Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[AndrewT]

I think the EPT is using the same chips we had in Cardiff for the Blonde Bash...

[bobby1]

This years Dublin EPT Venue, the RDS (Royal Dublin Society) is a remarkable, & huge, place, with 15 or 20 different "Halls", & is fast approaching it's 300th Birthday.

The EPT held the Final (just the Final) there a year or two back, but that was in the Library. This year they held the whole shabang there, and in an adjoining Hall, at the same time, the Irish Knitting & Sewing Exhibition. I jest not.

The Hall the EPT was in was a vey strange, though lovely, Hall. Wide, high, & almost cathedral-like, it had circular iron columns supporting a vaulted timber roof, and reminded several of a Railway station, due to it's vastness. Sadly, they never had more than a few hundred players rattling around in there, which caused an odd atmo. Plain, undecorated, brick & stone interior walls, it had odd acoustics, but a beautiful building, no doubt about that.

The RDS has Hosted the Eurovision Song Contest twice, Springstein 4 times, Metallica, Justin Timberlake, da de da de da, & the World Show Jumping Championships were held there recently. Shamrock Rovers used the RDS Stadium for a while I believe, & Leinster still use it from time to time. Some Venue! Sadly, I can''t trace a picture of the Hall that the EPT used - can anyone assist?

Loving the Dairy Tony but come on stop slow playing, tell us what the Irish Knitting & Sewing Exhibition was like. We all know you went.......

[tikay]

The Poker Week Crew were booked into the rather swish Burlington Hotel, & jolly nice it was too, though Compo & I only spent less than an hour in the room, apart from sleeping - of which we got exactly 3 hours, thanks to Compo's insistence that we played all night Cash at the Fitzwilliam on Saturday night, more of which later.

The Hotel Lobby was heaving with Evening Dressed Monkey Suited Gents & Ball-Gowned Ladies when we arrived, as it was some sort of "Pink Ribbon Ball" Charity Evening for the Marie Keating Foundation, a Cancer Charity named afrer Ronan's Mum. I think Ronan was there, too, & Compo knows him via racing, but we never saw him.

Compo seems to know all manner of folks via Racing. We got a Taxi from the Guinness Factory on Sunday morning to the Airport (where we were due to be stranded for nearly 12 hours) & even before the taxi driver opened the door, he'd recognized Compo, "5/4 the field, 5/4 the field" he yelled at Compo.

So began a remarkable journey to the Airpoprt, which is some 45 minutes away. The Cabbie was big into horse racing, & seemed to know a lot of Irish Racing "faces".

Anyways, he's blathering away excitedly, & tells us a story of how he'd had the legendary Gee-Gee Owner & Punter J P McManus in his cab a few weeks earlier. He'd set JP a horse-racing question, & made this offer to us - if we get the answer to his question, we'd get a free trip to the Airport. Well, that's about €40, & Compo is as tight as a duck's arse, so the challenge was taken up.

He gives us the question, & it involved a Horse called Cockney Lad, who won the Irish Champion Hurdle a few years back. Who was the Jockey? Compo is sat behind the driver, & I see him texting away while keeping the driver busy with tittle tattle. "You are not texting someone to find the answer are you?" says Cabbie-Man, "oh no, just lettting the wife know I'll be late tonight" says Compo. Now I know he's lying......He does not "let the wife know", he has to ask. Nicely.

Eventually, after a typical traffic-thronged trip to the Airport along Dublin's quite dreadful roads, we approach the Airport. "Got the answer yet boys?" says Cabbie-Man. Yup, lies Compo, "I think it's Carberry".

"Unlucky" says Cabbie-Man, "it's Richard Hughes". So we have to pay the €40 fare.

As we stand by the Airport Terminal & the Taxi drives away, Compo goes mad. "I texted my mate & he sent me the wrong bloody answer".....

[Chili]

Some Venue! Sadly, I can''t trace a picture of the Hall that the EPT used - can anyone assist?

A small part of the hall - The Left


The Right

[tikay]

Thanks Maria, that's perfect. Pics say so much more than the written word, especially mine. The pics sum up the place beautifully.

[Chili]

The EPT held the Final (just the Final) there a year or two back, but that was in the Library. This year they held the whole shabang there, and in an adjoining Hall, at the same time, the Irish Knitting & Sewing Exhibition. I jest not.

I don't mean to be picky, but I know you like your details just so.  It wasn't the EPT final that was held in the library of the RDS 2 years ago, it was the Irish Open.  I know because I played in it - cough cough (not the final OBVIOUSLY lol).

[kinboshi]

The EPT held the Final (just the Final) there a year or two back, but that was in the Library. This year they held the whole shabang there, and in an adjoining Hall, at the same time, the Irish Knitting & Sewing Exhibition. I jest not.

I don't mean to be picky, but I know you like your details just so.  It wasn't the EPT final that was held in the library of the RDS 2 years ago, it was the Irish Open.  I know because I played in it - cough cough (not the final OBVIOUSLY lol).

No, you were at the bar by then.

[Chili]

The EPT held the Final (just the Final) there a year or two back, but that was in the Library. This year they held the whole shabang there, and in an adjoining Hall, at the same time, the Irish Knitting & Sewing Exhibition. I jest not.

I don't mean to be picky, but I know you like your details just so.  It wasn't the EPT final that was held in the library of the RDS 2 years ago, it was the Irish Open.  I know because I played in it - cough cough (not the final OBVIOUSLY lol).

No, you were at the bar by then.

AHA, wrong! I was on the flight home.  I obviously made my booking with high hopes of finaling!
!

[tikay]

We filmed at the Guinness Factory in Dublin on Sunday morning, & what a place that is. I've boned up on it since, & it's not only Dublin's biggest Tourist attration (measured by Visitors) but Ireland's, too, with over a million visitors annually. And look out for the weirdest "top of the Show" link Poker Week have ever done. Bet NOBODY can guess which world-famous Film-Star I do an "impression" of. My money is safe, unless someone let's the cat out of the bag......(There's a clue for you).

Anyway, I'm so gob-smacked by the Guinness factory thing that I buy a book about it at Dublin Airport, (where I was stranded for 12 hours, did I mention that?.....) but it was a bit sychophantic & toshy. But I wanted to check out one specific fact, & it gave me that.

There's a plaque in the floor of the Guinness Factory that has a fascimile of the original Lease on the Factory, signed by Arthur Guinness in 1759. The Lease was for.......9,000 years!

The book states this as correct, & that the annual Lease costs, can you believe, (& remember, it occupies a HUGE & extremely valuable tract of land) £10 a year! £10 a year, it must be worth a bloody fortune. Oh the down side, it expires in the year 10,759. Ah well, only 8,752 years to go. Bet there'll be an Upward Revision in 10,759 though.

[tikay]

The EPT held the Final (just the Final) there a year or two back, but that was in the Library. This year they held the whole shabang there, and in an adjoining Hall, at the same time, the Irish Knitting & Sewing Exhibition. I jest not.

I don't mean to be picky, but I know you like your details just so.  It wasn't the EPT final that was held in the library of the RDS 2 years ago, it was the Irish Open.  I know because I played in it - cough cough (not the final OBVIOUSLY lol).

You are correct, my apologies. I recall now, Pommy made the Final (as did Bullit Pete), & had ordered a fleet of limos & all sorts so they could paint the town red with their winnings, but he seemed to "freeze" in the Final & only made a minor cash. You busted out late, close to the cash, after making a move on, of all people, Lord Wernick who was sat to your left, yes? Rob Yong went very deep, too, & played a stunning hand against John Hewston if I recall correctly, before busting out very late on, & Chubbs gave him serious (not serious serious) stick. John Hewston bust me, late on, too I do believe.

[Ironside]

Creighton Hale

[tikay]

The EPT held the Final (just the Final) there a year or two back, but that was in the Library. This year they held the whole shabang there, and in an adjoining Hall, at the same time, the Irish Knitting & Sewing Exhibition. I jest not.

I don't mean to be picky, but I know you like your details just so.  It wasn't the EPT final that was held in the library of the RDS 2 years ago, it was the Irish Open.  I know because I played in it - cough cough (not the final OBVIOUSLY lol).

No, you were at the bar by then.

Miss Demetriou's growing reputation precedes her, clearly......

[tikay]

Creighton Hale

Disqualified. Creighton Hale would be 125 years old if he were still alive today.

I'm talking modern Cinema.

[Ironside]

Creighton Hale

Disqualified. Creighton Hale would be 125 years old if he were still alive today.

I'm talking modern Cinema.

you never said he was alive

but you were both born around the same time

[Laxie]

There's a plaque in the floor of the Guinness Factory that has a fascimile of the original Lease on the Factory, signed by Arthur Guinness in 1759. The Lease was for.......9,000 years!

The lad knew what he was doing all those years ago.  Back then £10 would have seemed a fortune, but they take their Guinness serious.