Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2012 21:01:28 -0500
From: Jack Moser
Subject: [BARGE] Trip Report

I got to Las Vegas on Friday the 27th.  Briefly, we decided to stay at the
Venetian for a couple days then head downtown to Barge.  Although Paul was
there sooner, he had not been to the room because he played the early
tournament.  We are kind of a Mutt and Jeff team. Having roomed together at
AC and LV for what must be at least six or seven years we have sort of
learned about the others edges and we seem to have quite compatable OCD
issues.  I am crazy about certain neat related items and he is a relentless
back seat driver.  When he called home once Edith insisted that she talk to
me and advise me in detail about the situation but since I was driving Paul
only reported her meaning second hand.
Over the few days before Barge I entered one tournament.  I logged some
hours playing 4-8 Hold Em and Omaha at both the V and the Orleans.  I
managed to book +$ on the strip  and that was good because playing ring
games at Barge I booked -$.  So it goes.

The first and second parts of the report really are about the people, and
there are some I need to thank.
Randy for organizing Al's and JP for P Panda P.
Tim and Paul Stine really stepped up man.  Sometime before we got to LV I
contacted Tim as he was an experienced shooter and asked if it would be
possible to take an early trip to the Clark County Shooting Range and get a
lesson.  I was sort of concerned about my ability to do this and if I could
or couldn't I wanted to know before committing to the Wednesday group
outing.  It was a blast.  Tim and Paul are both experienced shooters so
there was a a lot of spot on advice and we had a good time besides.  I
learned another lesson about the old best laid plans story as an old injury
of my right shoulder would not allow me to lift the gun high enough to
shoot after about 10 or 12 shots.  This was the least of the things I was
concerned about happening and so remote to my expectations that it sort of
surprised me.  After shooting we went to Blueberry Hill for breakfast and
had a nice conversation and they dropped me off at the V and took off.
Sunday, Tim, Paul and Rick M'quette. were all playing ring at the V and we
managed to catch lunch at Asia Noodles.  This turned into a gut buster for
a lot of reasons but the funniest had to do with the appearance of Paul's
soup and Rick's salvaging a foreign spoon from the bottom of his soup bowl.
On Tuesday we moved to the GN and started Barge.
Thanks to Goldie, Ice, (et al?) for the nice breakfast. It was nice talking
to Dave and Caryl Aronson and Linda (llew).  Following breakfast I rode
with Dave and Caryl to the shooting range and was quite content to watch
the shooters give it a go.  i would say that Goldie has a very natural look
when he shoots and he did hit several clay pigeons.  When they started trap
Bruce K was very accurate hitting something like 16 of 25.  David
Kluchman's son is sort of a skinny kid and a very good and natural
marksman, he had a knack for for shooting as the entire recoil seemed to be
absorbed in his legs which formed part of a unified shooting movement.  it
was his first time and he must have hit 20 or more of 25.  The guy coaching
him made reference to future Olympics.  I would not be suprised.  I rode
back downtown with Bruce and Shirley Kramer and we stopped at Leppert's for
milk shakes for a great ending to an excellent day.
On Thursday I met old friend (Escargot 2002?) Harry Baldwin and traded
stories over some breakfast at the counter in the Golden Gate.
At the Golden Nugget I took $100 out of a 2-4 game.  Did I say against
Bargers I booked STUCK$?
By Friday it was good to see so many at Binions.  Canada Erin traded off
some $ for some CA$.  Thank you Erin.
Saturday, was off to an auspicious start with a good breakfast at GN.  In
the tournament I had a few interesting hands and committed a bad mistake by
misjudging the end of break.  As a result I missed blinds worth T900 and
this was about 1/3 or 1/4 of my stack. I was largely card dead and that
continued until I rai all in with Q,10s against Pete Segal. with suited  I
guess I was at about 2M and felt  that since Pete was the big stack, had
been very active, and easily playing hands lower than mine he'd be the guy.
 He called and his K,10s held up. Busto.
It was truly great watching my friend and roommate  Paul take down the NL
Championship, he filled out an awesome week of tournament play with several
chops and cashes.  Props to him.
I'd like to say that Nick C. has sniffed the rare air before being deep at
the final table in 2005.  Someone said he lost to 10's that year too.
He is likely to get the best last hand any time he plays a Barge NL
tournament and I hope it happens soon.
Sunday......I'm fried, at the airport and there is David Heller.  We chat
it up for about half an hour before he's off.
MKE....stop to eat and drive home.
It was a good trip and other than Barge increasing STUCKNESS it was fun.
Thanks to Nick, Mick, and Bree. (also Peter, Chuck, and Binions).
John