A lot has happened since my last post here. The biggest change is that my wife and I have moved from Texas to California. More on that below, but first the news you have been waiting for: the
World Poker Blogger Tour will have another Winter Classic gathering this year in Las Vegas. Organized by CK and PokerVixen, the dates are the weekend of December 5 through 7 with the tournament on December 6. Check in on Facebook
here to advise whether you are going and to get updates on details. I plan to be there for the fun times.
Meanwhile, I'm sure you are wondering, "What has happened in the months since you posted on your poker blog way back in December 2013?" Allow me to fill you in.
Our move took place in mid-January. We got settled into our new/old home (we lived in this condo before moving to Texas) and have been reacquainting ourselves with the area. As I mentioned in my
last post, I had qualified to play in the
World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League National Championship tournament which was held in April at the Tropicana in Las Vegas. I played in Day 1A but didn't make it to the second break. The structure was quite fast, and I didn't get many hands worth playing early on. Eventually I got to fold or shove mode, and ended up in a race of my 66 vs villain's AJ, which did not go my way. I played some cash games at Luxor, where we were staying, and ended up breaking even for the trip. Most of our time there was spent sightseeing, and we rode the new High Roller observation wheel near The Quad. That was great; nice views of the Strip and the surrounding area from the top.
I didn't play any other poker after that until we went on a cruise of the British Isles in July with
Cruise Trek, a group we have sailed with several times before. In the ship's casino, I played a couple of tournaments and some cash games on their electronic poker table. The table had recurring technical problems, so we were lucky that we got to play much at all on the cruise. First, I played a $50 + 10 sit & go which only had four players. I finished second for a payout of $80, plus a seat in a freeroll later in the cruise. The next day, I played $1/$2 cash for about an hour and quit ahead by $30. The freeroll was a couple of days later and featured four passengers who had qualified during the cruise plus four of the ship's officers. I finished second again, with first place going to one of the officers; I won $50 cash for that tourney plus a polo shirt from the casino. Overall, a profitable trip for me.
I haven't played any more poker since the cruise. I might go up to the
Chumash Casino near Santa Barbara sometime and try their poker room. I have not yet visited any of the cardrooms in the L.A. area; I'm not sure when I will do that, but I suppose I should try it once. I get the feeling that there aren't as many tourists playing here as there are in the rooms in Las Vegas, so the players are likely to be a lot tougher. If I don't get to the felt any sooner, I will certainly be playing in LV in December over the WPBT weekend.
Make your plans for the Winter Classic now. See you there!
