[JoeU]

Inspired by Sponger's post about the Commerce, I'm finally posting about my first trip to LA.

<font color="green"> The Flight </font>

I get up aroung 3:00am ET to get on a 5:40am plane to Philadelphia, then connect at 7:30 to LA, where I'm SUPPOSED to arrive at 10:40. I've already called the Commerce to pick me up (they offer this as a courtesy to players staying at the hotel.). I get to Philly after a bumpy ride with USScare. When I get off the plane, the departure board shows that my plane to LA is an hour late. I'm slightly pissed, and mad at myself for not bringing the Commerce's number to tell them about the delay. So after grabbing coffee, I go to my gate to wait it out. Then, they change the 8:30am to 8:40am. About 20 minutes after that, they change my gate, then the flight is delayed another 45 minutes. Finally to top it all off, after we board, we wait another 30+ minutes to get onto the runway. Overall, I'm 3 hours late getting to LA! [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

Thankfully, I gave the Commerce driver my cell#. He called me when I got off the plane, and met me soon after to take me to the hotel.

<font color="green"> Impressions of the Commerce </font>

I can't believe I haven't come out there sooner! This place is poker heaven. I check in and drop off my bags in the room. JTG51 is supposed to be meeting me out there, but he had to work late and wouldn't be arriving 'till around midnight. So with 10 hours to kill, guess I'd better play some poker. I walk into the first room and spot a board. I go up to see some high limit no-limit, and some 200-400 something-or-other. I decide this isn't my board and keep walking. Overall, I spot 4 boards, with nothing lower than 15-30. I politely ask someone at one of the boards "where are the lower limit boards and games?". She directs me to ANOTHER ROOM (this place is BIGGER!?!?). I go down the hall to the low limit room. This room is the biggest card room I have ever been in on its own! (I usually play at Foxwoods too). I spot the board for 3-6 and 4-8, I decide I don't want to start so high, I'm a little tired and just want to play " for the hell of it". I finally make it to the 1-2 board. I end up playing there for about 4 hours, winning about $30-$40 along the way. I then get a call from Mr Horace who says he's in the room and wants to get something to eat. I pick up (after open raising Q6o from the button and winning with a flop bet) and grab a bite to eat at the sports bar with him.

After dinner, I thought about playing again, but it was late (7:00pm local) and I had been up for about 19 hours, so I went to bed.

JTG shows up around midnight and says he's hungry. He's gonna play in the 15-30 to get a free grilled cheese. (these details are groggy to me from here) He stops playing around 3:00am, and picks up up a few bucks and a grilled cheese.

<font color="green"> The Saturday LA Poker Tour </font>

The plan today was to hit a few card rooms, then maybe go back to the hotel through Hollywood to meet up with Joe Tall for dinner. I wake up well before JTG, shower, and head down to the room to play for a few. This 1-2 game seemed like a home game to me. Everyone was friendly to everyone else. I win a few bucks again, JTG shows up, and we head out for the Bike around 10:00.

THe traffic in LA is absolutely NUTS! How can there be traffic at 10am on a Saturday?!? We get lost along the way, and manage to find our way to Hawaian Gardens. We play 1-2 there for an hour, the head over to In-and-Out for my first burger there. Excellent burger! The sign of a good burger is when they toast and butter the roll. We get directions to the Bike and head over there. Very nice room, got my players card, lost a few in the 1-2 there, then get directions to the Hustler for the next stop. We also decide that if we have time, we would stop at Hollywood Park on our trip back. as we both buy into the 2-4 at the Hustler, Joe Tall calls and says he's almost at the Commerce. We decide to play for a few (and lose a few on my part) then head back to Commerce. We get lost again, but make it back. Joe Tall spots my "Matsui" jersey a mile away, and comes over to say hi as we walk in. He's in the 20-40, and his brother is running over the no-limit. We run out to Wal-Mart to pick up a couple of DVD's for the flight home (The Conan the Barbarian Box Set and Battlestar Galactica), and Krispy Kreme for breakfast for the next day, then go back to Commerce.

I decide to play 6-12. I have only played that high once, and it was for about 15 minutes at the Borgata. But, I felt like I was playing well, so I decided to give it a shot. I ended up about $20 after a couple of hours, then decide to head up to the room to rest. Joe heads home with his brother and that was GONNA be the end of the night.

W edecide around 11:00 to go back down to play some 3-6 Omaha. We get on the list and wait for a while. We're about to leave when they call me for the game. JTG decides he doesn't want to play and goes to bed. I proceed to drop $140 in the game, and call it a night about 3:00am.

<font color="green"> Sunday: There's Still More Time! </font>

I get up after about 4 hours sleep and decide to play some more before I have to leave at 10:30 to catch my flight at LAX. I sit in the 1-2 waiting for a 6-12 seat to open. My KK holds up on my last hand at 1-2 and I move to the 6-12. I'm sitting with 7 of my "closest Asian friends" inthis game (the other white guy was away from his seat to start.). The game is pretty good, and then I get crushed on a hand (I posted it in SS). I manage to flop a set and turn a full house in one of my last hands, and only finish the session down $100. Off to the airport to go home to the miserable weather in the Northeast!

<font color="green"> Going Home </font>

At LAX, I get pulled out of line and searched AGAIN (it happened on the way down too). My flight leaves on time and gets into Philly ahead of schedule. My flight to Hartford, though, was a disaster. Since we were the last flight to Hartford for the night, we had to wait for some flights coming in. Those flights were 20-30 minutes late! So we got stalled another 40 minutes overall at the gate before flying out of Philly. When I get home, I'm gretted by falling snow! God has a sense of humor I guess (It was 70 when I left LA!).

<font color="green"> Short Stories </font>

These may be true, they may not be. But it was what I was told, so I'm gonna pass them along.

1. According to JTG, Mike l states that Pink's hotdogs are the best anywhere. Well, I thought to myself "if Mike l said that, then we're gonna just have to try them out!". We had a dog at the Bike. To give Mike the benifit of the doubt, I ordered my dog with mustard only (as is how I traditionally eat a hotdog). It was awful! A little on the rubbery side, and not very flavorful.

Mike, I offer you this: If you ever come to Foxwoods, I will pick you up myself, and drive you to Augie &amp; Rays in East Hartford. THEY make the greatest hotdogs in the world (IMO). Then, I will drive you to Hamden to Glenwood where JTG says they make the greatest hotdog in the world. This should prove to you that Pink's sucks, and you'll never eat there again.

2. According to JTG, Rick Nebiolo once said something about the 1-2 game possibly being beatable and something about involving putting someone in a woodchipper on a bet if they couldn't do it.

Let me just say that the 1-2 MIGHT be beatable. The $2.50 they take out on the flop is very tough to overcome, but, I saw people betting into eachother with no money in the pot because they raked it all! (Yes, thats right! People were betting $2 on the turn to win NOTHING!). If the players are THAT stupid in that game, then it is definitely possible. But I wouldn't bet on it.



Thankfully, I didn't go to Hollywood. Now I have a reason to go back! In the end, it was POKER HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Joe