Everyone is up and running at 10 PM which is highly remarkable. Today we go downtown and have a room reserved at The Plaza. First stop is the Las Vegas Premium Outlets. We score breakfast in the food corner and than attack the stores. The Outlet is pretty awesome. Plenty of choice and serious discounts. I score a Fossil watch that I had in mind for quite a while. I manage to score it about 80 bucks cheaper than it was back home. Bozzie robs the Levi’s store , Hugo buys something in every store and Iebus scores a ‘party jacket’ since he was the only one without one so far.
I love downtown Las Vegas. Usually we would go downtown on the third day but that is the day the fatigue normally sets in so went with a different route this year. We booked rooms at Plaza for $ 30,- a night. That’s pretty much as expensive as cabbing back an forth and it gives us the opportunity to visit the Pawn Stars shop and Neon museum tomorrow. The room smells like bug disinfectant but besides that it’s not to shabby for a handful of dollar or as Baars describes things according to his new metric system; one hand of blackjack.
Baars has to call the embassy today to make an appointment. We tell him to change the appointment from San Francisco to LA as it’s way closer so we can rent a car and drive towards LA. Baars finds out he is allowed to fly with his Dutch drivers license so he schedules an appointment for Thursday in LA and will arrange flights tomorrow.
Binions has to be our favorite downtown Casino. On our first trip we had 10+ hour 2/4 Limit session here on a Monday that is still one of our all-time Vegas highlights. We register for the $ 80,- 2 PM tournament and I’m surprised to see the room packed this Tuesday afternoon.
The Moose Club is in town. They have to explain the principals of this club at least five times before I remotely get it. Apparently it is some sort of non profit social club that supports good causes with the money that is made. They are all a bunch of happy campers that have an annual 3 day poker tournament across the street in the Golden Nugget. Everyone that busted the tournament is looking for a new one so Binions gets no less than 90 runners for their daily this afternoon.
There are not a lot of grinders among The Moose people I imagine as the level of play is incredibly low even by low limit Vegas standards. Some of them have to be playing their first tournament in a Casino as they are very nervous and make an incredible amount op live misclicks. I don’t start of to good today. I get all the chips in on a 2 6 4 8 board with 24o against Kings but can’t win the hand.
That hiccup has me going to the first break with 8k (20K starting stack). After the break my AK can’t beat AJ after a PFAI and I’m left with 1600 which equals no less than two big blinds. I tell my Moose neighbor I still have a very good feeling about this tournament and the following happens. One shove get trough (lol), KK > AK for 3,5BB. Q8h > A9d for 8BB, KJ > AJ & AJ for 15BB each and what do you know? I have a stack to work with.
Poker is easy with a stack against these people so I don’t think I loose a single hand after the run good nor do I have a single showdown. With about 60K and 30 people left I’m moved to the table where Bozzie is butchering his hands and we have the following conversation:
Bozzie: “Dude, lets swap 10%”
Me: “No”
Bozzie: “Why not”
Me: “You suck”
Bozzie: “Dude, ech ierlik. I’m 40 years old and to old for this ****. I have two daughters and an angry wife back home after she read the ‘Christmas’ remark in your Crawl report. I have to do the dishes till November and clean the car tree times a week till July to make up for this trip. I had to promise five family holydays to Euro Disney. SWAP 10% WITH ME!!!!”
Me: “sigh………….okeeeej”
Now, besides tons of Poker History Binions has another thing going for them. The waitresses. They are all extremely capable and you basically have to be a semi alcoholic to keep up with them. So when I join Bozzie at his table I’m closing in on my tenth Budweiser and that has me rather talkative.
Bozzie and I are chatting up the table and we like to keep things pleasant for everyone. During the next break an old man – that I busted minutes before – grabs my arm on my way to the toilet. I’m afraid I’m going to have to listen to a bad beat story but this man’s remarks actually move me emotional; He tells me it’s been quite a while since he had so much fun during a poker tournament and he wants to thank me / us for that. He whishes me the best of luck and hopes I win the tournament. Just awesome.
Bozzie busts the tournament and storms out of the room as if he got one outered when his AJ couldn’t beat KQ. His opponent apologizes to me for busting my buddy but I ask him what he is talking about since ‘I didn’t like that guy anyway’.
Before I know it we are at a 9 handed final table. Eight spots pay and a $10,- bubble compensation is suggested. It takes about 10 minutes to explain one dude how this works. A capable player shoves UTG and I look down at the Ts. Pretty easy decision. I don’t want to call this shove flipping as we are about evenly stacked and only one card left that makes this a must call. No other ten please. Tc. Sigh. I call and he has AQs. He flops the nut flush and and turns and rivers an Ace. I guess I REALLY lost that flip.
Down to 5BB with 9 players left. All I can think of is; if I bust now I make 90 bucks. I have to pay Bozzie 9 bucks leaving me with a single buck profit for about 7 hours of poker. Luckily that doesn’t happen. My shoves keep getting folds and in every all-in situation the short stack busts. Before I know it we are down to four handed and a deal is discussed. An even chop would be $ 935,- each. I have 150k and blind level 15/30k started two second ago. I give up a hundo that the chip leaders split and we have a deal. $ 835,- for grinding Budweisers all day. Not to bad.
I request 10% of my pay-out in single dollar coins that I can put in my sock and punch Bozzie in the face with! It’s 21:30 and we’re hungry. Iebus and I make reservations at the Italian place in the Golden Nugget that has become some what of a traditional stop and inform the rest we eat at ten. Baars made his first steps on the poker felt this afternoon and really enjoyed the fact that chips disappear way slower then at the Black Jack table.
The bruschetta and pasta are very good. After dinner we stroll trough the Casino but the 14 couldn’t catch a roulette ball if it was the only number on the goddamn wheel. We’re a bit clueless as we have no plans. It’s midnight on a Tuesday so besides three 20 dollar hookers and handful of bums there is no one on Fremont Street. We order Vodka Redbulls at the bar and walk towards Binions as Bozzie tells us he is 40 years old and to way old for this sh*t. He’s going for a power nap and will be back within the hour. Right. See you a breakfast, sir. But, where did he leave the $ 12,- drink we bought like 27 seconds ago?
We stroll trough Binions and play ‘spot the Hooker’ for a while. I’m pretty good at this game since I have an iron glad system. Here’s how it works. I smile at a girl. If she smiles back; hooker. If she doesn’t smile back: A) no Hooker B) Really expensive Hooker. Works like charm.
With not much else to do the four of us hop into the only cash-game running. Little did we know a new Vegas Classic was about to happen. It’s a friendly game for while but that changes rather quickly when for some reason politics get discussed. An African American dude gets into a heated discussion with an older man. I don’t think I ever seen anyone as arrogant as the old man so I’m rooting for the black fellow. At one point there are three security guards standing by because things are about to get physical but magically that doesn’t happen.
The argument last for over an hour but that is not what makes this night epic. Our graveyard shift dealer Bruce makes this a night to remember. I didn’t even notice Bruce sitting down because of all the argument trouble going on. Now, the best way to describe how Bruce looks is; dead. I don’t think I ever seen anyone alive look this bad. I’ve seen 80+ year old dealers fall asleep at Bills that looked vital compared our hero.
First sign that Bruce is alive and epic comes when he tries to deal a hand but our fighting couple gets up again and Bruce quietly mumbles; ‘And misses Bruce wonders why he drink so much’. The next two hours we listen to Bruce one-liners and stories from the past. By the end of the night we’re throwing together money to fly Bruce to the Netherlands for dealing our home games.
Around 3PM I find my way back to Plaza and call it a night. And a great day.
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