blonde poker

 

I first came to Vegas when I was 22, 11 years ago, I spent the first 9 years visiting this fantastic place twice a year to play Blackjack, until the Poker Bug bit me 2 years ago. Until I learnt to play Blackjack correctly, I never left Vegas with more than $5 in my pocket and my credit cards were always maxed to the hilt. However, everything was cheap, you could eat of $1, get a cab for $2 and it was $29 per night to stay in the best hotels on The Strip. The casinos wanted to attract people to gamble on the slots and the tables and you could live like a king even on a modest budget. Now the town has changed dramatically and everything on The Strip is expensive and the place is full of tourists as well as gamblers. It has the feel of Disneyworld rather that the murky world of gambling and casinos, McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut.there're all here after your money. About 5 miles away from The Strip is Downtown, where Vegas originated. This is still old style Vegas, the casinos are dark and smoky, the food is cheap and the waitresses are still happy with a $1 tip. It is also the home of the famous Binions Horseshoe, previous host of the WSOP and where the final 2 tables of the WSOP $10,000 event will be held, and my favourite place in Vegas, The Gamblers General Store. The good think about getting knocked out of poker tournaments when you away is that you get plenty time to chill, so I grabbed a cab to Downtown with Grumps, CK, and Chubbs and dropped by the Gamblers General Store to see what new treats then had in stock. They have everything for the degenerate or aspiring trainee gambler here. Every book on gambling, every type of chips, original hotel playing cards, gaming tables and much much more. I left $100 lighter after purchasing Harrington on Hold'em Volume 1 & 2 and Doyle Brunson's Supersystem 2 (Simon Trumper has recommended Dan Harrington's books to me ). We then went over to Binions Horseshoe to see the photos of all the past and present WSOP Champions still framed proudly on the wall at the back of the casino. The atmosphere in the casino was fantastic, you could feel the pressure at all the poker tables, even the low limit games, I couldn't help thinking that the 20 players who reach the final 2 tables in the main event will be having the experience of a lifetime. Imagine, playing here, at the Horseshoe, the most famous poker room in the world, for a first prize of $20m, wouldn't it be great if one the Blonde poker members made it? What about Grumpy John Falkoner's photo on that wall.......Event 5 for me is on Friday, the $2,500 No Limit.