The Doctor Appointment
"That girl is totally out of your league." -Spaceman
"Sure man, but she's a fan..." -Dr. Pauly
On Thursday night I was at the final table of yet another tournament out at Sam's Town, with most of the usual suspects, and one total donkey who just wouldn't bust. He'd been forced all-in by the blinds twice already, (the first time he caught QQ, a feat he would repeat later, the second time he was holding an 8T offsuit and flopped trips) when one of the regulars made a push with a QJ. This particular time the mark was holding AQ, and the flop came A K 8. The regular was turning to walk away when the 3 came on the turn, and when the T fell on the river, he headed over towards the tournament director to collect his winnings.
The straight hadn't registered with him, and as we called him back to the table I said to him under my breath, "Hey! Sometimes the good guys suck out too."
"Yep."
Little did I know at that moment that this particular regular, who I was also seated with at the starting table of the first tournament I ever played at Sam's Town, was the infamous flipchippro.
The next night during a break, I walked over to talk to another regular that I routinely joke around with. He was engaged in a conversation with flipchip at the time, and as I waited patiently for them to finish their conversation, I couldn't help but notice the business card that was slid across the felt at the conclusion.
"You're with the lasvegasvegas.com guys?", I inquired.
"Yes."
"Dr. Pauly and them?"
"Yeah, I had lunch with him today."
"Wow, it'd be kinda cool to meet him."
I didn't really mean it as a request, just a thought made verbal, but without hesitation he responded, "Come out to the Bellagio tomorrow and I'll introduce you."
We chatted for a few more seconds, and as the break ended, I returned to my own table.
The next morning as I was waking up and catching up on my morning news rituals, I got an email from my friend Philo Vivero, aka Timeless, aka Tim Ellis, who was mentioned in Forbes magazine last week for his crazy DBA skills, without which digg.com would not be where they are today, and I got involved in a somewhat lengthy IM conversation with him.
I mentioned the Bellagio invitation thingy, and that I wasn't going, based on the facts that I hate the strip, I especially hate the strip on Saturdays, and I really don't want to be seen as some kind of fucking stalker. He suggested that I was an idiot for passing up an opportunity to at least go see what a serious poker tournament is like, but it was this conversation with another friend that eventually changed my mind:
xxxxx: So, like, if you were to somehow defy all probability and win the WSOP, this guy would be writing about you?
tommy: That's not gonna happen.
xxxxx: But if it did, and you had bought him a drink a few months before, he'd probably write nice things about you.
tommy: Yeah, not gonna happen.
xxxxx: Go buy him a drink anyway, fuckwad.
And so it was that at approximately 4 PM, I set out for the strip.
I should mention how much I fucking hate the strip. I hate it nearly as much as I hate the cattle that make up the strip, spending all their time blocking street & foot traffic inside and outside of the casinos, staring at the whatever pretty lights they've most recently come across. These vile loathings alone make me doubt that I could hack it as a true professional poker player, who would be forced to deal with them regularly.
I got to the Fontana Room just in time to see Johnny Chan bust out to a flopped boat, and yet he left the table with a smile and the grace of a true professional that I rarely get to see in the tournaments that I've been playing in. Later, as I was walking around the casino I spotted him sitting near a bank of Video Poker machines by himself, smoking a cigar. My first thought was to go over and bother him, but then it occurred to me that I'm not a fucking tourist and opted for the head nod of recognition instead. I was rewarded with a wink, and continued happily on my way.
Eventually I spotted flipchippro and Dr. Pauly, and headed over. After introductions and some chatter, I was also introduced to Spaceman (who was sitting quietly nearby typing on his laptop), and my offer to buy drinks was quickly accepted. As soon as the break rolled around we headed to the infamous "Hooker Bar", joined by their friend and fellow journalist Mike Friedman. After a round of drinks, some random people watching, and a little light conversation about nothing terribly important, they headed back inside. Definitely a cool group of guys.
I took off for Sam's Town. My run at the points there has been going extremely well, and I'll make time to write about it soon.
-Tommy
"Sure man, but she's a fan..." -Dr. Pauly
On Thursday night I was at the final table of yet another tournament out at Sam's Town, with most of the usual suspects, and one total donkey who just wouldn't bust. He'd been forced all-in by the blinds twice already, (the first time he caught QQ, a feat he would repeat later, the second time he was holding an 8T offsuit and flopped trips) when one of the regulars made a push with a QJ. This particular time the mark was holding AQ, and the flop came A K 8. The regular was turning to walk away when the 3 came on the turn, and when the T fell on the river, he headed over towards the tournament director to collect his winnings.
The straight hadn't registered with him, and as we called him back to the table I said to him under my breath, "Hey! Sometimes the good guys suck out too."
"Yep."
Little did I know at that moment that this particular regular, who I was also seated with at the starting table of the first tournament I ever played at Sam's Town, was the infamous flipchippro.
The next night during a break, I walked over to talk to another regular that I routinely joke around with. He was engaged in a conversation with flipchip at the time, and as I waited patiently for them to finish their conversation, I couldn't help but notice the business card that was slid across the felt at the conclusion.
"You're with the lasvegasvegas.com guys?", I inquired.
"Yes."
"Dr. Pauly and them?"
"Yeah, I had lunch with him today."
"Wow, it'd be kinda cool to meet him."
I didn't really mean it as a request, just a thought made verbal, but without hesitation he responded, "Come out to the Bellagio tomorrow and I'll introduce you."
We chatted for a few more seconds, and as the break ended, I returned to my own table.
The next morning as I was waking up and catching up on my morning news rituals, I got an email from my friend Philo Vivero, aka Timeless, aka Tim Ellis, who was mentioned in Forbes magazine last week for his crazy DBA skills, without which digg.com would not be where they are today, and I got involved in a somewhat lengthy IM conversation with him.
I mentioned the Bellagio invitation thingy, and that I wasn't going, based on the facts that I hate the strip, I especially hate the strip on Saturdays, and I really don't want to be seen as some kind of fucking stalker. He suggested that I was an idiot for passing up an opportunity to at least go see what a serious poker tournament is like, but it was this conversation with another friend that eventually changed my mind:
xxxxx: So, like, if you were to somehow defy all probability and win the WSOP, this guy would be writing about you?
tommy: That's not gonna happen.
xxxxx: But if it did, and you had bought him a drink a few months before, he'd probably write nice things about you.
tommy: Yeah, not gonna happen.
xxxxx: Go buy him a drink anyway, fuckwad.
And so it was that at approximately 4 PM, I set out for the strip.
I should mention how much I fucking hate the strip. I hate it nearly as much as I hate the cattle that make up the strip, spending all their time blocking street & foot traffic inside and outside of the casinos, staring at the whatever pretty lights they've most recently come across. These vile loathings alone make me doubt that I could hack it as a true professional poker player, who would be forced to deal with them regularly.
I got to the Fontana Room just in time to see Johnny Chan bust out to a flopped boat, and yet he left the table with a smile and the grace of a true professional that I rarely get to see in the tournaments that I've been playing in. Later, as I was walking around the casino I spotted him sitting near a bank of Video Poker machines by himself, smoking a cigar. My first thought was to go over and bother him, but then it occurred to me that I'm not a fucking tourist and opted for the head nod of recognition instead. I was rewarded with a wink, and continued happily on my way.
Eventually I spotted flipchippro and Dr. Pauly, and headed over. After introductions and some chatter, I was also introduced to Spaceman (who was sitting quietly nearby typing on his laptop), and my offer to buy drinks was quickly accepted. As soon as the break rolled around we headed to the infamous "Hooker Bar", joined by their friend and fellow journalist Mike Friedman. After a round of drinks, some random people watching, and a little light conversation about nothing terribly important, they headed back inside. Definitely a cool group of guys.
I took off for Sam's Town. My run at the points there has been going extremely well, and I'll make time to write about it soon.
-Tommy
posted by Tommy at 10:50 AM
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