Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Day -1.

OK, I'm all set for Vegas.

The cat (Angell) is safely installed in the local Cattery (he not happy), the milk is cancelled, all the bills paid. To hell with the lawn, it only grows again.

So Sunday morning it is, to join no doubt a 3 hour check-in & security queue at Gatwick.

I stop off on the way to pick up Dave "Compo" Compton, who lives right by the Airport. Stansted Airport, sadly. So, 2 hours from Derby to his house, another 90 minutes to Gatters, 3 hours queue, and that's before the 10 hour flight. Am I not looking forward to that? Oh well, a good book will help, I'm reading the story of DNA right now, mind-boggling stuff. Also the "Google" story - wow, them boys turned advertising on it's head.

We are booked into the Hollywood Resort (formerly the Aladdin), along with the rest of the Poker Week crew - Rhowena, Steve Meehan (blondeite "wormster"), Billy (cameraman), & Tim (Sound, Editing & Camera). They travelled out a few days ago, to organise the bars, I imagine.

It's my second trip to Vegas, I went in '05, but I overdid it that year, too much work, too much play, & not enough sleep nearly killed me. I was Updating, doing 425 work, writing a Daily Diary, & playing. Too much.

I was Sponsored into a $1,500 WSOP Event, (my first & last) & managed to cash, a big thrill, but I don't plan to play any WSOP jobbies this year. Compo & me, when not working, will cruise the gaffs & find nice little comps around town, & I'm looking forward to that part immensely.

Work-wise, the idea is to record 3 editions of Poker Week out there, & do some "Postcard from the Strip" stuff for Sky Poker. We have interviews lined up with some tidy faces, too, including Stu Fox, & one P Hellmuth Jnr.

Vegas, as a City/Town, whatever, does nothing for me. Architecturally, Wynn's apart, the place is dull as dishwater. Any place that advertises a 1/20th scale-model of the Eiffel Tower - real plastic mind - is never gonna flick my switches. And the heat.....43c, way too much, so it's feast or famine, unbearably hot outside, &  over air-conditioned inside. The scale, & number, of Hotels is awesome, beyond belief, they are huge. But if you wanna play Tourneys, or Cash, 24/7, Vegas is the place.

A big "thank you" to Poker Week & Sky Poker, who are picking up the tab. I know, I'm a jammy git.

OK, that's it for today, I got a queue to join.

Name that tune.

It's wonderful to be here,

It's certainly a thrill.

How easy is that, for starters?

[Robert HM]

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band, The Beatles

Name that tune.

It's wonderful to be here,

It's certainly a thrill.

How easy is that, for starters?

[RioRodent]

Might that be... Sgt Pepper's lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles??

[RioRodent]

Damn... must learn to type faster!!

[Tonji]

Have a fine old time Tikay 

[kinboshi]

Have a fine old time Tikay 

It'll certainly be old.

Enjoy yourself, and looking forward to your next update.

[tikay]

Have a fine old time Tikay 

It'll certainly be old.

Enjoy yourself, and looking forward to your next update.

If Virgin Airlines is anything like Virgin Trains, it may take a while. I am not a fan of wooly jumper, or his plastic trains & paper planes.

[Robert HM]

Picture of tikay during his 2005 tour of Sin City:

[tikay]

Picture of tikay during his 2005 tour of Sin City:

Uncanny, that's  the exact hand I got busted with - 

[Bainn]

Good luck and enjoy yourself, has Vegas beened warned you are coming ?

As an aside, do OAP's get treated better over there, ie, get to the front of the Buffet queue ?

[The_duke]

The one in your hotel (10am 2pm 7pm $60 alternate first hour 4k chip stack) is a nice structure. Might be a bit cheap for a high roller like you but I found it OK... first prize was regularly over $1k

[Karabiner]

 I am not a fan of wooly jumper, or his plastic trains & paper planes.
[/quote]

What ? No defence of the wooly jumper from Robert, he must have given them up 

[tikay]

The one in your hotel (10am 2pm 7pm $60 alternate first hour 4k chip stack) is a nice structure. Might be a bit cheap for a high roller like you but I found it OK... first prize was regularly over $1k

Thank you. As it happens, that's exactly what I'm looking for. I will have a few pals with me who will be comfy with that sort of buy-in, so that'll do nicely. We are there to work, so serious poker can wait until I get back home. For me, I can never be happier than playing the mid-price comps in the UK, so I'm happy to preserve my Bank-Roll for when I get home. My game gets by in £250 & £500 comps around the UK, & that's what I really enjoy best. I am taking around $2,500 & some ££'s, maybe £2k, but the plan is to still have most of it when I get home. My current Live Bankroll will last beyond 2007, & I ain't gonna risk blowing it in tacky-town.

[tikay]

The one in your hotel (10am 2pm 7pm $60 alternate first hour 4k chip stack) is a nice structure. Might be a bit cheap for a high roller like you but I found it OK... first prize was regularly over $1k

Thank you. As it happens, that's exactly what I'm looking for. I will have a few pals with me who will be comfy with that sort of buy-in, so that'll do nicely. We are there to work, so serious poker can wait until I get back home. For me, I can never be happier than playing the mid-price comps in the UK, so I'm happy to preserve my Bank-Roll for when I get home. My game gets by in £250 & £500 comps around the UK, & that's what I really enjoy best. I am taking around $2,500 & some ££'s, maybe £2k, but the plan is to still have most of it when I get home. My current Live Bankroll will last beyond 2007, & I ain't gonna risk blowing it in tacky-town.

Actually, just to correct myself, I hope to play 1, maybe 2, bigger comps, maybe $1 or so. I've never played at the Bellagio, so one there, & I'd like to try Wynnns or Venetian, maybe The Orleans, too. The Rio holds no attraction to me at all, sod going to Vegas to play in a tent or a warehouse, so any WSOP comps are unlikely.

[M3boy]

TK

Binions have a nice little $10k guarantee comp, $150 buy in.

Also, smaller buy in, their $70 + $40 rebuy comp aint too bad either - managed to chop one of those 5 ways