wanted he could give me a small SUV or downgrade me to a full-sized = car at a 10% discount. Since, had it been cheaper, I would have picked a = full-sized car anyway this was my first +EV experience of the trip. I checked into my room at the GN's Rush Tower by 6:30pm and hung around = the room until time for the Board of Director's/Organizer's dinner at = the Chart House. Attending this dinner were Patti, Bree, Goldie, Russ, = and Nick. Mickdog and Un (obviously) couldn't make it. I had a terrific = Ahi Tuna seared and rare. As you all know I am not a gambler so I didn't = participate in the CCR (neither did Russ.) I believe Patti "won". By the time dinner was over it was nearly 10pm and my body was (and alas = pretty much remained) on Eastern Daylight Time. I was exhausted but went = over to Binion's to see who was around, running into about a dozen = BARGErs. Then to bed. Tuesday morning I worked out (treadmill) at the GN spa and then met = Steven *TT* McLoughlin at the Starbucks also at the GN. We went over to = Hash House a Go Go and had a really big breakfast. Steven and I had = worked together on the Two Plus Two Forums at one point and had a lot of = catching up to do. He also showed me some of the remodelling at the = Plaza...it's unrecognizable from when we held BARGE there. While we were = dining, a group of BARGErs came in and sat behind me. They didn't notice = me but after we were finished we went and chatted with Bruce and Shirley = Kramer and a few others for a while. Bruce asked if I wanted to join him going to Hoover Dam. I had a late = lunch arranged at a burrito shop out near the airport with Dan and = Sharon Goldman and Fich and talked Bruce into joining us. Eating at = Carlito's Burritos is a "tradition" started last year when I could only = spend a couple of days at BARGE. Really good New Mexican food. After we = were done Bruce and I headed to the dam which I hadn't seen since the = bypass bridge and new visitors center went in. The damn terrorists from = 9/11 made visiting the dam different. Gone is the intensive tour of the = workings of the dam. Also the new visitors center is a bit (a lot) of a = ripoff. Not to mention the parking. Lake Mead looked like it was down = 100ft from normal due to the damn global warming, but the view from the = bypass bridge was spectacular. We arrived back at the GN in time for the non-smoker at Vic and = Anthony's. I had an excellent steak, a pear and pecan and blue cheese = salad and shared a steak tartare with Patti. Dinner broke up in time for = the evening tournament. I don't play in any of the evening tournaments = any longer...ever since I realized that, while I might be able to play = well early (might being the operative word), I definitely would be = falling asleep later in the tournament and would just want it to be = over. I'd be, so to speak, dead on my feet money. So I spent the rest of = the evening schmoozing with old friends and played a little video poker. On Wednesday I worked out and then went to a very expensive breakfast at = the Egg and I. Enjoyable as always. I went over with Goldie and Tom = Bayes. After breakfast Goldie and I and Old Bear drove out to the Clark = County Shooting Range with a fair number of other folks and went trap = and skeet shooting. About 40 years ago I had borrowed by Dad's = over/under shotgun and gone skeet shooting without any instruction = (though I had spent a number of years shooting 22 target.) I shot = approximately 17 out of 25 that first time but did not pursue the sport = because it was too expensive while I was a grad student. In any event, = on this hot and humid (!!) Las Vegas day the best I could do was a = charitable 3 out of 25 at skeet. As Goldie said on the ride out "the = only thing safe in the desert today are the clay pigeons". After a round = of skeet I started to shoot a round of trap but realized after five = shots that I was flinching when I pulled the trigger due to the recoil. = My shoulder hurt and I wasn't having fun at that point so I simply = stopped. It was a lot of fun and I'll probably do it again next year = (though perhaps with a 20 gauge gun even though that's harder I'm told). = Barb commented on the bruises on my shoulder when I got home almost a = week later! After skeet we went back to Binion's for the VP tournament. That evening = Goldie, Foldem and I went to Joe's Steak and Seafood at the Forum Shops = for dinner where I had a great dover sole. I also had a great local = brew: a Tenaya Creek Calico Brown Ale. Good enough that we ordered a = second 22oz bottle and split the two among the three of us. Thursday started with a workout and then breakfast with Sippy at the GN. = Sippy and I go way back as we played together in the Pittsburgh home = game before he went on to other things (such as winning a bracelet and = also moving to Australia). Goldie ended up joining us and we had good = conversation prior to the start of CHORSE. Neither Sippy nor I were = playing in CHORSE (although wide awake, I was a part of team sleeping = in.) But Goldie was a member of the third place finishing McLibtards. = Instead I decided to spend some time visiting customers including the = Gambler's General Store and the Gambler's Book Club (out near the = airport now). Then I spent an hour or so at Dave Fruchter's cabana at = the GN. When I arrived Dave and David Kuznick were in the middle of a = multi-game backgammon match. Dave had to go to the bathroom and asked me = to play for him. He did this because he was well ahead in the match and = he had left a near-impossible situation. I played so well that I came = close to losing with a backgammon (salvaged to only a gammon a few moves = before the end!) After CHORSE I drove Goldie and Sippy out to I Love Sushi which was, as = always, a great party. I bought Asya and Ben a sake box and had everyone = sign it. I got the idea while looking across the table at a counter = stacked with them (from regular customers I imagine). The over/under was = set at $45.00 I believe. I took the under and the bill came in at well = under. After a quick trip back downtown, I drove Goldie, Peter Segall, = and David Fruchter out to the Goldman's for the smoker. I don't smoke = nor do I drink (much) but I always enjoy the conversation and BBQ = (though I ate very little BBQ this year.) Then it was back to Binion's = where we arrived just in time for the craps non-crawl which immediately = went to Main Street Station. There we got in on a roll of a non-BARGEr = and I won a quick $50 and had a quick porter which quickly made me even = sleepier so I went (quickly) off to bed while I was ahead. I understand = that those who stayed longer mostly did not do so well. Friday morning I really did not want to work out. Earlier in the week I = was waking up as early as 6:30 because of time zones. This day it was = closer to 7:30. I worked out anyway given how "well" I was eating. Then = I grabbed a quick bagel and cream cheese at the Dunkin Donuts at the = Fremont. That and what I assume was a Malassada from Dan Goldman was all = I had until mid-afternoon. I did play in the TOC and actually got a = little play in, but I was still among the first 10-20 out. I probably = need to play more poker during the year. :) Anyway, about a week before = BARGE Chuck Humphrey called me to bet a beer on a Pirates vs. Rockies = game. Of course the game we bet on was the only one of the series that = the Pirates lost so I owed him a beer. I ran into him at Binion's and we = went over to the Chicago Brewery at the Four Queens so that I could pay = off the bet. I threw in a small pepperoni pizza that we shared. Later, = at the Symposium we formed our usual syndicate and won a bunch of = players. After the membership meeting, Patti, Ice, Goldie, Chuck Humphrey and I = went to Oscar's at the Plaza. The slogan was "Beef, Booze, and Broads" = so of course Patti, Goldie and I had fish. Ice and Chuck had a skirt = steak dish named after Tony "the ant" Spilotro. Ice did not like his but = Chuck did appear to like his. So we had beef covered as well. I tried to = cover booze with another Tenaya Creek Calico Brown but all that had was = an IPA. The bartender let me try it and I did not care for it (I find = IPAs to be too bitter for my taste) so he gave me (literally) a Rogue = Chocolate Ale....which I did not love, but did not hate. The rest of the = table had a wine that Ice ordered. "Broads" was covered by this = well-endowed blonde in a very slinky dress with a feather boa. While I = had been waiting for the others to arrive she had walked by mumbling = something about leaving a trail of feathers behind. It took me a while = to tumble to the fact that she was a working girl...working for the = restaurant that is. She made the rounds visiting every table and bending = over enough so that everyone could see clearly. We finished dinner in time for karaoke. Patti and Ice disappeared for a = while while the rest of us went in. As usual it was a fun evening with = Nolan singing opera, Redbird and Asya strutting their stuff in several = numbers, a very drunk Randall Hennenuth singing a bunch of songs = (including an old favorite, the Banana Boat song), Un sang a few numbers = including an ode to Nolan, Peter sang "When I'm 64" (in my honor), I = butchered "Don't fear the Reaper" in Peter's honor and Patti and Ice = sang and danced to "Mein Herr". A great time was had by all. Saturday I woke up even later, but decided to work out anyway. I got = back to my room and there was a text from Goldie asking if I wanted to = meet for breakfast. It had come in a while before I got back to the = room. I texted him back and he said he was just leaving. Since I had = showered etc. at the spa, I only had to get dressed and met him at the = coffee shop where we were quickly seated. We spotted Jack Moser and Paul = McMullin nearby and they had just sat down so we combined tables. A few = minutes later Ice joined us. We received our check minutes before the = NLH tournament began and at Ice's urging I rushed to be there in time = for the first hand. Most of you know the rest. On the very first hand I = looked down to see the A-K of spades. I can't reconstruct the betting, = but the flop was K high with a 6. The turn was a K. The river was a 6. = Aaron Lion turned over a pair of sixes and IGHN to much applause and = astonishment. I did better than most though because I won a $10 Amazon = gift card for going out first. I find it funny that our breakfast table = had both the first bust out and the eventual winner of the tournament. I spent the rest of the afternoon having lunch and doing some shopping = at the premium outlet mall. When I returned about 5pm they were already = down to the final 17 or so. At this point I began to collect our = Symposium winnings. Prior to dinner we collected for Jeanne David (14), = Randy Collack (13), DaVoice (10), and da Pickle (7). Then the banquet = which was a lot of fun. The food wasn't terrific (not bad though) but it = was certainly worth what it cost me and the conversation and speeches = more than made up for it. After the banquet I went down to watch the = final four. I then collected for Dilligaf (4) and McMullin (1). Our = syndicate ended up just short of doubling our investment after all was = said and done. At this point it was 11pm and I had a flight at 9:15am so = after paying the members of the syndicate that I could find I headed off = to bed. On Sunday I was up at 5:45. No workout today, but I met Pete Segall and = Dave Fruchter in the lobby at 6:30. Pete and I dropped Dave at the Luxor = (he had a seminar at the Mandalay Bay...his real reason for making the = trip to Vegas) and then turned the car in and split up getting off the = rental car bus. My non-stop Southwest flight to Pittsburgh was on time = (unlike a lot of flights that Sunday). However we landed in a downpour = and immediately after we pulled up to the gate they closed the ramp due = to lightning. We were able to get off the plane and apparently my = suitcase got off the plane (judging by how wet it got) but they were not = able to fully handle the luggage and get it to us for almost an hour. I = was home by 7pm after a very satisfying BARGE 2012. As usual thanks go to Peter, Chu....oops....Mickdog, Nick and Bree for a = tremodous job. Being on the board gives me some insight that others may = not see as to how difficult some of this was. As always they make it = look easy. I'm ready for BARGE 2013.