Las Vegas Trip Report Part II: Lack of Success, Poker Hijinks and TBC and the Big Stink

Friday started out with a formidable task indeed: eating at the Circus Circus breakfast buffet. Now, many, many years ago, the Circus buffet was really all that. It had this fantastic selection of food and there were long lines at almost every meal. The King of Komps and I had eaten breakfast there several years ago, and it wasn't that bad. However, I did this with full knowledge that it was likely one of the worst buffets in Las Vegas. However, I had a plan: 1) It was a freebie via My Vegas Slots on Facebook; and 2) I had been advised that the best strategy was to get a freshly made omelet.

Some would argue that a free breakfast buffet from Circus is not even worth the cost. Well ... it would be difficult to disagree. The omelet station was excellent. Everything else was pretty bad -- and I am not an especially picky eater. I tried a few samples of different foods, but found out that sticking with omelets and drinks was clearly the best course.

I then went to Bally's to play some cash games. However, there was a waiting list, and it did not look like anyone would be leaving soon. The Bally's 2:00 p.m. $1,000 guarantee NL tournament ($65+5 entry fee, I think) had only six players playing, so how could I refuse? The play was borderline horrible, but the guy to my left was the ultimate card rack. KK, QQ, KK set of 10's, set of 6's ... Of course, I barely got a hand to play. I hung in for awhile, then needed to make a move to avoid a stack with no fold equity. I woke up with A-Q and shoved. Unfortunately, Mr. Card Rack had K-K, called, and sent me to the sidelines. Yech.

The weekend I was in Las Vegas was also the weekend of the annual World Poker Blogger Tournament (WPBT). In its heyday, the weekend would draw over 100 bloggers and friends for a weekend of Pai Gow, drinking, and various other Las Vegas "activities." Now, however, it looked like only about 40 people would be in attendance. Part of the weekend was the annual Friday night mixed games fun, so at 6:00 p.m. I headed over to Planet Hollywood to take part.

When I got to PH, I was able to be seated at a table with several friends and acquaintances of old -- OhCaptain, BWOP (also known as "ck"), Grange95, and Yestbay1. Yes, it was fun, but everyone knows that ck makes sure the Friday night tradition continues so that she can just grab our money!

I was texted by TBC that he was coming to play at PH and would be coming with his chauffeur, (big fat) Vince. However, once again a meeting with Vince did not take place. I think he is a figment of Tony's imagination.

Tony came to the table right after most people left to get dinner. In fact, I was just getting ready to leave to eat and only played a little bit with Tony. However, I thought it best not to start up the strip for poker and end up getting in too late since I had the blogger tourney in the morning, so I grabbed a quick sammich at The Earl of Sandwich and watched the young and beautiful crowd waiting to get into PH's Rock Bar. Ummm ... may I revise that to say "the young crowd?" Let's just say that the crowd entering was not quite the bevy of sexy beauties that Rob talks about when playing poker near a club at MGM. I would say more, but my oldest daughter would probably bop me in the head if I gave a detailed description of the clientele.

I went back to the poker room and watched Tony play a little of the mixed games. When the game broke, we got seated at the same $1/2 NL table. We were seated at opposite ends and therefore mostly communicated via text message.

Mr. Bigcharles, you won't be happy to read this, but as you have heard from several people before -- "STAY OFF YOUR FRIGGIN PHONE!!" I was amazed at how little attention Tony paid to the game unless he was in the hand. I don't know how he could possibly be playing his best poker when he had no idea what was happening 90% of the time.

A guy at my end of the table was being pretty aggressive, and I was looking for just that opportunity to double up on him. He started asking me questions about where I was staying. Once he established that I wasn't some new local, he became more intrusive. Frankly, I shouldn't have even let on that I was from out of town. However, I remembered the words of poker blogging guru Dr. Pauly: When in Las Vegas ... LIE! Pauly delighted in telling all kinds of bullshit stories to people at the poker table. So ... I told the guy that I was independently wealthy, staying at Four Seasons (yes - everyone who knows how "thrifty" I am can chuckle at that) and that Tony was my limo driver. The guy didn't ask any questions after that.

Finally, I got the moment I was waiting for: pocket Queens. I raised and he re-raised to blow me off my hand. I rarely talk during my hand at the table, but I thought I would this time and said "I don't think you have shit" and re-raised. He went all in and I insta-called. He had a funny look on his face and said "I have a pair that is part of the wheel." Just what I was looking for! The flop was 10-high and then he said the magic words: "Now I have a set." Yes, I had him dead to rights Q-Q vs 10-10 and he binked a 10 on the flop. Instead of having a stack around $600ish, I was felted. Friggin game of poker and the damn two-outers!

At that point I decided to call it a night. I told Tony that I was leaving and told him that if he wanted a ride it would have to be then. He asked if I would drop him off at the Venetian, which I said I would do. However, on the ride to the V, the hygiene issue I mentioned in my last post came into play. Without being too graphic, let's just say that Tony's body odor was overwhelming.

Now I have played a decent amount of poker with Tony over the past few years. Despite what I had heard from everyone about how much he stunk, I had only played with him once when his odor was questionable, but probably not worse than some of the other less pleasant smelling guys at your average poker table. This time, however, it was bad -- really bad again. Think Seinfeld bad:

 

I rolled down the window and Tony put it back up saying "It's cold." I then told him that a guy with money and living in a nice place had no business presenting himself like that and told him to get a shower and brush his teeth. I know that this might all sound mean, but anyone who has interacted with Tony knows that subtle hints do not work. Bluntness does not always work, but at least it has a chance of success. But as you will read in upcoming posts, things with Tony will get even worse ...

I dropped Tony off at the V and headed back to my room. I was looking forward to getting enough sleep so that I would be sharp for the blogger tourney the next morning. Adding to the self-imposed pressure was that I asked Rob to be my partner in the last longer competition. I have played few tournaments in the past few years, preferring instead to play cash games. Rob is a very solid tournament player, and I certainly did not want to mess things up by going out early. Not to mention that he would blab about it in his blog, outing my lack of tournament chops if readers could ever make it to the end of one of his lengthy posts.  : o )