Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2012 12:00:40 -0700
From: David Low
Subject: [BARGE] Barge 2013 - Random memories

I really should be more organized about writing these things down but
then I think I would bore the crap out of everyone with some of the
lame things that happen to me over my time in Vegas.

Cash Poker: Similar to most, the cash games happened daily throughout
the week. I thought it was great to have the deaf convention in town
at the same time as Barge. I wish I knew more sign language, but you
figure out how to communicate quickly. Watching a group of them chat
back and forth is fun as you know they are talking about other players
at the table and are trying to figure out what they are saying. It's a
bit of a tell when they point at you and laugh.

Reindeer games: I played "yawn" O8 for reindeer games this year. JP
was at the table and managed to build a huge stack at the table. He
was playing blind and still making it. Doug is sitting on my left and
sees a bet on the turn. He shows me his cards and asks what it will
take for him to win the hand. My response: "JPs hand catching on
fire". JP then took the 4 way pot down to increase his stack.

Attendance: In Tuesday's tournament, I sat next to Patient Zero (Ron
G). He made a comment that I found was interesting. He claimed that
"many of the regular bargers were not coming this year". He listed off
a number of people that weren't coming this year. I then thought of
all of the people I knew that were coming. Later I thought more about
this. In my mind, there are about 30% of the Barge population that is
in flux every year for various reasons. In the past I have had to
leave a Barge early due to some personal issues to take care of back
home. I am sure everyone has similar issues to deal with.

What is Barge: I think everyone has their own definition of what barge
is. I don't think it's a large group but a number of small social
circles that overlap and intersect in different ways. This is enhanced
by creating small groups through the tournaments that are held. I have
been accused of spending too much time with Ryan and Doug in the past.
I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I do spend time with
the Barge community as a whole but don't feel the need to participate
in all events. This is probably a longer discussion point but I will
leave you all unsatisfied and angered by my above statements so I can
get back to my trip report.

Food: Aside from eating at the Binions Coffee Shop, Chicago Brew Pub
at the 4Q, and The Nugget Cafe, we found Hash House a Go Go at the
Plaza. This is a San Diego restaurant that has several Vegas
locations. Not as good as the San Diego location but the food is still
awesome. Highly recommended.

Banquet: I look forward to this every year. The food isn't great (but
I don't expect it to be better), but the social aspect is really good.
I also enjoy the speeches especially the updates about the Barge
community. Special shout outs to DaveK for picking up the drink tab
and Rodney for managing to get all of the pictures developed by the
banquet. This part of the week makes me feel closer to the group than
any other.

Decathlon of Casino Games: In January we had the "Math is hard
pentathlon of casino games". Barge being longer allowed us to perform
a decathlon. We decided on a $1 per point scoring system with a 300
point cap per event. Each person bought into each game for $100 and we
played 9 hands (3 shooters at craps). Doug had a huge lead at the end
of day 1 thanks to a couple of side pots wins at High Hand Blackjack
and then playing pocket 3s for full bets at Mississippi Stud which
gave him a huge $445 cash in that game. Ryan and I battled back on Day
2, but Doug ended up winning with 1145 points after all 10 events to
give him the win by almost 400 points. Thanks to a monster craps run,
Ryan and I managed to minimize our losses in the cash game, but Doug
took down the $10 prize.

High Hand Blackjack: This was our "new game" that we played this year.
The game is standard blackjack but has a 2nd forced bet which creates
a side pot. The side pot goes to the player who has the highest hand
at showdown that beats the dealer. If the dealer wins or 2 hands tie,
then the pot rolls over. During the decathlon, there was another
player who was playing $25/hand blackjack, while we were playing $5.
The pot was up to $80. He was dealt a 20. I got a 19 which I then hit
(trying to draw an A or a 2 with a $5 for a potential for an $80 pot
actually makes sense here). I drew an ace to tie him and roll the pot
over. He colored up and left the table soon after.

Forced splits: A side game we created for blackjack was to force
splitting 10s. When another player is dealt 20, any other player at
the table can force them to split their 10s. When the split occurs,
the player can then decide if they want to play, pass or insurance. If
they play, the player has to put up an extra bet (on top of the split)
on each of the hands. Each of the other players is then responsible to
play the under on the other 2 bets (pushes are a push in this case).
Similarly, if the player passes, they are then betting that the splits
will end up losing. The control of the hands go to the other two
players along with a side bet. Finally, if the player picks Insurance,
then they get refunded their initial bet and the other 2 players own a
hand each from there. Combine this with High Hand Blackjack and you
have a really interesting game. If you get dealt a 19 and another
player gets a 20, you want them to split and have to draw for a big
hand.

Binion's did a great job hosting us again this year. Paul is an
amazing tournament director. Many thanks to the organizers for
creating amazing memories for all of us.

-dave