I had talked to Bart,
a couple of months ago, and he says to me: “Dude you gotta make it to Chicago
for the next Pokerfest.” Having previously
being the only 3 time pokerfest attendee (besides Bart)
I really wanted to go. Being unemployed for the
past 5 months made it iffy. The fact that I never won
a dime at the first 3 fests. (even though
I only go to hang out with some of the coolest people that I know)
made me realize that I was going to spend some
decent coin on the trip.
I kept putting it off, but about
a week before the trip I got on priceline and got a decent price. Before
I
pulled the trigger on the deal. I started looking
for a Hotel. By the time I got back to buy my ticket on priceline
the price had doubled. “ah the hell with it I
said to myself, I cant really afford the trip anyway.”
Then on Wednesday only 3 days before
the big game, I noticed that good friends of mine from the previous
Vegas Poker fests one of whom happens to be a
very important employee of a certain airline were going.
I decided “ok this is my final chance to go to
Chicago.” So I called up, and asked if they could hook me up.
I figured it was too short a notice, but they
said “sure no problem we can get you a ticket”. The price was
right so I met them on Thursday near LAX where
they were getting ready to get on their flight.
I find out that not only am I getting
a great deal, but I can also sit up front in first class, where you get
treated like royalty, (compared to the folks
traveling coach) and you can drink for free. (ha ha) I go up to
the gate to check in for my flight which is scheduled
to leave in an hour. They are just getting ready to close
the door on another flight which is ready to
leave for Chicago. I ask the lady at the desk if there is any way
I can get on that plane which is just about to
leave and she says “We can get you on but you will be in coach
in a middle seat. Now anyone who’s ever had to
deal with that knows how bad it sucks so I said “nah I will wait for the
next one.”
On the next one I got to sit up front,
I am just starting to recline in my big leather chair, and enjoy a cocktail.
(even though its not even noon yet) When the
pilot comes on and says were going to be delayed. No problem I think,
I’ll just have another one of these Jack Daniels
and cokes (the plane didn’t have Chinaco) Well it started out to be
one hour delay, then 1 ½, then 2. The
pilot explained that it was raining in Chicago, (even though it wasn’t
and the
Air Traffic controllers there were making all
incoming planes wait.) “Whatever” I thought to myself just keep those
Jack Daniels coming” I usually don’t like to
be kept waiting but for some reason I didn’t mind too much this time.
Finally after 3 hours and a few more Jacks We
take off. 3 ½ hours and a few more Jacks later we land.
My instructions were to call Bart
as soon as I land for directions to the roof party. Now I’ve never been
to
Chicago in my entire life and know nothing about
the place, I’m on the cellphone walking through the terminal
and Bart is saying: “Now get on this expressway,
and get off at that exit, and make a left, and a right, and a left….”
I’m saying to myself “Yeah this will be fun”
I couldn’t even understand the name of the street that the party was on.
I finally find a taxi, and I tell the driver
where I think I am going, and the cabbie says “oh no you don’t want to
take
a cab, that’s $30. You can take the train for
a dollar fifty. Nice of him to tell me I thought, In L.A. the cab driver
would not have told me about the train and would
have charged me $60 instead for being a tourist.
Now I’m back in the airport looking
for the damn train, and I can’t find it until I ask about 3 different people.
Did I mention that Me and Jack have been partying
all day??
I finally get to the roof party which
was very cool, The roof lady was very nice, and I got to meet a few new
people from Chicago. Drank some more Jack, when
Poker Queen and Buck tell me they are leaving and they
know a hotel nearby where they were staying that
I could go to. (I didn’t have one booked) So we share a cab,
and I wind up at the Red Roof Inn right in the
middle of downtown Chicago. Luckily the elevators weren’t working
so they gave me a $130 room for $70, all I had
to do was walk up 5 flights of stairs. I bring my stuff up to the room,
but its early, only about midnight. and I’m bored
so I go back downstairs and outside. Now I’m all alone in a strange
place, Having no idea where I am or where to
go, and kinda buzzed. So I walk around for a while. I see these two
girls coming up the street wearing Kerry, and
Obama, buttons. Theres a couple of idiot ditto monkey dudes following
them giving them shit. I just happen to get caught
up in the middle of this. And after a minute or two I let these guys
have it but good. Now were in the middle of the
street going back and forth, meanwhile the girls used the distraction
to duck out of sight. After a while I duck into
a bar to get away from these monkeys. I figure as long as I’m in there
I will have a drink while I make sure they are
gone. The place was partying pretty good, so I stayed a while.
Next morning and I’m at the
fest. Got to see Jim, and his wife, Larry, Vegas Dave, and all the Pokerfesters,
plus meet some new guys like Flagstaff, and LRB
from Minnesota.
First game I last a while but take 5th place.
Unlike the previous fests which were winner take all they are paying out
for the first, second and third. Second game
I start off with a pair of Kings in the hole, which is a good hand. I open
for a decent amount, and Bam, raise, raise, raise,
everyone is staying in and raising like crazy. Finally there is a huge
pot in the middle, and we show our cards. I won
the fat pot barely. I’m thinking “yeah this is my game to win” two
hands later I lose all the money I won when I
get a pair of 2s in the hole. I ended up the second one out of that game.
So I’m thinking: “I gotta get another
hotel tonight. And I’m already out a bunch of money, maybe I should forego
playing in the big game ($100 buy in) After 3
pokerfests I’m thinking “this is just not my game” Well all 18 others
buy in for the game, and I figure ah what the
hell, Its only money.
I decide to try a different approach
and play conservatively. (I never do anything conservatively, I hate conservative)
I’m laying back waiting for good cards, I win
one small pot, that I played. But beside that I’m getting nothing. I must
have
thrown away about 20 hands in a row. I’m down
to my last chips, I have to go all in or I will lose the money anyway
because of the blinds. We turn our cards up and
luckily I win the hand, or it would have been all over.
Finally after a couple of hours my
luck starts to turn. I start getting some decent cards. I win one nice
pot, then another.
Now its time to move over to the other table
where the final 8 are playing. I notice that I seem to have more chips
then
most of the other players. So I lay back as they
knock each other out. We get down to 4 players and I’m thinking
“well at least I’m finally in the money.”
4th place was worth $150. Things start to get a little hazy after that
but a
little while later, its just me and Tom, playing
for all the marbles. I finally force him to go all in and we turn up the
cards.
I don’t know what hand I won with but, when I
realized it was over. I raised my hands in Victory, and let out a yell.
It felt great. Wow what a rush. That money would
sure come in handy.
A couple of hours later were all
drinking at the bar. Which I hear stays open till 5 AM, I knew there was
a 6 AM
flight back to L.A. so I figure “screw paying
for another night in a hotel I’ll just stay here and all night, and pace
myself.
Well that plan went out the window when I met
John the Disasterman from Chicago. The place is packed and we’re
having fun, and John is buying shots for everyone,
because he’s happy to be hanging out with the Bartcoppers.
After a while everyone else is gone, except me
and John and he is still buying shots of Chinaco. I think I had about
5 of them plus a few more drinks. Next thing
I know its 3:30 AM John is gone but the place is still packed. I decide
its time to go, and stumble out to find the train
station. If your ever in Chicago at 3:30 in the morning after having
drank all night, and need to get to the airport,
don’t take the train. This thing was lurching back and forth and all
around, my stomach wasn’t too happy about it.
I made it to the airport just in time to get on my 6AM flight
(which also had free drinks) I finally get home
at 10AM (noon Chicago time) after a 24 hour nonstop drinking and gambling
fest.
Great trip, thanks to Bart, Poker Queen, Buck, Jim, Sam, Larry, Tom, Allie, and everyone who made it such a great time. See y’all in Seattle
L.A. Rick, A.K.A. The
Hollywood Liberal
Look for my new website www.thehollywoodliberal.com
which will be probably be online by the time you read this