Pocket Queens:

[DingleBelle]

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Week one of this trip was pretty disciplined. We went to bed at reasonable times, had 8 hours sleep, ate healthy breakfasts, got a little sun and prepared generally well for the tournaments we wanted to play.

Week two, not so much. We seemed to transform ourselves into full-time degenerates. So much so that we managed not to make it to bed for the final consecutive four nights of the trip. As I write this final blog from WSOP 2015, I am wondered whether I did actually make it home from Vegas, or whether I left a significant part of my soul there.

As is usually the case at this time of year, most of us have a good number of friends out at the same time so there’s something always going on. We also had some good results to celebrate, some friends having binked some excellent results. I won’t bore you all with a full rendition, but will share some of the highlights of the 'down time' we had:

Pai Gow

At some point, someone suggested that this was a good idea. A few of us played this casino table game over the last few nights of the trip. Always drunk. To be honest with you, I am not sure I could tell you how to do it right now! We got off to a losing start with “Moon, the Dealer of Doom” but once our Italian Stallion, “Darvicci" took over our table and recounted his tales of his trophies for “Customer Service” (don’t ask), some good fun and profitable gambling followed. We may have sunk 14 rum and cokes during one session and left the Flamingo in daylight; not big and not clever kids.

Stuart Rutter and his Brian Potter Mobility Scooter

It was on the pursuit of another late night Pai Gow session that we stumbled upon the hilarious, and somewhat legendary, Stuart Rutter, flying down the Rio corridor on one of the motorised mobility scooters that you can hire when in need. Stuart required the services of said scooter as a result of falling over a Craps table in the early hours of the day before. Stuart convinced us to give Pai Gow a miss in exchange for some Craps lessons from him. Turns out that Stuart Rutter hasn’t got a clue how to play Craps either! He owes me a lesson...

Click to see full-size image.

Brit Rail

The next night we joined the Deadman rail for a fantastic night of beer, brit rail and Deadman v Mercier (the HU challenge we all wanted to see). Deadman was awesome and it was such a shame that he missed out on the bracelet. Mercier was on fire that night and was real good fun too; a solid ambassador for the game. He interacted and engaged in banter with the brit rail and was really gracious in his victory. The highlight of the night was what is now known as the "$250,000 River”; the 10 that earned Deadman the second place and a nice little ladder v Gorodinsky. I swear I cheered louder than I have done for many Burnley goals when that spiked.  Have so much time for Simon Deadman. A very classy guy.

Magic

We also saw our second show of the trip on our last night when our close friend Leigh Wiltshire treated us to some surprise tickets to see Penn & Teller at the Rio. I have never seen a magic show live and it was awesome. The pair of them stayed in the lobby for hours after the show taking selfies with hundreds of fans and signing programmes. It struck me how big and successful these two are, yet they still make time for the little things that are important. A lesson that can transfer across many areas of our lives.

Hoover Dam

You will be pleased to note that the Boy and I finally made it off strip this year. I still have very little interest in seeing the Canyon, but I have wanted to see Hoover Dam for a long time. I come from an engineering family (my dad was an aerospace engineer before he retired) and everything about the Dam fascinates me. One of the modern wonders of the world, it is also one of the most important engineering feats of modern man. Not sure the Boy was overly keen on the power plant tour I also made him go on, but I found it interesting. I also got this fantastic money shot...

Click to see full-size image.

Feeding the Troops

I have mentioned on previous trips that food plays a big part of my Vegas experience and this year was no exception. Some notable additions to the culinary repertoire include Lemongrass at the Aria (delectable thai cuisine), Yardbird at the Venetian (weird-sounding southern restaurant, that is actually just a posh KFC) and Otto, also at the Venetian (Italian with live music and very large meatballs).

But the absolute pinnacle was Cut by Wolfgang Puck, again at the Venetian. We all ate there on our last night and it was sublime. Steak that melted in your mouth and that you would never dream of pouring sauce over. An absolute must if you are over that way. We never made it to Picasso at the Bellagio as it is closed for renovation to the art work, but hopefully I will get out there again.

So there we go. World Series 2015 is over for the Bromleys and its back to the day job on Monday morning. Heads out of one life and back into the other. This year was a pretty exceptional trip and not one we will forget in a hurry. I hope you enjoyed the journey.

Until next time.

B

[celtic]

How is this diary 2 years old and only 17 pages?

Post more.

[DingleBelle]

Lessons from a "90" year old

I miss the old Facebook. You know, the days when people just wrote status updates and uploaded pictures, and you could see what your friends were doing in an orderly fashion whenever you logged on. Nowadays, you have to filter through a significant amount of corporate sponsorship, your friends’ friends activity, countless amounts of image poetry and a sufficicating amount of (largely inaccurate) political propoganda. And to top it all off, the feed isn’t even in time order any more; Facebook decides what it decides to show you. Which quite frankly messes with the OCD in me.

Despite my grumbles, every now and again one stumbles upon a little gem. And that is what happened to me this week, when a friend shared a an article entitled “45 life lessons written by a 90-year old”. I discovered that the article was in fact written over a decade ago now (a little late to the party it seems). During the process of it going internet viral, the details were tweaked and 54 year old breast cancer patient Regina Brett became a 90 year old fun-loving lady who looks remarkably good for her age!

The article I read (http://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/45-Life-Lessons-Written-90-Year-Old-Woman-34209890 if you are interested) quite rightly pointed out that, whatever the age of the writer, the universal lessons it contains are relevant to anyone who needs a reminder of life’s important things. I won’t share the whole list, but here are a few that struck a chord with me:

Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

Save for retirement, starting with your first paycheck.

When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

Don't compare your life to others’ - you have no idea what their journey is all about.

Burn the candles; use the nice sheets; wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

What other people think of you is none of your business.

However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

Believe in miracles.

Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Let me know if you can add to that. I would love to hear what gets you through the minefield of life!

Until next time

B

[MereNovice]

You write beautifully.
A treat to read, as always.

I'm sure you realise that you can change the order that Facebook displays things.
Towards the top left of the window you should see "News Feed" with a downward arrow to the right of it. Click on the arrow and select "Most Recent". Rather annoyingly it frequently resets to "Top Stories" but it only takes a second.

People can also edit their privacy settings so that you aren't troubled too much with their friends activities but then sometimes you miss out on gems about "90" year old women.

[booder]

4 wins on the bounce , going along nicely.

[DingleBelle]

4 wins on the bounce , going along nicely.

Indeed. And we're playing really rubbish too. Can't wait until we actually start playing!!!

I do love the Championship.

[tikay]

Congrats on winning the Punta Cana final seat Natalie. No doubt who is the best player in the house now, eh?


bromley04 4189 9 Punta Cana Final


xx

[DingleBelle]

Ha. If only eh

The only saving grace in this entire scenario is that I at least have a chance to make it to the sunshine. Cause let's face it, I'm never going to do this with the year I'm having!

I need to catch up with you all, but it's been a busy time. Lots to report before we fly out to Berlin for the WSOPE.

I'll try and post soon!!!

[KarmaDope]

Thin, Brommers, thin indeed.

[tikay]

I'm sure Brommers many admirers on blonde will be pleased to learn that husband Adam (& 8 others) won himself a £4,000 package to Punta Cana in the Caribbean in November. I fancy he'll not be travelling solo......


The Final last night was a real bum-clencher, as Adam went from cruise mode to cling mode, as described here, stolen from Next Door....


Adam Bromley, who had plenty of chips earlier, & looked to be cruising, received the curse of the bok when a (well-meaning) railer suggested he & Natalie get their bags packed ready to fly to Punta Cana. Natalie, who was eagerly railing, but sensibly (just keeping quiet for a change) was horrified, & of course, you know what happened next - Adam could not find any spots, & was looking at the 2 ultra shorties on the next table, & soon found himself with about 4 bigs & clinging on desperately. He clunged well.




 

[tikay]

Adam had quite a night, as he also finished 14th for £231 in the super Roller.

The Super Roller last night was won by Boba Fett, who took home just shy of £4,000. He was 2nd in this last week for £2,350 & has cashed in it some 5 times in the last 8 weeks. Turns up every Sunday, wins the money, goes home. Efficient. 

[DingleBelle]

Ha, thanks Tikay.

Not a bad life is it?

[bromley04]

Cheers Tony - it was a bit touch and go at times but managed to scrape through in the end.  Didn't really know what to expect from the package as hadn't looked into it too much so as not to bok myself but it looks absolutely amazing!  

[Big_D]

Congratulations Adam.

Bromleys on tour again, enjoy it guys

[Magic817]

I hope it rains lots!

I don't like either one of you and I am not all jealous!