In the Red, but not Blue (AC Trip Report Pt. 1)
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
I should keep this short because I am terribly busy, but I'd like to quickly report on my trip to AC with Robbie Hole and David Roose. While the trip was an unmitigated success vacation-wise, the gambling was abysmal. I am now in the red for the year as far as poker is concerned. Robbie Hole put it best, though, when he said, "You've played more this year than anyone I know, so to be down $10 for the year is no big deal." True enough, Rob. I suppose it was also true a day later, when I was in the hole about $75.
Now, enough of that crap. Lets get on with the trip report.
The night before the trip, fiance Kim and I went out to a bar called the Delancey for Roose's girlfriends birthday. I arrived home hammered at about 2 or 3 (who knows really) and passed out with visions of casinos dancing through my head.
The next morning, the visions were still there, along with a headache and dry mouth compliments of the hang-over fairy. I rolled out of bed, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and hopped in Hole's car when he pulled up at around 11:30am. By the time we hit the road after a quick Deli detour, it was noon. The ride was uneventful, aside from the usual chatter and sing-along tunes. At least it wasn't raining, which seems to be the standard for AC trips with the Hole.
During the ride, I had bouts of excitement. That feeling in your chest, when you can anticipate something as exciting as poker. It reminds me of that feeling I used to get as a teenager on my way to meet up with a girl. This time, the girl in question was Lady Luck.
There's an old misogynistic joke that I think applies very well to Lady Luck. It goes like this: What's the difference between a Whore and a Bitch? A Whore will sleep with everyone, and a Bitch will sleep with everyone except for you. Lady Luck was a bitch this trip. I was happy to see my friends succeed (especially on the first day), but it didn't happen so much for me.
Upon arrival at the Resorts, where I had a free room, we entered our mock-suite. I didn't expect much for the room, but it was huge, with two full or queen beds and a couch (and later a cot). There were two walk-in closets, two entrances, and a nice bathroom.
We tossed down our stuff and hit the casino floor. We started by doing the obligatory walk-through. I originally stayed at the Resorts last Christmas because it was the cheapest Casino hotel on the boardwalk. I didn't expect much, but I was happily surprised. The Resorts has an adequate, but not large, casino. It didn't have a poker room last Christmas, but this was de minimis, as the Trump Taj Mahal was right next door with one of, if not the, largest poker rooms in Atlantic City.
After walking the floor for a bit, Roose and I sat down at a $10 minimum blackjack table. I admit that I am not just a poker player, but an out and out gambler, so all games appeal to me. I was up and down at the table, but finally walked away dead-even. Roose, on the other hand, took down a good $150, all thanks to some great timing. After a while, Roose decided to bet his total winnings, at that point $60, on a whim. No matter what, he was walking after that hand. Sure enough, blackjack came, and he took down $90 on top of his $60. As Roose would say, God Bless!
We left the blackjack table in good spirits and chanced upon a happy surprise: a sign that stated, New Poker Room. What? Had the folks at Resorts finally figured out that people play poker?! Would we have access to a poker room in our very hotel? Yes sir!
I'm going to post this and add Part II of the trip report in a little bit. Enjoy for now. Coming up: Poker at the Resorts, Stupid Table Games, and the Taj Tourney!
posted by Jordan @ 10:34 AM,
