Christmas in Atlantic City

Yes, you may call it sick. You can call it whatever you want. The circumstances warranted it! My sister and mom were on a cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. My son and his family were in Tarpon Springs. Being in the DC Metro area did not appeal to me this year. So it was off to Borgata in Atlantic City for rest and recuperation….and a little Hold Em!

I’m up early Sunday Morning and on I95 with a focus on Waffle House for breakfast. The closest one from my starting point was about 45 minutes away on the other side of B-more! You can give me Cracker Barrel, Bob Evans, and all of the rest for alternatives but I have never had a bad breakfast at WH! The eggs are fried over easy perfectly and the bacon is always crisp just the way I like them. Add the superior hash browns “all the way” and you have the perfect breakfast. Sweet!

I get into Borgata in Atlantic City in good time, inside 4 and a half hours considering the breakfast stop. I freshen up and head straight to the Poker Room, check for a table, and, shazaam, I’m on the felt. Decided to relax, pose as a rock, watch the play and see where the donks are sitting. That was answered as soon as I sat down in seat 4. At seat 6, this psycho looks at me and says, “I’m playing loose, just thought I’d let you know.” I go, “WTF?” Seat 5 says, “He’s been telling everyone that.” I look straight at the donkster and ask him if he wants it in the heart or straight to the brain. He looks puzzled. I chose a few choice hands in the next two hours and cleared about $210 when boredom set in. It was a fair hourly wage. Went to a favorite penny slot for stress management and gave it a slight tap for about $80. Snacked at Fatburger’s, watched some Sunday Nite football, and chilled until the 11:30pm Tournament went off.

Waited until about 5 minutes before start time to get to my assigned table, and made the entrance. I hate to get there early, sit around, and end up making small talk to players I don’t want to give any information to at all. It’s a $60 + $15, with 10G in chips, starting with 50-100 blinds and 15 minute intervals. The first session was uneventful. Damn, I forgot the QUAD 4s I hit in the second hand which I milked for about 3500 and later doubled my stack two hands before the first break.

That hand was a trip. I’m dealt AK unsuited and promptly raise 3 and half times the pot. The chick to the immediate left of me calls. The flop is rainbow K x x. I decide to see how strong she is and bet a feel for 30% of the pot. She calls. Fourth street is another low number with no straight or flush in sight. With in 3 seconds, damn the torpedoes, I go all in. She starts to massage the ink off her cards, tries to stare into the dark hole that is my soul, and I’m giving off nuttin’! I just continue to stare at her hands. With her in mental masturbation, I figure she has a K with a kicker in paint. After minutes, she calls and shows KJ unsuited. I survived fifth street and coasted to break.

The second session was a rollercoaster ride with the usual races that I’m sure you all have had, and I just kept on trying to claw to the top. The starting field was 95 and, when the dust settled, I busted out, with a questionable play on my part, at 13th and no cash. Must have been the crash of the red Bull I had earlier. :-)

I slept late, woke up and totally gave in to a long hot shower that my back truly appreciated. I left Borgata, and decided to chill with brunch at Caesars and spend freely the Pier Shops at Caesars. Yes, I love to shop. Google Pier Shops at Caesars and you will find you can sit, INSIDE, with your feet in the sand, and watch the Atlantic hit the shore, enjoy the $7 million dollar water, light and sound extravaganza, eat at some great restaurants, and shop some of the best designers. It’s a great distraction. I scored major and found my holy grail this time! I’ve been looking for the perfect Ed Hardy shirt by Christian Audigier for me. Found it!

A happy boy, I headed to Harrahs Marina for some action on the felt. The regular evening tournament was on so I signed up for the $50 +$10 and found a Cashman penny slot to chill at before going to battle. I had a $20 slot ticket that I cashed out with earlier in the month so I used that and started playing. 2 hours later, I was up $325 and reluctantly pulled myself away for a bit of sustenance.

Ok, one of the most underrated restaurants in AC is Harrahs Steakhouse. I’ve eaten there twice before and it was nothing short of fantastic. The service was 5 Star and the food wonderful. I recommend this place to everyone. I love duck and scored great dinners both times. A highlight to recommend is the Lobster and Shrimp Bisque. When they ask if you want sherry or Armagnac, go with the Armagnac that they drizzle over the lobster toast floating in the bisque. Fantastic! I must say that the Bluepoint oysters are a sweet appetizer. They used to have a selection but decided to just offer the Bluepoints. The management was wise. These select bivalve mollusks were diamonds of the seas and a favorite of Queen Victoria! Obviously, the girl knew how to party! I decided to sit at the “Bluepoint Bar” in the restaurant. Eating light, I had the bisque, the oysters, and some soft shell crab sushi made perfectly by the kitchen chefs and prepared masterfully by the resident sushi chef. Shamelessly, I washed it all down with several Grey Goose Dirt Martinis. Feeling warm and comfy, but not achieving buzz level, I headed for the tourney start.

The early action was comparable to the laser show for Trans Siberian Orchestra! Because of super dealer Christopher, the game was of lightning pace. At blinds of $50 and $100, betting went totally out of whack. Raises of 1000 and up were common with a train crash pending between 3 particular players. One player survived the all-ins and became the new chip leader. The aftermath was strange as our newly crowned leader decided to become a rock when he could have easily raped, pillaged, and plunder with the ammo he had at his disposal. My time at the table was uneventful. I won a few pots and races to get me to the last two tables but busted out in desperation with AT holding against my A8. Such is life. I walked away, went straight back to my Cashman ATM and pulled another $150 out before crashing.

The morning brought me to checkout at the Borgata. But first I had to have breakfast at my fave morning spot, The Metropolitan at Borgata. This is another name on my list of recommendations. With a European Bistro flavor, the menu is classic American. If you’re into Eggs Benedict, get them here. The balance of the hollandaise to the dish is perfect and the ham is the best. My fave dish is the fresh made corned beef hash with two over easy. I can only talk breakfast here as I have never eaten any other meal here. J

Completely satisfied, I check out of Borgata, and head to Tropicana for some open play. I could only find a 1-2 game going beside the normal limit games as the Daily 10 am Tournament was out of the gate. I decided to just relax for a few hours and have fun at the no fold em hold em game. So I had some good conversation with a trial lawyer from upstate NY, watched some interesting hands, and drank Bloody Marys. Here’s a hint. Always ask that they make them fresh. If not, you will be subjected to carbonated gun-forced tomato juice. Nasty! The table was a mix of donks, fish, and fairly decent players. After four hours, I was very fortunate and walked with a very decent stack.

A great attraction of the Trop is The Quarter. Styled in a Havana theme, there are some great restaurants, bars, and shops to be sampled in the cozy alleys. Jeffrey Chodorow’s Red Square, Cuba Libre, P.F. Chang’s, and Carmines of NY are the highlight places of choice here. I returned to Cuba Libre for a perfect Mojito and authentic Cuban sandwich before I hit the road south.
So Christmas in AC was different but relaxing and fun. A change in tradition but, occasionally, change is good. It was a sneak peak at my future life in Las Vegas during the holidays. At this point in my life, I can live with it.

For Players: WSOP Academy Review

At the beginning of the month, I went to the WSOP Academy at Harrahs Atlantic City. Several players online have told me that it would be a waste of time. They also commented negatively on Greg Raymer being one of the instructors. I do not believe that gathering as much data as you can in order to make good financial decisions is a waste of time. It tells me that others believe they have all the information they need to make money. I’m good with that. You need resources available in order to extract maximum return.

I can tell you that the breakfasts and lunches, provided by Harrahs, were excellent. I appreciated the WSOP Academy sport bag with all the goodies inside. The hotel accommodations were excellent and the discounted rate was great for the weekend. But I was there for the info. I was searching for anything that would improve my game and I couldn’t wait for it to begin. The instructors would be Greg Raymer, Alex Outhred, Brad “Yukon” Booth, and Joe Navarro. If you aren’t familiar with any of these names, Google them.

Alex took the lead throughout the sessions with Greg and Brad at the “panel table” adding comments through out. Considering the fact that Alex had seen thousands of hands played on the WPT, he was most generous in sharing his knowledge. Greg was very active and took the lead during various sections including “winning a bracelet,” and presenting a checklist for the WSOP marathon. He also presented a composite for a great player as well as proper betting techniques. The approach was to get you ready for the WSOP but it also applied to all tournament action and ring games. Brad, being the high stakes player that he is, gave more insight on cash games. Joe gave the highly regarded session on tells. THAT was $$$$. We proved his observations at the tables every night in the poker room.

Each of the two days there was time for live demos. Half of the 100 students went to lunch, the other sat at tables with the “four” dealers and played out hands. All hands played and mucked were questioned for play and commented on by the four instructors. Many of us decided to grab a quick bite and came back to watch and listen to the experts speak. Then there was the tournament on Saturday night. The winner would get a seat in the main event of the Harrahs WSOP Circuit the following week. I can tell you it was not the time to be dry at the well. I couldn’t get any two cards to play or attempt to work for the entire first session. After the break, it was up to the poker gods. My QQ was drawn out by AK to bust me out at 37th out of a field of 95. All things considered, I made good decisions but you have to embrace luck as well. This time it didn’t happen. That night I raped, pillage, and plundered at the tables in the poker room. It helped mend the wound, and confirmed that I was learning from the Academy.

I also had breakfast and lunch with someone I had only heard about on the net. John Wenzel is a high stakes Hold'em player, author, dealer, and magazine editor for Poker Pro magazine and its associated publications. He is also a great guy and I enjoyed our time talking and playing at a live table together. I had heard of him by another name… Johnny Quads! He got his name by catching lightning in a bottle; fifteen years ago he got four-of-a-kind on four consecutive Hold'em hands, the last being four fours!

Throughout the two days, all instructors were down-to-earth, energetic and fun. Brad and Greg were great at teasing and playing each other with perfect timing that kept the flow moving. Alex provided the glue and unique insight. Joe was the goods on tells and provided a valuable look at other players. I truly appreciated the time I spent with them and look forward to joining the WSOP Academy Advanced Sessions in Las Vegas during the spring.

Bottom Line? From my perspective, it was worth it! I reviewed my courseware today and will keep it with my poker references. I got good data! I have a new respect for all four instructors and appreciated their time.

Redux

Here's the deal. I must have had an epiphany at the WSOP Academy in Atlantic City this past weekend. I came home and trashed my blog babble from the past and decided I would focus on my passion for poker. I might post more regularly that way. I'm not setting any rules of engagement so there are no expectations. Let's just do it.