The first few posts reflect 2016 and then there is a note telling that the rest is from 2009, my last trip to Mississippi to play poker.
Everything is in reverse order, blog style.
Everything is in reverse order, blog style.
COUNTER
Monday, April 11, 2016
Monday, April 4, 2016
Scarlet Pearl and the IP to eat and play
I thought the IP poker game was a good one, but I found one more to my taste at the Scarlet Pearl. Sunday afternoon was perfect with the table full of tourists who did not like to bet high. It is a spread limit 4-8 game with a 1-2 blind. Seeing the flop often costs just two dollars as opposed to the four dollars it costs at the IP. And there are those fine possibilities for betting based on the strength of a hand. After the flop the bet can be 1-4, and turn and river bets can be 1-8. I have always liked these games.
The poker room has a huge window, although the view will be obstructed soon with a parking garage. It is bright and pleasant and everything is new. The rest of the casino is that was as well.
Really different were the people working. John was an especially patient and attentive dealer. He called the game, talked about the casino, joked a bit, and in general made us feel welcome and taken care of. I rarely tip more than a dollar, but I did tip John two.
One amazing thing was that they automatically changed the rake when we got down to five and with four took no rake at all. This made short play easy to endure.
There is not a NL game in this room, just this unstructured spread limit game.
I think it might be my favorite game in the country.
It took me a while to get used to the spread again at the Scarlet Pearl. I overbet good hands and everyone folded. Once pocket Aces only got me the blinds. I showed them and did a bit of friendly whining. The next hand I had just a good draw, so I just bet a dollar until. I was never raised, so on the river I bet the max of $8 and stole the pot with folks thinking I slow played good cards. I did it again a few hands later. That was in the early afternoon of Sunday with mostly tight tourists.
I did well, playing tight aggressive. Then some fellows came in who were upped the action more than I wanted and I was missing hands, so I left with $85 profit. However, the real advantage was that this game would not kill my bankroll if I played over a long while even with a difficult second best slump. So the price of entertainment was low.
Folks were very friendly. Mike next to me has actually been the fellow who set up the Magic Manatee marina where we rented out pontoon in Homosassa. He was fun to talk with. There was a fellow there who lived in the villages in Florida.
They have a poker rate of sixty nine dollars weekdays and ninety=nine on weekends and the $2.50 earned in comps each hour can be applied to the price, so that lowers it even more. I thought I might stay one more night here and skip the Shelbyville stop, but I can't easily squeeze that out. However, I can spend a bit of Tuesday afternoon, use of my comps for a meal and if I get three or four hours of travel in before sleeping, that will almost be like spending another night here. Part of me would like to see Shelbyville, but I just know that it would be a disappointment after this place.
Their promotions were very accessible too. Every half hour yesterday the house splashed the pot with twenty five dollars. I almost won one time but lost on the river when my flopped trips were defeated by a flush.
They also splashed the pot with bits of bling. I won a sippy cup with the name of the casino. I wanted to trade a woman for her card protector, but she did not want to trade. John just went up and got my a card protector. He did not even take the sippy cup. These card protectors are pretty cool. They are in a plastic case but if taken out they will spin on top of the cards. I have not tried mine out yet. As a card protector, I think I better like it in the case, but it will be cool for the home games.
My best hand was Peter's favorite 6-9. This was of spades. The straight flopped and there were two hearts. I bet hard and was called by heart draws and one two pair fellow. No one would put me on a 6-9. It was the largest pot of my trip so far, well over $100. And it won the sippy cup which also got me the card protector. Pretty good.
IP
I went to the IP to use my poker comps for a buffet. They gave me a full buffet although I only had fifteen dollars. He said I could come back and play. I did. But I lost. I made a bit back at the video poker, hitting a few quads and a straight flush. I caught a seven and jack of clubs to make it.
But even with the win at the Scarlet Pearl I am down for the trip. $358 is my score. So far I've eaten $52 in free food, so that helps, but I'll need some luck if this is to be a winning trip.
I do like the affect it all has on my sleeping and my attitude. I'm relaxed and appreciate not thinking about politics and death for a few hours in the day. I sleep very well, with dreams, but I sleep through the night.
Jen's father Joe died yesterday. So that is two deaths while I've been here in Biloxi. Peter and Casey are scheduled to fly to meet us in Chicago on the 8th, but perhaps they won't make it. We'll see. It is fine to have booked at Southwest where it won't cost anything to cancel and use the money later in the year. What a great airline!
Oh, the buffet at the IP was good but not as good as the Beau. The seafood was rather dry and tasteless. I better liked a meatball and sausage and a jumbo. It all spiked my sugar, however. I did not measure after the Beau. Perhaps I will today.
Heavy day of Gambling
I tried to nap but it did not seem to work, so finally I got up and went to the IP and lost $200 at JOB before I decided to go down to the Beau Rivage for some food. This is quite the upscale place. It is very fancy, unlike the IP which is nice, but not fancy.
Parking at the Beau is a walk through shops to the casino. IP is get off the elevator and there it is.
I wandered around a bit watching the action. I stopped at the M-Life Player's Club for a card and redeemed my free buffet from MyVegas. The price of this buffet on Saturday is $30. Quite a good deal for free. Unlike some of the other MyVegas offers there is not a separate offer for lunch and dinner. I got there during the closed time, walked and checked out the poker room, and came back with ten minutes to wait for the supper hours and there was already a line. I listened to the chatter in line but I was quiet and no one asked me a question. It is so unusual to be where almost all of the speakers have Southern Accents. Fun.
The buffet was a real treat, especially for a seafood lover like me. There were all sorts of seafood from crab legs to crawfish to fillets done in various manners to fried oysters, stuffed crabs, deep fried balls of seafood flavored hush puppies. I concentrated on a creamy soup named after the casino which seemed to have a process broccoli. I ate a lot of deep fried oysters and they were very good. The crawfish tasted good as well. I could not remember much about all the Mudgrift Alligator Dan from Louisian' had shown me in 2009, but I did okay. Too bad ole Dan isn't alive anymore or perhaps he would have met me down here.
I did go back to the poker room and even was seated at a new game, but suddenly the old game was nearly breaking and that took most of the new game players, so rather than wait on a list when half the table were new and not leaving soon, I decided to go to the IP and play some more video poker at the IP.
The traffic outside the Beau was thick. I had to wait in line to exit the parking garage and I quickly decided not to try to go to Pearl, but to go back to the IP. This hotel is easily located for IP access, just a bridge between us really, unaffected by traffic as it is a major highway 10. I sure made a good decision.
Also, near the poker room is JOB in what is the only full pay quarter VP (with reduced points earned) in Biloxi.
At the IP they had a seat for me in 4-8 and so I played for a while. I arrived at 5:30 and I left about midnight. I was up and down and ended down, then put what was left in the video poker and lost a bit, making the day a $297 loss and that was my trip loss so far as well since I broke even yesterday.
I loved poker at the IP. They had a promotion that apparently the locals don't like much, so there were only a few really skilled players and some terrible folks. I'd have left with profit if I hadn't decided to see if I might win the $500 and play to midnight. The easy money players left and so did my cards. Second best took me right down.
I loved the people. Constant chatter in delightful Southern English, some joking, friendly dealers, one very lively and cute girl and a loose game. I played Peter's 6-9 once and flopped two pair, was called to the river and won. I had pocked Aces go to four of a kind and won just a small pot and wished I was in Ocala where the high hand award would be $250 and the Aces would probably hold up for that as they pay every half hour. I'm always getting the best cards in places where they aren't worth much.
I loved the blinds. It is a 4-8 game but with 1-2 blinds, so in long stretches of terrible cards I could not get blinded to death.
If I heard right they pay $2.50 an hour for play, but it is all handled by their poker room. That seems like a lot, so I may have heard wrong. I'm hoping I can collect today and use it toward a buffet. I have enough points anyway, but this would save them for Vegas.
I like very much playing in a B Connected casino. I am drifting more and more in that direction in Vegas and it is just great to be able to earn a few points here and then have them when I go next to the Gold Coast or Orleans or Sam's Town. Also, what was left on my card I am able to use here.
The Young at Heart Monday deals are not quite a good, but then I'm covered for Monday anyway with another MyVegas voucher for the Beau. I can't imagine why more people here don't play for these unless as locals they are shut out from the deal. These buffets are pricey.
My computer connections go in and out, but I set up the Califone box with a tape I made of Jonathan Schwartz radio and that is just great. Boy, I love this box.
At my poker table were some interesting characters. One young girl had one of those young, fresh faces that just beamed with cheer. I loved her. She did not stay long. After she was gone there was some whispering form a snarky local who for some reason resented her poor play and keep talking to the dealer.
There was one old guy with deep hound dog jowls who never smiled, or answered a comment, or did much of anything human until his friends and family showed up to take him off. Then there was hand shaking and such all around and I thought, "Oh, this guy is human afterall"
I sat next to Mohammed and we had some good talks. He was friendly guy and I liked him.
A good player and a regular showed up with a billion chips and watched his phone play a movie unless he was in a hand. He played tight. He was gone much of time too. I think he was just getting his hours in for the promotion. He was tight aggressive and hard to beat, but my pocket Aces took out his ace/ king although he bet every round.
There was a good looking fellow with a confederate flag on his hat who played some of the worst poker I've seen. No wonder they lost the war.
Hardest was a quiet but very spacey Mexican who bet and called everything. It was impossible to push him off a hand and hard to have a sense of what he held. He was not lucky, but he had a pocketful of hundred dollar bills and just replenished after he lost an all in . I had a 2-5 that took the pot on the river from a friendly old guy who had bet his flopped trip 4's.
A couple of young guys showed up and sat either side of me and we bantered a bit. They were from outside New Orleans. Quite a few folks here from New Orleans.
Parking at the Beau is a walk through shops to the casino. IP is get off the elevator and there it is.
I wandered around a bit watching the action. I stopped at the M-Life Player's Club for a card and redeemed my free buffet from MyVegas. The price of this buffet on Saturday is $30. Quite a good deal for free. Unlike some of the other MyVegas offers there is not a separate offer for lunch and dinner. I got there during the closed time, walked and checked out the poker room, and came back with ten minutes to wait for the supper hours and there was already a line. I listened to the chatter in line but I was quiet and no one asked me a question. It is so unusual to be where almost all of the speakers have Southern Accents. Fun.
The buffet was a real treat, especially for a seafood lover like me. There were all sorts of seafood from crab legs to crawfish to fillets done in various manners to fried oysters, stuffed crabs, deep fried balls of seafood flavored hush puppies. I concentrated on a creamy soup named after the casino which seemed to have a process broccoli. I ate a lot of deep fried oysters and they were very good. The crawfish tasted good as well. I could not remember much about all the Mudgrift Alligator Dan from Louisian' had shown me in 2009, but I did okay. Too bad ole Dan isn't alive anymore or perhaps he would have met me down here.
I did go back to the poker room and even was seated at a new game, but suddenly the old game was nearly breaking and that took most of the new game players, so rather than wait on a list when half the table were new and not leaving soon, I decided to go to the IP and play some more video poker at the IP.
The traffic outside the Beau was thick. I had to wait in line to exit the parking garage and I quickly decided not to try to go to Pearl, but to go back to the IP. This hotel is easily located for IP access, just a bridge between us really, unaffected by traffic as it is a major highway 10. I sure made a good decision.
Also, near the poker room is JOB in what is the only full pay quarter VP (with reduced points earned) in Biloxi.
At the IP they had a seat for me in 4-8 and so I played for a while. I arrived at 5:30 and I left about midnight. I was up and down and ended down, then put what was left in the video poker and lost a bit, making the day a $297 loss and that was my trip loss so far as well since I broke even yesterday.
I loved poker at the IP. They had a promotion that apparently the locals don't like much, so there were only a few really skilled players and some terrible folks. I'd have left with profit if I hadn't decided to see if I might win the $500 and play to midnight. The easy money players left and so did my cards. Second best took me right down.
I loved the people. Constant chatter in delightful Southern English, some joking, friendly dealers, one very lively and cute girl and a loose game. I played Peter's 6-9 once and flopped two pair, was called to the river and won. I had pocked Aces go to four of a kind and won just a small pot and wished I was in Ocala where the high hand award would be $250 and the Aces would probably hold up for that as they pay every half hour. I'm always getting the best cards in places where they aren't worth much.
I loved the blinds. It is a 4-8 game but with 1-2 blinds, so in long stretches of terrible cards I could not get blinded to death.
If I heard right they pay $2.50 an hour for play, but it is all handled by their poker room. That seems like a lot, so I may have heard wrong. I'm hoping I can collect today and use it toward a buffet. I have enough points anyway, but this would save them for Vegas.
I like very much playing in a B Connected casino. I am drifting more and more in that direction in Vegas and it is just great to be able to earn a few points here and then have them when I go next to the Gold Coast or Orleans or Sam's Town. Also, what was left on my card I am able to use here.
The Young at Heart Monday deals are not quite a good, but then I'm covered for Monday anyway with another MyVegas voucher for the Beau. I can't imagine why more people here don't play for these unless as locals they are shut out from the deal. These buffets are pricey.
My computer connections go in and out, but I set up the Califone box with a tape I made of Jonathan Schwartz radio and that is just great. Boy, I love this box.
At my poker table were some interesting characters. One young girl had one of those young, fresh faces that just beamed with cheer. I loved her. She did not stay long. After she was gone there was some whispering form a snarky local who for some reason resented her poor play and keep talking to the dealer.
There was one old guy with deep hound dog jowls who never smiled, or answered a comment, or did much of anything human until his friends and family showed up to take him off. Then there was hand shaking and such all around and I thought, "Oh, this guy is human afterall"
I sat next to Mohammed and we had some good talks. He was friendly guy and I liked him.
A good player and a regular showed up with a billion chips and watched his phone play a movie unless he was in a hand. He played tight. He was gone much of time too. I think he was just getting his hours in for the promotion. He was tight aggressive and hard to beat, but my pocket Aces took out his ace/ king although he bet every round.
There was a good looking fellow with a confederate flag on his hat who played some of the worst poker I've seen. No wonder they lost the war.
Hardest was a quiet but very spacey Mexican who bet and called everything. It was impossible to push him off a hand and hard to have a sense of what he held. He was not lucky, but he had a pocketful of hundred dollar bills and just replenished after he lost an all in . I had a 2-5 that took the pot on the river from a friendly old guy who had bet his flopped trip 4's.
A couple of young guys showed up and sat either side of me and we bantered a bit. They were from outside New Orleans. Quite a few folks here from New Orleans.
THE HOTEL
Some of this repeats in other posts, but I decided to break out my hotel comments to develop a nice report for Trip Reports. I'll edit this as I go with new thoughts. Other folks liked this place, but few had any specific comments to make or added details.
It was a great choice for me. I am staying four nights.
http://www.suburbanhotelbiloxi.com/
Here I had a kitchen, a room close to my car, and good location for casinos.
It was nice to have a hot meal of leftovers when I got tired playing video poker at the IP. And cooking bacon and eggs for breakfast with some hot tea was just a great luxury at a cheap price.
There are two nice burners and a timed switch on the back wall that cuts off electricity to the entire stove after a while, like those used for heat lamps in bathrooms.
They stock the room with : a small microwave, two plates, two bowls, assorted plasticware to use with the Teflon pans, real silverware. All this looks brand new.Two real coffee cups. One small glasses and two large glasses.
I put a plastic cup in the bathroom. No plastic here, no Styrofoam. Nice.
Next to the microwave is a roll of paper towels. Mine was new.
The refrigerator is small with little space for larger things, but fine. The freezer is a narrow strip but held all I needed. I thought the place was very comfortable.
The shower looks new. It is simple, but there is a place to sit.
Everything is clean and well maintained. Perhaps these were renovated not too long ago.
The coffee maker was a surprise. I am carrying coffee with me but not filters. There was hotel coffee provided, but this machine will make my own coffee, so I asked housekeeping for some filters and she brought me a nice pile that will last me easily for my stay.
It could get noisy here, but it has not. I have slept easily. There is daylight through the edges of the window curtain and the train sound of housekeeping rolling their sheets, but the workers don't shout back and forth.
The AC/heat system acts as white noise.
I guess if I just had a light carryon I would choose and upper room, but all the junk I want to unload and keep safe in the room as well as a heavy cooler, sleep apnea machine, boom box, computer makes it more convenient to be on the ground floor even if once in a while someone talks a bit too loud outside my door during a midday nap.
The location to casinos is just grand. The IP is a B-Connected casino where points earned on the card can be used in Vegas and vice versa. To get there I hop on I-10, cross a bridge over water and immediately get off, turn right, and I am there. No traffic. Other casino access may come with traffic.
For the newest of Biloxi casinos, the Scarlet Pearl, I don't even have to take the bridge. I just run down a city street, turn, and there it is.
My first night I drove through a torrential rain and wind storm and was happy to have the IP so close. The Pearl would have been more difficult because the self parking I prefer is outside and a bit of a walk to the casino. I'd have gone Valet, but perhaps those spots would have quickly filled.
I do wish they had a better marking on the entrance road. There is one road that is a false road that is first when coming off the I-10 expressway from the casino. Then at night the other entrances are hard to see, blending into the black top of the highway. Even a small reflector would help. On one is a small blue sign that does not project over two bushes and so is easy to miss.
I also did have a slight leakage of tobacco smoke through the vents and into the bathroom. Behind me here are smoking rooms. I might ask for a room more isolated, but in truth it has not bothered me much, and when I sense it, I close the bathroom door. Cooking bacon also covers it up, a sort of natural Febreeze. I had this for only a day or so at the beginning and then I expect those folks went away and smoked up their car rather than the hotel room.
I do like the room facing the back as the parking is easier. I have room number 121 and I like that.
There were just enough plugs, but carrying a three way splitter is also a good idea when traveling. There were not those handy plugs built into the llighting.
Along side the bed were two lights operated with a hand switch. This was very convenient. so many places have these lights controlled by a central switch on some wall. In bed with my sleep apnea mask all adjusted, I don't want to get up to adjust the light and if I go to the bathroom in the dark, I want that simple switch to work and not be cut off by some other.
The lights at the door allow for some variety of lighting with three switches controlling various lights. I like that set up. One switch turns on two lights but they have their own switches as well.
The television has a good selection of stations but sadly not TCM.
The wifi worked well but was hard to log into for me at least and I had to log into it every 24 hours. What happens is the log in page does not easily come up. I have to put something in the google. Here is was
http://www.suburbanhotelbiloxi.com/
for some reason. I have this happen in hotels often. It takes a while to get the log in posted. I don't know why. In my last computer the log in sheet came up easily and right away.
Book on line early because the place fills up. I saw walk ins turned away.
It was a great choice for me. I am staying four nights.
http://www.suburbanhotelbiloxi.com/
Here I had a kitchen, a room close to my car, and good location for casinos.
It was nice to have a hot meal of leftovers when I got tired playing video poker at the IP. And cooking bacon and eggs for breakfast with some hot tea was just a great luxury at a cheap price.
There are two nice burners and a timed switch on the back wall that cuts off electricity to the entire stove after a while, like those used for heat lamps in bathrooms.
They stock the room with : a small microwave, two plates, two bowls, assorted plasticware to use with the Teflon pans, real silverware. All this looks brand new.Two real coffee cups. One small glasses and two large glasses.
I put a plastic cup in the bathroom. No plastic here, no Styrofoam. Nice.
Next to the microwave is a roll of paper towels. Mine was new.
The refrigerator is small with little space for larger things, but fine. The freezer is a narrow strip but held all I needed. I thought the place was very comfortable.
The shower looks new. It is simple, but there is a place to sit.
Everything is clean and well maintained. Perhaps these were renovated not too long ago.
The coffee maker was a surprise. I am carrying coffee with me but not filters. There was hotel coffee provided, but this machine will make my own coffee, so I asked housekeeping for some filters and she brought me a nice pile that will last me easily for my stay.
It could get noisy here, but it has not. I have slept easily. There is daylight through the edges of the window curtain and the train sound of housekeeping rolling their sheets, but the workers don't shout back and forth.
The AC/heat system acts as white noise.
I guess if I just had a light carryon I would choose and upper room, but all the junk I want to unload and keep safe in the room as well as a heavy cooler, sleep apnea machine, boom box, computer makes it more convenient to be on the ground floor even if once in a while someone talks a bit too loud outside my door during a midday nap.
The location to casinos is just grand. The IP is a B-Connected casino where points earned on the card can be used in Vegas and vice versa. To get there I hop on I-10, cross a bridge over water and immediately get off, turn right, and I am there. No traffic. Other casino access may come with traffic.
For the newest of Biloxi casinos, the Scarlet Pearl, I don't even have to take the bridge. I just run down a city street, turn, and there it is.
My first night I drove through a torrential rain and wind storm and was happy to have the IP so close. The Pearl would have been more difficult because the self parking I prefer is outside and a bit of a walk to the casino. I'd have gone Valet, but perhaps those spots would have quickly filled.
I do wish they had a better marking on the entrance road. There is one road that is a false road that is first when coming off the I-10 expressway from the casino. Then at night the other entrances are hard to see, blending into the black top of the highway. Even a small reflector would help. On one is a small blue sign that does not project over two bushes and so is easy to miss.
I also did have a slight leakage of tobacco smoke through the vents and into the bathroom. Behind me here are smoking rooms. I might ask for a room more isolated, but in truth it has not bothered me much, and when I sense it, I close the bathroom door. Cooking bacon also covers it up, a sort of natural Febreeze. I had this for only a day or so at the beginning and then I expect those folks went away and smoked up their car rather than the hotel room.
I do like the room facing the back as the parking is easier. I have room number 121 and I like that.
There were just enough plugs, but carrying a three way splitter is also a good idea when traveling. There were not those handy plugs built into the llighting.
Along side the bed were two lights operated with a hand switch. This was very convenient. so many places have these lights controlled by a central switch on some wall. In bed with my sleep apnea mask all adjusted, I don't want to get up to adjust the light and if I go to the bathroom in the dark, I want that simple switch to work and not be cut off by some other.
The lights at the door allow for some variety of lighting with three switches controlling various lights. I like that set up. One switch turns on two lights but they have their own switches as well.
The television has a good selection of stations but sadly not TCM.
The wifi worked well but was hard to log into for me at least and I had to log into it every 24 hours. What happens is the log in page does not easily come up. I have to put something in the google. Here is was
http://www.suburbanhotelbiloxi.com/
for some reason. I have this happen in hotels often. It takes a while to get the log in posted. I don't know why. In my last computer the log in sheet came up easily and right away.
Book on line early because the place fills up. I saw walk ins turned away.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
From Homosassa to Biloxi
On the GPS my journey was a seven and a half hour drive, so I knew I wanted to leave early, but I did not want to get out of bed at 2AM.
But there I was.
The car was mostly packed, but I still found last minute things to bring, dishes to do, breakfast to eat, the cooler to pack.
It seems hard to believe, but it was after five before I actually go on the road.
The journey up 19 was really a deserted drive at this time of morning. I liked it. Were I to break down I would not like it much, but for the absence of traffic and the quiet, easy ride, it was delightful.
And most of the trip was free of trouble until I got a couple hours from Biloxi. Then the traffic started to pick up and the rain started to get very serious.
Twice I passed vehicles that somehow had just left the road. Both were driven by young men. One was a little red car. However, the other was a grey truck. After waiting in bumper to bumper traffic for a half hour, I saw it, covered in mud, down in a muddy ditch. The driver was just hanging around. Another truck had stopped and the young men there were just grinning.
I thought I knew why.
At my last pit stop I was just heading for the ramp to the highway when I heard the sound of a truck being revved to the limit. I looked in my read view and there it was, going like crazy on the wet road, slipping to one side and the another, passing a car behind me. I pulled off the road to let this idiot go by.
I used to love trucks. I associated them with folks who were working on their houses or carrying their boats. But now I associate them with pushy, aggressive guys who like to tailgate and lane change and push and push. Idiots.
Now here was this idiot in the ditch, the same grey truck I had seen a half hour before.
I tried not to be glad.
I see these big trucks all the time now. Usually they are in the way. When I am driving at night, they sit just higher enough to shine their big old headlights right in my rear view mirror as they tailgate me. I guess the lowered gas prices have improved the market. Behind the wheel is often some old codger, older than even me. And he sort of stumbles out and then waddles on bad knees to the grocery store. I just know this guy ain't putting no sheet of half inch plywood in the back of the truck. Ironically, most of the stuff that might be carried in the bed of a pick up I can put in my stow and go van and the rest of the time I can seat seven.
I misjudged the time change. I hate time change. I'm just too simple minded to get it straight. I kept thinking I was making great time even with my many pit stops, and then I realized that I had an hour more to drive than I had figured.
Well, it went fine.
A thermos of coffee depleted over the trip helped.
A little nap I took in Northern Florida in front of a closed and dilapidated old store or gas station helped.
And I loved my little boom box in the front seat plugged into a cigarette lighter and playing books on tape, real tape, Cassette tape.
One was a sequel to Forrest Gump. It was ridiculous and so it was very entertaining.
Others were old Bob and Ray comedy.
Then Bob Hope.
When I wanted a break, I just put on the car radio and listened to NPR.
I played a bit of music, but these books on tape just do a better job of making the time go by.
I have not driven solo like this for a long while, but without Elizabeth along I could drive as long as I wanted, play what I wanted, and leave early to arrive good and early.
THE HOTEL
I found my pick of places to stay to be a perfect choice.
http://www.suburbanhotelbiloxi.com/
Here I had a kitchen, a room close to my car, and good location for the casinos.
I settled in. I'm so tired of packing. I've been doing it in some fashion for what seems like my whole life, getting things to Susan's that stay in Florida until next winter, packing for this trip and for Chicago and for home. Ugh!
However, it was nice to have a hot meal of leftovers when I got tired playing video poker at the IP.
I could not nap and finally went over to the IP, but I was just too tired to play poker. I found the full pay JOB and ran my $20 up to over $100 and then back down to $20. I enjoyed it. It was good to use my B Connected card here so I can be sure my points will be good when I go next to Vegas.
But I was tired.
The rain was the worst I have seen lately. A huge downpour and winds. I got wet inside the parking garage parking my car. The water just blew in. I was happy not to have much of a drive.
So, here I am.
Some sad news this morning. Gary Caldwell died after a long and grueling struggle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. His lungs had given him problems all his life. Asthma limited his play and school attendance. Then it seemed to ease up a bit. But perhaps the inhaler he used when we were in our youthful days helped cause this new disease. I'll miss the old guy. I have known him from third grade.
But there I was.
The car was mostly packed, but I still found last minute things to bring, dishes to do, breakfast to eat, the cooler to pack.
It seems hard to believe, but it was after five before I actually go on the road.
The journey up 19 was really a deserted drive at this time of morning. I liked it. Were I to break down I would not like it much, but for the absence of traffic and the quiet, easy ride, it was delightful.
And most of the trip was free of trouble until I got a couple hours from Biloxi. Then the traffic started to pick up and the rain started to get very serious.
Twice I passed vehicles that somehow had just left the road. Both were driven by young men. One was a little red car. However, the other was a grey truck. After waiting in bumper to bumper traffic for a half hour, I saw it, covered in mud, down in a muddy ditch. The driver was just hanging around. Another truck had stopped and the young men there were just grinning.
I thought I knew why.
At my last pit stop I was just heading for the ramp to the highway when I heard the sound of a truck being revved to the limit. I looked in my read view and there it was, going like crazy on the wet road, slipping to one side and the another, passing a car behind me. I pulled off the road to let this idiot go by.
I used to love trucks. I associated them with folks who were working on their houses or carrying their boats. But now I associate them with pushy, aggressive guys who like to tailgate and lane change and push and push. Idiots.
Now here was this idiot in the ditch, the same grey truck I had seen a half hour before.
I tried not to be glad.
I see these big trucks all the time now. Usually they are in the way. When I am driving at night, they sit just higher enough to shine their big old headlights right in my rear view mirror as they tailgate me. I guess the lowered gas prices have improved the market. Behind the wheel is often some old codger, older than even me. And he sort of stumbles out and then waddles on bad knees to the grocery store. I just know this guy ain't putting no sheet of half inch plywood in the back of the truck. Ironically, most of the stuff that might be carried in the bed of a pick up I can put in my stow and go van and the rest of the time I can seat seven.
I misjudged the time change. I hate time change. I'm just too simple minded to get it straight. I kept thinking I was making great time even with my many pit stops, and then I realized that I had an hour more to drive than I had figured.
Well, it went fine.
A thermos of coffee depleted over the trip helped.
A little nap I took in Northern Florida in front of a closed and dilapidated old store or gas station helped.
And I loved my little boom box in the front seat plugged into a cigarette lighter and playing books on tape, real tape, Cassette tape.
One was a sequel to Forrest Gump. It was ridiculous and so it was very entertaining.
Others were old Bob and Ray comedy.
Then Bob Hope.
When I wanted a break, I just put on the car radio and listened to NPR.
I played a bit of music, but these books on tape just do a better job of making the time go by.
I have not driven solo like this for a long while, but without Elizabeth along I could drive as long as I wanted, play what I wanted, and leave early to arrive good and early.
THE HOTEL
I found my pick of places to stay to be a perfect choice.
http://www.suburbanhotelbiloxi.com/
Here I had a kitchen, a room close to my car, and good location for the casinos.
I settled in. I'm so tired of packing. I've been doing it in some fashion for what seems like my whole life, getting things to Susan's that stay in Florida until next winter, packing for this trip and for Chicago and for home. Ugh!
However, it was nice to have a hot meal of leftovers when I got tired playing video poker at the IP.
I could not nap and finally went over to the IP, but I was just too tired to play poker. I found the full pay JOB and ran my $20 up to over $100 and then back down to $20. I enjoyed it. It was good to use my B Connected card here so I can be sure my points will be good when I go next to Vegas.
But I was tired.
The rain was the worst I have seen lately. A huge downpour and winds. I got wet inside the parking garage parking my car. The water just blew in. I was happy not to have much of a drive.
So, here I am.
Some sad news this morning. Gary Caldwell died after a long and grueling struggle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. His lungs had given him problems all his life. Asthma limited his play and school attendance. Then it seemed to ease up a bit. But perhaps the inhaler he used when we were in our youthful days helped cause this new disease. I'll miss the old guy. I have known him from third grade.
Monday, June 9, 2014
INTRODUCTION TO THE 2009 TRIP
IGNORE THE DATES OF POSTING. ALL ACTUAL EVENTS from here on HAPPENED IN MARCH AND APRIL OF 2009
I actually copied these posts from my personal blog and decided to put it in a place where I could access it. It is an old trip taken when I bought a new van in Florida over the winter and drove it home over about 22 days trying to find as much poker as possible. I lost money but had a fine time. I figured what I saved on buying that van at a good price in Florida paid for the trip. And actually, I traded it in for a newer van up North and got all of what I spent back in the trade in.
Ignore all the dates of posting. All actual events occur in March and April of 2009. However, I've tried to keep them in actual order rather than the order blog post usually create, a backwards in time order.
Don't think this ends with one page. Hit the prompt "older posts" in the bottom right of this first page and more will come up. There are photos along the way of some places. Or the index on the right will send you to a particular post in a particular place along the Mississippi.
For a while I'll leave this blog open to comment with just moderation so I can see the posts If I start getting spammed, I'll have to put in a robot identifying bit that frustrates posters but is needed if the spam comes many times a day.
PS I know some photos and some material has been posted twice and I apologize. I worry about cutting it and taking out something that can't be put back in. Skim through. I did the best I could at the time, ran out of editing time, and now it is 2014 and I can't really remember the details. Sure is fine to have the blog.
I actually copied these posts from my personal blog and decided to put it in a place where I could access it. It is an old trip taken when I bought a new van in Florida over the winter and drove it home over about 22 days trying to find as much poker as possible. I lost money but had a fine time. I figured what I saved on buying that van at a good price in Florida paid for the trip. And actually, I traded it in for a newer van up North and got all of what I spent back in the trade in.
Ignore all the dates of posting. All actual events occur in March and April of 2009. However, I've tried to keep them in actual order rather than the order blog post usually create, a backwards in time order.
Don't think this ends with one page. Hit the prompt "older posts" in the bottom right of this first page and more will come up. There are photos along the way of some places. Or the index on the right will send you to a particular post in a particular place along the Mississippi.
For a while I'll leave this blog open to comment with just moderation so I can see the posts If I start getting spammed, I'll have to put in a robot identifying bit that frustrates posters but is needed if the spam comes many times a day.
PS I know some photos and some material has been posted twice and I apologize. I worry about cutting it and taking out something that can't be put back in. Skim through. I did the best I could at the time, ran out of editing time, and now it is 2014 and I can't really remember the details. Sure is fine to have the blog.
BILOXI MARCH 2
It was a long but easy drive here to Biloxi because of a good sleep, easy roads and a very early start. Having NPR all the way made the boredom melt away too. I did get a bit tired of hearing the same news each hour, but my mind worked to pick up new details or fill in the blanks. Somehow that kept me mentally engaged in a way that keeps drowsiness at bay.
The terrain was fairly repetitive and uninteresting. Once I passed an area where I could see forests of pine for miles and miles and a few of the swamp water sights were interesting. Most of the trip was just super highway.
However, I encountered very little traffic. Leaving at 5 AM left me free of traffic in Orlando, although not free of the infernal toll roads. I did not want to try going without them, but I had not gone but a few blocks when the GPS sent me down the toll road for fifty cents and then back up part of the way for yet another fifty cents and both of those tolls collected where exact change was required. In Florida you have to have quarters in your car to go anywhere, and over the course of the first part of the journey I was always reaching for quarters or for more where there were attendants.
However, the rest of the journey went quickly. I did not stop for breakfast except to grab some coffee at a reststop. I munched on cheese and Sami's wraps from Tampa. That was a fine plan.
The Google predicted eight and a half hours of travel but the GPS was more accurate at nine and a half. I pushed the speed limit a bit and probably would have made the entire journey in GPS time, but it is hard to measure. Once I got near here I decided to eat and get my oil changed as I was early. They are an hour different in time here too.
I saw a sign for Barnhill's buffet and decided to try it with my coupon. The senior special matched my coupon price. For $7 I had some very good food. I really enjoyed the pulled pork on biscuit, and the sweet potato, fried catfish, and other tastes were good. The greens were the frozen variety and not very interesting. It was a good bargain and a good place to stop with the car packed as I could see the car from where I ate. There are two of these in this area. I am not certain how much of a chain this place it, but I wish we had one in Albany. It made for a fine midday meal after the long ride with just a bit of snacking. Key to my staying fresh for driving is to eat very little and drink coffee.
Policemen came in and I asked one about an oil change place. He sent me a mile away to a Fast Lube and they did a quick and easy job so I am good to go. I should have had that done in Tampa, but this was easy as I might not get into the hotel early and I was feeling pretty tired.
They did say something about a refrigerator but none arrived in my room. I'll keep my humira on ice today in the cooler. I am happy to have that small insulated ice pack also. My television does not work and I got in too late to ask about it. Other than that I am very comfortable. The room safe accomodates my laptop as well as other valuables. It does not read the four digit code the first time, and that was a bit disconcerting, but I may have the key to that which is pushing the door a bit in to line up with something. The bed is just wonderful and it is very quiet here and dark as well. I look out on what may someday be Margarittaville, but is now just a shell deserted of workmen. All construction is on hold due to the financial crisis.
It is fine to have the computer with me. I feel so fortunate. And it is so nice to have the room safe. I'd rather have that than television. I am very glad to have saved all my notes as word documents and not left them in the cloud. I have access without Internet. I could get Internet here for a price.
*************************************************************
I decided to use my time to check out some of the plays.
VP
I am not really the one to check on VP as the details easily slip out of my mind. I wrote some things down, but when I got to my car, I did not have the notes. Since I don't intend to play any VP this trip, surveying the paytables is a bit of a time waster. Beau Rivage and the Hardrock. I saw 7/5 JOB and 9/6 DB. I checked at both desks and there are no benefits. At the Hardrock you can earn points at the same rate as a slot player, except the VP points are not good for the freeplay offered eventually. I went round and round frustrating the counter girl trying to figure this one out. She kept telling me that yes I would earn the points, but could not tell me of what value they would be except to give me a higher status card. There is a food comp. This is a “percentage” but no one knows what equals even a breakfast buffet. It is a mystery and I was sorry to have stayed in line to ask any questions as there were not answers.
At the Beau the answer was the same sort of thing except the line was longer. There the girl “thought” the freeplay could be earned as VP as $5 earned a point for VP while $3 earned it for slots. Again the few machines I checked were ridiculous.
I actually thing that information on cashback ( which does not exist except as freeplay) might more easily be gathered by calling the promotions rooms than standing in line to have people “think” they might know the answer. At the Beau the food comp was also a mystery. However, here the person talking to me laughed with me at that joke rather than getting annoyed with me asking so many questions.
LIVE POKER
HARD ROCK
For poker play no cards are required at the Hard Rock or the Beau or at the Isle of Capri. The Hard Rock awarded food vouchers at the rate of $5 every two hours. That seemed generous. However, games were a spread limit of 1-4 and 1-8 and the tables were not full. They had a small bad beat and I later found that the huge bad beat at the Isle had attracted all the local players. The Hard Rock poker floor told me they were thinking of going more to smaller, daily awards and getting away from the bad beat jackpots that got bigger and bigger but did not pay too many. I prefer those.
The rakes are nuts. They get 5 and 1. The floor said that they were talking about going to 4 and 2 when the new payouts are developed.
Oh, the Hard Rock here is not connected to the Hard Rock in Vegas. To earn nothing but empty points on low paying VP here, you have to be planning on coming back to Biloxi. Otherwise you just lose the nothing you have earned.
BEAU RIVAGE
This was a better attended venue. They had a 4-8 game and the tables seemed to include players who were not all poker faced and well practiced. Here the rake was 5 and 2. It is hard to win even when you win at those rates. They would give some food comps there if you managed to ask at the right shift changes. I hate those dysfunctional comps. I don't come to the casino to keep track of anything but my own game. I certainly don't need to keep track of the time of shift changes to get fed.
The NL here has no maximum. None. Minimum buy in is $100 but there “is not maximum on any of our games here.” Hmmmm. I wish I had thousands to risk on high limit games. I could play here and always be high chipped. What a contrast to the $100 maximum games in Florida. Since low funded players need not apply, I decided to play limit only here as I probably will most of my trip.
I was thinking of just not playing and heading out to the Jefferson Davis House this morning, but I decided to try one more casino. That was a good choice. The Isle of Capri (soon to become just the Isle) poker room was packed. Still I was greeted well and easily by a woman who did know what I was asking. The rake here was 4 and 2, but the bad beat was some ridiculously high number that would pay be thousands were I just at the table when it hit. This meant that the casino was full of fairly good but tight players. The 4-8 was a tough game, but few were really aggressive. I saw only one check raise the entire night of play. The blind structure here in all the games is 1-2 so it is possible to see some flops for just 2 and possible to push people out with a mid position raise because the raise makes it 6. I like this for playing high pairs and it did help me with some pots. I can't however build pots with button raises on draw hands and be certain I'll get enough callers to make the bet advantageous over time.
Still I stayed to play and left at eleven thirty. The game woke me up and I got some good cards. I played well. It was a predictable game for the most part. It was hard to raise on the river and get called as everyone seemed to believe me. I was not in many spots where I wanted to bluff, but that might have worked against some players. One fellow was in too many hands, but just seemed to have full houses glued to him.
These players were all from the South and it was fun to hear the interaction. I did not feel anyone ganging up on me as I had been warned on one board, but I think if that happens, it happens only in no limit games. I think they thought I was from Florida anyway.
I had a fine evening playing and wishing the bad beat would hit with the rest of the players. As that conversation became the perseverated topic of the night, I did feel some ennui, but I also fully enjoyed the good humor and easy nature of these fellows and their quiet jokes. However, I left down $42 as the game started to break up. I have my free breakfast comp and will play this morning for the cracked aces award as well. The Isle buffet is on sale and I expect I'll eat there. The Beau buffet was twice the price. I had read the food was very good there, but I am not trying to overeat so it matters very little if they have tons more choices. Crab legs were encluded in the special buffet prices at the Isle and the buffet is directly across from the poker room.
In fact, it may have been a mistake to take the breakfast buffet rather than a larger comp as the comps are good for three days. I just knew that I was coming to breakfast. Food comps have to be claimed the day of play, but they are food for three days.
Buffet comps were awarded with a card swipe instead of some other dysfunctional system so the change of floor did not affect the record of my play. I think they asked for five hours but gave comps out for less.
I am not much good at evaluating sleeping or poker rooms, but the Isle had two disadvantages. There were no automatic shufflers. The seats were too low and sometimes uncomfortable. Otherwise I was content there.
Overall I just liked the friendliness of this room. However, the heat got oppressive so I'll dress light today in case the air conditioning is on the fritz. The floor messed with it once, but that did not seem to do the trick.
I figure the one dollar lower rake as compared with the Beau meant my losses were 50% lower by the end of the evening. Still, these are tough rakes to beat and some of the other players commented on this. One casino in Bay ST Louis advertises $3 rakes and I will play there one day on my way to see Danny.
I did not feel up to an early morning walk along the beach this morning, but I guess I could find plenty of places to pull off and be right near the water. The old remains of piers are very quaint until I remember they were taken out by hurricane and not just aged over time.
MEMORABLE HANDS
I caught inside straights. That may mean I was too lose. One was after I played 2-7 in the small blind. I caught the A-5. I lost a fine straight to one a bit higher.
No flushes all night except for one I chased with the ace of hearts and caught for no more river money.
No full houses all night.
I won on pocket aces twice. My one experience of trips was with pocket queens and I could not do more than call as straights were all over. The guy betting out had 5-7 for two pair. I was relieved to get that pot.
The only steal was when I bet out on a flopped seven in early position when my pair of sevens was second on the board. My kicker was an ace so I was just over betting to see what might happen and I managed that small steal.
Generally, the game was predictable, fairly tight except for seeing the flop, and folks believed me.
I liked the game. If the bad beat holds I won't try other places today or tomorrow. I am going to play early today and get back for a nap and to ice down my humira once again. I was sorry to be falling behind in money, but my losses were equal to one pot and I played for four hours.
I liked these fellows and enjoyed watching one very pretty dealer as the young fellow next to her flirted with her. She was good humored and fun to watch. No women played here. I saw them at the Beau but here were just men of mixed ages, half old fellows like me.
I would have preferred a bit better position, to the left of the one loose better as he would have allowed me to make many head to head games with a reraise. There were few such plays. I think some of these guys were there to lose as little as possible while they waited for the bad beat. I like that sort of a game because there is less pushing with poor hands. Also, the lower blinds allows for many more flops as raising kills many good hands even when the raise is in late position. No free card tricks here. Still I best like to see flops and I would play some cards just because of all the callers and the lowered odds of raises after me. I had not thought about it, but this game structure means that late raises with aces or ace king are also good as push out rag raises. I'll have to try that this morning, especially with the aces cracked spinning wheel awards.
FINAL TALLY
minus 42 in poker
minus 20 in one two quarter slot to keep my points up to date at Harrah's so I save my $12 in comps. I'll use those up in Tunica. That will be most of my slot play for this trip.
I won't be good at keeping accurate tabs on food, but today I spent about $9 on food and coffee. I filled the tank for $1.87. I got over 20 MPG for the trip.
The terrain was fairly repetitive and uninteresting. Once I passed an area where I could see forests of pine for miles and miles and a few of the swamp water sights were interesting. Most of the trip was just super highway.
However, I encountered very little traffic. Leaving at 5 AM left me free of traffic in Orlando, although not free of the infernal toll roads. I did not want to try going without them, but I had not gone but a few blocks when the GPS sent me down the toll road for fifty cents and then back up part of the way for yet another fifty cents and both of those tolls collected where exact change was required. In Florida you have to have quarters in your car to go anywhere, and over the course of the first part of the journey I was always reaching for quarters or for more where there were attendants.
However, the rest of the journey went quickly. I did not stop for breakfast except to grab some coffee at a reststop. I munched on cheese and Sami's wraps from Tampa. That was a fine plan.
The Google predicted eight and a half hours of travel but the GPS was more accurate at nine and a half. I pushed the speed limit a bit and probably would have made the entire journey in GPS time, but it is hard to measure. Once I got near here I decided to eat and get my oil changed as I was early. They are an hour different in time here too.
I saw a sign for Barnhill's buffet and decided to try it with my coupon. The senior special matched my coupon price. For $7 I had some very good food. I really enjoyed the pulled pork on biscuit, and the sweet potato, fried catfish, and other tastes were good. The greens were the frozen variety and not very interesting. It was a good bargain and a good place to stop with the car packed as I could see the car from where I ate. There are two of these in this area. I am not certain how much of a chain this place it, but I wish we had one in Albany. It made for a fine midday meal after the long ride with just a bit of snacking. Key to my staying fresh for driving is to eat very little and drink coffee.
Policemen came in and I asked one about an oil change place. He sent me a mile away to a Fast Lube and they did a quick and easy job so I am good to go. I should have had that done in Tampa, but this was easy as I might not get into the hotel early and I was feeling pretty tired.
They did say something about a refrigerator but none arrived in my room. I'll keep my humira on ice today in the cooler. I am happy to have that small insulated ice pack also. My television does not work and I got in too late to ask about it. Other than that I am very comfortable. The room safe accomodates my laptop as well as other valuables. It does not read the four digit code the first time, and that was a bit disconcerting, but I may have the key to that which is pushing the door a bit in to line up with something. The bed is just wonderful and it is very quiet here and dark as well. I look out on what may someday be Margarittaville, but is now just a shell deserted of workmen. All construction is on hold due to the financial crisis.
It is fine to have the computer with me. I feel so fortunate. And it is so nice to have the room safe. I'd rather have that than television. I am very glad to have saved all my notes as word documents and not left them in the cloud. I have access without Internet. I could get Internet here for a price.
*************************************************************
I decided to use my time to check out some of the plays.
VP
I am not really the one to check on VP as the details easily slip out of my mind. I wrote some things down, but when I got to my car, I did not have the notes. Since I don't intend to play any VP this trip, surveying the paytables is a bit of a time waster. Beau Rivage and the Hardrock. I saw 7/5 JOB and 9/6 DB. I checked at both desks and there are no benefits. At the Hardrock you can earn points at the same rate as a slot player, except the VP points are not good for the freeplay offered eventually. I went round and round frustrating the counter girl trying to figure this one out. She kept telling me that yes I would earn the points, but could not tell me of what value they would be except to give me a higher status card. There is a food comp. This is a “percentage” but no one knows what equals even a breakfast buffet. It is a mystery and I was sorry to have stayed in line to ask any questions as there were not answers.
At the Beau the answer was the same sort of thing except the line was longer. There the girl “thought” the freeplay could be earned as VP as $5 earned a point for VP while $3 earned it for slots. Again the few machines I checked were ridiculous.
I actually thing that information on cashback ( which does not exist except as freeplay) might more easily be gathered by calling the promotions rooms than standing in line to have people “think” they might know the answer. At the Beau the food comp was also a mystery. However, here the person talking to me laughed with me at that joke rather than getting annoyed with me asking so many questions.
LIVE POKER
HARD ROCK
For poker play no cards are required at the Hard Rock or the Beau or at the Isle of Capri. The Hard Rock awarded food vouchers at the rate of $5 every two hours. That seemed generous. However, games were a spread limit of 1-4 and 1-8 and the tables were not full. They had a small bad beat and I later found that the huge bad beat at the Isle had attracted all the local players. The Hard Rock poker floor told me they were thinking of going more to smaller, daily awards and getting away from the bad beat jackpots that got bigger and bigger but did not pay too many. I prefer those.
The rakes are nuts. They get 5 and 1. The floor said that they were talking about going to 4 and 2 when the new payouts are developed.
Oh, the Hard Rock here is not connected to the Hard Rock in Vegas. To earn nothing but empty points on low paying VP here, you have to be planning on coming back to Biloxi. Otherwise you just lose the nothing you have earned.
BEAU RIVAGE
This was a better attended venue. They had a 4-8 game and the tables seemed to include players who were not all poker faced and well practiced. Here the rake was 5 and 2. It is hard to win even when you win at those rates. They would give some food comps there if you managed to ask at the right shift changes. I hate those dysfunctional comps. I don't come to the casino to keep track of anything but my own game. I certainly don't need to keep track of the time of shift changes to get fed.
The NL here has no maximum. None. Minimum buy in is $100 but there “is not maximum on any of our games here.” Hmmmm. I wish I had thousands to risk on high limit games. I could play here and always be high chipped. What a contrast to the $100 maximum games in Florida. Since low funded players need not apply, I decided to play limit only here as I probably will most of my trip.
I was thinking of just not playing and heading out to the Jefferson Davis House this morning, but I decided to try one more casino. That was a good choice. The Isle of Capri (soon to become just the Isle) poker room was packed. Still I was greeted well and easily by a woman who did know what I was asking. The rake here was 4 and 2, but the bad beat was some ridiculously high number that would pay be thousands were I just at the table when it hit. This meant that the casino was full of fairly good but tight players. The 4-8 was a tough game, but few were really aggressive. I saw only one check raise the entire night of play. The blind structure here in all the games is 1-2 so it is possible to see some flops for just 2 and possible to push people out with a mid position raise because the raise makes it 6. I like this for playing high pairs and it did help me with some pots. I can't however build pots with button raises on draw hands and be certain I'll get enough callers to make the bet advantageous over time.
Still I stayed to play and left at eleven thirty. The game woke me up and I got some good cards. I played well. It was a predictable game for the most part. It was hard to raise on the river and get called as everyone seemed to believe me. I was not in many spots where I wanted to bluff, but that might have worked against some players. One fellow was in too many hands, but just seemed to have full houses glued to him.
These players were all from the South and it was fun to hear the interaction. I did not feel anyone ganging up on me as I had been warned on one board, but I think if that happens, it happens only in no limit games. I think they thought I was from Florida anyway.
I had a fine evening playing and wishing the bad beat would hit with the rest of the players. As that conversation became the perseverated topic of the night, I did feel some ennui, but I also fully enjoyed the good humor and easy nature of these fellows and their quiet jokes. However, I left down $42 as the game started to break up. I have my free breakfast comp and will play this morning for the cracked aces award as well. The Isle buffet is on sale and I expect I'll eat there. The Beau buffet was twice the price. I had read the food was very good there, but I am not trying to overeat so it matters very little if they have tons more choices. Crab legs were encluded in the special buffet prices at the Isle and the buffet is directly across from the poker room.
In fact, it may have been a mistake to take the breakfast buffet rather than a larger comp as the comps are good for three days. I just knew that I was coming to breakfast. Food comps have to be claimed the day of play, but they are food for three days.
Buffet comps were awarded with a card swipe instead of some other dysfunctional system so the change of floor did not affect the record of my play. I think they asked for five hours but gave comps out for less.
I am not much good at evaluating sleeping or poker rooms, but the Isle had two disadvantages. There were no automatic shufflers. The seats were too low and sometimes uncomfortable. Otherwise I was content there.
Overall I just liked the friendliness of this room. However, the heat got oppressive so I'll dress light today in case the air conditioning is on the fritz. The floor messed with it once, but that did not seem to do the trick.
I figure the one dollar lower rake as compared with the Beau meant my losses were 50% lower by the end of the evening. Still, these are tough rakes to beat and some of the other players commented on this. One casino in Bay ST Louis advertises $3 rakes and I will play there one day on my way to see Danny.
I did not feel up to an early morning walk along the beach this morning, but I guess I could find plenty of places to pull off and be right near the water. The old remains of piers are very quaint until I remember they were taken out by hurricane and not just aged over time.
MEMORABLE HANDS
I caught inside straights. That may mean I was too lose. One was after I played 2-7 in the small blind. I caught the A-5. I lost a fine straight to one a bit higher.
No flushes all night except for one I chased with the ace of hearts and caught for no more river money.
No full houses all night.
I won on pocket aces twice. My one experience of trips was with pocket queens and I could not do more than call as straights were all over. The guy betting out had 5-7 for two pair. I was relieved to get that pot.
The only steal was when I bet out on a flopped seven in early position when my pair of sevens was second on the board. My kicker was an ace so I was just over betting to see what might happen and I managed that small steal.
Generally, the game was predictable, fairly tight except for seeing the flop, and folks believed me.
I liked the game. If the bad beat holds I won't try other places today or tomorrow. I am going to play early today and get back for a nap and to ice down my humira once again. I was sorry to be falling behind in money, but my losses were equal to one pot and I played for four hours.
I liked these fellows and enjoyed watching one very pretty dealer as the young fellow next to her flirted with her. She was good humored and fun to watch. No women played here. I saw them at the Beau but here were just men of mixed ages, half old fellows like me.
I would have preferred a bit better position, to the left of the one loose better as he would have allowed me to make many head to head games with a reraise. There were few such plays. I think some of these guys were there to lose as little as possible while they waited for the bad beat. I like that sort of a game because there is less pushing with poor hands. Also, the lower blinds allows for many more flops as raising kills many good hands even when the raise is in late position. No free card tricks here. Still I best like to see flops and I would play some cards just because of all the callers and the lowered odds of raises after me. I had not thought about it, but this game structure means that late raises with aces or ace king are also good as push out rag raises. I'll have to try that this morning, especially with the aces cracked spinning wheel awards.
FINAL TALLY
minus 42 in poker
minus 20 in one two quarter slot to keep my points up to date at Harrah's so I save my $12 in comps. I'll use those up in Tunica. That will be most of my slot play for this trip.
I won't be good at keeping accurate tabs on food, but today I spent about $9 on food and coffee. I filled the tank for $1.87. I got over 20 MPG for the trip.
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